Chapter Thirty-Nine
Turns out Fae wine was not like the alcohol humans drank. It was strong, mixed with a certain purple-colored berry that went straight to your bloodstream and turned off the inhibitions button in your mind.
Dris watched over me, and I was grateful. I laughed and danced by myself, mostly because Emrys sneaked into the ball and became a bodyguard. Anytime a curious Fae danced toward me with interest, my loyal spider blocked him with his dark eyes and sneer. I didn’t mind the absence of a dancing partner. I didn’t want to think about men or destinies or anything heavy.
My body was coated in a light sheen of sweat, and the music was as lovely as I’d heard the other times I was near the festivities. This time I wasn’t supposed to not be seen or heard. I could laugh and smile and move to my heart’s content.
I’d only had two drinks and a small finger sandwich to combat the effects of the alcohol. My only desire came in the form of lifting my hands in the air and swaying my hips along with the musicians who played a lively song.
Other Fae danced, too, and when I needed someone else to do a couples with me, I grabbed either a shy Dris or a willing showboat Emrys.
I didn’t know what time of night it was, and the party hadn’t slowed when I finally told Dris, “I’m going to the bathroom!” I didn’t need her to go with me down the hall, so she ate an apple while Emrys danced. She tried hard to ignore his strutting like a peacock. I giggled, then stopped when I saw two bodies against the wall in a dark alcove beyond the bathroom doors.
Just as I reached the door of the restroom, I heard it . . . a loud slap of a hand against a face and heels clicking toward my direction. The queen passed by without glancing in my direction. If she was the queen, then . . . Crap.
“Sapphira,” the king whispered in a purring tone, his body resting on the stone wall.
“Hello, Your Highness, and excuse me.” I did my best curtsy or bow. I wasn’t sure which I actually ended up accomplishing because my foot slipped slightly. I reached to open the door to the bathroom to get away from him, but his hand stretched so fast and pushed the door shut with all fingers splayed across the wood.
“Why did you have to come here, little gem? Something about you . . . Can’t put my finger on it. The draw. Not in my plans at all.” It almost sounded like a whine, as his other hand touched a tendril of my curly hair.
Instantly I took a step back, and he took another forward, crowding my space with the wall at my back.
“You look ravishing for a human. Maybe you will tell me your secrets in and out of that dress.” He leaned in and I counted to ten, hoping I didn’t need to assault the king because my stay here in Crysia would probably end up with me dead.
His nose touched the side of my face, the tip of it running along my cheek bone as he inhaled my scent before returning back to where he was standing. “Sapphira,” he breathed, holding the “a” from my name longer for emphases.
All of the drinks and food in my stomach churned, my vision turning into a shade of yellow.
“I’m going to puke.” I pushed him out of the way with too much force and ran into the bathroom to expel everything in my stomach. I was too sick to know if the king had followed me into the closed space. In a temporary break of heaving, I managed to look around and saw no one before going for another round of hurling into the toilet I’d most likely be cleaning tomorrow.
My cheek rested against the cool seat, and I let out a groan that echoed off the stone walls. I was done with the night. The king had officially ruined any sort of fun I had been having. What did he even mean by everything he said?
“I’m not ready for this shit,” I muttered to myself as I climbed up to my feet and shuffled to the sink basin where I could wash my face and mouth. “What are you doing, Sapphira?” I asked myself when I got a look at the woman in the mirror. She looked beautiful, even wearing a dress that a creepy king got specifically for her. This woman looked so different from the one who had trekked across the continent.
I couldn’t forget the Saphhira who should have died in my community. She was still a part of me no matter how far I traveled, how much I trained, or how dressed up I appeared. Two Fae women walked into the bathroom, laughing and tripping over each other. They pushed me out of the way to the sinks.
Dris waited where I’d left her with Emrys nearby, who had a drink in his hand instead of prancing around. She took one look at me and knew I was finished with the night.
“Are you OK, Sapphira? You look more than the type of ill you get from the wine.” She pressed her hand to my head, checking for fever as I nodded her off.
“I’m fine. I’m ready to call it a night. You don’t have to leave, though, if you want to stay.” I hugged her, loving my friend for her caring gestures. Emrys watched us, then heard someone call his name. Quickly, he set his drink down and walked over to us, his gaze constantly shifting around the room from the people to the windows and even to the ceiling above us.
“What’s bothering you, itsy bitsy spider?” I cooed, still under the influence of the wine.
“Something’s not right.”
The tone of his voice was full of worry. Emrys rarely looked serious. My body tensed and Dris’s trembling hand reaching down to interlace with mine. Her head darted from side to side like a nervous owl. The music stopped when everyone except me sensed a disturbance in the room.
Then it happened.
Glass shattered to the ground in an ear-piecing crash. Fae from all over the room screamed as soldiers armored in red and black descended upon the room. We froze as the men sliced all Fae in their path.
Verin’s soldiers.
Chapter Forty
My fear vanished in seconds, and even intoxicated, I managed to grab one of the knives by the banquet table. It was a simple knife but could slice into evil Fae flesh, if needed.
“We need to get out of here,” I told my friends, and we moved as one toward the exit where everyone else was currently rushing for their lives, trampling others in their frightened state.
Neither the queen or king were within sight, most likely having been pushed away to safety by their bodyguards. If the queen was not in her current state of mind, she would have fought off the intruders with her guards.
“Shit!” I cried out, as someone wrapped their hands around my waist and tried pulling me away from my group. The knife within my tight fingers was knocked out with unfortunate ease. Emrys came at the evil Fae with a swift kick, and I was free again.
But only for a moment.
“Get her out!” A man’s voice bellowed in the room and another solider grabbed me. This time Emrys and Dris could do nothing as two men with swords blocked their path. Dris called out my name, her hand reaching out, but then men walked close to them. Emrys pushed Dris behind his back, protecting her. He muttered something, and my friends ran as quick as their Fae speed could whisk them away. I got it and didn’t want them hurt, but they left so quickly that I felt a tiny stab in my chest.
I writhed, scratched, and stepped on boots as I was dragged toward a broken window. I needed one second to get free. Then I could use one of the moves that Najen and Rune had taught me to beat a Fae and to run afterward.
I stopped fighting and breathed in, taking in the sounds, sights, and scents around me. Verin’s men receded, and the queen’s guards fought them back, but many had fallen on both sides. The coppery tang of blood marinated the air, and the sounds of grunts and swords clashing echoed through the room. Diamonds from the tree behind the throne clattered against the stone floors.