I did as he ordered, expecting to feel magic, but there was nothing. The door simply clicked and swung inward an inch. “Nice.”
“The doors are warded for the occupants. The royal guard can enter any room at court, but we only do that when it’s absolutely necessary.” He pushed the door open. “Welcome to your new home, Jesse.”
I entered the room and stopped so abruptly that he nearly collided with me. There had to be some mistake because there was no way this was mine.
The large room was bright and airy with plush couches and thick rugs covering the stone floor. The walls were decorated with colorful tapestries depicting nature scenes, and there was a doorway on one end leading to what I assumed was the bedroom. At the other end of the room was a small dining area with a table and chairs that could seat six. There was no kitchen, which meant all food was prepared elsewhere.
Directly across from me was a set of open doors showing a wide expanse of blue sky. I crossed the room and walked out onto the private balcony, eager for my first real look at Faerie.
Spread out before me was a wide, green, horseshoe-shaped valley dotted with fields and hills. On the right, the valley was bordered by a thick forest, and on the left was a row of shiny black cliffs that gave me an odd sense of déjà vu. A sparkling river wound through the valley to meet the distant cerulean ocean that stretched as far as the horizon.
“Wow,” I murmured at a loss for words. I leaned out over the stone railing to look down, and the height made me dizzy. Below was a wall of sheer black rock with balconies like mine built into it. There had to be at least thirty levels, maybe more, and that didn’t count those above me. How big was this place?
Far below in the valley, there was movement in some of the fields. Through some trees I could make out buildings and roads. A town?
I straightened and caught sight of a dark shape against the sky, miles away. It dipped and soared with the grace of an eagle, but it had to be huge to be visible from here. I squinted, trying to see it better, and caught a glint of sunlight against it. My hand flew to my mouth. It couldn’t be.
“It’s a drakkan,” Faris said from behind me.
I turned to find him, Iian, Kerr, and Conlan watching me in amusement. Faolin was nowhere to be seen.
“But it’s so big!” I spun back to the rail to watch the winged shape fly to a distant cliff where others perched. “Gus was no bigger than a cat.”
Faris came to stand beside me. “That is the normal size for drakkans. Gus was born in the human world, and the lack of Fae energy stunted his growth. He will grow to his full size here if he hasn’t already.”
I tried to imagine little Gus as big as one of these dragon-sized creatures and couldn’t. A conversation with Lukas came back to me from the night he’d seen Gus at the apartment. He’d been surprised Gus stayed there because they were fierce creatures that protected the borders of Unseelie. I’d laughed, but that was before I’d seen them here.
“Is all of this Unseelie?” I asked.
“Only a small part of it.” Faris pointed to our right. “You can only see a little of the forest from here, but it is bigger than the valley. Beyond this mountain, there are plains and more mountain ranges all within our borders.”
I looked down at the wall of rock. “The people of Unseelie live inside a mountain?”
Conlan sat on the wide rail, making my stomach lurch. “The court is in the mountain. People also live in towns and villages and family estates.”
This whole mountain was just the court? “How big is this place?”
“There are forty levels if you include the two below ground. Those are used by the servants and house the kitchens and cellars.” Conlan’s eyes gleamed. “And the cells for anyone foolish enough to commit a punishable offense.”
Despite his grin, a shiver went through me. I didn’t ask what kind of offense got you sent to a cell.
“The royal family lives on the top level,” Faris said. “We – the royal guard – live on the floor below them. After that, occupancy is based on lineage. The closer you are to the crown, the higher the level you live on, but you can freely go to any level, except for the top one.
I frowned. By lineage, he meant how blue your blood was, and mine wasn’t close to blue no matter that Lukas’s blood had been used in my conversion. “Shouldn’t I be on one of the lower levels?”
“You don’t think we’d let you live so far from us, do you?” Conlan teased. “Goddess knows what kind of havoc you’d wreak if we let you out of our sight for too long.”
Kerr snorted. “Because she’d get into no trouble with you?”
“New faeries live with a guardian,” Faris explained. “You are old enough for your own quarters, but we thought you’d want to be near us.”
“I do. Thanks.” The argument they’d had with the faerie upstairs made sense now. He must have put me on a lower level, and they’d forced him to change it.
A bell chimed inside, and Kerr went to admit a dark-haired female. Behind her came a male with his arms full of clothes. Both of them looked surprised to see Kerr and unsure of whether or not they should enter the room.
Kerr motioned for me to join them. “Jesse, this is Sereia. She is here to fit you for your new clothes.”
“Hi.” I smiled at the newcomers.
Instead of looking at me, their startled eyes went to something behind me. I was confused by their nervous expressions until Conlan and Faris appeared on either side of me. I guessed she hadn’t been expecting the crown prince’s personal guard to be here.
Sereia said something in Fae, and Faris shook his head. “Speak English only. Jesse does not yet know our language.”
She nodded and smiled demurely at me. “Welcome to Unseelie. I hope your stay here will be enjoyable.”
Her English was perfect but a little stilted, which I suspected was from lack of use. Still, it was good to know that others here could speak it. Faeries had the ability to pick up any human language after listening to it for a few minutes. I hoped the same would be true for me soon.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”
Sereia glanced at the others before her gaze landed back on me. “I have brought you some garments to wear until yours are made.”
“I think this is our cue to leave.” Conlan turned to me. “We’ll come back when you’re done.”
“Okay.” I brushed off an absurd stab of panic. I was a big girl more than capable of taking care of myself. I couldn’t expect them to stay with me every minute I was here.
The moment the door closed behind them, Sereia’s timid expression vanished, and she assessed me with all the warmth of the Hudson in January. I fought back a laugh because she was about as threatening as the two Texas bounty hunters I’d had a run-in with a few months ago. If her plan was to intimidate the new girl, she had a lot to learn about New Yorkers.
“Where do we start?” I asked cheerfully.
Her delicate brow creased as she appeared to decide what to say next. “I will take your measurements and show you a selection of garments to see what fits you. We will leave some with you to wear until yours are made.”
“Sounds good.” Except for my prom dress, I’d never been fitted for clothes in my life. Violet would love this, and I wished she was here to share it with me.