“I feel like an exhibit at the circus,” I grumbled.
Faris laughed. “They’ve never seen a red-haired faerie. Don’t worry; it’ll pass.”
The path curved around some gigantic flowering shrubs, and I forgot all about the gawking faeries. Before us, the path branched off in three directions, The right and left paths led to more extensive gardens. Directly ahead of us was a wide stretch of grassy ground dotted with trees and flowers that sloped down to a small sparkling lake. In the middle of the lake was a white pavilion accessible by a wooden walkway.
There were faeries everywhere, strolling along leisurely, sitting on the many benches, or standing in small groups. I had never seen so many Court faeries together. Every adult was at least six feet tall, the females slender and the males with a natural athletic build. Unlike Lukas and his men, everyone had long, straight hair, although some of the females wore theirs in various styles.
Everyone was beautiful and elegantly dressed like we were at a summer yacht party. And though they had different features, they had a sameness about them that I found a little unsettling coming from a world with so much diversity.
“Shall we walk to the lake?” Faris asked.
“Yes.” I looked away from the curious eyes. “Can I ask you something?”
“You must have many questions. You can ask me anything.”
I thought about the best way to phrase my question. “Everyone looks like they are out for a Sunday stroll. Do Court faeries have jobs? I know some are guards and some work with the king, but what about the rest of the court?”
“Some do, but in general, no.”
I shook my head. “That sounds like a boring life for an immortal. How do they stay sane?”
Faris’s warm laugh surrounded us, drawing even more curious stares. “They throw many gatherings and parties and spend their time trying to maneuver themselves into better standing at court.”
I turned my head, expecting to see a grin, but he wasn’t joking.
He nudged my shoulder with his arm. “It’s not all that bad.”
“For you. You’re an elite royal guard.” I was starting to see why so many faeries found my world appealing. It was far from perfect, but it was vibrant and at lot more exciting.
A thought occurred to me. “Are there female royal guards?”
“Yes. The consort’s personal guard is entirely female and so is Princess Roswen’s.”
Princess Roswen, I’d learned, was Lukas’s younger sister. He also had a younger brother named Kellen. When Lukas said we were coming to Faerie, I’d wondered if I would meet his family. So far, he hadn’t brought it up.
“What do you think of the grounds?” Faris asked.
“They’re beautiful.” I stopped walking and tilted my face up to the sun. “It smells so fresh and clean, and I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere this quiet and peaceful. It’s strange not to see buildings or hear the city.”
“My first visit to the human world was jarring,” he said. “It’s not only the iron. I had never seen a city or automobiles. It’s always noisy, and there is this chemical smell in the air that never goes away. It takes a while to adjust to a new world.”
I gave him a sideways look. “Point taken.”
We continued on our walk. Now that I’d gotten my first look at the place, I was able to notice other things. For one, the parents doted on their children, playing and interacting with them instead of watching them run around like people did in the parks at home. Another thing I saw was how people acted around Faris. If we encountered someone on the path, they stepped aside for us, and they all looked at him with deference. I wondered if this was because he was royalty or a royal guard.
As we neared the lake, the surface rippled, and I caught the flash of a silver tail that was too big to belong to a fish. “What was that?”
“A siren. There are a few in the lake.”
“Really?” I craned my neck eagerly, hoping for another look at the creature. I’d read about sirens, but actual sightings of them were rare in my world. They resembled the mythical mermaid, but their singing was so beautiful it was said to mesmerize any human who heard it.
Faris chuckled. “You’re not planning to take up your old occupation here, are you? I think King Oseron is particularly fond of the lake dwellers.”
I smiled. “My interest is purely academic. I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad about it.”
A male faerie in the court livery approached us and spoke to Faris in Fae. Faris nodded and looked at me. “I need to step away for a few minutes. Do you mind?”
“Go ahead. I want to look for those sirens.”
I walked to a bench a few feet away, and I’d barely sat down when I heard a soft splash nearby. I thought I caught a glimpse of dark hair, but I couldn’t be sure if it was my eyes playing tricks on me.
“Such an unfortunate color. And those curls,” a female voice drawled, intruding on my thoughts.
“And her skin,” said another. “Humans call those spots freckles.”
“I don’t know,” said a third. “I think it gives her an exotic look.”
It took a few seconds for my brain to register the voices had spoken in perfect English – and that I recognized one of them. I schooled my expression to be as serene as the lake as three faeries came to stand in front of me.
Dariyah was flanked by two females I didn’t know, her fake smile not reaching her green eyes, which glittered with malice. One of her companions had black hair and bore enough of a resemblance to her to make them sisters or cousins. The third was blonde, and the tiny smile she gave me was hesitant as if she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to greet me.
“Josie, how lovely to see you again,” Dariyah said with a self-satisfied smirk. “Welcome to Unseelie.”
I turned up my smile a notch. “Thank you, Delilah. It’s great to be here.”
Her blonde friend made a sound and pressed her lips together.
Dariyah’s smile slipped a fraction. “It’s Dariyah, Vaerik’s…friend.”
She said friend like she was a lot more than that to him. My chest squeezed because I had no idea what she was to Lukas. I’d be damned if I let her know her words had hit their mark.
“My bad.” I made an oops face. “I guess I forgot because he doesn’t talk about you to me.”
This time it was her dark-haired friend who could barely keep a straight face.
Dariyah’s smug look vanished, and I half-expected her to lunge at me. She regained her composure so quickly I was impressed.
“We heard you were very ill last night. Pity your first night in Faerie was ruined.” She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “Vomiting all over yourself is nothing to be ashamed of.”
I gave her my sweetest smile. “That’s what Lukas – Vaerik – said when I woke up this morning. He stayed all night to take care of me.”
I had no idea if that was true, but neither did Dariyah. Her lips flattened, and her eyes narrowed to slits. She was seconds away from exploding, but I didn’t care. I was not going to be bullied or demeaned, and she might as well learn that now.
Her two friends’ eyes widened, and they took a step back. The blonde paled, and the brunette inhaled sharply. I’d been the brunt of one of Dariyah’s rages, and her bark was definitely worse than her bite.