“Enjoy your visit to town,” she said halfheartedly.
Lukas and I were quiet when we stepped onto the lift. I stared at the first two levels passing by before I heard him sigh.
“My father often arranges dinners to discuss court business with his senior advisors. Some of his advisors have daughters, whom he considers suitable matches for me, and he likes to invite one of them to dine with us.”
I swallowed around the tightness in my throat. “He wants you to choose one of them as your future consort.”
Lukas’s brows knitted. “How do you know about that?”
I hesitated before answering. I had never intended to tell him about my run-in with Dariyah, but there was no way around it now. I had a sinking feeling that nothing she’d told me had been a lie, no matter how much I disliked the source.
“Jesse?”
“Dariyah told me a few months ago,” I finally said.
“Dariyah?” he echoed sharply. “When did you see her other than the day she came to my place?”
Biting the bullet, I said, “She was waiting for me outside my building one day after Tennin shared those photos of you and me online. She told me you have to choose a blue blood mate to produce strong heirs.”
Lukas’s expression darkened. “She had no right to go to your home or to tell you that. I will make sure she never harasses you again.”
Kaia, picking up on his anger, growled in agreement.
I laid a hand on his arm. “It’s sweet that you want to protect me, but I can take care of myself. I’ve handled a lot worse than Dariyah.”
The muscles under my hand relaxed, and he smiled. “Yes, you have.”
The lift slowed, and I was surprised to see Faris, Conlan, Iian, and Kerr waiting for us on the ground level wearing swords. Lukas explained that an armed detail always accompanied him when he left the court.
We stepped off the lift, and a male in court livery hurried up to us. It was the same attendant who had come for Lukas the moment we arrived in Unseelie, and my heart sank before he spoke. I didn’t need to understand Fae to know he was here on behalf of the king.
“Tell my father I have plans for the remainder of the day, and I will see him tomorrow,” Lukas replied in English, his words sending warmth through me.
The attendant looked like the last thing he wanted to do was carry that message back to the king. Bowing to Lukas, he turned and hurried away.
We walked to a different exit than the one Faris and I had used the day before. This was the main hall, and it boasted two massive doors I didn’t think I had the strength to open on my own. Four guards stood at attention, and they bowed to Lukas when we entered the room.
Instead of leaving through the huge doors, we walked to a normal size door I hadn’t noticed. Iian opened it, and we emerged into a circular area paved with flat stones. Standing inside the circle was a white open carriage. It was drawn by four huge black equine creatures called tarrans that had bony faces and two small horns on their foreheads. A liveried male sat on the driver seat holding the reins. Four more tarrans stood nearby wearing lightweight saddles similar to those used by human jockeys but with long stirrups.
Kerr gave me an exaggerated bow. “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”
“Why thank you, sir.” I walked over to the carriage and let him help me up.
Lukas climbed in beside me. The carriage was big enough to fit six people, but Faris, Conlan, Iian, and Kerr mounted the tarrans and took up positions on either side of us. Lukas called something to the driver, and with a small lurch, we were off.
“Where’s Kaia?” I looked around for her, and I was halfway out of the seat when Lukas stopped me.
“She likes to run. It’s exercise for her.” He pointed to something on his side. “There.”
I leaned into him to peer over the side at the lamal loping ahead of the lead tarran. She suddenly crouched and wiggled her rear, and then she took off after something in the bushes.
I settled back into the seat and took a minute to savor the experience. It was a beautiful day, and I was alone in a carriage with Lukas on my first outing to a Fae town. I’d had a rough start to my visit to Unseelie, but this made that awful day seem like a distant memory.
The carriage slowed as we reached a fork in the road. The left one looked more traveled, and the right wound into the trees.
“Where does that go?” I pointed to the right as we started down the left road.
“To the Cadian forest,” Lukas said. “There is a small elf village at the edge of the forest, but most of the elves have gone to live in town. The road is mainly used by hunters now.”
“How far is the town?” I asked as we cleared the trees, and softly rolling hills came into view.
“Three miles.”
I swung my gaze to meet his. “That’s not far at all. We could have walked.”
Conlan, who rode closest to me, snickered. “The crown prince does not walk to town. He must have more regal transportation.”
“Normally, I ride with them,” Lukas explained. “But you’ve never ridden a tarran, and it takes practice.”
“You could have doubled up with him, but that would cause quite the scandal in town,” Conlan joked loudly enough for the others to hear.
“No, thanks,” I said over their laughter.
The gravel road curved, and the hills became farmland. On one side, there were fields of leafy crops and grazing animals, and on the other was an orchid. I recognized some of the fruits I’d been eating back home. The landscape was green and picturesque like the Italian countryside. You could imagine you were in Tuscany until you looked close enough to see that the people working the fields were trolls and dwarves, and the cows were actually small wooly mammoth-like creatures.
It wasn’t long before the roofs of buildings came into view. We passed over a stone bridge, and I let out a sound of delight when we entered the town. It was like stepping back in time to a medieval town, but without the knights and peasants.
The gravel road gave way to a flat cobblestone street wide enough for two carriages to pass. The well-kept two- and three-story buildings along the road were white, tan, or brown with lots of windows and balconies that made them look bright and airy. Some of the buildings had shops on the bottom floor, and I wished we could stop and visit them all.
People waved to us from balconies and sidewalks, and wide-eyed children watched us pass. Unlike at court, the townspeople were a mix of court faeries, elves, dwarves, and even some trolls. It was strange to see trolls going peacefully about their business, and it made me wonder if only the troublemakers came to my world.
As we neared the center of town, the streets became more congested, and there were colorful banners up ahead.
“Are they having a fair or something?” I asked Lukas.
“It’s market day. I thought you might enjoy it.”
I could barely stay in my seat as the crowds parted for us, and we stopped beside a fountain in the middle of the town square. From my elevated position, I had a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the market, and I nearly gave myself whiplash trying to take it all in.
Booths and stalls lined the edge of the square, selling everything from produce, cured meats, cheeses, and baked goods to clothing, jewelry, art, books, and so much more. Music filled the air along with the hum of many voices, shouts, laughter, and the squeals of children. The smells of exotic spices, savory meats, and baked goods made my mouth water.