Chapter 91
Luna spied half-eaten corpses strapped to rubber gurneys as lithe-bodied maidens fitted in and out of the small bay beside the watch tower.
“My lady, if I may?” The elf king hopped down, extending his hand in help to Luna.
“Certainly, thank you.” Luna whispered breathlessly, putting her small hand in his own and inhaling sharply when a tingle spread through her.
What was happening? Luna couldn’t tell—not until a scream made her snap her head around.
Arcadia was drowning in death, and Luna had lost count of the number of corpses she counted. Even Helios had dropped his usual cheerful manner as they alighted the carriage, slapping their feet on the stone paving.
“Fret not, the wounded are being seen to; we have the best healers in Arcadia.” Cassius assured them, reading the dismay on their faces and the guilt in their hearts.
Luna nodded, her jaw dropping even further when she looked up at the fortress a ways ahead.
The castle was a medieval-style sky-high fortress made entirely out of salty rock, so that it looked like chess pieces taped together.
“Luna! Look!” Helios breathed, gnashing his two front teeth, and pointed Luna to a green-colored Dryad fairy who was heaving a basket of carrots to the store room, her small moth-like wings fluttering erratically under the weight.
Luna would have offered to help, but she knew how easily Dryads, especially the female forest Nymphs like that one, chose to be insulted, and she did not fancy getting her helping fingers bitten off.
“Oh, shush!” Luna giggled, slapping Helios out of it playfully.
“Luna, this will be your handmaiden; Agatha will look after you while you are at the castle.” Cassius said, waving his hands between the two ladies.
“Thank you, Cassius.” Luna breathed, gripping his arm tightly.
“Pleasure to serve, ma’am.” Agatha replied cheekily, lifting her hanbok and bowing slightly.
Luna didn’t know if she would get along well with the girl.
It was the way the maiden’s black, close-set eyes and wide hips reminded her of a rat.
“If you would come with me, I’ll show you to your quarters until the Queen requests for you.” The large pixie nodded Luna and Helios along, stopping to rub Helios on the head, between his ears.
“What a pretty little thing you are,” Agatha said, smiling as Helios purred. Luna felt a stab of irritation, managing to shake herself out of it before anyone saw.
“I’ll be at her Majesty’s throne room; freshen up, Luna; don’t wander too much; I’ll call for you as soon as the Queen’s ready.” Cassius said, his blonde head bending to fix Luna with his bright purple stare.
Luna nodded disjointedly until Helios slapped her calf again and she bowed. The Elf King sauntered off, his lithe frame towering over the other Fae, who bent in half as his gold-studded purple robe brushed past.
Luna felt her heart swell until she thought it would burst in her chest. She wondered if the Elf King had a mate yet, not that she was interested. She wouldn’t let herself admit that much.
“Have a little shame.” Agatha mumbled in a tone Luna wasn’t entirely sure was playful.
“What did you just say?” Luna croaked, but the maid was already halfway into the castle.
She exchanged looks with Helios before they followed suit.
There were no candles inside the stone walls of the Queen’s Castle, but it was lit up like the Armagh Cathedral on New Year’s Eve.
“It’s the Queen’s energy that lights the whole castle; we have no need for candles here.” “As long as the Queen is strong, these passageways shine.” Agatha said over her shoulder to the duo.
Luna lifted Helios to the crook of her waist as a swarm of Brownie fairies shouldered past, their long elfish ears flattened against the sides of their brown, small bodies, smelling of upturned earth and citrus trees.
“In here.” Agatha’s shrill voice was lowered as the handmaiden pushed open the wooden door.
The air Inside the small room smelt of jasmine, wood, and, only faintly, of mildew.
“It’s not much, but certainly more than you are used to, by the looks of you.” Agatha’s voice was saccharine, but her brown eyes had hardened.
Luna didn’t know what to make of the veiled insult, so she just nodded.
“Now hold on a minute,” Helios growled, raising one paw as he marched up to the handmaiden, but Luna’s foot shot out to stop him.
“It’s alright, Helios.” Luna muttered, insisting when it looked like Helios would object.
“It wouldn’t do to stir up trouble when we only just got here.” Luna whispered, eyeing the handmaiden that stood at the door warily.
“You will have dinner in your room unless the Queen requests otherwise, though I don’t see why she should.” “Ring the bell if you need anything.” Agatha harrumphed, jutting her flat chin before she spun away, leaving the door wide open.
“Nasty fairy.” Helios grumbled, kicking the door and falling on his tail when the glossy oak kicked back.
“Now now, Helios, that’s not very nice.” Luna laughed, pushing the door gently shut as Helios rubbed his behind.
Luna unclipped her straight brown hair from behind her ears and let it fall about her as she settled on the silver canopy bed that was propped against the green-tinged window.
“I’ll draw you a bath.” Helios squealed, running off into the brightly lit closet room, which Luna thought was the washroom.
“The daughter of a maidservant, a guest in the Queen’s Castle.” Luna mused, reminiscing. She wished with a sudden stab of pain that Lucille was there with her.
She would have backhanded that handmaiden soundly across the face the minute she sensed disrespect. Lucille did not play subtle games; it made Luna chuckle with sad fondness when she remembered.
The noise of an argument drifted from the slightly open window. Luna scooted over the soft foam until her nose was pressed against the glass, where she saw Agatha arguing heatedly with a grim-faced dark faerie. She swallowed noisily, the unsettled feeling returning to her stomach.
Dark faeries were the most dangerous of the folk; they were hired contractors, the Queen’s hitmen, or the cleanup crew when there was bloodshed.
The Dark Faery's wide wings glowed an odd blue in the yellow-streaked garden, his one arm covered in silver-spiked bronze armor as he glared down at the handmaiden, his mouth a flat line of rage.
He was a mage, a spellcaster! Luna’s mind whirled.
There were only two magi in Arcadia.
She’d met Hailey already, the White Mage who helped her channel her light, so this had to be Abbadus, the Dark Mage Faery. What was he doing in the Queen’s Castle?
He didn't seem to be hiding. Luna didn’t even believe he could hide, not with the way his energy seemed to send goosebumps in every direction. Luna didn’t think she could bear to stand as close to him as the portly handmaiden was standing.
“Just…” “A little more time…” Bits of Agatha’s words floated to Luna’s ears, but the Mage Faerie’s lips refused to move.
She wished now that she had Lucille’s hearing. Everything made her miss the troublesome girl!
And what did the woman need more time for? Luna didn’t like it one bit.
What was a scullery maid doing arguing with one?
Luna’s neck throbbed with pain when she whipped it back at the sound of the fast rapping of knuckles on the door, yelping as it swung open and a man she had never seen before stood at the entryway, his eyes the color of cold steel.