I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, and focused on the problem at hand. As a servant, I made my way up the stairs, into the main level of the fortress. I tensed as I walked by a set of patrols, but no one stopped me.
I let out a long breath of relief.
Until another male fae stepped into my way. “What are you doing here?” He wore a uniform like a servant’s one, but his was more elaborate. His ranking among the servants was higher. “All servants are to report to the courtyard immediately.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me along with him.
I started protesting but decided against it. If I fought this fae now, it would only make everything worse. I went along with him, at least until I figured out what was happening. He brought me back downstairs into the servants' wing and shoved me into a large courtyard where many other servants stood, all looking confused. Guards flanked the walls, all looking ready to attack if necessary.
What the fuck was happening here?
The male fae turned his attention to the servants. “Someone tried to poison the prince last night,” he said, his voice loud enough to carry through the courtyard. Gasps of surprise filled the air. I frowned. “No one leaves this courtyard until everyone is fully investigated.” He gestured to a young female fae just a few steps from him. “You’re going first.”
With her head low, the female fae approached the male. He pulled her to the back of the courtyard. Just then General Auron stepped into the courtyard. My insides chilled. Even though I was glamoured, I glanced down, afraid he would recognize me.
From under my lashes, I watched for a few moments, while General Auron interrogated the young female fae, then dismissed her and called another servant.
Fuck. I couldn’t be investigated. It would either break my glamour, or they would realize they had never seen a servant who looked like me before.
I had to get the fuck out of here right now, but guards were stationed along the walls, every ten feet or so.
With my werewolf agility, I reached into the pocket of one fae and snatched the first thing I grabbed—a thick, golden coin. I stopped for a second, wondering who the fuck had a gold coin, and why, but I honestly didn’t care. Instead, I acted on the rest of my plan. I dropped the coin among the feet of a male fae with a wild demeanor.
It took less time than I thought it would. The first fae realized her coin was gone and started shouting she had been robbed. She saw the coin at the other fae’s feet and accused him of stealing her.
Chaos ensued and several guards from along the walls stepped forward to check what was happening.
And I slipped from one of the courtyard’s archways and disappeared inside the fortress.
15
Farrah
I jolted out of bed as the doors to my chambers burst open.
“What is going on?” I asked, sitting up. I was glad I had chosen a moderate nightgown for tonight, knowing I would be awoken once they found Lark’s body.
The cat let out a shriek and jumped off my bed, where it had been sleeping at my feet, and disappeared from sight just as four soldiers walked in my room, then parted ways, standing guard on the side. A moment later, Prince Lark strode in my chambers. What … I schooled my expression to remain cool, lest he saw the shock now coursing through me.
“My dear Farrah,” he said as he halted just a couple of feet from me. “Someone tried to poison me a couple of hours ago.”
“W-what?” I willed my voice to be surprised by such revelation. “What happened?”
“I had company,” the prince explained, his tone amused. He thought I didn’t know he still took innocent female fae to his bedroom almost every night? “She drank from my wine before me, and within seconds, she was dead at my feet.”
I put a hand over my mouth. “That’s horrible.”
“I agree.” The prince nodded. “The fact is someone inside this castle tried to poison me and we’re intent on investigating everyone until we find the culprit.” His dark eyes held on mine. “You wouldn’t mind if my guards searched your bedroom, would you?”
“Of course not.” I gestured wide. “Go ahead.” I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for having gotten rid of everything before I went to bed last night.
The four soldiers rummaged around my chambers, looking under and behind every piece of furniture and painting and other decorations. They searched my bathroom and my closet.
And found nothing.
Prince Lark tsked. “I’m so sorry I doubted of you,” he said, his voice almost earnest. He snapped his fingers and a male fae was brought into my room, being held by the arms by another two soldiers.
I stood up as the fae’s desperate eyes met mine. “Who is this?”
“My winemaker,” Lark explained. “I’ve been searching for a while now, and I can’t find anyone who would want to poison me. Thus, the winemaker must have put the poison in my wine himself.”
“My prince, it wasn’t me!” the fae shouted. “I wouldn’t have! I—“
I gasped in horror as Lark moved his arm as fast as lightning and slashed the winemaker’s throat with a dagger I didn’t even see he was holding. A gurgled sound came from the fae’s mouth and blood seeped from his throat.
First the poor female fae who drank the wine, now the winemaker. Two fae had died because of my plan. Because of me.
Prince Lark turned to me, his face serene, as if he hadn’t just killed a fae in cold blood. He took another step closer to me and I did my best to hold my ground. I couldn’t show him how much I was disgusted with him, how much I feared him.
He reached for my hand and held my arm. He clasped a black stone bracelet around my wrist. “A gift for my wife,” he said in a honeyed tone.
I glanced down at the bracelet, stunned. What the hell was he doing? “Thank you,” I whispered, still in shock.
Lark placed a kiss on my cheek. “Sorry to have bothered you. I’ll let you go back to bed while my soldiers and I resume our investigation.”
With that, the soldiers dragged the winemaker’s body from the room, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. Everyone walked out and the doors closed with a finite click behind them.
I stood there in absolute horror for a few moments, trying to gather my wits.
I knew Prince Lark was evil, but I hadn’t realized he was more than that. He was insane and evil, and he liked it. My skin crawled with revulsion and fright.
I had to get out of here. I couldn’t stay here as a victim, especially now that I knew Lark had lied to me and imprisoned my brother and my people, instead of letting them go as he had promised me. I had to get out of here and find a way to go back to the fae realm to save my people.
After waiting a few minutes, I changed my nightgown for sensible clothes—black leather pants, a thin sweater, and boots.
As I left my bedroom, careful not to step in the blood smearing the stone floors, the sun was going up outside the window. Hopefully, the hallways would be still dark and since the soldiers were all following Lark wherever he was going, I would be able to slip through the fortress unnoticed.
To my relief, I made it to the outer wall of the fortress just fine. But there were two guards standing in front of the gates leading outside. I quickly put a glamour over me, disguising as another fae guard. I didn’t have to interact with them. All I had to was cross the gates.