I wiggled my toes against the polished floor. “No shoes?”
Brave clicked her tongue. “Your soles show that you often go without shoes, but whether or not you wear shoes is up to you. There are dozens in the chest, brand new and custom-made precisely to fit your feet. But I think this makes a bigger statement. It tells the Queen that you will play the game your way, and that you’ll remain true to yourself while playing. That might be the best piece of advice I can give you, Arabella. Stay true to who you are inside.”
I really hoped I could trust Brave. I wanted to believe she wouldn’t run to Coeur or one of her confidants the moment she left me and tell her every word that came out of my mouth. But the truth of the matter was that I needed someone on my side.
If Brave had already played this game, she would be an invaluable source of information. If she’d been here hundreds of years, she could show me who the other failed players in this castle were on any given day. She could let me know where the pieces were positioned, and tell me how they moved. And she might be able to tell me how and why the endgame changed with me and Carden. Why would we be executed when she made the other players Cursed and Unseen?
She saw me to the door, urging me to stand upright. When the soldiers, dressed in bright peacock teal, each moved a hand to grab me, their hands were batted away by an unseen force. “Queen Coeur will have your heads if you mark her player,” Brave scolded.
The men, who could pass as brothers, glanced at one another and shrugged in turn. Then one told me to follow him and the other fell in step behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, imagining for a second that I could see Brave standing there in a pale white dress, wringing her hands.
They escorted me through long corridors, down winding staircases, up ramps, and through an empty room whose walls were covered in white downy feathers. We walked through lavish parlors, we passed by stately studies and polished bedrooms, and continued past rooms with elaborate tea sets tucked onto every surface, every pot and glass steaming, with no one drinking from them. In the hall just outside the throne room, an imperceptible hand wiped the wall with a dingy rag. The wiping slowed as we passed by and I tried to make eye contact with the invisible one.
“Do not stare at the Cursed!” the guard behind me bellowed, shoving the blunt end of his spear in the center of my lower back and making me cry out.
So much for not marking the player. I was seething by the time the doors parted the heart’s chambers and closed behind us. Once inside, the guards melted away from me and took up their positions along the exterior wall, still as statues... acting like they weren’t complete assholes.
The room, which was abuzz only moments ago, went silent as every fae in the room assessed me. Some shrewdly stared, several offered expressions of mild interest, and others scoffed or giggled, obviously finding me wanting. I stood taller just for them. Some appraised me with unconcealed lust and I fought the urge to swallow my disgust. One barrel-chested fae with hands as large as my head looked like he wanted to kill me before the game even started.
I tried not to acknowledge the spidery-looking men hiding in the corners of the room, suspended from their thick webs, their spindly legs working the silk…
I closed my eyes and reminded myself to keep my wits about me. When I opened them, the moment of first impression had passed and the fae were finally resuming their conversations. Round tables placed around the perimeter of the room hovered in the air, as did the stools that encircled them; each shaped and painted to look like red toadstools, speckled with white polka dots. The table linens swayed in a breeze I didn’t feel, but the magic of which I could taste on my tongue.
Queen Coeur was seated imperiously on her throne, but her calculating smile fell when she saw the way my hair was arranged. Meeting her shrewd gaze head-on for several heartbeats, I finally looked away. On the far end of the expansive room were rectangular tables that held fountains of faery wine, platters of meat and bread, and an array of confections I couldn’t begin to name. As my mouth watered in response to the smell of fresh food and drink, I knew I was in trouble. I couldn’t fight off the overwhelming response flooding over me. I had to eat. I had to drink. Now.
And then he was there... standing between me and several tables overflowing with bad decisions.
“Carden?” I queried breathlessly, as if stepping out of a fog.
“Arabella,” he greeted, bowing formally at the waist. His lip curled up on one side, but the worry lines on his forehead deepened as he looked over me. Carden was handsome in his suit, a suit made to complement my dress; but where mine was airy and light, his was constructed of thick, velvety fabric. His hair was still wet and the scent of honey soap clung to his skin like it did me.
Where are his bruises? How is he standing in front of me acting like he feels perfectly fine? In answer to my scrambled thoughts, I heard his bones snap as he winced and straightened.
“Are you okay?” I whispered.
“I am now,” he breathed, taking the two steps that separated us and reaching for my hand. “Did they hurt you?”
I absently rubbed my lower back. “Unless you count a jab to the spine, I’m okay.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked and he placed his hand over the bruise as if he knew exactly where it was. The warmth from his skin seeped through my thin dress and butterflies took flight in my stomach.
“I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”
“I still don’t understand how you did,” I admitted.
“I followed O’Hare into the forest, and apparently trespassing is a crime punishable by death,” Carden explained.
“So is being late, but you didn’t mean any harm and it’s not your fault that she brought me here.”
Faery wine spilled over a glorious fountain at the back of the room, pink and shimmering, smelling like sugar and heaven. I was so thirsty, and suddenly angry. “Aren’t you starving?” I demanded.
“I am, but eating their food isn’t wise,” Carden replied calmly.
“Who said I was wise?” I snapped.
“Hey.” He snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Eyes on me. Forget the wine. Queen Coeur wants you to drink it. That’s all this is.”
“Well, maybe we should?” I suggested. “We have to be as physically strong as possible or else we’ll lose. Then it will all be over and we’ll be dead, or worse...”
“Cursed and Unseen,” he finished. His hand folded around mine, offering a small squeeze and bringing me back to the present, making me forget the enticing sound of splashing faery wine. “You have an invisible servant, too?” he groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I’m so sorry to have involved you. I don’t even know why she sent for you.”
“Our hearts are tethered, apparently.”