Home > Castle of Bitter Thorn (The Fae of Bitter Thorn #2)

Castle of Bitter Thorn (The Fae of Bitter Thorn #2)
Author: Kay L Moody

 

ONE


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MAGIC, ENCHANTMENT, AND… DANGER. With all of Faerie’s delights came a host of troubles. Troubles that could maim, destroy, or even kill. So, why am I so desperate to stay?

Elora’s toe met the mossy stone floor of her bedroom in a flurry of taps.

She had promised Prince Brannick she would stay and help him win the testing to become High King of Faerie. But then what? Was she really just going to go home like the prince insisted? Could she really return to the mortal realm to care for her two sisters while knowing Faerie existed? Could she live knowing it was just out of her reach?

When an ache split through her ankle from how often she tapped her toe, she jumped off her bed.

If she had to leave after the testing, then she also had a duty to explore Faerie before leaving it forever.

Her eyes flicked toward the open window of her bedroom.

Exploration took more effort these days. A forest breeze fluttered inside, ruffling the leaves on the tree in the middle of her room.

While the breeze could move freely in and out of her window, she could not. The brooding prince of Bitter Thorn had placed an enchantment over her window, preventing her from reaching even a finger through it.

He claimed the spell would protect her. At the first phase of testing, she had played a harp for High King Romany and hundreds of fae had heard her remarkable skill. Supposedly, other fae would now stop at nothing to snatch her away from Bitter Thorn.

Yet, the enchantment still seemed like an excuse to keep her trapped.

Sneaking out the window was out of the question. Her door, on the other hand, had no such enchantment. She could sneak into her hallway with no effort at all—sneaking anywhere interesting would take more skill.

Pulling on the leather strap of her door, she peeked into the hallway. Empty. Just as she suspected. Rising up to tiptoes, she started down it. The dark solitude provided the perfect backdrop for a memory she kept trying to ignore.

The first phase of testing.

During the revel that night, she had been forced to kiss Prince Brannick just to prove to a particularly nasty fae that no one could claim her as a pet. Apparently, the stupid kiss hadn’t been enough to keep her safe.

Everything had gone wrong that night. They managed to kill the king of Dustdune before he could inflict deadly shards on half the fae in Faerie. But stopping him had come at a cost. Prince Brannick had been weakened when he destroyed some of the shards. There had been a fight. An ogre. And the kiss.

Now the prince insisted she have an escort everywhere she went, and her window was enchanted every night to lock her inside.

Too bad for the prince, she had perfected the art of sneaking out by the age of thirteen. She only needed a destination, quiet feet, and a good excuse if she got caught. Her excuse tonight would be a nightmare. Or sleepwalking. Or maybe both.

She’d figure it out on the spot if she had to. She just had to get out and experience the wonders of Faerie while she still could. Before Prince Brannick won the testing to become High King and forced her to return to the mortal realm.

Vines of green leaves stretched across the stone ceiling of the hallway. A light wind fluttered through the leaves, making just enough noise to mask her steps. Black thorns twisted through the greenery. They creaked in the breeze, covering her sounds even more.

Her fingers trailed across the mossy wall at her side. Just as she neared the end of the corridor, the cool, rocky texture of stone vanished.

She jerked her head sharply to the side and sucked in a breath. Where did the wall go?

To her eyes, the stone wall looked the same as it always did. The sight of it curled her gut into a knot. Reaching out with one hand, she waved her hand through the air in the exact spot that the wall appeared. And yet, no wall met her fingertips.

At least now she had a name for the trickery. Glamour. The fae could use magic to make things look different from how they really appeared.

Using both hands to sweep the area in front of her, she found that the empty space was the exact size of a hallway opening. Her heart thumped in her chest at the thought. With tingling fingers, she leaned forward.

What would happen when she tried to push her head through the glamour that looked like a wall? Her hands hadn’t met any resistance, so why should the rest of her?

Despite those thoughts, a part of her still held back. At one time, nothing could have stopped her curiosity. She would have charged forward without a thought. But that was before she discovered Faerie. Before she betrayed a prince and conspired with a king. Before she had ever kissed anyone.

Now she knew the dangers of Faerie were just as real as its magic. Her body hovered at the hidden doorway. What if she couldn’t find her way back? What if a treacherous creature lurked beyond the glamour?

When a whiff of decay met her nose, she stumbled backward. Her feet slapped against the stone floor, letting out a noise that rang down the hallway on both ends. The thumping in her chest shook harder than before. The tingles in her fingertips suddenly felt like needles.

She whipped away from the wall that wasn’t really a wall. Why did she have to explore that hallway right then, anyway? Another day would be better. Besides, she still wanted to sneak into the forest to gather some purple berries for her brownie, Fifer.

Footsteps neared from an adjoining corridor. Based on the sound of them, she only had a moment to dash away before getting caught.

Using the light feet she usually reserved for dancing, Elora slipped into a new hallway. Luckily, it was as deserted as her own. She prioritized speed over silence as she moved. Even if someone heard her footsteps, hopefully she could get away before they arrived.

Crisp forest air trickled through the castle hallways thanks to large, open windows. Still, nothing compared to meeting the air outside. When Elora finally stepped outside the castle and entered the forest surrounding it, she took in a deep breath.

More footsteps sounded behind her. She scurried around the nearest castle turret. A stone staircase covered in moss and twigs was tucked in between the turret and the black castle wall at its side. It sat at a strange angle, which was probably why she had never noticed it before.

Without a good excuse for being out, she welcomed the chance to hide as quickly as possible. Spongy moss gave off the scent of wet earth as she trailed down the staircase. A black door with a leather strap for a handle stood at the bottom. She didn’t think twice before pushing it open.

Briars and thorns creaked all through the room. Their black vines twisted over the walls and around the plush furniture. A tree stood in one corner, but the black thorns twisted so tight around its trunk and around every branch that the poor tree had died. A strong stench wafted all around, but it wasn’t unpleasant exactly. It was just… different.

In fact, everything in the room felt different, though she couldn’t explain how. Her theories came to a halt when a cold voice cut across the room.

“What are you doing here, mortal?” Prince Brannick slouched in a chair made from leather and bundles of thin branches. His black hair hung down to his shoulders—as glossy as ever but limper than usual too. Even when he shook out his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair, it didn’t bounce as it usually did.

“Prince Brannick.” She curtsied before him, but the tone of her voice was mocking.

He could tell.

His nose twitched. The chill in his voice transferred to his limbs. Tension rocked through him as he leaned forward with a glare. “Get out now.” Each of his words came out like its own sentence. Each felt like a knife to the gut.

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