She was a fool. Why had she ever thought coming here was a good idea? She and Caynin weren’t friends, and starting a friendship with him was unlikely. She had trespassed on his lands, again, after he had warned her to stay away. It took all of Zoey’s courage to look into his eyes and not crumple at his feet. If they were going to kill her – she would not die crying.
Next to the throne was Rane, glaring at her with that familiar hatred. What had she ever done to him that made him hate her? If it was up to him, she would already be dead.
“Your majesty,” Bane said, then he and Lore bowed simultaneously. “We went hunting and were lucky enough to find a human. Unfortunately, she stumbled upon our Globetrot-tree.”
Rane’s spine stiffened, and he narrowed his eyes skeptically. Caynin did not show any emotion, and Zoey wondered what he was feeling.
“She touched the Globetrot-tree,” Lore said, more clearly.
Zoey did not understand what the big deal was. She had touched the tree – she hadn’t chopped it down – and no damage had been done.
“Thank you for bringing her here,” Caynin said. “Rane will see to it that you are rewarded.”
Rane’s mouth twisted, but he did not object as he left Caynin’s side, accepting his dismissal. He passed Zoey, fists at his sides, and she thought he might punch her in the stomach. Bane and Lore smiled, pleased as they followed him out of the throne room. Without Bane holding her down, Zoey got to her feet, knees cramping and wrists hurting.
Caynin put his head in his hand as if he was an old man giving up on life. What was going through his mind? When he looked at her again, his expression changed, and he appeared playful and gave her a naughty smile. He flicked his wrist, and the doors to the throne room swung closed, trapping them in the center of the coldness. Then, with predatory grace, he rose from his throne and approached her. Once he was close, Zoey was reminded how much taller he was then she, and she suddenly hated it. She stuck her chin out, gazed up at him, and reminded herself that he could hear the frantic beating of her human heart.
He was the first to speak, “Well, human, you really should have listened to me.”
“I came back to thank you,” she found herself blurting out. She bit her tongue when she realized how pathetic she sounded.
“Well, you can spend the rest of your life thanking me.” Humor tainted his perfect voice.
“What?”
“The tree you touched is one of four Globetrot-trees, which were created after the Prenumbras attacked us. We poured some of our magic into these trees so that Enerly who were low on magic could draw energy from it. These trees aren’t close to each other, but they are connected by their roots. If a Prenumbra were to try and draw energy from it, it would simply shut down and transfer its energy, through the roots, to the next tree.”
“And if a human were to touch it?” Zoey’s eyes widened slightly.
“If a human were to touch it, they’d be cursed.”
Zoey shivered as he studied her with cold eyes. His words settled over her like a worn-out blanket. Cursed? She did not feel any different and didn’t know much about curses.
“And what does this curse entail?”
“If you leave the Eternity Kingdoms, you will die,” he told her.
Zoey studied his expression carefully, but his eyes remained on her, his voice was level, and his hands were relaxed at his sides. If he was lying, he did it brilliantly, though he had years to practice. But there was absolutely no reason for him to lie, no reason for him to keep her in a place where she was unwanted. She suddenly felt dizzy, as she realized he was telling the truth.
He stepped closer to her so that she could feel his breath, the only warm thing in this room, on her face. He twisted his arms around her, and for a moment she thought he would hug her, then she heard a snap and felt the vines release her hands. He stepped backward, and she could breathe again.
She rubbed her wrists. “I can’t stay here.”
“You don’t have a choice.” He shook his head. “I warned you not to come back.”
And now she wished she had listened. “Is there no way to break the curse?”
“No.” His voice was ice cold. “I’ll let you stay in the castle.”
“Now why would you do that?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Do you find it hard to believe that I’m also capable of kindness?”
She did not answer his question. After all, he hadn’t caught her when she had fallen down the cliff.
After a while, he stopped waiting for her to answer and made to leave. “Come on, before I change my mind.”
That was enough to make Zoey rush after him. They left the throne room together, and she was glad they did not run into Rane. Enerly turned their judging eyes on her, and a female hissed, like a snake, as she passed. She couldn’t help but wonder if the female was jealous, but she shrugged off the idea. If anything, the female was no doubt revolted that the prince was walking around his castle with a human. This beautiful, dangerous female could kill her easily if she wanted to. It was obvious that Zoey was unwelcome in this foreign place.
“I won’t survive a day,” she realized. Her heart beat wilder, and she could have sworn Caynin tilted his pointy ears toward her.
“They won’t hurt you,” Caynin told her. It took Zoey a moment to realize that he was giving her his protection, and she decided to wear it like amour. If he commanded the Fata to not hurt her, they would not disobey.
“Why are you helping me?” Zoey asked as they headed to the other side of the castle.
Caynin hesitated. “Why did you run back to release the bear trap? You could easily have run away.”
Zoey looked away from him and into the gardens at the ice sculptures of winged creatures. Did he think that saving him was personal?
“I looked at Rane,” she confessed, “and how helpless he was when trying to save you. It was the same helplessness I felt when it came to saving my sister. I could take away his suffering, so I did.”
“Rane would never see it that way,” Caynin warned her, making Zoey realize her innate empathy would make her life difficult among the selfish Fata.
Zoey did not want to think about Rane or how much he scared her. She looked around her at the beautiful, magical palace. It was still dark outside, and she guessed it was around 2 AM, yet there were many faeries in the gardens.
“Why are there so many Fata outside?”
“We have a lot of energy,” Caynin said. “We don’t need a much sleep.”
What it was like to have that much energy? None of the Enerly around her looked tired which only served as a reminder that she was the weakest link in the kingdom.
“We are here,” Caynin said.
Zoey stopped in front of a wooden door covered in ice which was carved into beautiful flower patterns. Caynin opened the door, stepped inside, and she followed.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Your room,” he said.
Her room was spacious and fit for royalty. A king-size bed was covered in soft, cream-colored, silky sheets that matched the curtains. The big windows overlooked the gardens, and attached to the room was a bathroom filled with mirrors. It was much nicer than her room at home. Did all the Fata enjoy so much luxury? It was beautiful, but as cold as the arctic.
“Is it not to your liking?” Caynin raised an eyebrow.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said quickly. “Just cold.”
Something in Caynin’s eyes softened, and he raised one hand. The ice on the walls turned into water, which dripped off the walls and flowed out of the room, where it turned into snow. Now, the walls were made of stone and a fireplace had been revealed. The door was made of wood, all traces of ice gone, and the floor as well.
Zoey marveled at her surroundings and Caynin’s magic, as he clicked his fingers and the logs in the fireplace caught flame. Zoey wanted to ask Caynin why he was being so good to her. She had stupidly wandered into the woods and got herself cursed. It was not his fault or his responsibility. Yet, he had been right there to help her and take care of her. Zoey bit her lip. She must not let her guard down around him. He was still lethal.
“I’ll send a servant to bring you soaps and ointments. Your body must be sore,” he said.
Zoey saw her reflection in the mirror and immediately felt self-conscious. Her hair looked as if she had stuck it into the tumble drier. Not to mention that she was covered in sweat and assumed Caynin could smell it. Zoey turned away from the mirror and looked at Caynin who was now lazily leaning against her door. Did he enjoy having her here? Was she a guest or a prisoner?
“Join me for breakfast tomorrow,” he said, to her surprise.
It could only be an order and not a request. Her night had been exhausting, and she did not feel like fighting, arguing, or turning down the one faerie who was kind to her. She nodded in agreement and watched him leave without saying another word. For a moment, she stood there, with no idea what to do, and then she closed her room’s door. She was dirty, and did not want to ruin the sheets, so she started pacing. How had her life changed so suddenly?
Ten minutes passed before her room door swung open. The Enerly who entered wore a black hat tilted to the side and a black dress with a white belt. In her arms were bottles and clothes, which suggested that she was the servant whom Caynin said he would send.
“Hi, I’m Zoey,” she said.
“I know who you are,” the servant snapped. She strode over to the bed and dropped the bottles and clothes there before turning back to Zoey and looking at her with her lips pressed together and her eyes narrowed.
“Do you have a name?” Zoey asked her.
“Of course I do.” She picked up one of the transparent bottles and held it up so Zoey could see green liquid slosh around inside of it. “Bath in this.” Then she reached for the other bottle that was filled with white cream. “Apply this afterward.” She dropped the bottles back onto the bed. “And I trust you know what to do with the clothes.”
Zoey was not sure how to respond to the Fata’s rudeness. “What did I do to make you act this way?”
“You walked into this castle like you own the place,” she sneered.
Zoey disagreed with that statement – she had been brought to the castle like a prisoner.
“And now you are treated like you are one of us! You get to live in this big room, wear these nice clothes, and you get to dine with the prince! It is outrageous! You’re nothing but a mortal, and you don’t belong here.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” Zoey explained. “I touched a cursed tree, and now I am forced to stay.”
For a moment, the servant looked as if she was going to say something, but she decided against it. She stormed out of the room, slammed the door, and left Zoey alone with her thoughts.