Swirling patterns of frost stretched over the dirt path ahead of Elora. She stomped forward, silently cursing the dryad for tricking her into a bargain she was physically incapable of breaking.
Despite her grumbling, she lowered the turquoise necklace over her head and pulled her hair free from the string, so it could lie against her neck. When finished, she intended to keep moving forward like before.
But her feet had frozen in place again.
It had nothing to do with the bargain this time. Instead, the sight of herself had caused her to suck in a breath while her eyes opened wide. Her leather corset and knotted skirt were gone.
Now she wore a white buttoned blouse with a high collar. Small blue and red embroidered flowers made a line across her upper chest and up onto the shoulders. Her skirt had stripes of alternating fabric, some the same white linen as her blouse. The other stripes were made of a rough red wool. A sheer, ruffled material edged the hem of the skirt.
Her socks had transformed into thick gray wool with a simple flower pattern. Instead of boots, she wore brown leather shoes with straps that crisscrossed up her legs. Her hair was now hidden by a thick scarf wrapped around her forehead and tied behind her head at the nape of her neck. She couldn’t see it properly, but it seemed to be made from the same rough wool in her skirt.
She wanted to stay angry at the dryad who had forced her into this position, but the turquoise necklace seemed to have another enchantment besides altering her clothes. It sent a pleasant wave of warmth through her shivering limbs.
Maybe that emerald-haired creature wasn’t so bad, after all.
After a few more stomps down the path, it became apparent that Elora’s clothing hadn’t actually changed. Her leather trousers still brushed against her legs with each step, and she could feel her loose hair tickling her neck. The glamour, as Kaia had called it, must have only changed the appearance of her clothing but not the clothing itself.
But Elora didn’t have time to worry about that because the houses around her were starting to change. Ice and frost still covered the wooden logs, but the houses got bigger. Each time she passed a new home, the icicles hanging from the roofs were grander and more elaborate.
Soon, the palace itself came into view. The walls were a brilliant white. It had many spires, each topped with golden domes that ended in a point toward the sky. They seemed just like the little dollops of frosting her mother liked to squeeze onto miniature cakes.
Gorgeous and lively music came from inside the palace, but Elora refused to enjoy it. She just wanted to give the queen the memory elixir, find the prince, and get out of there. When she returned home, she’d definitely appreciate the quiet moments of her life a little more.
No one spared her a second glance when she entered the palace and found the ballroom. Servants must not be spoken to very often in Fairfrost.
It took great effort to stay angry and determined in such a fascinating place. Even as she tried to ignore the details, another part of her mind soaked them in. After she returned home, it would take her years to create drawings of everything she had seen in Faerie.
The dresses alone could have taken hours to study. The lady fae wore long dresses with heavy brocade fabric that shimmered in the light. In a line from the collar to the hem, white opalescent beads created intricate designs. The beaded adornment continued around the collar of the dress. Gold threaded embroidery knotted through and around the shimmery white beads.
But none of that mattered when she had a queen and a prince to find. She shook her head and forced herself to glance through the crowds of fae.
They were all frighteningly beautiful, even the men. They had that same indescribable quality as Kaia where their age seemed impossible to tell. Their skin was vibrant without a wrinkle in sight, but their eyes seemed older than time itself.
No one seemed to notice her as she pushed her way through the masses. Panic knotted her gut as she realized just how many fae were there. How would she find the queen?
No sooner had the question entered her mind than the crowd parted and revealed a woman with brown hair in loose curls. Her brilliant ice blue eyes glinted in the light, which somehow made her plump lips look even pinker.
She wore a blinding white dress with more beads than any of the other guests. The beads had the same iridescence as those dangerous sparkles Elora had encountered earlier. If that weren’t enough to demonstrate her title, the heavy crown on her head completed the job. Short strings of beads fell from the bottom of the crown covering the top half of the queen’s forehead.
In a panic, Elora reached for the nearest bowl of soup from the table at her side. The broth smelled both salty and sour. Chunks of meat and diced vegetables floated around, giving off the scent of herbs.
As she lifted the porcelain bowl, a nearby fae with pointed ears bumped into her hanging sword. He hissed at her and only looked away when his companion diverted his attention to the dancing. Elora gulped and brought the porcelain bowl closer to her chest.
She’d needed the reminder that her clothes only appeared different. The sword was still there. If she wasn’t careful, another fae might discover it and decide to punish her.
Plucking a silver spoon from the table, she bolted toward the edge of the room. Her speed might have got her there quickly, but it nearly lost her the soup in the process.
She chose a quiet corner and glanced over her shoulder to make sure none of the fae looked her way. After lowering herself to the ground, she tucked the porcelain bowl between her knees.
Her fingers trembled as she uncorked the tiny clay pot with white swirly designs. She glanced over her shoulder again. The trembling seemed to extend to every corner of her body. After dumping the contents of the tiny clay pot into the soup, she used the silver spoon to stir it in.
The painted pot and cork went back beneath her corset where she had hidden them before. A soft clink sounded when the pot bumped into the thin dagger that also hid under her corset. She held the bowl of soup between her palms, but the liquid inside sloshed from all her shaking. Maybe a few deep breaths would help to calm her racing heart.
Just to keep her fear at bay, Elora forced herself to notice the little details around the room. It would have been much easier to stay calm if she’d been able to swing her sword.
But as someone who was too curious for her own good, she noticed the little details again. The fae that had bumped into her sword by the table wasn’t the only one with pointed ears. They all seemed to share that peculiar feature.
The other mortals in the room stood out against the finery of the fae. They wore rough clothes like hers and stood without moving. Their eyes seemed glazed over, as if they had forgotten how to think. One old man with mortal ears danced on the other side of the room. He huffed and nearly cried from exhaustion, but he didn’t seem capable of stopping his feet.
It must have been another fae trick. Elora bit her tongue on her way to the queen, forcing herself to keep moving. She couldn’t let herself get distracted now.
The queen had moved to a quiet edge of the room, speaking to a fae man wearing a white brocade coat with guard’s armor over it. They seemed to speak in hushed tones too quiet to hear. But when Elora got closer, she seemed to pass some sort of invisible barrier, and suddenly, their voices were clear.
“I have the poison, my queen,” the fae guard said as he handed her a green crystal vial.
The devious smile that fell over the queen’s lips was much more terrifying than the smirk Kaia had worn not long ago. The queen plucked the vial from her guard and studied it closely. “And will it poison only the High King and no one else?”
The fae guard tugged his collar away from his throat. “Callum promises that yes, it will work, though we both believed it would be impossible.”
The queen tucked the vial into a hidden pocket of her dress and waved toward Elora. “Hurry, mortal. That soup smells delicious. Bring it quickly.”
Elora nodded and quickened her pace toward the queen.
Though the queen had clearly noticed her, it was like Elora was invisible again. “And the High King’s son?” the queen asked with a pointed glance at her guard.
He gulped. “Prince Fabian from the Court of Noble Rose is waiting for you in the parlor.”
The queen let out a slow chuckle as she took the bowl from Elora.
When Elora whispered, “My queen,” as she bowed, Queen Alessandra didn’t even look her way.
Mortals must be considered little more than ornaments in Fairfrost Court to be treated in such a way. And if the queen was plotting to poison a king from another court, then maybe all fae were cruel in their own ways.
But such things were beyond Elora’s worry when her own life hung in the balance. If the queen was willing to poison a king, she probably wouldn’t be very happy to find out about Elora’s plan to rescue a prince from her clutches.
She backed away from the queen, watching her closely while trying to look casual.
The queen grabbed the silver spoon and continued speaking to her guard as she stirred it in the soup.
After a few steps backward, Elora had seemed to pass some invisible barrier again and could no longer hear the queen’s words. But that wouldn’t stop her from staring.
She just had to make sure the queen ate the elixir-filled soup.