“At least pretend like you are happy to see me,” the queen said playfully as she approached Caynin. She stopped when she was almost on top of him, and he did not move away.
“I’m just surprised,” Caynin said. “The Red Festival is two full moons away. I was only expecting you to arrive then.”
“I decided to come by for the feast, before the festival.”
She was the queen, and she did not need an invitation to show up. Her presence made Zoey feel small and wished she could disappear into the gardens. The queen did not acknowledge her, and for once she did not mind, because she didn’t want to talk to the most powerful Fata in the kingdoms. Zoey turned to go.
“And who are you?” The queen’s firm voice forced Zoey to turn around and gaze into her royal, purple eyes. Caynin did not speak for her, although she wished he had as he would have known what to say.
“I’m Zoey,” she said lamely.
“You’re not a blood slave,” the queen pointed out.
Zoey wanted to ask what that meant, but Caynin spoke. “Zoey is here to complete the three Worthy Trials.”
Only a few hours ago he had not wanted her to do the trials because they were dangerous. Why had he undergone this sudden change of heart? Maybe the queen would disapprove if she knew he had given a human food and shelter after she got herself cursed.
The queen smiled, the meanness behind her white teeth obvious. “Good, this way we will have some entertainment.”
“Zoey, eat your dinner in the kitchen tonight,” Caynin told her. Valeska would no doubt keep him company.
Caynin extended his arm, and the queen took it. “Walk with me?”
The two of them strolled away as if they were madly in love. They left Zoey alone, and she did not mind one bit. The last thing she wanted was to say something wrong that would anger the queen.
Zoey wandered through the gardens until she reached her room. When she entered, she instantly closed the door and rushed to the fireplace, where she stood with her eyes closed for a few moments. When she opened them, she realized her bed had been made and the room cleaned. Her bathroom was filled with lotions, oils, clean towels, and a sweet-smelling herb was burning in a bowl on her bedside table. Zoey then went to her closet and opened it to find it was filled with stylish clothes of high quality. Everything was her size, and these included dresses, long and short, fit for every occasion. She had warm, woolly jackets, shirts, pants, socks, and too many shoes. Scarfs, mittens, and beanies would keep her warm. She had more belongings here then she did back home, and something suited for every occasion.
She could not help but smile and would thank Caynin later. It was considerate and kind of him to give her all these things. Was he this kind to everyone or was she the exception? A small part of her heart softened for him, but she shouldn’t simply trust a faerie because he was nice to her.
Caynin was more than nice. He was caring, protective, and unlike anyone she’d ever had in her life. Nice wasn’t a good enough word for him. Nice was the word she’d use to describe Eric.
Zoey immediately took off her purple dress and replaced it with soft pants and a white shirt. She put on thick, warm socks, boots, and a long coat with a scarf, hat, and gloves. She felt more comfortable in these clothes and would be less judged than when she was wearing purple.
It was already late in the day because she and Caynin had spent most of it walking to the border. She was not going to spend the final hours of daylight inside her room. Zoey could use this time to explore the castle – her new home. She familiarized herself with the palace by wandering through the gardens and hallways. She found the armory and was not surprised when none of the weapons contained iron. There were plenty of daggers and swords made of metal.
She did not take much interest in the armory, and after a while found the library. The doors were open, revealing rows and rows of books. Zoey wanted to enter, but when she saw Kismet and Delia inside, she changed her course. She would avoid confrontation by returning to the library later.
Zoey found herself in the gardens again, between plenty of rooms close to hers. One of these had Fluver-luzile growing in a pot on the windowsill. Why would the Fata need the healing plant if they were so strong? Maybe they injured each other when practicing sword fighting? Fluver-luzile was not the only flower growing there. Plenty of foreign flowers did, but one stood out. It was black as midnight and had a rose-like shape.
Zoey only studied the flowers a short while as she wanted to get out of the cold, although she was dressed warmly. Her stomach rumbled which reminded her she had only eaten an apple that day. She headed toward the kitchen, where the smell of food made her mouth water. Zoey poked her head in by the door to see Fata cooking.
“Dinner is not ready yet,” one snapped at her.
Zoey left, and as she headed down the hallway, she heard a loud bang. It came from the dining room, where she had eaten this morning. The dining room’s door was slightly open, and she peeked inside in time to see Rane remove his fist from the table. Caynin stood in front of him with a placid expression.
“You have to be here for dinner,” Rane insisted. “The queen will be upset if you’re not. Send another Fata to take care of your business.”
“I can’t risk that they are not strong enough and fail,” Caynin said. “I suggest you entertain the queen.”
Rane glared at him. “Someone is murdering us. You need to get your priorities straight.”
“It’s not your place to tell me what to do,” Caynin growled.
“It is my place to look out for you,” Rane said.
Caynin looked past him, and Zoey immediately ducked behind the wall. Had he seen her? Although their conversation did not make much sense to her, it was clearly meant to be private. She waited for Caynin to appear and scold her, but when he didn’t, she returned to her room.
What business did Caynin have that was more important than dining with the queen? If Caynin was not joining her for dinner, maybe that’s why he had told Zoey to eat in the kitchens. He didn’t want her to dine with Rane and Valeska without him there to keep an eye on her. Zoey realized, once again, just how little she knew about Caynin and his life. Rane had also said someone was murdering Fata, and obviously he expected Caynin to do something about it.
Zoey stayed in her room, staring at the fire for at least an hour before she headed back to the kitchen. She passed the dining room again, but this time the door was closed. Was Rane dining with the queen?
In the kitchens, the Fata had placed a plate filled with delicious chicken, vegetables, and rice on one of the counters. Zoey was the only one there to eat – the rest were cooks, servants, or cleaners.
These Fata clearly only cooked for Caynin and whoever dined with him. The rest of the Fata were responsible for preparing their own meals. If Caynin’s cooks were cooking for her, had he planned to dine with her before the queen showed up so unexpectedly?
There were chairs behind certain counters, and Zoey quickly ate her food. She felt unwelcome in the kitchen and wished to get out of there as soon as possible. After eating, she thanked the Fata for the meal and was ignored. Then she headed back toward her room.
On her way there, she saw Kismet and Delia. Was it possible for one to go somewhere without the other? Why did she keep running into them? Kismet opened a door and entered the room without noticing Zoey.
Zoey went to her own room, closed the door, and climbed into a warm bath where she soaked and thought about her family. Had they called the police yet? Were they searching for her?
If only she’d had a chance to say goodbye to them and explain that she was all right. She missed them so much, and the pain in her heart was making her miserable.
She fit in with her family and never had to prove herself to get their respect. Now, she faced three trials that could happen at any time, just so that the Fata could treat her decently. She feared the unknown. If these trials killed her, her family would never know what had happened to her. Would they spend the rest of their lives searching?
The bed felt too big without Violet lying next to her. Zoey pulled a pillow to her chest and fell asleep while cuddling it as if it could take away her loneliness. She awoke when her bedroom door swung open. Caynin was in the doorway – covered in blood.