Calm again, I spin in a slow circle and take in my surroundings. The castle is a giant monolith of gray stone, turrets and buttresses and towers skewering the sky. And all around it wraps a tall, stone wall. There are a few side buildings, I can identify one as the stables, but the others I’m not sure of. I wander away from the front entrance, towards a manicured hedge. It leads to a private garden filled with red roses. In the center is a small fountain, with a statue of a koi fish spurting arcs of water into the air.
I spend the next hours walking along the wall, searching for places I can climb or secret entrances. But the only entrance I find is the main one at the end of the long, treed drive. And that’s protected by a heavy wooden gate and a guardhouse.
I avoid doing anything more than running my hand along the wall, in case the Fae trailing me mistake any of my movements for an escape attempt. I’m not interested in being shot with an arrow. But I avoid heading in the direction Navi went, so I steer clear of the walls nearest the palace.
A shadow streaks overhead, too fast to be a cloud, and too large to be a bird. I look up, blocking the bright rays of the sun with my hand and see the creature flying past. It heads towards the buildings I haven’t explored yet and disappears. I furrow my brows. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I thought I saw its claws were painted red.
Moments later, it appears again. I shrink back into the trees lining the drive as he descends into a copse of trees on the other side, near the wall. Navi joins him a moment later, her eyes narrowed. So, the beast knows the Captain of the Guard. But, why would the two of them meet in such a strange place? Will Altair join them? I wonder.
Curious, I scurry over the road and onto the lawn on the other side. Running on my tiptoes, I ignore the Fae guards following me. When they see where I’m headed, they fall back. Probably because they know I’m not liable to escape directly where the creature and Navi are. I creep through the trees towards the sounds of their voices.
“We’ll find the spy,” I hear Navi say, her voice short and clipped.
Spy? My brows furrow.
The creature speaks, its deep voice carrying over the breeze. “Bring them to me once you’ve found them. So, they know what they’ve done.”
Silence falls, and I hear Navi moving away. I shrink back against the trunk of a tree, so she doesn’t see me. After a moment, I peek around the tree and into the clearing. The creature is alone now, Navi is gone. Carefully, I approach, one hand on the wall. The beast is sitting in the clearing, staring up at the sky. His feathers ruffle slightly in the summer breeze.
I summon my courage and bravado. “What’s this about spies?”
The creature whirls on me, his teeth bared, golden eyes bright and alert. He pauses when he recognizes me. “What did you hear?” He asks, pacing towards me.
Panic flares within me as he approaches, slinking like a predator. I take a step backwards but bump into the wall and stumble. Regaining my footing, I glower at him. “Don’t come at me looking like you’re going to eat me.” My heart is raging in my chest, that’s the second time today I’ve felt like I’ve endured a near-death experience.
He pauses at my words, tail flicking out sharply. “Don’t eavesdrop on my conversations.”
So, he can at least listen. When he wants. “It wasn’t intentional,” I lie. “So, why are there spies in the palace?”
I expect something along the lines of political intrigue. Perhaps Altair has a half-brother vying for the throne. Or maybe Fae journalists have snuck into the castle to catch the latest news on his kidnapping tendencies.
To my surprise, the creature drops my gaze. “It’s none of your concern.”
“Well, as far as I know, I am the only ‘mortal’ here.” I bend my fingers in air quotes, he wrinkles his velvet nose in confusion. “So, it’s about me, isn’t it?”
He ignores me, yawning lazily. Carelessly. “What are you doing out of your room?”
I scowl. He’s treating me like a prisoner. A prisoner he doesn’t feel particularly concerned about, but a prisoner, nonetheless. “What, are you going to drag me back there so I can wait for Altair to harass me again?” I toss my hair over my shoulder and cross my arms over my chest defensively. “Navi said I could get some fresh air.”
The creature lies on the grass, stretching out his paws. I glance at the claws; they are covered in blood. It wasn’t a trick of the light. I feel my stomach turn at the sight. “He’s infuriating. He won’t even tell me why I’m here.” I try to hide the fearful warble in my voice with whining.
He lolls his head to the side lazily, as if he couldn’t care less what Altair does or doesn’t tell me. I eye him, considering the situation. From what I’ve seen so far, this creature has as much power as Altair. After all, Navi listens to them both. But it was the creature who first spoke to me, even before Altair came to me.
He seems kinder, more open to my thoughts. And while it’s strange that I can find a cat-bird monster such as this personable, he’s much more approachable than Altair. Maybe that’s just because Altair’s looks are distracting. And make me think wicked things.
I shake my head imperceptibly, trying to collect my thoughts. I need to stay focused on the situation at hand. With someone—or thing—like this creature at my side, I could have more protection from Altair. And maybe he would even help me escape. If
