With no zipper, the pants are laced with a string. Shrugging, I tug them on and bunch the waist band in my fist, so the pants don’t fall to the ground. The lacing is tricky, but I manage to tie it tight enough to keep them at my hips at least. With a little more digging I find a belt to cinch around my waist.
I study myself in the mirror. Dark brown trousers that bunch around my feet with the extra length. A thin white shirt that’s three sizes too big. And I think I can see the faint blush coloring of my nipples. Frowning, I grab a gray shirt from the dresser and tug it on over my head. Without a bra, I’ll feel more comfortable in dark colors.
Satisfied, I roll up the hem of my pants a few times so I can walk without tripping. There’s a sharp rap at my door and then it shakes the chair stops it from opening. I smirk, glad my little trick worked.
“Verity,” I hear a woman say through the door. “Move the barricade. I don’t want to break the door down.”
I roll my eyes but do as she says. It would be worse to be without a door. I set the heavy chair aside with a huff and then cross my arms over my chest. The woman, Fae, enters, turning her green eyes to me. I count the knives she has strapped to her body, including her sword. Eight. I eye her suspiciously, it seems excessive. She watches me like a cat stalking a mouse. She’s tall and willowy, with auburn hair and almond-shaped eyes. Dressed in form-fitting trousers and a leather cuirass over a linen tunic, she’s clearly a warrior.
“Who are you?” I ask, taking a hesitant step backwards.
“Navi, Captain of the Guard.” She dips her chin, though her eyes never leave me. She certainly looks it. “How did you sleep?”
I shrug. “Fine.” In truth, I slept like a baby, despite my fear that Altair would break down the door in the middle of the night and ravish me.
She nods, satisfied. “If you’re hungry, I can take you to the dining hall.”
“I’m not hungry,” I say quickly. I don’t think I would be able to eat anyway, not with the stress of the kidnapping and Altair’s strange claims about dimensions and realms.
“How would you like to see more of the castle? Or perhaps the grounds?” Navi’s hand drifts to the hilt of her blade.
I have no doubt she and the other elves would be watching me closely. I don’t relish the thought of putting myself out in the open, surrounded by dangerous strangers. But if I stay any longer in the room, I might go mad. I might be able to search for a way out.
“I would love to see the grounds.” I smile as sincerely as I can.
Navi cocks a brow. “Humans are so amusing,” she murmurs, eyeing me.
“What do you mean?” I follow her out of the room and down the hall.
My eyes widen as I take in the architecture of the palace. Even the halls are designed and built beautifully. With arched ceilings and thin engaged columns sculpted with flowering vines. Gold frames house elegant oil paintings displayed along the hall, and a soft, green carpet runs the length of it. Navi doesn’t notice my admiration of the building. I can only imagine what the rest of the palace might look like.
“You think you’re clever,” Navi says in response to my question. “You’re hoping to find the route to exit the palace and then explore the grounds for another way out. You suspect I’m merely being hospitable, but in reality, I was simply curious.”
It doesn’t faze me that Navi has guessed my intentions, so I don’t try to deny it. “Curious about what?”
“What kind of woman you are,” she says simply as she waves at the guards to open a set of tall, double doors. “I was hoping for something a little more… intricate.”
I purse my lips. “I’m sorry to disappoint.”
“This is where I leave you, I have training to attend to.” Navi turns to me, pausing in the doorway. “I’ll have Fae watching you wherever you go with instructions to stop you, using force if necessary. Please don’t do anything rash.”
“Wait!” I bound down the steps after Navi. “I want to talk to Altair.”
“His Majesty is indisposed,” Navi quips.
I wrap my hand around her elbow, to stop her from walking away from me. “I don’t care, tell me where he is. I need to talk to him.” At the very least, I want to find out what he wants from me. I just want to go home.
Navi’s eyes drop to her elbow, still in my hand. Immediately, I regret latching onto her. Suddenly, she twists away from me in a blur of motion. I stumble backwards but she catches me, an arm wrapped around me to my back. I feel a sharp tinge of pain as she rests a dagger against my throat. Her face is close, only inches from mine as she bends over me.
“Put your hand on me again and I’ll cut it off,” she breathes.
I nod, eyes wide. She tosses me aside, sheathing the blade in a single smooth motion. I watch, my gut as cold as ice, as she stalks away and disappears around another building. It isn’t until I’m sure she’s gone that I realize I’ve been holding my breath.
I pant, bending over and propping my hands on my knees. I’ve never been so afraid before in my life, not even when that bird-creature poked its jaguar head into my room. Perhaps because that was so unbelievable.
I glance over my shoulder, in the direction she disappeared. I have no doubt that Navi wouldn’t hesitate to fulfill her warning. My hands are trembling as the adrenaline abates, I try to recover my breathing. Even in New York, I wouldn’t expect a threat like that. I’ve run into muggers on the street
