This would be my second time in a private bath, but the queen’s bath chamber was even finer than the one in Drayce’s room. I glanced at Destry, not quite believing it was all for me, but she smiled and nodded.
As I submerged myself in the warm water, Drayce’s shadows slid from my body and receded into the far corner of the room. The water caressed my skin and melted the tension out of my muscles. Exhaling a long breath, I tilted my head to a skylight in the ceiling with a view of the morning sun filtering its light through white clouds.
Destry mimed that she would go and get my breakfast, and Osmos stood outside the door telling me he joined the service of Queen Pressyne after she banished the Fomorians, and that he’d also been at the queen’s side when Melusina returned from the mist.
I raised my head and stared at the doorway. “You knew my father?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Osmos replied. “At first, Melusina kept him as a lover, but when he wanted to return to the other druids, he became her prisoner.”
My brows drew together. “Why didn’t anyone help him?”
Osmos exhaled a long sigh. “Things were different in those days. Faeries bargained with humans in exchange for their servitude without considering the cruelty of such trickery. I doubt that anyone who suffered long imprisonments would want to inflict such an ordeal on others.”
“We still have a castle full of ensorcelled humans.” I stepped out of the water.
As far as I knew, Father hadn’t asked Queen Melusina for anything except his freedom and the chance to die. I expect she tricked him into making a bargain that turned him into a slave.
After drying off, I let Destry into the bathroom, who held up two gowns. The first was white and changed colors as it caught the light, and the other a bright green that reminded me of sunlight shining on rapunzel leaves.
“Do you have any armor?” I asked.
Destry’s blonde brows drew together, and she glanced from one gown to the other.
“Did Queen Pressyne ever wear leather bodices and matching skirts?” I asked.
With a silent nod, she gestured at a featureless patch of wall. I took that as my cue to create an opening into the queen’s wardrobe. We walked across the marble floor into a carpeted room twice the size of the bath chamber. Garments hung from parallel rails that stretched from eye level to a height taller than any tree.
A soft gasp escaped my lips as I surveyed the sheer number of breathtaking gowns. Some were as transparent as gossamer, others seemed to be made of feathers, flowers, even quicksilver. There were enough garments to clothe every woman in Bresail with plenty to spare.
At the sound of wingbeats, I turned to find Destry flying up until she disappeared from view. I placed a hand over my mouth. How long would it take to amass such a vast wardrobe?
Minutes later, she floated down, holding two leather garments—a high-necked, black gown with a plunging neckline and long sleeves. Its skirt was closely fitted to the legs with deep splits at both sides. In her other hand was a more modest-looking gown in green leather with a high neck and a full skirt.
I pointed at the green one. Destry eased me into the second outfit with a pair of matching gloves, arranged my carrot-orange hair in a high twist and fixed a golden talisman around my neck. After getting my sword belt into place, I stared into the mirror and inhaled a sharp breath at my reflection.
Instead of the unsmiling girl with hair too bright for her pale skin, a vibrant faerie stared back with jewel-blue eyes and hair that shone brighter than copper. The rounded cheekbones and angled eyes I shared with Queen Melusina were still there, but they seemed more elegant, even regal.
My spine straightened, and I pulled my shoulders back. For the first time since defeating Queen Melusina, I finally felt ready to face the other faeries.
Chapter 2
I stepped into the queen’s writing room, where Osmos stood by the door with his arms clasped over his velvet shirt. Drayce lounged on the sofa, already dressed in a suit of midnight-blue velvet that matched his long hair. The morning sun streamed in through the tall windows and colored the ends of his hair indigo.
My lips parted, and I wanted to ask why he wasn’t wearing leather armor but remembered that it had been part of his curse. I clamped my lips shut and smiled. This was the first time he had been able to wear real clothes since that Samhain, and he looked as regal as a king.
Drayce stood, his gaze roving up and down my form. “Are you expecting to go into battle?”
“It will stop my iron weapons from rubbing against my skin.”
He frowned but didn’t comment. Unlike Drayce and everyone else I had met this morning, I thought it was too early to rejoice in any newfound freedom. Queen Melusina was still out there somewhere, either biding her time until she could attack again, and there was also the mist. A shudder ran down my spine. King Balor and the other Fomorians that plagued Bresail could escape if we didn’t defeat Queen Melusina.
Rosalind approached from the other side of the room with a breakfast of poached eggs, cherry tomatoes, and steamed fiddleheads—young fern leaves still curled around themselves like spirals, served with nettle tea. Drayce refused the offer of food and said he would eat later.
“Tell me more about the cursed Courts.” I walked to the marble desk and sat at the golden chair.
“Your Majesty.” Osmos crossed the room. “We have more pressing matters.”
Drayce nodded. “We need to round up powerful allies. Melusina still has supporters maintaining the curses over the Courts of the Living. Many of them are half-Fomorians she rescued from the mist
