“What’s wrong, shorty?” Driscoll asked.
Whatever was bothering her, it was alarming enough that she didn’t even protest at Driscoll’s nickname for her.
“Do either of you notice the way everyone keeps glancing at Poppy? I’ve seen it a few times now. Here and in Feathered.”
I frowned, watching as Poppy and the little girl sat together, heads huddled, the little girl now chattering away while Poppy listened intently. Then I noticed the man walking past the fountain, the way his gaze kept darting to her. Leoni was right.
My stomach clenched, but there were others who passed her without a second look. I thought about what she’d told us of her gran, that she had enemies who would come after Poppy if they knew about her. If only we knew who those enemies were and if they were confined to the shadow court or not.
My gaze shifted. “Let’s get to the inn.”
And get Poppy out of sight. I’d been so worried about the shadowcourt and its dangers to Poppy, I hadn’t considered the real threat might already be here, in the sky court.
Chapter Seventeen
POPPY
The royal city enchanted me and so did the little girl sitting in front of me, her golden wings fluttering behind her as she chattered away. That experience on the cliff had been awful, but I felt better than I had in days.
The little girl’s face grew solemn, and she leaned in close. “Can I tell you a secret?”
I nodded. “I’m an excellent secret keeper.”
“I want to be queen one day. Mama says I’m going to be a laundress like her, but if Queen Bronwen can go from being a peasant to a queen, then so can I.”
I raised my nose. “I completely agree.”
The queen’s history was no secret. She’d been begging on the streets one day, plucked from obscurity to be the king’s wife. It was said King Yarron had fallen madly in love with her at first sight. I liked the romance behind it all, but couldn’t help the cynicism that crept in, Gran’s voice in my head.
“Love at first sight? Please. Love, true love, is not given so easily.”
A woman called the little girl and she skipped away just as the prince approached, telling me we’d better get to the inn. His gaze kept shiftingfrom side to side, and he clutched my hand tight as he led me from the pavilion, but then he smiled and I thought maybe I’d imagined it.
It was a short walk to the inn, and I let out a gasp when I saw it.
This was not like the little wooden inn where we’d stayed in Winged. This one was perched at the edge of the city, right on the cliffside, no doubt affording guests sweeping views of the sky and the sea far below. The tarnished gold building rose tall with a stained-glass dome that looked like a rainbow fell from the sky and splashed across it. Green vines hung down the sides of the inn, filled with bright purple and pink flowers that could survive the frigid temperatures up this high. It looked so regal, which made sense. I was traveling with a prince. I supposed he could afford this kind of luxury. Still, I didn’t know how I felt about letting him pay for all this. At least on our journey here, I’d been able to contribute by cooking and building fires, by scouting locations where we could sleep. Here I couldn’t do any of that.
“Are you coming?” Leoni asked from the doorway.
I jumped, realizing I’d just been standing there, staring like an idiot. They must think me so simple for being enamored with every part of this city, from the roads, to the shops, to a basic fountain. But I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help but be invigorated by this world that was opening up all around me.
I walked up the stone stairs and through the double glass doors that Leoni held open for me.
Prince Lochlan was nowhere to be seen, but I forgot his absence as I stepped inside and gasped at the white marble floors, the sweeping golden staircase that spiraled upward. I couldn’t even tell how many floors there were as I arched my neck, looking upward at that stained-glass ceiling far above and the way it reflected against the walls and the floor.
Driscoll nodded toward glass doors that led to a veranda, which stretched over a cliff, tables scattered about, sky folk—and a few elementals from other courts—sitting, drinking, eating. Tall torches burned bright, no doubt warming the space. “I’m getting a drink,” he said. “You two care to join?”
The offer was tempting, but I knew what I wanted. A warm bath. Gran and I never had the luxury. It was far too much work to heat the water we collected in our rain barrel, so more often than not I’dscrubbed myself as quickly as possible while shivering as I poured icy water over my body.
Now I was practically salivating thinking about a steaming-hot bath. Driscoll had told me that in Elwen they used hot stones underneath the tub to warm it and to keep the water heated so it didn’t cool too quickly, while Leoni said they had grottos in Apolis, in-ground tubs that were warmed naturally, much like a hot spring. I had no idea what kind of method they used here, and quite frankly, I didn’t care as long as it was warm and I could soak for however much time I wanted.
“Thank you,” I said, “but I’m going to go to my room and rest.”
Leoni held up a golden key and tipped her chin up. “Third floor, third room on the right. No cold, hard ground for you tonight.”
She walked toward Driscoll.
“Let’s go get so drunk we forget our names,” he said.
