“Like I said, I just follow orders.” The pixie studied her nails. “You’ll have to ask him when you see him for dinner.”
“Dinner?” Driscoll squeaked. Then his brown eyes turned dreamy. “Dinner. Is the food good here?”
The pixie didn’t answer. “Are you coming or not?” she gritted out.
“Yes,” Leoni answered. She stomped over and grabbed my arm, yanking me toward the entrance. “She is coming.”
I clenched my jaw, annoyed that she was making this decision for me. He was playing with us. Making us feel comfortable before he slaughtered us. But maybe this would give me the chance I needed to get that nettle weed and escape, or at the very least, delay my death.
I gave a stiff nod, and the pixie blew out a relieved breath. “Finally. I’ve never had to work so hard in my life to convince prisoners they were free.”
“Not free without our shadows,” Leoni reminded her.
The pixie rolled her eyes and spun in the air, fluttering down the dark stone corridor, leaving us with no choice but to follow.
Chapter Seventeen
BELLAMY
We walked through the dark castle, the floors a shiny black, the walls matte but just as dark. Two wide staircases with thick black bannisters wound around the big room where we currently walked. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, flickering flames casting a gentle glow over the space, but the light did little to actually illuminate the space. Blood-red runners ran up the stairs as we climbed toward the second floor. Statues of gargoyles perched on ledges jutting from the walls. Tall columns rose up at the top of the stairs, carved snakes wrapping around the stone. Every detail in this castle was so intricate, so dark and deadly.
I’d spent my entire life in the star castle, so opposite of this place.
After Kairoth had destroyed the star court and killed almost everyone who lived there, including the king and queen, my father had moved me and my brothers into the castle. Much of it had been wrecked because of the god, so I’d never experienced the true grandiosity of a castle. But this was magnificent. Wetook a sharp right and walked down a hallway, all of us silent until we arrived in front of a black door with a golden handle.
The pixie gestured to it. “This is your room.”
I hesitated.“We aren’t staying together?”
She sighed. “Oh good, more questions. No. You each get your own rooms. Is that a problem?”
A good way to separate us. I didn’t like it.
“Perfect.” Driscoll clapped his hands together. “Now I’m ready for a nap. Getting your shadow ripped away really takes it out of you.”
Leoni gestured to herself and Driscoll. “Where are our rooms?”
The pixie gestured. “Right next door. Unless you’d all like to share a bed?”
“No.” Driscoll crossed his arms. “I need my space.”
“You need your space?” Leoni asked. “Seriously?”
“What is your name?”I asked the pixie, ignoring them.
“Goji,” she said, flashing a smile. “My name is Goji.”
Driscoll and Leoni both stilled. I wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, and from Goji’s pinched eyebrows, neither was she.
“What?” Her eyes shifted from side to side. “What is wrong with all of you? You are the strangest mortals I have ever met.”
“You’re Goji,” Leoni breathed, then she surged forward and cupped the pixie’s cheeks in her hands tenderly. “Thank you,” she said. “For saving Gabrielle. For saving everyone.”
“Will you shut your mouth?” Goji hissed.
I still didn’t know what was happening, and at this point, I didn’t care. I just wanted to retreat inside my room and come up with a plan to fix all of this.
“We will talk... later.” Goji wrenched herself back, lifting into the air and flying away before anyone else could speak.
