Shame curdled in my gut, and I set off, the carpet deadening my steps.
The music grew louder, its low, sultry melody becoming more distinct. New sounds joined it. Distant laughter, and moaning.
My damp brow furrowed, but I kept walking.
A door came into view, set into the right side of the corridor. It was thrown open, and light spilled into the hall. My steps slowed, my senses straining, alert for the clue that would tell me this was just another trap. I’d almost missed the last one, and though this was obviously another of Maelgwyn’s tricks, I needed to pay attention if I planned to outwit it.
Another laugh rumbled, low and gravelly, and a woman burst through the door. I jolted to a halt, my muscles stiffening. She stumbled into the corridor, clutching a silk robe to her chest. Long, dark hair swayed around her as she found her feet, smiling and flushed. Dark eyes landed on me and widened.
“You made it.” Her bare feet made only the slightest of muffled footfalls as she hurried toward me.
My knees bent slightly, primed to run, but she made no move to touch me. Besides, she was small, barely taller than a witch, with a slender frame hidden by her slip of silk and little else. I wasn’t exactly a champion fighter, but my chances against her were good.
“It has been forever since anyone new came along,” she continued. “The princes are waiting, come.”
She seized my arm, and I was too slow to avoid her touch, but her skin was warm and soft and real. Normal. Not a ghost, or a vampire, as far as I could tell. Besides, I did need to find the princes.
“Come where?” I asked, my voice hoarse as I stumbled along beside her.
“To the princes, and your rewards.” She shot me a grin. “We all came for the same reasons. Immortality, riches, the princes.”
“We?”
“The humans, of course.”
The music pulsed inside my head, thrumming through my body, merging with my heartbeat, seeping into my blood. The woman’s hand, hooked around my arm, was firm but gentle. Following her was easy. The ache in my legs disappeared as I walked. In fact, I couldn’t feel them at all. Was I floating? Did I care?
I drifted, dream-like and woozy, toward the door, the music within and around me growing louder and more insistent. Intoxicating. Feverish. The world was slow and clumsy, or maybe that was me. Should I be dancing? I certainly felt a little drunk. My skin heated and I eyed my companion's robe with envy. I couldn’t remember why I was wearing ugly boots and a heavy wrap when I had perfectly good skin underneath. Beautiful, supple skin that deserved to feel the air.
We neared the door my friend had come through, stepping into a puddle of golden light, and I gasped at the sight awaiting me.
Naked bodies, more than I could even begin to count, writhed and ground together. Moans and pants of pleasure mingled with the music. I’d never seen anything like it, never imagined I could be a part of it, but my new friend’s invitation had been clear. The princes were waiting for me.
As though on cue, an exquisite specimen of a man rose, extricating himself from the women pawing at him. He smiled as he approached, a beautiful lop-sided grin that revealed elongated fangs. That wasn’t the only beautiful thing about him. My eyes widened as they travelled down the rippling muscles of his torso, to the defined V at his hips. Lower. I gulped. I’d never seen a man that big.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said, drawing my attention back to his face.
Clearly. His body gave every sign of readiness. If only I hadn’t worn so many clothes. They would only delay my reward.
Reward…
For what?
“Wait.” I scrunched my brow, trying to remember the haze of events that had led me here. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”
“Come here,” he said, opening his arms, inviting me into them.
My knee bent, the weight shifting off my foot.
No.
The curse. I still had to break it. I gave my head a shake, and some of the fog dissipated. This was a trick. So much for being alert.
Before the spell had time to sink its claws back in, I wrenched my arm free of the woman’s grasp and broke into a sprint.
Yells and roars of frustration echoed along the corridor behind me, but I didn’t look back. An archway lay ahead, and I burst through it, skidding to a halt on the polished marble floor.
I found myself in a large chamber, lit by an enormous candelabra hung from the ceiling. Thousands of candles burnt amongst the crystal cascade, throwing an explosion of refracted light over the walls and floors.
Opposite, another, identical archway waited, but the way was blocked by a long banquet table, laden with dishes. Fragrant steam coiled into the air.
I groaned a sigh as my mouth flooded at the scent of garlic and spice. My feet carried me closer, eager for once, and my mouth fell open at the sight of a mountain of nachos, smothered in thick, melted cheese and sprinkled with coriander and jalapenos. Dishes of salsa and guacamole crammed into the gaps left between platters. A pile of tortillas, bowls of beans and rice and vegetables. And curry too! I hurried along the table, my stomach growling at a dish filled with rich, orange sauce topped with yoghurt. A stack of poppadoms. Even a platter laden with neat rows of inari sushi. My favourite. In fact, everything was my favourite, right down to the bowl of chocolate ice cream and the dish of rhubarb crumble. A feast made just for me.
What had Pansy said about fae food? Something about hospitality laws, and the promise of safety? It was too convenient that all my most beloved dishes were laid out waiting in a crumbling old ruin, fresh and steaming as though they’d come straight from the kitchen. Another trick, but how did it work? Was I supposed to be suspicious, bypassing the protection offered by the laws of the fae, or was I supposed to believe that? Was I supposed to eat, thinking I’d be safe, only to be poisoned, or cursed, or to choke to death?
I dithered while my stomach rumbled. How long had it been since my pathetic breakfast of gruel disguised as porridge? A million years, probably, and it had been even longer since I’d had the comfort of proper, human food. I circled back to the curry, swallowing my saliva. Maelgwyn was fae, and fae couldn’t harm anyone who ate their food. It had to be protection. But why would he leave a protective banquet lying around when he clearly wanted me dead?
He wouldn’t. That was my answer, as disappointing as it was. Besides, I already had protection, both from Claudia’s necklace, and the witches. It had served me well this far.
The food was just another trick, even if I couldn’t see why or how. Before I could give in to temptation, I veered off toward the arch, every step heavy with regret as I left the table behind. Soon. I would soon be home, and Mum would spoil me and make me as fat and happy as a pig. I didn’t need Maelgwyn’s offerings.
The delicious aromas faded as I set off up yet another flight of curving steps, my stomach aching with hunger and dread. A little nacho snack would have been the perfect fuel to get me to the top of yet another enchanted staircase.
This one, however, came to an end before I’d even got my heart pumping. I emerged onto another landing. There were no lights up here, bar the faint glow of my lantern. Cavernous stone archways opened on either side, but beyond them, I found only uninviting walls of darkness. Bypassing the luring voids, I set off down another impossible corridor.
My skin prickled, and though my lantern failed to light the hidden depths beyond the archways, I was certain that something hid in the darkness, watching me. Chills skittered down my spine, and I tightened my grip on the dagger, quickening my pace.
Where were these Goddamned princes?
