Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
I blinked, and they were gone, no hint of them remaining.
My heart refused to calm. I recognized their shape: the shadow woman and her strongman, who’d stood in the corner of the medical facility.
Shudders rippled over my spine. Were they here, watching me? Waiting?
We turned a corner. “I admit, Oracle, I’m fascinated by you,” Ian said.
I bet you are, Guardian. “You’re fascinated because I’m fascinating.” I shoved the shadow couple to the back of my mind. One battle at a time.
Ian chuckled, low and genuinely amused. “You are. You tamed a monstra.” We veered from the winding staircase. “A feat no one else has managed.”
I heard the question in his tone. “I’ll explain only to the king,” I muttered, unsure what else to say.
“Of course,” he replied easily enough, though I noted the bunched muscles between his shoulders.
What I would tell the king remained to be seen.
Ian stopped in front of massive, arched double doors of dark, polished wood, their surfaces intricately carved with a swirling array of fish. Each figure seemed to leap and glide through invisible currents, their scales catching the dim light. Some were small and darting, others sleek and powerful, their tails curling into elegant whorls that intertwined across the heavy panels. The door’s iron handle was shaped like a coiled eel, its body polished smooth from consistent use.
“This chamber is reserved for your queen and usually forbidden to others.” Hinges protested as he opened the doors. “Considering you saved the life of ours, you deserve only the highest honor.”
He stepped aside and waved me inside first. Head lifted, heart thumping, I entered a vast chamber of shockingly tranquil beauty. A soft, flickering glow of crystals grew from the damp stone walls, dancing upon the surface of a steaming pool in its center. Mist rose from the sparkling waters, curling tendrils of warmth. The scent of minerals and lavender called to me, as if my body recognized a mystery my mind hadn’t yet solved, slaking a need I hadn’t known I possessed.
“Queen Elowen decorated it herself,” Ian said, coming up beside me.
“She did a wonderful job.” To the left loomed a large, canopied bed draped in dark velvet, an inviting sanctuary of rich, colorful fabric that rippled like liquid midnight under the ethereal light. Around it, towering bookcases carved from dark wood lined the walls, their shelves heavy with leather-bound tomes, their spines gleaming with gold lettering.
Across from the bed, above a grand hearth, hung a portrait of Andrea in all her green glory. Here, her face was unsmeared. She was lovely, but no one I recognized. The hearth crackled with a mesmerizing fire, its amber glow twining light with shadow across the stone floor. Nearby, an ornate full-length mirror framed in intricate silver reflected the chamber’s antique splendor.
On the other side of the room, a pot of what smelled like vegetable and herb soup waited on a small, round table. My mouth watered.
Jasher occupied a corner, a metal collar around his neck. A chain connected it to a hook in the floor. Safe. Alive. Relief slammed so hard, my knees threatened to fold. He leaned against the wall with one leg extended, the other bent at the knee. Irritation etched his features.
“Thank you for the escort.” A clear dismissal. I tossed my hat onto the bed.
Ian tossed something as well—at Jasher. A gold coin. The executioner caught it with inhuman reflexes and smiled coldly.
“So. You have heightened reflexes in this half-form,” the commander said, as if he hadn’t already known.
“And I like gold,” Jasher replied as smooth as butter. He flipped the coin and whistled under his breath. “I’m keeping this.”
“Please, do.” Ian looked him over. “What’s your name, monstra?”
Jasher went silent, thanks to my compulsion.
“His name is… Tinman.” I mean, why not? It wasn’t a lie.
Ian glanced between us, intrigued. “I see.” He thought for a moment. “For your protection, Oracle, a pair of guards will be posted outside your door. You have only to call for them. They will see to your every need.”
Protection. Yeah right. I met his sunset gaze, certain his villainous mind already concocted a dozen ways to deal with me if I proved myself an enemy. Best to put together a plan A, B, C, and D before I acted against him.
“I’d like my pack now.” I held out my hand.
Jasher continued flipping the coin, as if he hadn’t a care.
Ian hesitated several beats before offering the bounty. I didn’t let myself snatch it, but I did hug it close. My precious.
The Guardian remained and motioned to the portrait of Andrea. “She has been a constant source of discussion lately. Painted by Queen Sandrine herself, at Queen Elowen’s request.”
“In other renderings I’ve seen, her face is smeared,” I said. “This is the first time I’ve seen her features.”
“No likeness of her survived the ages. Queen Sandrine did not want her being without a face, so she gave her one.”