Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 123190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“But this is not the question you called me here for. Tell me, child. I don’t have all night.”
I sigh. He either doesn’t know the reason behind Mordeus’s choice or he isn’t going to tell me. But he’s right. I called him to answer a different question. “The Hall of Doors,” I say. “Is it real?”
He chuckles. “Of course. The child only calls when she has too great a favor to ask.”
“Well, I would hate to waste your time with tedious favors,” I say, smiling at my old friend.
He rubs his belly, and I suspect he ate too much of that slimy-green-whatever before I called for him.
“Is it real?” I ask again.
“Yes,” he says. “Very real, and very secret.”
“Where can I find the Wild Fae Hall?”
“You know I can’t tell you that. You’d be better off finding the Sword of Fire.”
As if my brother hasn’t been killing himself trying. I cock my head to the side. “You know if this all ends with Erith finding me, I will die.”
“He won’t find you. You’re too smart for that.” He clucks. “The Hall of Doors is a magical hallway, and nothing so completely made of magic needs a fixed location. In fact, it would be dangerous for the Wild Fae to keep it in one place. Too easy for one to stumble upon it or to share the secret.”
“Yes,” I agree. “So where is it now? Tell me where to look, Nigel.”
“I can only tell you to follow your heart. You know King Misha is in want of a new wife.”
Groaning, I fall onto my back and stare at the ceiling. “Not you too. We don’t have time for that.”
“You have your whole life to fall in love.”
Sitting up, I fold my arms. “The Hall of Doors, Nigel. Focus.”
“You aren’t looking for the hall full of portals, my dear. You’re looking for the single door, the single portal that leads to the hall of portals.”
I close my eyes and nod. That makes perfect sense. Why waste all the time and magic to continuously move the countless portals that are rumored to be in the Hall of Doors when they can place the Hall behind a single portal and move that portal at will?
“Okay,” I say. “And where can I find—” But then I realize my goblin has already left—his favorite way to tell me he’s not sharing any more information. “Good night, Nigel,” I tell the air where he stood a moment ago. “It was good to see you.”
Chapter Ten
Jasalyn
THE VILLAGE “UP AHEAD” IS nearly another hour’s ride, and by the time we stop to meet Remme, exhaustion has me on the brink of tears.
Kendrick swings off the horse first and then turns to help me as if he understands just how much I’m aching. It’s probably written all over my face.
This is why everyone thinks I’m so fragile.
When he reaches for me, it’s easy to imagine his hands on my hips and the slow slide of my body down his. It’s also easy to imagine how weak that would make me look in front of his friends.
I pull my shoulders back. “I know how to dismount a horse, but thank you.”
His brows shoot up, but he steps back. “As you wish, Princess.”
I dismount and stumble forward a few steps when my legs buckle under me. Kendrick doesn’t say a word, just leads the way.
Remme meets us at the door to our lodging, which seems to be a rowdy tavern on the ground floor with rooms on the floors above. “Two rooms,” he says, holding up two keys on oversize rings. “Looks like we are living in luxury tonight.”
“And who’s paying for that?” Skylar asks.
“I have money,” I say. “I can contribute.” But what I’m really thinking is, Only two rooms? Will they stick me with Skylar for the night or keep me with Kendrick? I’m afraid Skylar and I might claw each other’s eyes out before morning, but I’m afraid of staying with Kendrick too. For different reasons.
Reasons that probably never occurred to him.
“Oh?” Skylar says, propping a hand on her hip. “You have money? And where is this money of yours? You have the coin on you?”
“It’s . . . I . . .” I’ve never actually had to carry coin since my sister brought me to live with her at the Midnight Palace. I’m sister to the shadow queen, and I can charge anything I want to the palace accounts.
“Trust me, Sky,” Remme says, “we couldn’t all fit into one of these rooms.”
“It’s fine.” Kendrick snatches a key from Remme’s hand. “We can afford it.”
Skylar grabs the other key. “I’ll bunk with the new girl.”
“Literally,” Remme says. “They’re bunk rooms.”
“Seriously?” she asks.
Natan scans the road and the thatched vendor stalls and nods. “My sources tell me that lots of soldiers came through here during the war and the lodgings haven’t been converted yet.”