“I’m not like you, born in a world of iron. Nor have I spent enough time in the mortal realm to build the tolerance that many of the independents boast. I must wear my glamour. It helps insulate me from the poison. But here . . .” Her wings blurred as she lifted off the ground. Now that we were in Faerie, Nori acted more relaxed, friendlier. Apparently that stick up her ass was glamour. Not that I wasn’t thankful for the change.
For a moment, I thought she might flitter away. Then she glanced back at me and tugged her suit straight, as if the movement helped her regain her serious role, but she didn’t land. Flight was clearly more natural for her.
“Hurry up,” she said, and I got the distinct feeling that she barked the order only because she felt the need to reestablish her authority.
I didn’t resist, but matched the pace she set. After al , she didn’t know it, but she was taking me exactly where I needed to go. As I walked, I fumbled Hol y’s amulet out of my purse. Relief washed through me as the charm woke.
She was alive. And she was here in Faerie. I frowned.
Somewhere. The charm urged me in several different directions at once. Either it was malfunctioning or the landscape of Faerie confused the magic. The latter wouldn’t surprise me, not with the way doors worked. The layout of Faerie could have been designed by Escher.
The guards—or at least, similar guards—I’d seen on my first trip to Faerie nodded to Nori as we passed, clearly recognizing her right to be in the hal s, and she led me on a twisting route through the icy caverns. She final y came to a stop in front of a doorway. I peeked around her to look inside. It was a smal , empty room. I frowned. And where does it really lead?
“This is it,” she said. “In you go.”
Right. Wel , only one way to find out where I was going. I Right. Wel , only one way to find out where I was going. I walked across the threshold and stepped not into a smal room but into a cavernous bal room fil ed with people.
The room was massive, the ceiling lost in shadows far above my head. Thousands of snowflakes fel lazily, sparkling in light coming from no discernible source. The only time I’d left Nekros for an extended period was when I was in academy, and that had been even farther south. I could count on my fingers how many times I’d seen snow, so I couldn’t help smiling as it drifted around me. I held out m y hand, but the snowflakes vanished as soon as they touched my skin, not even leaving a drop of moisture behind.
I looked around. Music fil ed the great bal room, the singer a deep baritone whose voice seemed to bypass the ears so his melody was heard by the very soul. I wanted to close my eyes, to just enjoy the sound of his voice, but I couldn’t rip my eyes away from the dancers. Fae of every shape, every size, every color, and every nature swirled across the floor. None wore glamour, and I’d never seen so many fae in one place before. I couldn’t even name al the kinds I saw. I’d expected the court to be fil ed with Sleagh Maith, and their strikingly beautiful faces were evident in the crowd, but most of the dancers had horns, or wings, or tails, or tusks. They danced in large circles, wearing fashions that might have come right out of King Louis XIV’s court in France during the golden days of the arts.
I stood just inside the doorway—which on this side appeared to be a large gothic arch—and gaped. It’s like I stepped into a dream. Except dreams always felt slightly fuzzy and unreal. This bal whirled around me in ful color, deep sounds, and, I realized, a mix of intoxicating scents, like walking by a bakery next to a kitchen cooking any food you could ever desire. My mouth watered, and I turned to see banquet tables lining the wal s, each piled with meats, breads, and sweets. Do not eat Faerie food, I reminded myself, though my stomach was pretty sure the risk was myself, though my stomach was pretty sure the risk was worth taking.
“Welcome to the winter court,” Nori said, floating around me. She snatched two frosted champagne flutes off a tray carried by a fae with floor-length vines of mistletoe growing out of the top of her head. Nori handed me one glass and then motioned me forward.
I accepted the glass, but I didn’t drink the glistening blue liquid inside. The amulet in my palm had final y made up its mind. It wanted me to head back out the door. Which made sense—there was only one door to this bal room and Hol y wasn’t present. Of course, that didn’t mean the accomplice wasn’t. I attached the amulet to my charm bracelet. The large ruby felt heavy around my wrist, but I wanted access to it without having to dig under my dog every time I wanted to check the charm.
As Nori led me into the throng of dancers, I stretched my senses, scanning the crowd for magic. I searched for any signature of magic, even the smal est charm, that felt like the spel s in the copper disks that animated the constructs.
Nothing. Not a single charm or spel . The dancers stepped aside as I passed, some casting curious glances at me, others smiling, flashing al manner of tooth, tusk, and fang.