Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2)(46)
“I have no bloody idea,” I growled, stopping in the middle of the hallway. “All these bejeweled corridors look the same.”
She grinned, as did the ogre on her neck. Seeing their smiles eased some of my disgust and anger, and I gave her a sheepish shrug in return.
“I’ll say this for you, Evie,” Xenia said. “You certainly know how to make a dramatic exit.”
She stepped up beside Paloma, and she too had an amused look on her face, as did her inner ogre.
Perhaps it was the fact they were standing together and both smiling, but for the first time, I noticed just how much Paloma and Xenia looked alike. Sure, Paloma’s hair was blond, while Xenia’s was coppery red, and Paloma was decades younger than the older woman, but they both had the same golden amber eyes and bronze skin, and the ogre faces on their necks were eerily similar.
For a moment, I wondered if I was just imagining the similarities, but the ogre on Paloma’s neck was almost exactly the same as the one on Xenia’s, right down to the way the creatures’ eyes studied me and the locks of hair that curled around their faces. Strange. Very strange.
I shifted on my feet, trying to figure out what to do next. Paloma and Xenia stared at me, as did the guards, waiting for me to give them some order, to lead them onward.
But I didn’t know what to say, much less what to do. I didn’t want the trip to be over, but I didn’t see how it could continue.
And perhaps the worst part was that I hadn’t even gotten a chance to speak to Heinrich privately, to truly offer my condolences on his son’s death and attempt to arrange a new peace treaty between Bellona and Andvari. This was my first diplomatic mission as queen, and so far, it was a miserable failure instead of the rousing success I had secretly hoped for, that I desperately needed to help with my own problems at Seven Spire.
More footsteps sounded, and Serilda and Cho appeared, with Sullivan trailing along behind them. The magier stopped a few feet away, once again keeping his distance.
“The king wishes to invite you to dine with the royal family this evening,” Sullivan said in a stiff, formal voice.
I blinked in surprise. “He isn’t sending Rhea and the guards to kick me out of the palace?”
He shrugged, which really wasn’t an answer. “My father asked me to convey his sincerest wishes that you join him for dinner and that you accept his hospitality and stay at Glitnir as planned.”
He drew in a breath like there was more he wanted to say, but he grimaced instead, clearly miserable at being put in this awkward position.
I forced myself to ignore Sullivan’s feelings and think about his words. Even though I had beaten his captain, Heinrich still wanted me to stay at Glitnir. Why? Then I remembered the cold calculation in the king’s eyes. I wanted a new treaty with Andvari, but Heinrich wanted something from me too—something important enough to overlook how I had defeated Rhea.
But what could that be? I had no idea, which worried me. I couldn’t play the game if I didn’t know the rules or especially the stakes. Still, I’d come all this way, and I wasn’t leaving without doing everything possible to get what I wanted and do what was best for Bellona.
So instead of storming away again, I reined in my anger and worry. “Tell the king that I will be delighted to dine with him.”
Sullivan nodded. “As you wish.”
He stared at me, his blue gaze searching mine, and I once again got the impression that he wanted to tell me something. Instead, he turned and walked away, his long gray coat swirling around him.
Still, as I watched him head back into the throne room, I couldn’t help but think that I’d just gotten myself into even more trouble by accepting the king’s invitation.
*
Sullivan moved out of my line of sight, but someone else stepped out of the throne room to take his place—Rhea.
Despite the fact that she was still clearly pissed, the captain marched over to me, along with several Andvarian guards. Paloma’s hand drifted down to her mace again, and Rhea gave her a flat stare before looking at me.
“If you will follow me, Queen Everleigh,” Rhea said through gritted teeth, “I will show you to your chambers. Your servants and guards are also being taken to the appropriate quarters.”
She whipped around on her heel and strode off. I glanced at my friends, but they shrugged, and I had no real choice but to follow the captain. At least she knew where she was going.
Rhea led us through hallway after hallway, each one more ornate and lavishly furnished than the last. I wondered if she had picked this particular route to remind me yet again of Andvari’s staggering wealth. Probably.
But the dazzling, bejeweled palace wasn’t nearly as fascinating as the gargoyles that inhabited it.
As we moved from one corridor to the next, I realized that several oddly shaped shadows kept sliding along on the floor beside me. At first, I couldn’t figure out what the shadows were or where they were coming from. Then we entered a hallway with a domed, glass ceiling, and I caught sight of the gargoyles hovering outside.
They were all shapes and sizes, and they all seemed to be glaring down at me with their bright, jewel-toned eyes, just like the creature had earlier during my ride through the city. I shivered and hurried on, not wanting to give the gargoyles any excuse to crash through the ceiling and attack me.
Eventually, we climbed a set of stairs that spiraled up into one of the palace’s towers and stopped at some double doors at the end of a long hallway. Rhea produced a skeleton key from her pocket and snapped the lock open. She signaled a couple of guards, who took hold of the metal rings and opened the heavy doors.