A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)(49)

“I’m not trying to attack or upset you,” I say.

“I wouldn’t let you upset me,” she mumbles.

“Good!” I laugh and smile at her. I see the tiniest smile in return. “I’m just trying to say…we’re not so different. And, maybe, because of that, you can understand how I feel. I had my own dreams, too, Rinni. I had a shop. I wanted to help people with my talents when it came to herbs and potions. The whole town depended on me and invested in me so I could do it. That profession—herbalist—was my painting. But the world wanted me to be something different.

“So, no, I’m not held hostage in the literal sense. But it can feel that way, especially because the life I planned for myself is out of reach.”

Rinni sighs and runs a hand through her blue-streaked hair. “I suppose, phrased like that, I can understand.”

“Thank you.” I nudge her and Rinni looks at me in surprise. I flash her a bright smile. “I appreciate the effort.”

A faint blush crosses her cheeks. Is she shocked by someone paying her a compliment?

“In any case,” Rinni says hastily. “We’re here.”

“Here?”

“The best cabinetmaker in Quinnar.”

The cabinetmaker’s shop is filled with showpieces and books with diagrams of intricate furniture. Sawdust floats in from the woodworking room in the back, resulting in the cabinetmaker fastidiously dusting his counters. I decide on a few pieces that he already has pre-fabricated, rather than going for anything too custom.

“I suspect he knows who I am,” I say to Rinni as we leave the shop.

“Maybe, likely, especially after seeing me with you, but he’s from a long line of cabinetmakers,” she says. Why am I not surprised? “They’ve been working with the castle for generations, so I trust his discretion. I wouldn’t have brought you there if I didn’t.”

We’re halfway back to the castle when she pauses. “Oh, here, there’s something I want you to try.”

We navigate through the flow of people out on the street. In the daylight, Quinnar is a completely different city. Elves bustle about, carts line up in front of shops: people selling everything from food, to jewels, to suspect potions that have me curling my nose.

Rinni leads me to a cart where a woman is grilling dough on a flat griddle. Rinni orders two and the woman takes the small cake, slices it in half, and fills it with cheese. After another minute on the grill, the melted concoction is handed over to Rinni.

“Here. They’re one of my favorites to grab whenever I’m out patrolling the city in spring,” Rinni explains as we head over to the lakeside, sitting on a bench. “They start making them leading up to springtime rites.”

“What are springtime rites?” Harrow mentioned them before.

“A large festival of the arts to welcome back spring to the world. Usually the borders of the kingdom are opened…likely why the delegation from the fae is here. There will be music, and dancing, performances, singing and poetry.” Rinni sighs wistfully. “You’ll love it. And then, on fire night, the sky itself is the canvas and the Elf King paints blazing colors across it.”

“Literally?” I can’t help but ask.

“Of course.” Rinni laughs. “Eldas is the closest to the Veil and the strongest among us. There’s almost nothing he can’t do.”

I try and imagine Eldas painting with fire in the sky, his nimble hands commanding magic with the skill of a weaver on their loom. Rinni looks up, as if she can already see the glowing strokes. There’s admiration in her eyes. It makes my stomach twist, a sensation I promptly ignore.

“When does it happen?”

“Usually a week or two after the coronation.”

“Oh.” I stare at the food in my hands and suppress any glumness. I don’t need to see Eldas make fire sky paintings. I need to go home. I need to tend my patients. In fact, I don’t want to see the springtime rites. Because, if I do, I’ve stayed in Midscape too long and I can never really return to my world again.

“Is something wrong with it?” Rinni asks, pointing to the fried dough and misreading my expression. “I promise it’s good.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” I quickly take a bite. The cake is crisp on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside. The charring on it adds a nice bite to what tastes like the corn base of the dough. The cheese strings between my mouth and the cake as I try and tear off a bite, prompting laughter from both Rinni and I.

For a moment, I forget who and where I am.

By the time I realize I’ve forgotten, the cheesy griddle cake is gone and the carefree moment with it. But, briefly, things weren’t so bad. They weren’t bad at all. I was eating delicious food and laughing with a friend. We were enjoying the weather and the quiet bustle of the city around us.

It was accidental happiness. A brief glimpse of what my life could’ve been like…maybe should have been like, if I had been prepared for this all along. If I had come here ready to be the queen, I wouldn’t be spending my time looking for a way to break the cycle. Instead I would be finding ways to explore and enjoy my new circumstances.

I sigh as my gaze drifts back to the opening in the mountain that leads through the Fade.

“We should get back to the castle,” I say.