Black Crown (Darkest Drae, #3)(21)
Good thing Tyrrik had a hoard of treasure for me. Us . . . I meant us. “What kind of stone is that?” I asked as we approached the steps to go inside. “It looks smooth, almost buttery.”
Three steps led to a raised courtyard of the milky green stone. Leaves were grouped on the ground in bunches, indicating someone had maintained the massive space. A knee-high wall of the same rock bordered the square, and on the other side of the raised patio was the entrance to the castle—massive dark wood doors, each at least six feet wide and fifteen feet tall. The double doors appeared to be the only entrance into the structure although there were dozens of windows facing the clearing. The castle was at least as big as Caltevyn’s in Verald.
Lani snorted in response to my question. “If you chip off any of the jade, I’ll find a way to take your favorite gold trinket,” she said as she stepped off the path toward her mother’s house. “In fact, I’ll find a way to take away a dozen of them.”
I don’t have a dozen. Yet. I narrowed my eyes at the Phaetyn queen. “You do realize threatening a Drae about their treasure is akin to . . .” threatening their first born. I couldn’t say that to her, not after how rough things had been for her growing up. I cleared my throat and said, “You shouldn’t do it. It’s really bad.”
“And you shouldn’t steal from the Phaetyn queen.” Lani threw the words over her shoulder as she bounced up the steps, never taking her gaze from the castle.
I rolled my eyes and hurried to catch up to her. “Don’t be so dramatic. And you’re not queen for another few hours.”
The leaves crunched underfoot as we walked, and the air smelled of earth and mulch. With the sun filtering through the treetops, the creamy green stone was darkened in patches by the shadows of the trees, giving the walls a mottled appearance.
Lani went straight to the door, stopping to grab the trunk of the topiary tree to the left. With both hands, she pulled the entire plant out of its pot and dropped it with a grunt.
“What the—”
She bent over the now empty pot and a moment later emerged brushing the dirt off a key. Two strands of green stone looped around each other, the loops constricting at intervals to form the right cuts for the door before tapering into the tip. I narrowed my eyes and asked, “Did your mom’s tree show you that key?”
“Partly,” Lani said. She slid the key into the lock, and with a heavy groan, the door swung open. The smell of stale air exhaled through the now open orifice, and the Phaetyn glanced my way with a nervous smile. “Will you come in with me?”
I shifted my weight, but there wasn’t really anything to consider. I was dying of curiosity. “Of course. I’ll totally protect you although I can’t imagine there’s anything in your mother’s home that could harm you.”
She gave me a withering glare. “I’m not afraid of physical pain, Ryn.”
Right. There were worse things than physical pain for sure. “If you want,” I said with a wink as I led us into the house, “I’ll hold your hand.”
Filtered light illuminated the foyer. From the ceiling hung a glittering chandelier, the large drops of crystal sparkling and casting rainbows onto the surrounding stone walls. On the top of a large, gray wooden table sat a dried floral arrangement, bigger than me, as tall as it was wide. But the dry, brittle foliage was leached of color.
Behind the dead flowers, a floating staircase led up to a landing from which hallways branched off into darkness.
“What did the tree show you, Lani?” I whispered. The air was not only stagnant but weighted as if whatever happened within the walls was burdened with sorrow.
The frown she wore echoed my own emotion. I’d never really thought about how Luna’s life might’ve been, but if this oppressive ache was any indication . . . her life had sucked. I wiped my finger over the gray wood table, revealing a glossy, rich brown the color of chocolate under the thick layer of dust. There was beauty here, hidden and waiting for someone to clean off the betrayals of the past so it could be appreciated once more.
Lani cleared her throat, drawing my attention back to her. She stood at the foot of the staircase. “I need to go to her rooms. She has a special crown, and I need it for tonight.”
We reached the landing, and I couldn’t help turning to take in the haunting allure of the castle. The walls here were carved with intricate scenes of the Phaetyn and their trees. A woman resembling Lani laughed as she danced under a leafy canopy, a sliver of moon carved into the sky. The obvious joy Luna had was displayed here. As I peered at the painting, I recognized echoes of my mother’s life and the easing pain of my own experiences. Weeeird.
Lani shook her head. “I’d like to spend a few days here and explore the castle as it deserves. But we have a feast to get ready for.”
I looked at the memories etched into stone, pieces of Luna’s life immortalized, and nodded. “I don’t blame you. This is awesome. Weird but awesome.”
Lani led the way through the castle. Her sure step made it obvious she’d been here in her head. A few minutes later, she opened the doors to a sitting room three times the size of my house in Verald.
She wound past the couches and cushioned chairs, past the table set for dinner, and into a bedroom. The canopied bed was draped in rich velvet and sheer organza, but Lani bypassed it and headed for a small paneled closet. Lani went straight to the wall covered with painted slats and, before I could ask, inserted the same looped key into a rivet in the wood undetectable to the naked eye.