Night Vision (20 page)

“I was checking on Kaylin. The ceremony doesn’t start until eleven
P.M.
—do we really need all this time?” I glanced through the cupboards. “I’m hungry.”

“Then, please, my Lady, get something and let us retire. We have to bathe you and dress you and then you have to meet privately with Lainule.” And with that she pressed a jar of peanut butter into one of my hands, and two pieces of bread into the other.

“Don’t forget the jelly,” I said as she hustled me toward my room. She ran back and grabbed a jar of grape jelly and a knife. I grinned. The Fae were getting used to our odd eating habits. When I’d asked for peanut butter just a week ago, they acted like I was insane. And they knew that they should never offer me fish of any kind. I was EpiPen allergic to the stuff and not long ago had accidentally ingested some. That had been a laugh and a half—not.

While Druise checked the temperature of the steaming bathtub filled with water, I hurriedly slapped together a sandwich as I shrugged out of my clothes. She untied my lacing and I shimmied out of my skirt, then my panties.

Next step: I handed Druise my sandwich as I stepped into the bathtub and sank into the steaming bubbles. The fragrance of cool mint and bayberry overwhelmed me, and I leaned my head back. She handed me a towel to wipe my hands on, then my sandwich, and I sat in the tub, letting the heat soak into my muscles, as I swallowed the food in eight bites.

“So,” I said, licking my fingers clean, then plunging them into the water, “what am I wearing tonight?”

I expected there to be a fancy dress—after all, this was my coronation, but I hadn’t been expecting anything like what Druise carried in from the other room. I sat there in the tub, slack-jawed at the sight of the garment she bundled into the bedroom. Unable to speak for a moment, I scrubbed myself with the washcloth, then reluctantly stood as she motioned for me to hurry.

“
That’s
my dress?” I stood up, cautiously stepping out of the tub, and pulled the towel around me.

She nodded, a soft smile playing on her lips. “It’s ever so beautiful, Your Highness.”

And beautiful it was. The strapless gown was long, with a corset bodice that had a sweetheart neckline, and it billowed out at the waist into princess style. In shades of silver and ice blue, the bodice was embellished with dozens of tiny shimmering black snowflakes that glistened in the soft light of the room. The skirt draped into long folds, iridescent, hovering someplace between silver and twilight. The dress had no arms, but a pale gray fur cloak with a silver brooch would keep me warm. Druise laid it out on the bed, then added a pair of silver ankle boots, with a delicate heel and buckles that jingled softly as she set them on the floor.

I slowly crossed the room and stopped, running my hand over the material. It was incredibly soft and light, but warm. My stomach flipped, ever so softly, and I wasn’t sure just what I felt. Pride? Not exactly. But anticipation, yes. And hope—oddly enough, a flicker of hope for the future was beginning to build in my heart.

As I stood there, I realized this was really it. I’d been running all my life, running from the nightmares that had chased my mother. I’d spent twenty years on the move, struggling to keep us alive and, after she died, trying to find my own way. And now, at twenty-six years old, I was about to enter a new world. Instead of running
from
things, I’d be running them.
That
thought scared the hell out of me, but I pushed the fear away.

I dropped the towel. “I guess…should I dress now? What time is it?”

She glanced at the clock. We kept them around because, even though time in the realms of Fae ran odd, we had to keep tabs on the outside world as well. “Four thirty. First, let me prepare you.”

That sounded odd.

“I’m clean. Apparently that’s not enough?” But I didn’t want her to think I was grumpy, so I grinned as I said it.

She motioned for me to lie down on what amounted to a massage table. Druise wasn’t all that skilled as a masseuse, so I wondered how this would go. But she waited till I lay down, then covered me with a light blanket. After that, she opened the door and whispered to someone.

In came a member of Lainule’s court whom I had seen several times but never been introduced to. I had the feeling she was high in rank, and when she glided over to me, I felt all too nervous and vulnerable, lying there naked.

But Druise clapped her hands. “Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce Gera. She is Her Majesty Lainule’s healing therapist. She’s here to give you a massage.”

Gera wasn’t wasting any time, either. She pulled down the blanket, oiled up her hands, and dug in. I grimaced as she began to work her way into the knots in my back. As she adroitly manipulated my muscles, the immediate discomfort lessened and I began to relax. As I closed my eyes, I began to feel something beyond the massage—there was magic in her fingers. Magic permeated my skin, seeping from her fingers, loosening the strain in my body, eating away at the stress. As she worked along my spine, I began to breathe deeper, my lungs opened up, and I sank into the warmth of the blanket.

Within minutes, I was dozing, drifting in a sea of comfort. I’m not sure how long the massage lasted, but at some point I felt her oiling my legs with a lotion that smelled like freshly fallen snow and cinnamon, and I opened my eyes. She finished, then helped me slowly sit up.

I yawned and stretched. My muscles were loose and I felt like I’d had a week’s sleep. My skin was also smooth and silky from the oils, and I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the fragrance.

“Thank you.”

Gera dipped into a curtsey, then silently exited the room. I glanced over at the clock. It was almost seven. My stomach flipped a little and I wished I could jump ahead in time and get it over with. I was looking forward to the coronation, yes, but waiting for things always set me on edge.

“What next?” I looked over at Druise. She seemed to have the schedule down.

She motioned for me to sit at the table near the bed. “I bring you dinner, Your Highness. And if you’re wondering, you are to see no one but me and those who attend you before the coronation. You will see His Lordship there.”

Assuming she was talking about Grieve, I followed her orders and sat down at the table, while she brought in my meal. Hot bread, venison, a round of cheese, and a goblet of deep red wine, which went straight to my head. As I stabbed at the meat with my fork, I glanced over at Druise, who stood at attention near the table.

“Are you hungry?”

She shook her head, dipping into a quick curtsey. “No, Your Ladyship. Thank you for asking, though.”

“Why can’t I see anybody before the coronation?” I wasn’t complaining, but it did seem odd.

“They…it’s…there are always fears of assassination.”

That got my attention.

I put down my fork. “Have there been threats? Tell me the truth now.”

She blushed. “I’m not privy to that information. But there are always dangers for royalty, Your Highness. And there are some who might think since you weren’t born in the Barrow, perhaps…”

“Perhaps I don’t deserve to wear the crown.” I finished the thought for her. She blushed again but nodded. “So Lainule wants to make certain Rhiannon and I actually make it to the throne.”

Druise nodded. “And they only trust those of us who’ve undergone loyalty tests.”

“Loyalty tests? What does that entail?” I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, this would be a rough gig for the next few years while I tried to immerse myself in the culture and learn everything there was to learn. I also was beginning to see how vast the culture gap was.

She bowed her head, just enough to tell me it hadn’t been pleasant. “They search your mind. They search your heart. I’m not certain what they’re looking for, but they found me true to the throne, and that’s when I became your lady’s maid.”

Having had Kaylin thrust himself into my mind once before, I knew how invasive that was. I gave Druise a faint smile. “I think I understand. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

She cocked her head and shrugged. “I was glad to. This position…as I’ve mentioned before, it means a great deal to me and my family. It…the testing hurt, and it felt like they were inside my mind, able to see everything in my thoughts, but then I don’t have much to hide, Your Highness. I’m not very complicated.” Lowering her gaze, she fiddled with her skirt.

“That’s not a bad thing, Druise. Not at all.” I went back to my dinner, mulling over the thought that not only were there those out there not entirely happy about me taking the throne, but it was perhaps to the extent that Lainule was worried about someone trying to off me. And Rhiannon, too.

After I’d eaten, Druise removed the dishes, and I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I decided to put on my makeup, but when she returned to see me sitting down at the vanity, she stopped me.

“Please, let me. I’ve been given instructions.”

I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that, but I allowed her to work her magic on my face and hair. When I finally looked in the mirror, I scarcely recognized myself. She had made my face up in an intricate pattern of scrollwork, in shades of shimmering blue and silver, that wrapped around my eyes like a tribal tattoo, coiling down to my cheeks. My
lips were the palest pink I’d ever seen, barely more than a hint of color in the gloss—almost white.

She had pulled my hair back from my face into a pattern of braids and curls that hung down my back. For the first time in my life, I felt absolutely stunning, exotic. Perhaps…even beautiful.

“Oh, Druise, this is so beautiful. Thank you.” I was afraid to touch my face, afraid I’d mar the makeup. “But what if I start crying?”

“You won’t hurt it. It’s waterproof.” When she smiled, her eyes crinkled, giving her a cheerful, fresh look that made me want to take her in hand and polish her up a little and marry her off to some good-natured man who would treat her right and give her a lovely home.

“Now we dress you, Your Highness. It’s past nine, and the ceremony goes on for a long time before the coronation.” She motioned for me to join her by the bed, where the dress was spread out. I dropped my towel that I was still wrapped in from after the massage and crossed the room.

As I stepped into my underwear, she fastened the hooks of my strapless bra. I saw that the dress was two pieces—the skirt and the corset bodice—which made it much easier to get into.

She fastened the buttons of the skirt around my waist, and I immediately saw that I’d need to practice walking in it; the train trailed out behind me for a good ten feet. I raised my arms as she wrapped the bodice top around me, and then I held it snug while she began to lace it up. After she tugged and pulled it into proper alignment, she sorted out the skirt, draping it just right.

“Now if you’ll sit on the bed, I’ll put your boots on for you.” She held up the silver boots and I saw that they, too, worked on a lacing system.

“You people need to start using zippers.”

“I agree.” She flashed me a smile. “I have a feeling we’ll be moving more into sync with the rest of the world once you and your cousin take the thrones, and that isn’t a bad
thing at all. There are so many ways we could help the outer world, and they could help us. Although the Weres do not like us at all, and the vampires fear us.”

That was the first time I’d ever heard one of the Fae say anything of that nature. Oh, I knew the Weres didn’t like the Fae, but the vamps—afraid of them?

“Really, now?”

She nodded as she tugged the boot onto my foot and began lacing it up. “Oh yes, my Lady. The vampires have long feared the Fae. After all, look at what happened with Myst when they tried to turn her. They can kill us, but our magic is strong. At least it is among a number of our warriors and nobles—and we know how to use illusion.”

Another thing I hadn’t thought about. “Druise, do you have special powers? I’m only now learning about my own heritage as one descended from the Uwilahsidhe. What…are you one of the Shifting Fae?”

She nodded. “All of us are—all in the Court of Rivers and Rushes, and those who were of the Court of Snow and Ice. This land, it lends itself to the Cambyra. The Great Seelie and Unseelie Courts—the majority of them are not Cambyra. We’re an offshoot. A variation. Did you not know that?”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. As I said, there is so much about your world—my world, now, I guess—that I’m ignorant on. My background…Druise, I had a very harsh childhood and seldom managed to stay in school. I learned on my own. I had to. I didn’t go to any academy like the New Forest Conservatory. I didn’t learn magic from my mother, even though she was magic-born and I am a half-breed. Rhiannon is probably better schooled than I am, but…I’m not sure how much she knew of the Fae either.”

“We keep to ourselves, Your Majesty. We always have. I doubt that many of your books teach much about us, though I may be wrong. As I said, I’m not very complicated. And while I can read and write, I had to work from the time I was fairly young.”

That could have been centuries, given the life spans of the Fae. I chose to leave that question for later, but did ask, “What do you shift into?”

She smiled again, beaming. “I am one of the Avonsidhe. I shift into a deer.” And with that, she finished lacing my boots and stood back, eyeing me up and down. “You are almost ready.”

“What about my circlet?”

“Ah, but you take the true crown tonight, so you go with bare head. Here, Let me fix your cloak for you.” She lifted the silver fur cloak and draped it around my shoulders.

“What is this fur?” I hoped it wasn’t wolf; that wouldn’t set well with Grieve. But she put my fears to rest.

“Rabbit. They were eaten, so the meat was not wasted, if that is worrying you.”

As she adjusted the cloak, I saw that it had been lined with ice blue silk and had a deep hood. I stroked along the nap of the fur. It was so soft my hand sank into the pile, and I wanted to rub my face against it.

“This is so…I would say
beautiful
, but that doesn’t do it justice. Is Rhiannon’s outfit like this?”