Page 13 of Broken Hearted
Was the curse still freezing my lands and people? Had it reached the palace? Had everyone already given up hope on me, and were they fleeing to the Spring Court, the last untouched part of Faerie?
Even after Greta laid out a dress and left to let me wash up and rest, my mind wouldn’t quiet, so I used the time before dinner to continue reading the book Aribella had sent me. But I grew frustrated when there weren’t any obvious answers in the tome. A growing urgency to see these Wise Ones started to take over, and I wished we didn’t have to waste a night here in Windreum.
Greta came back after some time to help me get ready for dinner. She helped me into the dark purple gown that she’d picked out forme earlier, claiming it flattered my complexion and dark hair. She also insisted on doing my hair and light make-up.
As Greta led me through Zane’s massive castle to the dining room, I tried to get my head in a better place. Zane was helping me and he was a kind and good man. I was determined to have a good evening with him, and at the very least, find out a little more about him and his family. My best friend Dawn had married one of his brothers. I, at least, wanted to know more about that.
Zane was waiting for me when I arrived. He’d swept his hair up in a knot at the back of his head, and it appeared that he had even shaved. As my gaze ran over him, I had to appreciate how handsome he was in his dark green coat and matching waistcoat. The cut emphasized his tall and muscular physique while still looking fashionable. As we stared at each other for a moment, I waited to have a deeper reaction to the Ethereum lord, but there was nothing there. Again.
“You look breathtaking,” Zane said, taking long strides until he was standing in front of me.
“Thank you. You look very handsome yourself,” I said truthfully, which made Zane’s smile widen.
“Come, sit,” he said, tucking my hand in the crook of his arm as he led me toward the table.
Pulling out a chair for me, I took the seat he offered before he sat next to me at the head of the table. Almost immediately, servers started bringing out platters of food. The table we sat at could easily fit a dozen fae, and Zane’s staff delivered tray after tray of food until the entire table was covered. There was roast beef and quail and pork. Shrimp and crab and lobster. Mashed potatoes, honeyedyams, roasted vegetables, beet salad, fresh fruit, nuts, cheeses, and the dishes went on and on.
When the last platter was placed on the table and the servers disappeared, I looked up at Zane in shock. “Are we expecting other dinner guests?” I asked.
Zane laughed, and a touch of color appeared on his cheeks. “No. This is all for us. I just didn’t know what you preferred, so I asked the kitchen staff for a variety.”
“They certainly took you seriously,” I told him with a light laugh myself. “But this is so much. We won’t even make a dent.”
“Don’t worry, whatever we don’t eat won’t be wasted. It will go to the castle staff and the orphanage downtown immediately after we finish.” He leaned toward me with a glint in his eye. “I have to admit, I asked for the four-tier chocolate cake because I know several of the children at the orphanage love it.”
He takes care of his staff and orphans, too?Could he be any more perfect? The only thing was, I wasn’t sure he was perfect forme.
“Well, in that case, I’ll have some of the berry pie instead,” I told him with a wink.
After that, Zane grabbed my plate and insisted on serving me. He went around the table asking what I’d like and then brought my plate back to me when it was brimming with more food than I had a hope of eating. After he returned with his own overfull plate, we both dug in.
The conversation flowed easily enough, but I wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about my mission here.
“What can you tell me about these Wise Ones?” I asked after taking a drink of some type of sweet fruit puree. “Dawn’s letter wasn’t very descriptive. What are they like?”
“Well,” Zane began, “I haven’t actually ever met them myself.”
“You haven’t?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
He shook his head. “No. You already know they live in the Northern Mountains,” he said, and I nodded, taking a bite of the most succulent piece of smoked pork I’d ever had. “They never leave.”
“Then how do they even know what’s going on in Ethereum, let alone how to end a curse, if they stay isolated?” I asked.
“They’re prophetic,” he explained. “Unseelie, and very powerful. They’re gifted with the power of future sight and will allow anyone who journeys to see them to ask one question, and one question only. So you’ll have to be very intentional about how you choose your words because you won’t get a second chance.”
“Why have you never been to see them?”
Zane shrugged. “There was never anything important enough that I needed to know. But my brother, Zander, did visit them before Dawn arrived. There was a time when Zander’s kingdom was taken over by an evil being. The rondak. Zander was desperate, so he went to the Wise Ones and asked them how he could save his kingdom from the creature.”
“And what did they tell him?” I asked, intrigued.
“Nothing,” Zane said.
“Nothing?” I asked, frowning. “They didn’t say anything? But I thought they would answer one question.”
“No, they literally said, ‘Nothing.’ As you can imagine, that was extremely frustrating to Zander.”
I snorted a half laugh. “I’ll bet it was.”
