Page 45 of Lady Knight and the Thief

Cypress merely rolled her mismatched eyes at him with an infinitesimal shake of her head, dark hair falling around her face. “Do you have powers?”

“Like what?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just powers. I’ve heard so many stories of abilities the Fair Folk hold. Do you have any?”

“Of sorts. I’ll never get lost.”

“That doesn’t sound like any of the abilities I’ve heard stories of.”

Torren shrugged. “It comes in handy for a few things, among them never getting lost.”

“And I don’t suppose you’ll tell me those things, will you?”

“Not a chance, Lass.”

“Were you and Cade close?”

“That’s more than one question, Lass.”

“Answer it anyway.”

Torren shook his head, a smile threatening to break his composure. “When we would play games, Cade would often get upset that I had won and blamed the Pixie blood in me.”

“He still does not like to lose, in any capacity.”

Torren snorted. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Sometimes I think Queen Henrietta chose me from the orphanage because I wouldn’t just let him win.”

“You think she was trying to give him a challenge?”

“Maybe. Whenever he sparred with any of the other children, he always won and was horrible about it.”

“From what I remember of Henrietta, it wouldn’t surprise me. She was kind… I think,” Torren shrugged.

16

Decadent Baths

Yetanotherdaycameand went until the path was blocked by an enormous wall of trees.

Torren didn’t say a word to her, just strode on through, leaving Cypress to follow.

If she had thought the Ring for the camp had been large, this one wasmonumental.

In a perfect circular clearing, sat a grand palace.

Moss and vines crept up every one of the innumerable towers, and flowers bloomed in every nook and cranny. There was a large, sloping ramp to a set of–even at this distance– enormous doors. Cypress couldn’t tell what the castle was made of, but theeffect was that the entire palace practically blended in with the forest.

Perhaps that was the intent.

The trees around it shimmered and shifted, creatures of all kinds flitting to and fro. The tops of the palace crested the tree canopy, catching the waning rays of sunlight. No matter where she looked, people were moving with barely a harsh word spoken, all of them in fine clothing with heavy purses.

Guards walked among the people, though they didn’t seem to strike fear where they strode. Laughter instead of sobs echoed in the alleyways. Children ran freely, shrieking with delight, and dogs at their heels. The people of the Wylds were rich in a way that the average citizen of Grethnah was not.

“This is A’aravos Paravale,” Torren said, raising his hand in a sweeping motion.

“I assume this is the seat of the Wylds?”