Page 154 of Heir of Broken Souls

Delilah chews on her bottom lip. “If it takes too long?—”

“Then we’ll split up, but for now, we should stay together.”

She nods, a blush tinting her cheeks. The sight has my eyes sparking.Gods, what is she embarrassed about?

“Which way should we go?” she asks, avoiding my gaze as I grin down at her.

Harlow mutters out of the corner of her mouth, “Perhaps we should have split up.”

Elysia playfully slaps her arm. “Leave them alone.”

“Forgetting that we all have Fae hearing, are we?” I drawl.

Harlow smirks. “Not for a moment.”

Delilah claps her hands, her voice rising an octave as she states, “I say we go this way!”

Spinning on her heel, she takes off to the left, seemingly choosing a random archway to walk through.

“Surely there’s a method to all this madness,” Lenox mutters.

“I’m sure there is, but unless someone can find a map, we don’t have time to sort it out.”

Delilah moves to walk at the front but Harlow beelines past her to be first in line. Delilah probably believes it’s Harlow’s curiosity, but I know my spy and she knows me. It’s why she’s always there to protect everyone.

In the next hallway, the gas-lit lamps come alive again.

“Is it sentient?” Axel ponders.

I mull over his words, yet my theory that I’ve been harboring feels more true. “I don’t think so,” I say quietly, then throw out my train of thought. “If anything, I could have sworn it’s infused with magic from?—”

Harlow sucks in a breath up ahead, the sound making my feet move faster without a thought. Delilah and Elysia soon follow, mirroring her gasp as we enter into a throne room.

My eyes drink in the vivid architecture, the detail and care that’s gone into every intricate inch of the gold paneling throughout the room. Pillars stand strong and steady, detailed with decorative artwork of vines and whorls. Teal and aqua colors burst to life along the glass-tiled floor. Stepping toward it, my heart fills with wonder as I watch a steady current of water flow beneath the clear tiles, creating a path toward the true masterpiece within the room.

Jewels of blue and teal, with diamonds of all shapes and sizes among them, bedazzle a golden throne. One with a back that’s tall and steady, the throne rising to the full height of the crown ceiling.

“I’ve never seen such a glorious sight,” Delilah whispers, astonishment coating her words.

“Neither have I,” I admit softly.

That makes Delilah stop short. She frowns as she spins to face me. “I’ve never seen a throne room on your estate.”

“That’s because there isn’t one. My parents detested the image it would send of a ruler looking down upon their people. They were fair rulers who believed in equality.”

“They sound like they were amazing,” she says quietly.

I nod, clearing my throat before I quickly add, “They were heartfelt Fae.” Striding forward, I try to leave the conversation behind me but staring at this marvelous work of art, Delilah’s question has me pausing. Turning to Axel, I ask, ever so cautiously, “Do you know of any throne rooms among the courts?”

Axel stops his ogling as a flash of pain dances along his eyes. He would only know such a thing through Ace, who was and will forever in my mind be my emissary.

Axel seems to steel himself before quickly saying, “Only the queen of Air possesses such a room.”

My brows furrow. “Interesting,” I mutter to myself.

“As beautiful as this is, let’s wrap it up, children. I don’t see a mirror in sight,” Harlow drawls, striding back the way we came.

A kiss for your thoughts?