Page 129 of House of Crimson Cloak and Silver Teeth

I can still sense it…

The presence behind us backs away into the shadows but it hasn’t disappeared completely. It’s keeping its eyes locked on its prey, waiting to see if we’ll do something stupid. I stay exactly where I am, perfectly still. I’m afraid even the smallest movements might trigger that presence back. It might change its mind about letting us live.

After a while the oppressive cold lifts and the air warms. Whatever it was, it’s gone.

We need to leave, Kitty signs. Her hands shake as she forms the words.

I nod.

When I finally climb down, my legs nearly give out. My muscles are weak and shaky from the sustained terror. Kitty lands off-balance despite her usual grace. I look back toward the fountain.

The garden is empty now, peaceful like nothing happened.

There’s no evidence of what just occurred here. Kitty and I run through the city in silence, taking random turns through alleys and doubling back as a precaution. But I’m pretty sure nothing is following us. If that thing wanted us dead, we’d already be corpses in that garden.

I lead us through shadows and alleyways, following the familiar maze of streets I’ve memorized over weeks of surveillance. Neither of us speaks until we’re six blocks away.

“Wolf,” Kitty says finally. “What the hell was that?”

Chapter Seventeen

If he faces her, he dies.

Kitty’s words echo in my head as I watch the palace gates from across the street.

We’d made it back to the safe house, both of us still shaking. She’d grabbed my arm hard enough to bruise, her eyes wild.

“You need to tell Garrett what we saw,” she’d said, her voice hoarse from terror. “That thing…whatever it was, it’s protecting her. He can’t fight that. No one can.”

Her fingers had dug deeper into my arm. “Get him out of that ball tonight. Extract him before he does something stupid. We don’t have time to be careful anymore.”

She’d released me then, stepping back. “If he faces her, Wolf, he dies. Not from a sword. From whatever the fuck that was in the garden.”

The memory of her fear, so unlike Kitty, drives me forward now. I have to get to him.

I stand in the shadows near the servants’ entrance, wearing clothes Kitty procured. It’s simple, a dark coat and fitted trousers that wouldn’t look out of place. My face is bare in public for the first time in years. I feel naked without it.

The mask has been my shield and my identity. It’s the thing that lets me be someone other than myself. My hand keeps reaching for where it should be. The habit is so ingrained I can’t stop myself. Each time I catch myself doing it, I force my hand back down.

The royal palace is transformed for the Merafall festival. I can see it through the open doors. The grandeur spills out into the entrance hall where I’m hiding.

Hundreds of candles line every surface and alcove. They cast warm, flickering light across the polished marble floors. Garlands of autumn flowers drape from the vaulted ceiling.

Musicians play in the corner, a full orchestra producing music that’s both elegant and lively. The room is packed with Aelfheim’s nobility. High Elves in silk and velvet, their movements graceful as they dance.

It’s beautiful and foreign. A world I was never meant to be part of.

I don’t belong here.

My gut clenches and I want to retreat back into the shadows where I’m comfortable. But I need to save Garrett.

A noble passes close by, giving me a curious look. I straighten my posture, trying to look like I have a reason to be here. He moves on without comment. I survey the crowd anyway, searching for golden hair and a red cape.

There are too many people in the sea of elegant elves. The dance floor is a swirl of color and motion. Then I spot the red cape.

I find him in the center of the dance floor.

Garrett moves through the steps of some formal dance, his partner’s hand in his. She’s a beautiful elven lady in emerald green. He spins her gracefully, the movement so natural it looks effortless. She laughs fondly at something he said.