Page 4 of Of Curses and Courtship

Would it really be so bad to be free?

My father’s painting still hangs on the wall, as bright as ever. Even though he is gone, he’s the only spot of happiness in the home. He smiles in his portrait, his warm eyes crinkling as he looks upon us.

My stepmother’s voice becomes a dull thing in the background.

What would you say if you could see us now, Father?

He would scarcely believe the state of his once great home, and he wouldn’t be able to fathom the idea of me being treated as a maid.

“It is good to have a boring day.” Lady Ashbridge draws the curtains, blocking us from the rainbow light. “You do not know the horrendous news I have received.”

“Then tell us.” Raia’s eyes widen into saucers. “Please, Mama.”

Lady Ashbridge slaps a piece of paper down on the floor. It sticks to the soapy water, and the words fade as I attempt to read them.

THREE MORE FOUND DEAD AFTER A TRIP TO THE SUN PALACE BORDER…

I press my lips into a tight line, opting for silence.

“Oh no.” Raia leans over the paper and squints as the words fade into nothing. “Poor things. We should send flowers to their families at once.”

“Yes,” Elisa says. “That’s the least we can do.”

“It is a tragedy, indeed.” Lady Ashbridge turns to us with a calm expression. “On top of it all, unusual fae are out and about in our town. I will never understand why our king and queen allow them into our land, but who am I to question our great leadership?”

It would not be the first time she’s questioned them. My brows lift without permission.

Raia nods solemnly. “What a danger it is.”

“Needless to say, you are forbidden from leaving after dark. They will snatch one of you up and make you a wife.”Lady Ashbridge stares at me pointedly. “Then again, they may not be as interested in you. They prefer mortal flesh, do they not?”

My fingers brush over my pointed ears—less pointed than the full fae but enough that I must use my glamour to hide them from the mortals.

“Yes, Mama,” Elisa breathes. “We’ll stay inside.”

“All of you.” Lady Ashbridge’s eyes linger on me, creating a festering wound in my chest.

Who is she to tell me what I can and cannot do? And why, oh why, do I listen so dutifully?

“Yes, my lady.” I duck my head and scurry from the room.

It takes everything to keep my mouth shut and be what I know is expected of me. How I long to claw back, to let someone know I’m more than I appear. It’s impossible. Lady Ashbridge knows what I am, but she does not fear me. A halfling like myself is practically mortal if not taught to wield their magic properly.

Though my father promised me I would have the magic of the moon, I’ve seen no sign of such gifts. Each time a high fae is in Far Water, the tug at my chest is stronger, yanking me toward them. They may have answers, and how I yearn to know more.

That can never be.

CHAPTER TWO

EMYR

“There’s hardly any light here,” I mutter. “What’s the point of a holiday if not to bask in the sun?”

It’s not as if there has been sun in our land as of late. No, the Sun Palace has been drenched in darkness for over a century, coinciding with my length of life. It’s all I have known, and I yearn for holidays in the sun.

“Whatdidyou expect?” Tibalt, my faithful guard, is a man of few words. When he does speak, it’s often to cast judgment in my direction.

I tend to laugh it off, as I do now.