“We just got here and he can’t keep it in his pants for one night,” Cylea complained. “How about a game of Loots?” she asked Kryn.
He nodded. “Just one, then we raid the cellar.”
“I’m sitting right here, you know?” Jeondar crossed his arms.
Kryn blew air through his nose. “Like you don’t raid my cellar when you come to Thellanora.”
Jeondar watched them go, shaking his head and smiling fondly. “They deserve a break, I suppose.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I have to meet with my father to give him a report.”
Next to me, Valeriana nodded off for a second. She blinked rapidly and scrubbed at her face, fighting her fatigue.
“Looks like someone needs to go to sleep,” I remarked, giving her a sidelong glance.
“I don’t,” she protested. “I’m perfectly all right.”
Jeondar and I exchanged a knowing glance.
He got up from the table. “I’ll get someone to show you to your chambers. In the morning, just come back here for breakfast.”
Ten minutes later and after walking through several lavish halls and climbing a few sets of stairs, a tiny pixie with translucent wings and blue skin showed us to a chamber, a cloud of gold dust swirling around her. She waved a hand at the door and it opened. She fluttered inside, waving her little hands at a few lamps that bathed the room in warm light.
“The view is lovely from the balcony.” She pointed at a set of double doors. “The washroom is that way, and that door leads to a closet with plenty of clothes for you, Abin Manael.”
“Call me Dani, please.”
She seemed dubious about my request and continued explaining. “If you need anything else, pull this,” she pointed at a golden chord that hung at the side of a big canopy bed, “and I’ll be here to help you. My name is Larina, by the way.” She switched her attention to Valeriana, whose large green eyes scanned the place distrustfully. “I’ll show you toyourchamber. Come with me.” She fluttered toward the door, her wings making a small whirring sound.
Valeriana sidled close to me as Larina glanced back with knitted eyebrows.
“She can stay with me.” I put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, who blinked gratefully at me.
“Very well. Safe dreams.” Larina inclined her head and left.
“Why don’t we check out the washroom?” I said, but Valeriana only peered longingly at the bed.
“Too tired for a bath?”
She nodded.
“Then how about we find something for you to sleep in?”
I walked toward the closet and threw the double doors open. Lights came alive of their own to reveal an ample space filled with beautiful garments, all perfectly sized for a woman my age. There were evening gowns, tunics, leggings, shoes for all purposes, and what looked like swimwear… or was it lingerie?
It was ridiculous.
I found a flowing tunic that could serve as a nightgown for Valeriana and walked back out into the room to find that she was already curled up in bed, sound asleep. I walked closer and watched her. She was so beautiful and tender. My heart tightened to think of all the pain she’d been through. Pulling the covers from the bottom of the bed, I folded them over her small body. She burrowed into their warmth, sighing, her face relaxing further as sleep took away her worries.
I was as exhausted as Valeriana and wouldn’t have minded collapsing on the bed and letting sleep take me, except I sorely wanted a hot bath.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I walked into the bathroom and wasn’t disappointed. A large marble tub was the focal point. It sat at the back of the space, a beautiful stained glass window depicting a peacock resting above it.
I sat on a turquoise settee and removed my shoes and clothes. Before I even reached the tub, water of perfect temperature started pouring down a golden faucet. Almost moaning, I sank down and let part of my worries be washed away, while the rest surrendered to my dreams once I crawled into bed next to the tiny dryad.
My eyes bolted open, and I nearly screamed as a hand pressed to my mouth.