“You did very well for your first long trip,” Slade tells me. “I’m sorry we couldn’t take more breaks.”
“Getting here faster was better anyway.”
Judd jumps down and stretches his back, rolling his shoulders. “Fuck. It’s good to be home and out of that Divine-damned snow.”
Lu grins from where she’s petting her timberwing and feeding it a scrap from the pouch around her waist. “If you’re thinking it was just shrinkage from the cold, you’re going to be really disappointed.”
Slade laughs under his breath, and Judd chucks a glove at her face. She catches it, of course.
“Your Majesty, welcome back.”
I nearly jump as a guard peels away from the smooth wall to tuck into a bow. He’s dressed all in black leathers, very similar to the Fourth army soldiers, except he has the sigil of the twisted tree sewn in brown thread onto the left flap of his vest, and boots that are far less travel-worn. My eyes dart around the rest of the wall, which I thought was empty, but I quickly notice that there are three other guards hidden in the shadows.
“Marcoul, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Slade greets the gray-haired man with a clap on his back and a smile. “Has the royal envoy arrived?”
“Yes, Sire,” the guard replies. “They were given approval, and they’re staying on the third floor.”
Slade nods, sharing a look with Lu as she comes striding over. “Good. Anything else we should know about?”
“Nothing for me to report.”
“Thanks, Marcoul.”
The man bows and slips back into his post, body nearly disappearing against the shadows. I notice that the lanterns along the top of the wall that surrounds this open roof have very precise placement. Just enough to light the way for timberwings to land, but plenty of shadow to keep the guards hidden, especially with the twin turrets behind us.
Turning around, I look for Digby, immediately noticing the way he’s gone pale, the hunch of his body and the sweat beaded against his brow.
I hurry over. “Are you alright?”
“Fine,” he says gruffly. “Can someone show me my room?”
“And send for a mender,” I add, ignoring his glower.
Judd appears at his side. “Come on, old man,” he says cheerfully. “You get the best room of the house—the one right next to mine.”
Digby huffs, but he starts to hobble away with Judd, going through the domed archway in the center of the wall, leading to a set of stairs that feeds down into the belly of the castle. As soon as they’re a few paces away, I join Lu and Slade. “Don’t worry,” Slade tells me. “Judd will make sure our castle mender sees to him right away.”
I blow out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”
“You need anything?” Lu asks, turning to Slade.
“I’m good. Go get some sleep.”
She nods but then lets out a sigh, looking down at her feet. “I already miss my slippers.”
“Why don’t you just get a pair out here?” I ask.
“They wouldn’t be the same,” she says forlornly, just as she turns and goes the same way Judd and Digby did.
Slade walks over to Argo and scratches him on the neck. “Go get yourself some food and settle back into your favorite perch.” The beast trills like he understands completely, nudging his arm. Then he leaps into the air, the others following him, disappearing toward the mountain right behind us.
At my curious look, Slade says, “Their perch is built into the mountain just below.”
“They’re smart creatures.”
“Very,” he replies, coming to stand beside me. “It’s late, but I can still give you a tour now if you want to stretch your legs?”
It’s on the cusp of my lips to say yes, but then I notice the fatigued lines cutting through his face, tucked into the corners of his strained eyes.
“No, let’s just go rest. You can give me a tour tomorrow.”
With a nod, he places his hand on the small of my back and leads me toward the archway. Three steps past it, and we’re descending a set of spiraling stairs rimmed in iron. My gloved hands skim down the curved banister, the steps slightly dizzying. When we reach the bottom, there’s a corridor with worn gray rock and a long stretch of green carpet in the very center, while sconces held in iron casings flicker against the bare walls.
The ceiling is dropped here, the path narrow and feeling slightly claustrophobic, but then, Slade takes me down another set of stairs, this one wide and straight down. When we get to the bottom, the whole castle seems to open up around us. I clasp the open banister, looking down three more flights of stairs to see the grand hall below.