“Brie!” Someone shakes me hard.
I force my eyes open. Force air into my lungs.
The room is dark and cool. There’s no fire, save for a single flame flickering atop a candle on the bedside table. Nik crouches beside me on the floor, still in the skintight dress she wore to meet her client.
“What is it?” Sleep threatens to drag me under again, thanks to the tonic Nik gave me after dinner.
“Gorst is here for you.”
I press my hand to my mouth and spring to my feet. Fawn is curled on her side in the bed, her stuffed rabbit clutched to her chest. My stomach cramps at the thought of Gorst tearing this little girl’s home apart because of me.
The booming knock on the door seems to shake the whole apartment, and I spin to Nik with wide eyes. “Stall for me. I’ll sneak out the window.”
She nods, one step ahead of me. “I put one of my dresses in your bag.” She looks toward the door when the knock sounds again. “It’s nothing as fine as what your sister could make, but it’ll help you blend in with all the girls going to the ball.”
“Thank you.” I hug her tightly. “I owe you.”
“If you don’t open this door, we’ll knock it down!” a deep voice calls.
“I’m coming!” Nik shouts. Her voice doesn’t betray any of the fear on her face. Then, to me, “The portals should open in less than an hour. Be safe and come back to us, you hear? Fawn needs her aunt Brie.”
My eyes burn, so I just nod and sling my bag over my shoulder.
Nik stomps toward the door. The fear sloughs off her with each step, replaced with bravado. “Who do you think you are, pounding on my door in the middle of the night?”
I close the bedroom door as quietly as possible, then pull the pillows and blankets from my mat and place them neatly on the bed.
“We’ve been told that Abriella Kincaid is staying here,” the deep voice says.
“Well, you’ve been told wrong. It’s just me and my daughter.”
After kicking the mat under the bed, I blow out the candle. The blanket of darkness is a reassuring balm to my senses.
“If you don’t mind, ma’am, we’d like to see for ourselves.”
Nik huffs. “I do mind. My daughter is sleeping.”
I pull myself out the window and shut it behind me just as light pours into the bedroom from the main part of her unit. I run down the alley, then cut across to another, zigzagging in a path they’d never suspect. The night is bright under the full moon, and I avoid the main streets, sticking to the darker, narrower paths between buildings to remain unseen, pressing myself against walls and between trash barrels when need be. I run and run and run, sweating, lungs burning. I don’t stop until I’m safely ensconced in the woods at the edge of town.
There’s already a line of young women tittering excitedly in the flood of moonlight at the river’s edge. Some are dressed in elaborate ball gowns, others in simple cotton frocks that are likely the nicest thing they own. They’re all waiting for the portal to open, staring at the riverbank as if it’s their own personal path to salvation. Fools.
Avoiding the crowds and the moonlight, I head to the dense grove of trees beyond. Blindly, I strip off my clothes, peeling my shirt and pants from my sweat-drenched limbs before searching the satchel for the dress Nik packed. The fabric is thin and silky, and when I pull it over my head, it slides like cool water over my skin.
I clutch the crystal at my neck. I don’t know how well amulets of protection work, but I escaped Gorst’s men tonight. If this necklace can get me to Faerie safely, I may never take it off.
I huddle against a tree, hidden by the darkness, and watch the moon climb higher in the sky until, finally, gasps and delighted laughter drift toward me.
“It’s opened.”
“The portal has opened!”
“The golden queen welcomes us!”
“Prince Ronan awaits!”
I tuck my amulet into my dress and slowly emerge from the shadows, stepping into the line of women. We wait our turn to walk through the portal. I clutch my hands to resist the urge to smooth my hair and wipe the sweat off my brow. If I keep my head down, maybe they won’t notice that I’m not dressed as finely as they are.
I’m not like these women. I’ve never wanted to be a faerie princess, never dreamed of the day I could dance with the immortals at one of their legendary balls. But tonight I recognize my luck. Once I’m on the other side of the portal, Gorst’s men can’t touch me.