He smiles. “We have a deal then. Once the three artifacts are returned to my court where they belong, I will send your sister safely back to a location of your choice in the human realm.”
“Alive,” I snap. It seems like safe should cover that, but I won’t allow him to work a loophole.
“Alive. I swear it on my power.” With a snap of his fingers, a silver-gilded mirror appears in his hand. “This is a replica of the Mirror of Discovery. When you find it, replace it with this so the queen won’t know it’s missing.”
“What happens when she realizes it’s a fake?”
He shakes his head. “Only one with Unseelie blood can tell the difference.”
“Where will I find this mirror?”
He shrugs. “All I know is that Arya has hidden it away in the Seelie Court. You may have to search to get your hands on it, but that shouldn’t be a problem for someone who found her portal.” He smirks and offers me the mirror. “You may stand.”
I shift experimentally and find that the invisible bonds have slipped away. Standing, I realize I’m still clutching the scrap of Jas’s smock in one hand. I take the mirror in the other, willing myself not to shake. “Will I bring it to you through the portal once I’ve found it?”
“The portal’s been . . . disabled.” His goblin laughs, and Mordeus smirks in his direction. “My goblin will retrieve you and it when the time is right.”
I don’t enjoy feeling like the butt of a joke, but I let my pride get the best of me last night and lost hours—hours I could have been searching for the mirror. If I get to take my sister home, they can laugh at me all they want. “What are the other two artifacts?”
“Focus on one task at a time, my girl. I will tell you the second when I have the first.” He claps his hands, and a trio of elven fae females appear around me. They share the king’s pale skin but have short, light blue hair. “Dress Abriella for the Seelie Court. Make her look like his future queen, then return her to the Golden Palace.”
The three females bow their heads in acquiescence. “Yes, Your Majesty,” they say in unison. One takes my arm, and I follow them toward a door in the back of the room.
“Abriella,” the king says. I stop and turn to him, meeting his eyes. “When you meet Prince Ronan, remember that you need him. Hold his trust, or you will be unable to infiltrate his court.”
“I understand my mission.”
He spreads his fingers, and a ball of darkness bleeds like an inkblot between them. “You’ll be fine if you remember what’s at stake.” The ball of darkness shifts until it’s not darkness at all, but an image of Jasalyn and me sitting on the floor at Madame V’s. She’s in her pajamas, and she looks like she just crawled out of bed. The smile on her face makes me step closer to that image, despite the man holding it.
He adds, “Or, I should say . . . who.”
Chapter Seven
“THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY,” I say, stepping away from the goblin at my door. After I was given an opportunity to bathe and the king’s servants dressed me like a doll, King Mordeus sent his goblin to escort me to the queen’s palace. I don’t care to put that much trust in a creature who has wiped drool from his mouth twice since I came into his view.
“King Mordeus long ago destroyed his brother Oberon’s portal to the Seelie lands,” one handmaiden says.
“Can I take a carriage or . . . a horse?”
The handmaidens exchange surprised glances. “It’s a week’s journey on our fastest steed, milady.”
At first I nearly snorted every time they call me lady. That’s one thing I’ve never been accused of being, but after hours of having them fuss over me, I’m more annoyed by the title than anything else.
King Mordeus’s goblin grumbles under his breath, then offers his hand again. I get it. Not only can goblins move freely between and within realms, they can do so instantaneously. They choose to go somewhere, and they simply appear there. Next to the knowledge they hoard, it’s their greatest power. My gaze lands on the bracelet at my wrist. As the faeries washed me, I confirmed Bakken’s promise that the bracelet was visible only to me. Now I’m tempted to use it. I would so much rather have Bakken transport me than this unknown goblin, but I don’t want to waste a thread—or, truthfully, unnecessarily lose any more of my hair. I’m supposed to seduce a prince, and my wild red curls are the best physical attribute I have on my side. I take a deep breath and a step forward. “Okay.”