A Court of Caprice and Decay: A spicy enemies to lovers fae king romance (Royal Fae of Arathay Book 4) by Zara Dusk

Author:Zara Dusk [Dusk, Zara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2023-08-21T16:00:00+00:00

Delph

We entered Port Lonsdale, the harbor city of Brume that welcomed the Requin Sea. It felt different to Caprice—far safer and tamer but less colorful. People wore drab grays and browns, and even the houses were dull. Mist rolled through the streets, veiling swathes of the city from view, so it was an ever-changing landscape.

Darzan stopped outside a tavern with a swinging wooden sign of a cat and the words “The Misty Feline” in faded silver lettering. “Yes,” he muttered before creaking open the door and charging inside, expecting me to follow. Not that I had anywhere else to be.

Inside was like a ye olde style inn with wooden everything, tables, chairs, floor. No big-screen TVs or arcade games, no electricity at all. Lightning powered everything in Caprice, but this room was lit by oil lamps hung from wall sconces and some hovering globes of light I couldn’t identify. I knew human technology was banned in Arathay, but this was so medieval it was borderline ironic, like a pub from a historical replica town. It even smelled ancient, like rich stew and stale ale.

“Find a table. I’ll arrange some food,” Darzan said.

I hated taking orders, but food and a seat were exactly what I wanted. I slid into a cushioned booth in the corner from where I could keep an eye on the whole room. A five-piece band played ragged rock in the corner that made my feet tap, and a sign with faded red lettering named them The Fanged Five. Darzan returned with two large frothing beers and two plates of a delicious-smelling beef ragout.

He forked a mouthful of stew. “You did well in the fight.”

Coming from a War wielder, that was high praise. His entire schtick was battle and killing, so his words sent a flicker of pride through me. “Thanks,” I said. “I feel fitter every day. Ever since I arrived here, I’ve gotten stronger.” I swigged a mouthful of ale. “Must be something in the water.”

Darzan looked around, making sure our conversation wasn’t overheard, but the other patrons were noisy and drunk and singing out of tune to The Fanged Five’s music, not paying us any attention. “That’s because human technology suppresses magic,” he said. “The longer you’re away from Hebes, the more your powers will emerge.”

I snorted and looked at him like he was an idiot. Which he was. “I’m not magic, doofus,” I scoffed. It felt good to know more about something than somebody else. Since arriving in Arathay, I’d been on the back foot, but now I could play teacher. And it felt damn good. “Don’t you know anything about humans?” I asked, putting extra derision into my tone.

His brows knitted. “Of course I do. We have Human Studies class at faeschool.”

I almost choked on a mouthful of mashed something at learning that. Everybody in Hebes heard rumors of life in the fae realms, but since nobody ever returned from there, they were just that. Faerietales. Certainly nothing as concrete as classroom lessons. “No way!” I spluttered.

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