Court of Monsters and Malice: A Brides of Mist and Fae Novel (The Shadow Bound Queen Book 3) by Eliza Raine

Author:Eliza Raine [Raine, Eliza]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Reyna

We followed the two ice-fae sent to escort us through the tunnel in the glacier in silence. Once we were away from the heat of the brazier, the cold was biting, and I was grateful for my thick cloak. I had dropped the talons into the deep pocket, not trusting myself not to scratch or hurt the people around me until I had practiced wearing them.

When we emerged on the other side of the tunnel my breath caught. There was a central iceberg before us, surrounded by other glaciers I assumed hosted the other boats, and on it was a structure made entirely from ice. It was a smaller version of the palace I’d seen, I realized, gaping.

It glistened under the still pale twilight, its crystal spires reaching up toward the dusky blue sky. Walls of smooth ice blocks had been carved and fused together, reinforced by graceful arches everywhere I looked.

An intricate ice bridge, mercifully opaque, took us from the glacier to the iceberg, other fae visible as we approached the gardens surrounding it. Hedge mazes emerged from massive drifts of snow, bordered by ice sculptures of woodland animals and sea creatures. Frost-covered topiaries dotted the grounds, and a single weathered tree with silver leaves stood alone in a courtyard.

Tait was staring around in wonder as we approached the main entrance, a high open archway with no doors, and I thought Frima was struggling to keep the awe from her face as we climbed the glassy steps and entered the hall.

Frozen waterfalls tumbled down two curved walls, the ice transparent and flawlessly smooth. At the far end of the single room, an oval dais held two ice thrones, encrusted with gemstones and hoarfrost, a high and intricately carved arch over each.

Spiral staircases leading to a narrow balcony level wound up and down from the ballroom at intervals, each step a polished block of ice and the balustrades so fine they looked as though they would shatter with any pressure at all.

But the most eye-catching feature of the hall for me was the floor. It was made of a single slab of ice, clear and smooth, and beneath it was a great chasm, filled with icy water that glowed with an otherworldly light.

An answer to the blood-rivers under the throne room floor in the Shadow Court, perhaps? It made me uneasy, and I kept my gaze high, on the more beautiful features of the cavernous space.

An orchestra played chiming music from a balcony perched high above the gallery level, that echoed through the chamber and sounded almost eery to me. Couples danced across the ice floor, gliding over its polished surface. The blue-haired females wore gowns of silvery silk and lace that blended with their pale skin, their faces hidden behind feathered masks of birds — mostly swans, ravens and doves. The males wore barely anything besides their masks, all the toned exposed flesh making my cheeks heat. Fur wraps around their middles and masks fashioned after foxes and wolves were all they seemed to need, even in the intense cold.

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