Fatal Illusion by Tameri Etherton

Author:Tameri Etherton [Etherton, Tameri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Teacup Dragon Publishing

13

Rori knew better than to be aggressive while making jumps, especially with where they were going. Arriving in a rush could cause injury not just to them, but to anyone nearby. And with Eirlys’s room full of mirrors, she risked breaking more than the glass. They tumbled onto hard marble and Rori angled herself to protect both the amulets and the sleeping faerie still in her breast pocket. Curses flowed like whisky on Hogmanay from Therron’s mouth, then he fell ominously silent.

She cocked her head, a teasing comment at the ready, but stopped the retort when she saw his face. As pale as the alabaster floor, he looked as though he’d witnessed the slaughter of an entire race.

“What is it?” Rori scrambled to her feet and held out a hand to help him up. She caught a reflection of herself and shuddered. The room was entirely, from floor to ceiling, covered in individual, ornately framed, gleaming mirrors. Thirteen in all. At every angle, her disheveled, bruised, and bloodied body reflected into infinity. Holy sharksniffers, she was a hot mess.

“It’s her,” Therron whispered.

“Who her? There’s no one here but us.”

Except, that wasn’t true.

Therron stood, ignoring her outstretched hand, and beckoned to a young girl. Standing in the middle of the room, she wasn’t a reflection.

The girl’s eyes, deep as an ocean and just as blue, studied her with keen interest. She wore human clothing, but something about her was off—it wasn’t her appearance, or the way she kept looking at them as if she’d known them forever. It was something else. Rori couldn’t put her finger on it, but she had the distinct impression she’d met the girl before.

“Caen drath elthniss, Therron.”

“Nygotien tergotten amir.” Therron touched his thumb to his forehead, then to his heart and bent his head low in that way royals did when acknowledging a peer.

Rori stared, dumbfounded, her lips parted in a near gape.

“Esth eamish beforgaltin Eleri?”

Therron’s grunt brought Rori back to the moment, to the strange conversation. This girl, this child, spoke a foreign language she’d never heard, but the elf understood. Whoever she was, Rori’s gut told her she wasn’t a threat to Faerie. Rori stood taller, her shoulders back, hands loose just in case she needed to grasp a dagger in a hurry.

Before he could answer, a commotion on the other side of the room startled them. Rori turned toward the door, then back to the girl, but she was gone. Therron’s face had barely regained its olive tone before once more going pale. Clearly, the girl upset him, but why?

“Who or what was that?”

“You saw her?”

“Of course I did.” Dozens more questions sprang to her lips, but the door opened and they were surrounded by Queen Eirlys’s personal guard.

“Should’ve known it’d be you, MacNair. You’ve done it this time. Got orders to take you to the queen herself for sentencing.”

“Still bitter, Dorchmeir?” She eyed his uniform, marking the rank with a smirk. “You always were second-class. Now it’s official.”

“Lieutenant, asshole.” The words were hissed between clenched teeth.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.