Silver Hollow (49 page)

“Oh! Heavens
,
no! I am not as ancient as
that
…what an idea!” Underhill turned Amie round to begin her corset torture.

“But you knew them pretty well. You were probably the first to know all about their dirty secrets, too, weren’t you?” Amie carefully watched the warmth
stealing
over her maid’s face, the flush on her roun
d cheeks. Amie was certain
Underhill knew the truth about her mother, about everything. No one else would have been trusted to look after Henry’s niece otherwise.

Amie helped her secure the garters around her upper thighs, pinning her gauzy stockings in place. Underhill’s eyes braced against her glare but she never answered the question. When she rose to fetch the dress, Amie gingerly stepped into the narrow hole at the center of its black
-
accented emerald skirts. Faeries had obviously had a hand in this piece, for too many jewels and silver beadwork had been hidden amid its folds, certain to catch even the dimmest candlelight. Bracing her arms on either side of the mirrored wardrobe, Amie stared at her reflection as Underhill began the arduous task of attaching the many hooks up her back.

“Underhill?”
S
he hesitated, wondering how trustworthy the maid truly
was
. “How do you k
now you’re on the right path? I’
ve been thinking about it a lot lately and wondered how you
know
.
” Amie winced, knew how silly she must sound
,
being twenty-seven and still clueless.

“Creator knows, it has to be something
buried deep within.
A sense of rightness it is. And no one else can be telling you how to walk your own path.” Urging her to stand before her wardrobe length mirror, Underhill beamed behind her. “Now
this
is a
frazzleging
look worthy of a Wenderdowne!”

Amie smiled at her reflection and for once believed her.

Enchanted silver strands interwove through the dozens of braids Underhill had woven to pile her hair. A single springy curl was left to roam free over the nape of her neck. But it was the giant emeralds in her earlobes which drew out her eyes. The neckline plunged low enough to show off the on
ly
asset
s
she had before her transformation. And the dress itself cinched at her waist and flowed out naturally in a frenzy of black and green silken and sheer fabrics. Amie was grateful for her lack of sleeves this time. Instead the dress clung around her upper arms and shoulders. An endless sea of sparkles winked in and out of focus in the soft candlelight.

In this moment Amie could almost believe all that was said of her.

…

“You look perfect
.
” Henry’s face appeared over her shoulder
. He was
decked in an outfit fit for a king and covered in as many diamonds as a man could pull off. He had removed the human mask he often wore for her comfort. Now he glowed with the
light of the dawn, the new sun
reflected in the gold threading its way through his raven
-
black hair.

Without turning Amie watched his approach through her mirror. His eyes glowed with familial ardor as he lowered the ancient tiara over her head. Trying desperately to keep the bitterness from her voice, she said, “Henry…I
couldn’t
…”

“You can and you shall my dear.” He rested his gloved hands
on
her shoulders. Together they stood
,
opposites. She was the light of the moon and he was the sun. And Amie knew this was how it was mean
t
to be, now she had taken Drustan’s place.

“Who did this belong to?” Amie stared at the fine metalwork. The tiara clasped itself to her head, rose like sea foam into sharp emerald
-
studded spires. At its center their family symbol burned brightest.

“In ancient times the rulers of the Hollow were like night and day, bonded forever. For generations they ruled together and raised their children to carry on their legacy. But they only had sons and no daughters could be found with enough night in them to carry on the legacy. Only remember you were born to this. One day you will be a Queen
,
my dear."

“With all the rights and privileges thereof?” she said, in
an
effort to lighten her own mood.

“Naturally.”

…

Digging her fingers into the antique railing, Amie watched the sea of gowns and robes and tuxes with trepidation. She wasn’t ready to face the mob just yet and had been watching them trickle in for some time. Feeling a little like the
Phantom of the Opera
about
now, watching from the balcony rafters of the ballroom, Amie wondered if she could get away with dropping a chandelier on them.

Gerard Butler, what would you do?

With no des
s
ert table to hide behind this time there was little hope of arriving unnoticed. At least she wasn’t the only with enchanted clothes. Mirrors covered the walls, much like the Hall of Glass, only they were gilded gold and reflected the tall candelabrum standing in front of them. Three chandeliers helped illuminate the room, using the same phosphorus lights Amie had glimpsed in the caves. Even though she could not see the band she could hear music in the rafters.

Underhill had truly outdone herself. Flowers hung in garlands in twirling ropes, guarded by singing faeries. Puck had come to sit on her shoulder the moment she stole up onto the balcony and had been chattering incessantly in her ear ever since. Faeries couldn’t
speak
exactly. Puck preferred to place pictures in her mind with one touch of
his
skin instead.

Amie muffled a laugh with her black satin-gloved hand. She caught the image of one buxom Seelie waddling through the crowd with her double eyeglass captured in one eye. Puck flitted from her shoulder and onto the banister between her hands, perfectly mimicking the poor lady’s tread.

“It’s a wonder they let you in here.” Amie sighed and leaned forward with her elbows, placing her chin in her hands. Puck fell onto his backside, peppered with laughter
,
and flashed his razor
-
sharp rows of teeth at her. Choosing to ignore her little friend she watched the
Sidhe
greet one another with enthusiasm. Underhill had explained to her how rare it was for them to gather like this. Representatives from every head family in Silver Hollow and many within the Vale had arrived for the celebration.

Amie trailed two decadent strangers with her eyes. For once Faye was not working the crowd. She simply flitted from Lord to Lady with an elderberry goblet between her fingers and a red
-
painted smile at hand. Her short hair had been slicked back against her head and up into spikey wings. Rubies and garnets clung to the net which clung to her head, threaded with fresh roses to match her long blood
-
red dress. How Faye had managed to throw together such an ensemble was once again a credit to her ingenuity.

Amie knew
Ginuog
would be outside somewhere, preferring to keep an eye on the perimeter. She wasn’t surprised to see her childhood bestie, but seeing Faye made her worry about Jo. She still could not believe they were who they said. It all seemed so impossibly possible Amie knew there could be no other explanation. Currently, her
Unseelie
friend was speaking with an older portly gentleman with pointed ears, long whiskers and a half
-
dozen medals hanging from his bronze coat.

Something else Amie was not used to yet was how alien these people looked. She might have been able to write the whole thing off as a hoax before she put on her father’s ring. Not only had she changed, but her new family and friends had as well. Her father’s people were generally slimmer and made up of richer hues and sharper angles. The hobgoblin servants were rounder in the face and in shape.

Tonight’s ball celebrated the preservation of their once
-
great peoples. Gryphons danced with Centaurs on the other side of the glass walls within another hidden garden. People with hooves and fur, stunted wings, fangs and claws congregated with the wilder guests beyond the glass. Uncle Henry had disappeared there what felt like hours ago and few Gray Folk dared to follow him.

No humans had accepted Henry’s invitation, however. Underhill claimed too few remained in the Vale to be trusted. Henry mentioned on their walk downstairs that the beasts still remembered the taste of human flesh.

Amie knew what
Ginuog
had warned her would happen tonight, but she held onto
the
secret hope in spite of everything, another human trait. As far as she knew, neither Henry nor Emrys was aware she had fully claimed her birthright. With her inner eyes she could see and feel everything about the castle and through her ring it whispered back. There were secrets Amie felt on the borderline of her conscience, things no one had told her about and others not even Henry knew. For the house knew its true master was the one marked by the shade of her green orbs.

Stop it with the inner monologuing already
,
Wenderdowne!

Amie tightened her grip on the worn
-
out banister. It was imperative she keep her focus tonight. She needed to be in absolute control.

“You look good enough to eat
.
” Emrys’ warm breath hit the back of her neck, his arms trapping her between the banister and his perfectly tailored form. Amie stiffened and her control slipped.

What is it about this guy
that
calls
to my inner bad
-
girl sensibilities?

“Going Hannibal on me? At least you’d be admitting you were crazy. Maybe you should wear
a face mask and strait jacket,
to warn them ahead of time. You know, before you earn their trust and screw them over?” Satisfied with her comeback
,
Amie returned to her spying.

Laughing, he breathed her in, nose to the curve of her neck
,
and said, “Jessamiene, you will never cease to be the most delightful creature of my acquaintance.”

She tried not to shiver, or let her inner
nixy
respond to the flux of the shadow
engulfing
him
that
desperately wanted to swallow her whole. They were two creatures of the night, her and him, unstable and changeable as the moon. If she was the lighter half, then Emrys was her shadow. And in spite of everything he had done, she could not help the darker part of her soul that answered his call.

“Who are you looking at?”
He wrapped
his arms securely around her waist
.
Amie surprised herself by leaning into his embrace.

What are you doing? You don’t even like him!

“They’re all so beautiful,” she whispered, shivering when his lips found the base of her neck.

“None of them hold a candle to you, love.”

Rolling her eyes, she retorted, “Oh yeah? What makes me so different from them?”

Pulling away, Emrys gently turned her round with his hands. Amie released a shaky sigh as he stepped closer, stripping away the space left between them. With the cool caress of his long fingers he tipped her chin to meet his gaze, onyx eyes shifting a dull red.

“Your eyes are not only the loveliest of your features, but the key to your inheritance. Did ye not know? This is why they came here tonight, to see their future ruler for themselves.”

Amie blanched, hands grasping the balcony edge. “What? What do you mean
ruler
? I thought
I was just a Lady, not a Queen. T
hat ended like a thousand years ago. They don’t do kings and queens anymore.”

A smirk tilted his unremarkable features into something dashing and alluring. “Do they not? For a newcomer ye sure are certain of your grasp on things, love.”

“So maybe I don’t know
everything
yet. But just wait, someday I’m going to catch up to you.” She was rewarded with a rare genuine smile. For a moment Amie remembered the Emrys who taught her who and what she was.

Of course, he ruined any good feelings she felt by his next statement. “Do not think I have forgotten what you did in the library.” The joy in his face was still present, only clouded by his mercurial emotions. “And I sense you’ve learned to harness yer power from someone other than me.” His brow arched and studied her reaction. “But if it is with that
Freargde
,
I must ask something dire of ye.”

Amie threw him a saccharine grin and really hop
ed Puck had rejoined his other f
aerie friends. He would never let her live this down otherwise. “Of
course,
my liege.”