She pats my back. “We should go. There was a death in the court. One of the hunters was killed while patrolling thearadhlumes. They asked me to bring you to be with Teo during the parting ceremony.”
I freeze. “Someone died patrolling what?”
“Oh. Sorry.” She tilts her head to the side. “The glow spiders.”
My skin burns. Lies. That person did not die killing spiders.
The anger must be twisting my features because Arlet looks uncomfortable. “We really should go," Arlet tries again.
I inch toward the table to grab the phial before looking at her. "You seem to know so much about their customs in such a short time."
Arlet looks guarded. "I like their customs. I like their work, their crystals, and I like the way they treat each other," she stammers. " I think—You don't—"
"I don't what?" I ask, trying to understand where all of this is coming from.
“I want to have a family, Estela. I want to be a mother, and I think that I have a chance here,” she says at last.
She doesn’t know what I have seen—doesn’t understand how deceitful the king is. “You think I don’t? I loved caring for Mikal. If I could do that with someone who would support me, maybe I would again. These people aren’t that.”
She shrugs. “I don’t agree. They are honorable.”
I narrow. “Wait. I thought the giant doctor told you that you couldn’t have more children. Have they been making you promises?” Dirty liars.
Her long fingers splay across her carefully stitched skirt. “Have you heard about mates?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Like, animal husbandry?”
She shakes her head. “No. It’s an ancient magic for races like the Enduares and elves—humans and giants don’t appear to have it. One of the other humans, Luiz, is mated to an Enduar woman. They found out soon after we arrived. After…” she trails off.
My eyes narrow, trying to understand what she is telling me.
“They say that if someone is mated to another, there’s a possibility to conceive. Of course, there’s also more romanticism to it than that—they say that the gods grace them partners to be happy. I just keep thinking, if I find a mate here, maybe things would be different.”
My eyebrows raise. “Are you? Er, mated?” If she is, no wonder she has assimilated so quickly. She’s bound here by some cosmic rite.
She gives the strangest look. “I have not heard the song. But I am young. Who knows if one day I could…”
Her words are appalling, but my mind snags on the word song. Is that not what I have been hearing every day since I’ve arrived?
My mouth goes dry. “What song would you like to hear?”
Her shoulders lift as she shakes her head, and that’s when I catch it. There’s discomfort in her expression. She’s hiding something. “I honestly have no idea.”
I purse my lips. “I am hungry. We should leave, but first, I need you to help me with my hair. I was told not to let it hang loose.”
“Of course. Let me grab a leather tie.” Arlet looks relieved that I have relented, and she smiles. "There is always food after anything the Enduares do. They make sure of it."
I nod, watching her while she maneuvers around my head. I take deep breaths, preparing for what I must do.
Chapter16
Fluorite
ESTELA
Enduar escorts are waiting for Arlet and I. One of them is the woman, Neela, whom I was rude to earlier. Her eyes carefully avoid mine as we walk. My wariness of her holds me over as I cross the bridge again, pass through the residential section, and into a new tunnel I do not recognize.
The air here is thick with moisture, making it difficult to breathe. I know we have gone deeper into the mountain, away from the freshness I had grown accustomed to. The sound of water echoes through the tunnel, and I imagine a river flowing nearby.