An Isle of Mirrors (A Shade of Vampire #88) - Bella Forrest Page 0,62

her fabricated concern away. “Worry not, please. Have a seat. Sissa was telling me about her cousins’ attempt to leave the village yesterday. I had no idea they’d even tried it.”

We sat down beside the king and his daughter. I was already restless—squirming and constantly looking around—until Unending nudged me in the ribs, reminding me of how important it was that we play it cool. It wasn’t in my nature to deceive or to lie, particularly to seemingly good people like Loren and Sissa. But we’d made a promise, and we intended to follow through no matter what.

“How did that happen?” Unending asked, doing a remarkable job of sounding calm and casual. I was terrified of even opening my mouth.

“Well, they were curious. We all are, up to a point,” Sissa replied, the shadow of a smile dancing across her face. It was quickly followed by a resigned sadness. “But we grow out of it. My cousins are still young and somewhat foolish. Despite the warnings, they insisted on seeing what’s beyond the shield.”

“What did Joy have to say about that?” Unending asked. The mention of the Reaper’s name made me shiver. Any minute now, she could be headed back here, and I didn’t want us to stick around much longer. If we had convinced her that Anunit had been foolish and that the mission was still focused on taking the Mixer, we might get away with it. But Joy had simply lost it upon hearing of Spirit’s double demise—whether it was news to her or not, it didn’t really matter. She was falling apart at the seams and looking for people to take it out on. The soul fae would bend her into submission. Unending and I were just punching bags, at this point. My wife had a plan, though, and she was a smooth talker, so I trusted her to lead this conversation in a more favorable direction.

Sissa giggled. “Joy isn’t keen on words in general. She just smacked them and sent them back to my father to tell him what they’d done. But they were too afraid of him, so they came to me for advice. Apparently, they tried to use knives to tear holes in the protective shield.”

Loren burst into laughter. He doubled over with tears in his eyes. “Silly children… Like cutlery was going to help… By the heavens!”

“Well, they learned their lesson,” Sissa replied, trying not to chuckle, though her cheeks were as red as roses at this point. “I hope you’ll forgive them, Father.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. Have you forgotten the time you tried to get out?”

Unending raised an eyebrow. “Something tells me the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, Your Majesty.”

“What?” Loren stared at us, slightly confused.

“Like father, like daughter?” I said, going for an expression that might’ve been more familiar to him. The king put on the proudest grin.

“You’re damn right,” he replied. “I think every single one of the more curious among us has attempted to leave this place without fully understanding the repercussions or the dangers we face out there in the world. In time, we all learn our place and accept our fate. We’re safer here. The young ones are always stubborn, so it doesn’t come as a surprise when one or more of them try to do what we once attempted.”

“I see. That makes sense,” Unending said.

Sissa smiled at her father. “You were just as mischievous?”

“Didn’t you hear Tristan? Like father, like daughter. Where do you think you got your rebellious streak from?” Loren shot back.

I glanced over my shoulder, checking to see if Joy had come to. There was no sign of her. Just white stone igloos and blossoming orchids and delicate, narrow paths that zigzagged through the village. The night had fully settled, and the stars were shining down on us. The smell of burning wood filled my nostrils, and the sound of it crackling a few feet away tickled my ears. It was nice and peaceful here, but I knew it wouldn’t last. This… all this was an ephemeral illusion of peace and comfort because Anunit was still out there. Her presence—though unseen—applied enough pressure to keep me on edge.

As I covered Unending’s hand with mine, I hoped she would see the urgency in my eyes. “Your Majesty, would you perhaps mind showing us the artifact?” she asked the king, and I knew we were finally headed into the last stage of our stay among the soul fae. “As much as we enjoy