Fae Lord's Betrothed - Book One

38. The Eerie Silence

As advised, Ziana wore her layman clothes while I wore my fae leathers. I also wore a brimmed hat to hide my hair. We left early in the morning making sure we didn't draw much attention from the other guards. Luckily those who saw, they didn't ask or stop.

The buzzing streets of the market were usually quiet despite being more packed with people than usual. The roads had puddles of water alongside from the storm that morning. Dark clouds blanketed the sky and the air was still heavy with moisture. Luckily there was no breeze, just the eerie atmosphere.

The faes of Wrewan were usually tall built and had darker skin like me but something was off. The crowd consisted of all shapes and colour. They wore dresses from different kingdom. Maybe they were tourist. It could be because of the upcoming festivities in the West but the mood of the environment seemed dull and sad. The faes didn't even have their natural green glow that separated them from humans. I had to notice their ears to confirm that they were faes as their wings weren't on display. They emitted fae energy however it was faint. Despite many souls, the market had a ringing silence.

Ziana, who had been cheerful since morning for the task assigned to her, now observed the people with a straight face. She walked closer to me when she noticed that the eyes of the faes were on us. Their gaze followed us as we walked up to the orange-curtained inn. Once we were inside, I took one last look at them and saw that try crowd was dispersing.

I wished whatever the reason was for calling me there, it would be quick and I could return to the castle.

The inn was quieter with fewer people than last time. We took a seat away from where most of them sat. However, my eyes were fixed on the entrance. If someone wanted to share some discreet information, this was the right place. I lowered my hat and Ziana looked down. And we waited for a long time.

Ziana struggled to speak something, she twisted her fingers and looked here and there. I raised my brows at her, motioning her to speak.

"Sometimes seems odd," she murmured at last.

"You think so too?"

She nodded, "they were faes but they didn't look like faes. Did you see their ears?"

"Yes," I leaned forward, "that's how I confirmed that they were faes-"

"No, my lady," she interrupted, "that's what made me doubt."

I looked up at her. She moved her short hair aside and pointed to her ears. "I come from Silwing. We grow much taller than most faes, are leaner and light-haired. We have paler skin but our ears are quite similar to that of humans. It's only a bit pointed."

She was from the same kingdom as Cayold. And she appeared to be of the same race as him.

"However most people from Dralyra are dark and hugely built but mainly they have elongated pointed ears."

It remained me of Miza and Alcor. I never paid attention to the shape and built of their ears but now that Ziana mentioned it, I realized that it was not the case with people outside.

"They all had the same ears-"

"Exactly!" She said a bit loudly and then looked at me in horror. "Forgive me. I keep interrupting you. I am nervous. This is the first task ever assigned to me personally and I have no experience-"

I shook my head, "it's fine." I would have said more to make her feel relaxed but a familiar handsome face appeared. I motioned Ziana to be quiet.

My thoughts ran quickly. Was it Cayold who called me here? It's not possible. He would have mentioned it in the past few days. It was someone else. Maybe Anan or Rafael? Rafael was Cayold's man and Anan had already met me before. It would be someone else.

Should I draw Cayold's attention? Would he know I was here? Should I add him to the plan, reveal the secret message sent to me through books? But if it was a secret and meant to be hidden from Cayold then? I trusted him but maybe the person who called me here didn't. He or she wouldn't reveal whatever they wanted if Cayold was onto the plan.

So I chose to hide. It felt like betraying him but I lowered my head and didn't meet his eyes. He wore the same clothes as yesterday. His hair wasn't in great shape too. I peaked at him and noticed that he appeared tired. Was he away the whole day and night? Wasn't he supposed to share if he had any progress with the case?

What was he doing here anyway? Who was he meeting? He didn't wait at the tables nor did anyone acknowledge him as if they were instructed not to bother him with formalities. Was he a regular here?

He turned around a corner and disappeared into the hallway. Once he had gone, I asked Ziana to stay where she was and followed Cayold. I was tired of sitting in the same place.

I went into the direction of where he went but I was yanked away with a feminine palm covering my mouth. Before I could fight back, the person dragged me to the backyard of the inn and pushed me against the wall.

It was Emeline dressed in fae clothes. I wanted to start with questions but she put a finger on her lips and removed her hand from my mouth.

"What are you-"

"It's time you know the truth."

She forced me to sit down and I did. There was a window above my head. Someone stood there and Emeline nodded at them once and walked away. I tried to look up, to follow Emeline but I heard a door open and a familiar voice spoke.

"Rafael, your plan worked!"

Why was I hearing this conversation in private? Lord Cayold trusted me.

"Is Lady Allura caught in our trap, my lord?"

Cayold laughed, "and more. She promised to help me. It all went according to your plan. I didn't know she was that naïve."

Every word that Rafael spoke pinched me like a poisoned arrow. "I told you, my lord. It's easy to deceive women. Tell her words and she will ignore. Let her trust our staged actions, and she is ours."

Sorry for the delay. The next chapter will be up according to the schedule (in few hours!) Thank you for reading ❤️