A Little Night Muse(57)

                Assuming she wasn’t simply snuffed out like a bad idea.

                She made her way blindly down the corridor, stumbling in the                     dark without the light of the wisps. Once, she had kept them close as an                     affectation, because everyone looked beautiful by wisp-light. But now she                     thought maybe the pretty light had kept her from having to acknowledge the                     shadows at the heart of the phaedrealii.

                She couldn’t pretend anymore.

                As she reached the more commonly used corridors, the lingering                     glow of passing phae lighted the walls. She wrapped                     one of her veils loosely around her face. Not much of a disguise, but boring                     enough not to intrigue any phae who might seek to                     unravel a more elaborate illusion. She needed to find EveStar and see if her                     hunch about the handmaid was right: Someone was pointing discontented phae to the Hunter’s valley. But now they needed her                     secret key.

                She passed two elaborately ornamented phae, dripping with jewels and nodding feathers. The Queen must be                     in one of her expansive phases. That could be good, if everyone was distracted                     by her generous mood. Or they could be trying to placate her because she was                     surly.

                Despite her divorce from the court, Adelyn felt her heart                     stutter in remembered anxiety at the mere thought of the Queen’s moods, good or                     bad. She felt like an interloper in her old veils, decorated only by the leather                     belt with its carved copper buckle.

                “Sweet muse!” The bellow—or so it seemed to her—brought her                     whirling around. “You have returned. Did you find the Hunter?”

                “William, hush.” She hurried toward him. “Do you want to get me                     killed again?”

                He had the grace to flush, as only a human could, but the                     gesture did not soften her as was the knack of certain other human males.

                She stared hard at William, wondering at his allegiance. The                     Queen had stolen him away from the world, but he had never seemed to miss it.                     Josh would never let himself be imprisoned, not when he had his valley. No                     illusion would ever satisfy him.

                She took some peace knowing no matter what happened to her,                     Josh would be there, with his cows and Wolly and the stars under whose light                     they’d made love.