Read Online Courting Darkness by Yasmine Galenorn - Free Book Online

eight thirty now,” Delilah said, glancing at her watch. “I’m still good, I can drive us home.”
    I leaned against her shoulder, letting my eyes close. “I’m so tired,” I whispered. “The Northlands were so cold . . . and then having to immediately deal with the daemon and then Chase vanishing . . . I can barely keep my eyes open.” Inhaling slowly, I could feel sleep stealing up on me, but I started as the sound of the doorknob turning woke me up.
    The guard nodded. “You can go in now. Aeval will see you.”
    We headed through the door, not knowing what to expect. The Summer Solstice ritual where the land was officially dedicated had taken place in an outdoor venue, and none of the three of us had ever been inside any of the finished palaces. As I led Delilah into the throne room, I caught my breath.
    Whereas the main structure was more utilitarian, Aeval’s throne room was brilliant and beautiful. The domed roof sparkled with silver filigree, etched across a jeweled pebble surface. Like cobblestones, except the arched ceiling glowed with scattered gems of polished obsidian and onyx, moonstone, and a cobalt blue stone with which I wasn’t familiar. Inset into the stonework were mosaics of the moon and stars, of Aeval herself, rising against the night sky, standing in front of a silver ocean, with breakers crashing on the darkened shore.
    The throne room itself was swathed in a landscape of silver and indigo and blue. Aeval’s colors—the colors of night. Mist floated along the floor, and a pale ice blue light emanated from beneath the wisps of fog that floated up to curl softly around my wrists. Scattered banquettes buttressed the walls, all in shades of gray and navy with silver scallops embroidered across the seats.
    The sheer beauty of the austere hall caught in my throat, and I raised my fingers to my mouth, in awe of the work that had been done and the magical threads running through that work. Beside me, Delilah gave a short gasp.
    And in the center, a silver-clad throne. The seat and back were hewn of yew and elder boughs; silver embellishments wound their way through the arms and along the back. The throne was more wild than regal, primal like the night, sprawling across the back of the barrow.
    And on the throne sat Aeval, tall and frozen, like a statue carved from ice. Her hair was dark as the night and her skin, alabaster and porcelain. She wore a gossamer dress woven of silver threads, and as she stood, it made a shifting sound like soft metal chain clinking gently against itself.
    I knelt at the base of her throne, and Delilah curtsied.
    “Camille, you are not summoned to report until the Solstice. What brings you to my feet this night?” Her voice echoed in the chamber as she made her way down the steps of the throne. “Has something gone amiss?”
    “Actually, yes,” I said, finding my tongue. Titania made me so nervous I had trouble talking to her—she’d gone from drunken and downfallen Fae Queen to regaining her powers and shining like the sun. Morgaine was my cousin, but I no longer trusted her and every word out of her mouth was a riddle, fraught with ulterior motives. But Aeval—Aeval I could talk with, once I overcame the immediate fan-girl factor. I hadn’t mentioned it to anybody, but if I had to pledge myself to any of the Triple Threat’s courts—I was relieved it was her.
    “Then by all means, tell me.” Aeval motioned to a pair of banquettes that sat near the throne. “Please, take rest, and eat with me.” She clapped her hands, and a serving girl appeared from out of the mist, bearing a tray with fruits and cheese, sliced venison, and sugar-sprinkled cookies.
    I eagerly accepted a plate—the chill of the Northlands had increased my appetite, as had the exhaustion. Delilah also accepted a plate, but I knew her mind was only on the cookies. My sister was the original junk food junkie, and I worried about what all that crap would do to her system after a while. And