15. Lily

My soft slippers made no noise on the cold stone floor but I found I could see in the dark tunnel much better than I had the night before. When Krynn and Seldarin had led me back to the Cavern of Lolth, we had been moving in pitch blackness. Now, though it still seemed just as dark, I was able to make out most of what was around me.

There wasn't much to see—just a hallway which appeared to be carved through solid white marble—which just seemed extravagant to me. Was the whole Fae Palace made of the stuff? How much had that cost?

The marble countertop we'd had back in the house in Asheville had been extremely expensive—I remembered feeling so excited when Christopher showed it to me along with the rest of the house. Of course, I hadn't had any idea then that he was probably already planning to move some other woman in there—someone younger and prettier and presumably better in bed—than me.

I tried to push the bitter thoughts aside. Here I was, making my winding way through the bowels of an honest-to-God fairytale palace and I was still thinking about my ex? That was stupid. Still, the feelings of betrayal and hurt ran deep and it was with some effort that I pushed Christopher and his little blonde girlfriend out of my head.

My handful of berries was long gone and I was wishing I had brought more when I finally reached the end of the tunnel and the small door which I was sure led into the huge, mirrored room Krynn had led us through the night before.

I put my ear to the door but heard nothing. Good—I should be able to just slip right out and hopefully make my way quietly out of the palace. If anyone caught me, I'd pretend to be a servant, I decided. Hadn't Krynn said something about being a servant when he first came here? Hopefully I could pull off the deception if anyone asked.

I pushed carefully against the door, but it was stiff and didn't want to give. Gritting my teeth, I pushed harder—then harder still. I could feel the door starting to open but it was made of stone and really heavy—clearly I needed to use more force.

Taking a few steps back, I rushed forward and rammed my shoulder against the stubborn door, throwing my whole weight into the effort.

The door gave at last. With a sudden jerk, it popped open and I lurched forward, carried by the force of my momentum into the center of the room. I tripped, stumbled, and landed on my knees.

I had a moment to realize that the huge room with the mirrored walls was not in fact, empty. It was actually crowded with people—not just people though—tall, gorgeous Dark Fae.

And all of them were staring at me.