Deep in the Bavarian woods, where the faerie realm touches on the human world lies Schloss Mondschein. Owned by a corrupted human family, the castle is the playground of the Fae. The human staff are their toys.
Servant's daughter Andromeda Arendt h...
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Stars ... a myriad of stars twinkled overhead. In the cargo section of a dogsled, tied up as if she was a parcel instead of a person and reeking of faerie magic, Andromeda Arendt gaped at the universe and couldn't help getting overwhelmed.
Frost bit at her toes, nose, and ears. The dogs yapped. In the distance, a wolf howled—or a dog, who knew? The thing was that Andromeda didn't know the first thing about the world that lay beyond the castle grounds, except for pa's ominous warnings. She'd been out exactly once, and at that time, she'd been under the protection of a powerful mage, her friend Samuel.
About a week ago, he had taken her on a short trip to the mage's secret refuge which was located in a cavern at walking distance from Schloss Mondschein. The prospect of fleeing there after the assassination of the ambassador had excited but not scared her. Educated and trained in alchemy and magic, Samuel always knew what to do, and she had known him since childhood. He would look out for her ... always. Samuel was the closest thing to a trusted brother Andromeda had ever known, but now ...
Samuel had been the only one who knew her escape route. He had helped her design her plans. Or had it been his plan?
In light of recent events and the malaise spreading from her bruised body to her confused brain, the difference wasn't that clear anymore. Over and over, the short exchange between her captors ran through her head. "Right on time. Just like he said she would."
He said she would.
Samuel betrayed her.
Her chest tightened and tears burned at the back of her eyeballs. Breathing grew more difficult. She started gasping like the trout the huntsman had lifted from a bucket of water and placed on the kitchen table. The fish had flapped its tail fin in a desperate attempt to escape its fate until ... Whack! Cook chopped off its head.
With the same knife, she used for the parsley. It was that easy.
The horrible truth dawned on Andromeda. Today, she was the trout, and though hard to believe ... Samuel was the huntsman.
She fiddled with the silver ties within her fingers' reach, but for every inch, she managed to loosen, the charmed thread shrunk two inches back, cutting deeper and deeper into her skin.
Was there any chance at all she could outrun the cook?
The odds were not in her favor, and with that thought, her breathing turned so shallow, she came close to passing out.
But the universe didn't grant her such peace.
With a jolt, the sled dove down and flung Andromeda to the panel separating her from her Fae captors. Her shoulder took the hit and the sudden pain prompted her to a sharp and deep intake of breath. Bet those Fae bastards didn't count on that.
