Two Wicked Courts

Chapter 13

I realized all too quickly that I shouldn't have been excited. My backside ached after the first hour, and my thighs soon after that. The trek down the small, weaving path carved out of the side of the mountain was slow and took the better part of the morning just to descend into the canopy of washed out green.

From the valley, I caught glimpses of the castle, tucked away into the rock face.

We passed through Vinas Aren on our way south. It was hardly a city compared to Ellirias, the Summer Court's capital, but it was enough. Stone walls kept the towering evergreens at bay and most of the architecture was the same dark stone and wood of the castle. Countless chimneys spewed smoke, the smell of wood fire mixing with the scent of needles. The streets spread out, stores and homes alike arranged in neat and orderly lines. Beyond the chimneys and gray shingles, a temple tower rose in the distance.

Vendors in the morning market were packing up their wares, guards dressed in colors of black and dark blue patrolled the streets, imp-like children played with an unnervingly large black cat that must have been a Cat Sìth. All paused their morning routines to drop their heads to Casimir and stare shamelessly in speculation at me.

Casimir was an eerily silent traveling partner. He didn't say a word the whole time, which made me uneasy. I would have almost preferred his verbal jabs to silence.

An hour after we had passed through Vinas Aren, I couldn't take it anymore.

"What is Bryn's story with the Autumn Court?"

He glanced at me curiously. "You noticed?"

I gave him a withering look. "She spent the whole week making it known she had no interest going, and then that bit about Dagny?"

He shrugged. "It's mostly Bryn's business."

"That cannot be all you're going to tell me. I'm practically dying of boredom. Have pity on me."

"She lived in Autumn Court for a time."

"When?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose when I was too young to remember."

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out how long ago that must have been.

"Bryn is very, very old," he admitted. "Over three thousand years, maybe even four. She's getting a bit sensitive about that as of late, so don't tell her I said anything. Despite what she may think, it's a feat, even for us. You don't reach that age without getting killed in Elphyne unless you're a magnificent force to be reckoned with, and she is."

I leaned forward in the saddle, mouth gaping. "And you? Raiden?"

"Curious, aren't you?" He smiled. "I'm approaching a thousand, and Raiden is about a century younger than me."

I busied myself with a drink from my canteen. "But her time at the Autumn Court wasn't pleasant?"

"I wouldn't say that. Bryn draws attention to herself whether she means to or not. She caught Dagny's eye and that was it."

"In what manner?" I asked slowly as I closed the cap and put the canteen away.

"In the romantic manner."

"For all of Bryn's flirtations and mentions of exploits, I wouldn't think that would be a bad thing."

He shrugged. "I believe Bryn likes to be the pursuer, and not the pursued. I'm not sure why. She hasn't had any serious partners in my lifetime."

"Interesting. Why do you think that is?"

"You are relentless," he groaned. "I try my best not to think about it. Bryn is like an aunt to me."