ceiling that was painted with colourful and detailed hunting scenes. Gold mouldings decorated the buttresses and balconies and, peeringover the mezzanine, she could see the marble floor beneath, soft in colour and polished like glass. Sheâd been on holiday to France one summer, and this place reminded her of the Palace of Versailles. When she got back everyone had asked her if sheâd been to the Eiffel Tower. She had, but she couldnât think why anyone cared about
that
. Versailles was full of lavish rooms, gold paint and expensive stuff. Marie Antoinette had lived there (she couldnât remember which century) and she had thrown the most awesome parties. She had been married to the King and was the ultimate fashionista but, for some reason, everyone hated her and in the end she got her head chopped off.
At the end of the gallery they moved into another gorgeous hall. There were doors on each side, some of them open, and Rachel glimpsed more luscious decoration. Each room had its own colour palette and distinctive style. One had furnishings in mint green, with rounded feet on the tables and chairs. Another was deep crimson, decadent and vicious, with dagger-shaped ends on the curtain rails and fireguards. Her guides led her up the wide staircase, past a gold-plated suit of armour and shining old-fashioned weapons displayed on the walls.
âIâd love to see inside that yellow room.â Rachel couldnât help herself blurting, as she passed yet another sumptuous chamber. âI donât think Iâve seen so much silk in all my life.â
âThese arenât the rooms you wish to see,â said Aruj. â
These
are the rooms you wish to see.â
Alinda pushed open a door at what Rachel was certain had been the end of the building. She caught glimpses out of the windows on the landing, and was sure there was nothing but the gardens beyond. But they stepped into a tunnel that seemed to have been dug out of this world and into the earth of another. Primitive torches lined walls that were nothing more than rough clay, the same clay that was soft beneath their feet. In the poor light, Rachel followed Alindaâs graceful steps until the woman stopped at a door on the right side. She gestured at a window in the door, and Rachel looked in.
A handsome man, also dressed as a privateer, stood in the large, clay room, his shirt sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and a long sword in his right hand. With a shock she noticed the hideous creature that lurked by the far wall. Its nose was long and curved, its skin the colour of a scummy pond. The hair that sprouted from its misshapen head was like dry grass, and on the end of its scrawny arms were overly long, knobby fingers. It hissed with malice at the man, lashing out with its knarled hands, but the privateer was too quick and swung beneath the creatureâs claws. Rachel gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. She heard a grisly screech and a dying gurgle from the creature. Instinctively, she turned to go back the way she had come, but Aruj calmly placed his hands on her shoulders and held her gaze with his pearl eyes.
âThe training rooms can be very frightening, Rachel, I dounderstand. I took fright during my introduction. But there is a warrior in you, I sense it â and I know you can stomach the rest.â
It was more than heâd said to her the whole day, and she felt light-headed with the attention. She allowed them to show her each of the rooms further down the clay tunnel. They were all similar â swash-buckling beauties fighting and defeating icky creatures â until they reached three smaller rooms at the end of the passage.
âThe Glamour Rooms,â Alinda said in explanation.
There were no weapons here, just faery creatures and ⦠other faery creatures.
âThe faeriesâ cunning is what makes them so dangerous,â said Aruj.
âIn the wild,â Alinda continued, âthey have learned to
that
. Versailles was full of lavish rooms, gold paint and expensive stuff. Marie Antoinette had lived there (she couldnât remember which century) and she had thrown the most awesome parties. She had been married to the King and was the ultimate fashionista but, for some reason, everyone hated her and in the end she got her head chopped off.
At the end of the gallery they moved into another gorgeous hall. There were doors on each side, some of them open, and Rachel glimpsed more luscious decoration. Each room had its own colour palette and distinctive style. One had furnishings in mint green, with rounded feet on the tables and chairs. Another was deep crimson, decadent and vicious, with dagger-shaped ends on the curtain rails and fireguards. Her guides led her up the wide staircase, past a gold-plated suit of armour and shining old-fashioned weapons displayed on the walls.
âIâd love to see inside that yellow room.â Rachel couldnât help herself blurting, as she passed yet another sumptuous chamber. âI donât think Iâve seen so much silk in all my life.â
âThese arenât the rooms you wish to see,â said Aruj. â
These
are the rooms you wish to see.â
Alinda pushed open a door at what Rachel was certain had been the end of the building. She caught glimpses out of the windows on the landing, and was sure there was nothing but the gardens beyond. But they stepped into a tunnel that seemed to have been dug out of this world and into the earth of another. Primitive torches lined walls that were nothing more than rough clay, the same clay that was soft beneath their feet. In the poor light, Rachel followed Alindaâs graceful steps until the woman stopped at a door on the right side. She gestured at a window in the door, and Rachel looked in.
A handsome man, also dressed as a privateer, stood in the large, clay room, his shirt sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and a long sword in his right hand. With a shock she noticed the hideous creature that lurked by the far wall. Its nose was long and curved, its skin the colour of a scummy pond. The hair that sprouted from its misshapen head was like dry grass, and on the end of its scrawny arms were overly long, knobby fingers. It hissed with malice at the man, lashing out with its knarled hands, but the privateer was too quick and swung beneath the creatureâs claws. Rachel gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. She heard a grisly screech and a dying gurgle from the creature. Instinctively, she turned to go back the way she had come, but Aruj calmly placed his hands on her shoulders and held her gaze with his pearl eyes.
âThe training rooms can be very frightening, Rachel, I dounderstand. I took fright during my introduction. But there is a warrior in you, I sense it â and I know you can stomach the rest.â
It was more than heâd said to her the whole day, and she felt light-headed with the attention. She allowed them to show her each of the rooms further down the clay tunnel. They were all similar â swash-buckling beauties fighting and defeating icky creatures â until they reached three smaller rooms at the end of the passage.
âThe Glamour Rooms,â Alinda said in explanation.
There were no weapons here, just faery creatures and ⦠other faery creatures.
âThe faeriesâ cunning is what makes them so dangerous,â said Aruj.
âIn the wild,â Alinda continued, âthey have learned to
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