The garrison proved to be a few miles away. Dain and I had only ever ridden out into the eastern forest, which ran almost all the way up to the back gate, so I hadn't seen the front yard, so to speak. Walls hedged in the other three sides of the palace, massive and imposing, with the appearance of having been grown out of the earth. We left through the main gate, heading down a switchback slope on deerback to reach the next flat region, a sweeping overlook with a fortress guarding the way up.

The curtain walls of the fortress enclosed a veritable town, and Zhiolas led us directly to a multi-story building with light streaming from the windows and the sound of music pouring into the night. People barely reacted when we came in, me clinging to Dain's arm as if I was a child who might get lost. I heard a few cries of greeting – "Commander!" "Your highness!" – and that was it. It was so different from how the High Court reacted to Dain walking into a room that I felt totally dislocated, as if I'd walked into a completely different world.

We passed through a classic fantasy tavern and then through a dark hallway that led to something totally different. I gaped around me at the glamor on display, turning parts of the room into grottos and vistas from alien worlds. People on aerial silks danced, and throbbing music filled the air. Foxes and songbirds darted through the people, who laughed, ate, danced, and fucked with abandon.

Dain leaned down to me, his lips brushing my ear. "Close your mouth, Leah," he said in an amused purr.

The touch of his mouth on me shot heat between my legs and made me almost pant, my heart thudding against my ribcage. I felt the heat of his breath as he caught the change in my scent and exhaled sharply.

"Should I be flattered?" Dain asked, his lips still touching my skin.

"Wayward biology," I replied, indeed a little breathlessly.

He made a low sound and steered me towards the stairs Zhiolas had vanished up, leading me out of the room of hedonistic delights and into a different area of the building. This one was more familiar; something like the upstairs lounge of a dive bar, with people playing dice and card games, and with more typical alcohol-fueled carousing.