“Hmm? Oh, yes! Maeve had it laid out down here.”
He gestured to the room at the end of the hallway and Cassie walked in that direction. The Erlking followed, enjoying the view of his Anamchara walking away from him.
Cassie stopped and looked around as she entered the sunroom. Somehow, she had never been in this room before. Even though she slept in a room just down the hall. There was much of the castle she had yet to explore, and this room was one she hadn’t gotten to yet. It was like being inside of a giant amethyst.
The walls, floor, and ceiling of the room were made of purple, translucent crystal. From the way it looked inside, she realized the crystal must protrude out of the side of the castle wall. The sun streamed in and threw rainbows all around the room.
The walls weren't transparent enough for her to see outside, but she thought that on this side of the castle they would be overlooking the cliffs. She was pretty sure that the crystal bubble she was in was suspended over a shear drop of several hundred feet. But it was so breathtakingly beautiful she couldn’t find it within herself to be scared.
Cadeyrn entered behind her and she turned to look at him. “This is amazing! How did you build this?”
“One of my people has a talent for earth magic, she created this. It’s possible to lighten the color and make the crystal transparent. Would you like to see outside?”
Cassie thought about that for a minute. She knew the view was sure to be spectacular, but she didn’t know if her equilibrium could handle seeming to be suspended in midair. So she declined.
The Erlking gestured her to a seat at a small table that seemed to have been grown out of the same crystal the room was made of. The chairs appeared to have been spun from purple sugar. They were delicate lattice works with cushions attached to them for comfort. Cassie sat in one, and Cadeyrn took the other.
The meal that was laid out before them looked and smelled amazing, Moire had outdone herself. Their plates were ringed with pieces of fruit, which had been artfully cut to resemble flowers. In the center of the plates were pastries in the shape of swans, surrounded by a blue sauce that made it appear as if they were floating on a blue lake. To drink, there was a violet crystal carafe of coffee and a clear pitcher of what appeared to be a pink fruit juice. Cassie just looked at the food in admiration.
She looked up at Cadeyrn and said, “I’m almost afraid to eat it, it’s so pretty!”
Cadeyrn smiled. “Moire’s passion is food. She’s a true artist in every sense of the word. I’m extremely lucky to have her. She glories in making every meal a feast for the palate and the eyes.”
“It shows! She’s amazingly talented.”
The Erlking nodded and smiled at Cassie as he picked up his fork and ran it through the sauce on his plate. Sensuously licking it off his fork, he closed his eyes in pleasure.
Cassie narrowed her eyes at him. She suspected he was deliberately trying to be seductive, and she turned her gaze to her own plate. Spearing a piece of fruit with her fork, she swirled it through the sauce. The taste, when she bit into it, was indescribable. The sauce was both sweet and tart, and the fruit complemented the flavor perfectly. She thought it was kind of a shame to ruin the beautiful swans on her plate, but she was curious to find out what they tasted like.
The first swan she cut open was filled with some type of sweet, creamy custard. It melted into the blue sauce, and the combination made Cassie close her eyes with pleasure. The pastry itself was a buttery, sweet, flaky creation that melted in her mouth.
The second swan she cut open was filled with a spiced meat and potato filling. She didn’t think it would go with the sweet tartness of the sauce. But, when she tasted it, she discovered that the spices in the meat were a perfect complement to the tangy sauce. She marveled at Moire’s talent. It was astonishing that the Brownie could put so many complex flavors together in exactly the right balance and make all of it look so beautiful.Cassie was just scraping the last of the sauce off of her plate with the edge of her fork, when Cadeyrn spoke, “Have you been enjoying yourself here in Fairie?”
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