The knights scattered faeries as they rode through the courtyard toward a high stone wall with a pair of silver gates in front. Two massive creatures, each ten feet tall, blue-skinned and tusked, guarded the doors. Their eyes glimmered yellow beneath ropey black hair and heavy brows. Even dressed up, their arms and chests bulging through the fabric of their red uniforms, popping the brass buttons, they were still terrifying. "Trolls," muttered Grimalkin. "Be thankful we're in Oberons land. The Winter Court employs ogres."

The knights stopped and let Lise down a few feet from the gate. "Be courteous when you speak to the Erlking, child," one of the knights told Isiea, and wheeled his mount away. They were left facing two trolls with just a cat and a kelpie.

,, Ill act however I want to, [beep]holes... ,, She mutters.

" isiea. " Lise said to her.

"Come on." The cat sighed, lashing his tail. "Let us meet Lord Pointy Ears and get this over with."

The two trolls blinked as the cat fearlessly approached the gate, looking like a gray bug scuttling around their clawed feet. One of them moved, but the troll only reached over and pulled the gate open as the other did the same on his side. Grimalkin shot the girls a backward glance, twitched his tail, and slipped through the archway.

She remains on Ares.

Lise sighed and follow Grim, glancing at one of the trolls then quickly looking away.

Ares reluctantly followed.

The forest grew thick on the other side of the gates, as if the wall had been built to keep it in check. A tunnel of flowering trees and branches stretched away from them, fully in bloom, the scent very overpowering. The tunnel ended with a curtain of vines, opening up into a vast clearing surrounded by giant trees. The ancient trunks and interlocking branches made a sort of cathedral, a living palace of giant columns and a leafy vaulted ceiling. Even though they were underground, and it was night outside, sunlight dappled the forest floor, slanting in through tiny cracks in the canopy. Glowing balls of light danced in the air, and a waterfall cascaded gently into a nearby pool. The colors here were dazzling.

A hundred faeries clustered around the middle of the clearing, dressed in brilliant, alien finery. By the look of it, these were the nobles of the court. Their hair hung long and flowing, or was styled in impossible fashions atop their heads. Satyrs, easily recognized by their shaggy goat legs, and furry little men padded back and forth, serving drinks and trays of food. Slender hounds with moss-green fur milled about, hoping for dropped crumbs. Elven knights in silvery chain armor stood stiffly around the room; a few held hawks or even tiny dragons.

The dragons catch her eye. "I want one." She mutters under her breath, considering maybe asking somebody where to get one of those.

It was quite a beautiful scene. But the seemingly elegance and beauty of it made her feel extremely out of place, not to mention uncomfortable.

In the center of this gathering sat a pair of thrones, seemingly grown out of the forest floor and flanked by two liveried centaurs. One of the thrones stood empty, except for a caged raven on one of the arms. The great black bird cawed and beat its wings against its prison, its beady eyes bright and green. However, in the throne on the left...

King Oberon, for they could only assume this was him, sat with his fingers steepled together, gazing out at the crowd. Like the rest of the fey nobles, he was tall and slender, with silver hair that fell to his waist and eyes like green ice. An antlered crown rested on his brow, casting a long shadow over the court, like grasping talons. Power radiated from him, as subtle as a thunderstorm.

Over the colorful sea of nobles, he spotted the girls. Oberon raised one eyebrow, graceful as the curve of a hawk's wing, but no expression showed on his face. And at that moment, every faery in the room stopped what it was doing and turned to stare at them.

"Great," muttered Grimalkin. "Now they all know we are here. Well, come on, humans. Let us play nice with the court."