Cinder blocks pile one by one on top of my chest when I mumble, “Because she’s dead.”
Rhett curses before he stands abruptly, causing his chair to topple over. He throws the beer bottle into the wall, and the sound of the glass shattering slices through the weighted silence. “How?”
“She saved my life from a demon attack. She, um, she was my mother’s friend. I wasn’t even aware of this until yesterday. I thought she was just my elderly neighbor. But then she saved me, and with her last breath, she told me to find you.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose, lifts the chair, and slumps back on it. “Where’s her body?”
“It’s at the morgue in Ashville. I didn’t know if there are special customs for her burial and—”
“There are. She was from a fishing village near the Azrov Sea in the Seelie court. They don’t believe in ground burials. Her body needs to be returned to the sea so her soul can find peace.” He’s silent a moment. “I can’t believe she’s…dead. When I crossed with the last group a few days ago, I called to let her know there were rumors of an oracle hiding in the Wasting Woods. We’ve been searching for years.”
“Wasting Woods? Is that in Faerie?” Kaiden inquires.
“Yeah.”
“What do you mean by crossed? You bring people here?” I chime in.
“I do. Fifty years ago, a bloody war started between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. The gods have forsaken us because of it, and the lands are dying. There’s barely any food left, but the kings don’t care. They’re too preoccupied measuring their dicks to see that people are starving. There will come a day when they won’t have anything left but corpses to rule over,” he spits out the bitter words. “So people are fleeing. A friend helped me find a portal at the cost of their life many years ago. I promised I would do everything in my power to return the favor by helping those in need once I got settled. I’m doing my best to find them shelter and a semblance of normal life.”
Kaiden runs a hand over his stubbled jaw in thought. “Is there any way you can bring the oracle here?”
“I haven’t met her. As I said, there are only rumors. King Orion, who rules the Seelie court, had all oracles executed because he didn’t like their war predictions. If she does exist, I can’t guarantee the knights haven’t already killed her. Everyone in Faerie could have heard the same rumor I did, and the fae are in desperate times.” Rhett leans back, folding his arms in front of his chest. “Besides, I can’t force someone to cross into this world,especially given the constant threat presented by vampires.”
Kaiden and I share a loaded look. “So, if we want to speak to her, we have to go to Faerie?” I ask.
“Pretty much, yeah.”
Kaiden sucks on his teeth. “Can you help us find her?”
“The Wasting Woods is not a place I want to go anytime soon. She’s hiding there for a good reason, and it’s not because it’s cozy, trust me.”
“Well, if life has taught me one thing, it’s that everyone has a price. What do you want in exchange for your guidance?”
Rhett sits for a few moments with Kaiden’s words. “I want in on whatever you’re doing to save the fae from those bloodsuckers.”
“I’ll do you one better. How about a seat at the Obsidian Conclave’s table, too?”
Shock ripples through Rhett’s features. “You would do that? Why?”
I’m equally surprised by Kaiden’s offer, though I shouldn’t be. His work within the Conclave is nothing short of amazing. If only the Celestial Treaty wouldn’t be such a fucking joke when it comes to dark creatures, he would have a fair chance at fighting for their rights.
“Because I’m not Mammon, and I don’t rule by myself. Every other dark creature already has a representative to speak for them. It’s time the fae got one, too.”
“No, thank you,” Rhett snaps, his upper lip curling in disgust. “I would rather shit in my palms and clap than sit at the same table as a vampire.”
“That vampire you’re talking about is the one risking his life every single day to save the fae. So, if you want in, you’re going to have to work with him,” Kaiden counters acidly.
“Not if I have to breathe the same air as that leech.”
I snort an incredulous laugh. “You’re telling me you have thechance to make a change for the better for your people, and you won’t take it? Because of fucking pride? Cause how I see it, you’re hiding. Living in fear. Wouldn’t it be easier if you were under the protection of the Conclave? You have such disdain for your kings, but how are you any better when you can’t move past your ego?”
Rhett’s cheeks take a reddish hue. “I’ll think about it.”
“Well, don’t take too long. We need the oracle,” Kaiden tells him.
“Do you think portals grow on trees? It sometimes takes me months to make a trip to Faerie. I don’t exactly have the funds to travel all over the world when one opens, so we’d have to wait for one that’s close.”
I tilt my head. “Really? Are mushroom rings that hard to find?”
