Oskar scowled at them both and then turned to look at Lily. “There may be a way. We know of someone who can open Fae gates. Our commander’s name is Kai Stewart and his older half-brother, Rory, has Fae blood. It’s possible that he might be able to send ye home.”
Hope kindled in her eyes and she leaned forward eagerly. “Where is this man? Can you take me to him?”
“And that’s the question isnae it?” Magnus rumbled. “What do we do now?”
“We have our orders,” Emeric replied. “And our mission. We carry on to Edinburgh. We dinna have the time for any side trips right now. We have a responsibility to the Order.”
“Aye,” Magnus agreed. “But dinna we also have a responsibility to this lass? She’s been thrust into the middle of our business without her consent or her knowledge. Perhaps we should turn around and head back to Dun Saith. We can hand the lass over to Kai and he can take her to Rory.”
“And lose days of travel?” Oskar said. “And miss our chance to make Alfred Brewer face justice?”
“There isnae a time-limit on justice,” Magnus replied. “The court will still be waiting when we get back.”
“No!” Oskar snapped. He hadn’t come this far to lose his chance now. “We carry on to Edinburgh.”
“But—” Lily began.
Oskar held up his hand to silence her. “Let me finish. We carry on to Edinburgh as planned. Kai and Conall are both soon meeting us there anyway. We’ll hand Alfred over to the king’s justiciars and then wait for Kai and Conall to meet us. Then Kai can take Lily to his brother from there.” He glared around at them all, daring them to argue. His plan was the only feasible option. Surely they could see that?
Emeric stared into the stew thoughtfully. “Makes sense,” he said at last. “If we return to Dun Saith now, we’d likely have missed Kai and Conall anyway.”
“Aye,” Magnus agreed. “It’s a sound plan.”
Oskar looked around at them all, his eyes settling on Lily. “All right, lass. We’ll all travel to Edinburgh as planned and once Alfred is safely handed over, we’ll look at getting ye home. How does that sound?”
Lily let out a long, slow breath. There were tears in her eyes and the sight of them made Oskar’s fingers itch. He had the urge to reach out and brush them gently away.
She nodded. “I’m grateful. Thank you, Oskar. Thank you all.”
It was the first time she’d used his name and the sound of it on her lips made his stomach tighten. He coughed and turned to Emeric.
“Are ye gonna dish that stew out this side of Yule or what?”
Chapter 6
The ground was hard, the blanket was itchy, and Lily’s feet were cold, despite the fire that burned in the ring of stones not three paces away. There was no way she would get any sleep tonight. There was far too much to think about, far too much to process.
It was late, perhaps past midnight, although it was too dark to see her watch. The only light came from the campfire, casting eerie shadows on the walls that snaked and danced like living things. From nearby came the soft breathing of the men.
Dear God, she was alone with three strange men—four if you counted Alfred Brewer—and totally at their mercy. It was a terrifying thought. And yet, she was not afraid of them. The situation itself might terrify her, but her companions did not. She couldn’t quite put a finger on why that was. Perhaps it was Oskar’s promise that they would ensure her safety, but whatever it was, she knew— somehow— that she could trust them.
Which was ridiculous, of course. They could all be serial killers for all she knew. But it was either trust these men or head off on her own into god-knows-what. She wasn’t so naive that she didn’t realize howthatwould turn out.
Oskar had hung a blanket across the corner of the room, giving her some privacy, and it made a secluded little alcove for her in which she lay wide awake and staring at the ceiling. Dusty rafters arched above, painted with firelight, and beyond themshe could see all the way up to the roof. There were gaps between some of the roof tiles and through those gaps she could see the night sky and a few bright stars.
