She paused in front of us. “You cannot stay here. These Guardians are different, vicious. There will be more.”
“When did this happen?” Storm asked.
Opal ran her hands over her arms, adjusting her worn shawl. “A day ago, they flooded the streets and took control. They established a curfew last night and killed a few Fae in the square for the fun of it.”
Storm’s jaw clenched. Jax reached forward, grabbing Opal by the shoulder gently. “If more come, you will obey. We’re working on a way to get rid of them. Trust me.”
She swatted his chest. “I always do, to my detriment, I’m sure.”
Jax grinned, walking back to his horse and Raya, who shakily fumbled her attempts to put away her sword. She seemed more alert, but the distant look in her eyes remained.
“Can you bring food to the safe house?” he asked. “Tomorrow,” he added when he saw Opal nervously look around. “Whenever curfew is lifted.”
“Of course,” Opal replied. “Be safe. And for the love of the Fates fix this.”
Jax saluted, then mounted his horse behind Raya, Storm following the motion onto his own.
I climbed onto Onyx, running a hand over his mane. The insistent tug stirred, calling me back toward Mount Legion again. This time, I didn’t look over my shoulder. I had to move. Forward.
We made our way through Canyon City, passing tightly shut windows and doors. In just a few days’ time, the bustling city turned into a place of fear. It broke my heart to see Mysthaven fall into such disarray. I could only hope Ellevail was holding up better than this, even if it was under Andras’s thumb. Deep down, my stomach churned because I knew it was wishful thinking, and I used that fear to drive me forward.
We remained on high alert, silent as we took in our surroundings. Even the slightest sound made me jump, wary of potential attackers.
Raya regained enough strength to hold onto Jax’s arm, allowing him to focus as we rode. But she didn’t look back to meet my lingering gaze.
At the opposite end of the city, Jax held up a hand, halting our progress. He inched his horse forward, ensuring the surroundings were safe.
After a few minutes, the silence stretching on, he gestured to continue. The farther we moved away from the city center, the sparser the houses and structures became until jagged terrain stretched around us more than civilization.
A small home appeared alone in the distance.
“Let’s ride. Better to hurry than risk anyone spotting us,” Jax ordered.
We obeyed, cantering off the road and across the unmarked land. The wind swept around us, stirring up the dust lining the streets.
As we got closer, I could see a stone wall surrounding the two-story home, covered in thorns. An iron gate creaked as it swung open in the wind.
Jax dismounted outside of it, ushering us to follow.
“How many are supposed to be here?” I rubbed my arms to brush off the unease crawling over me.
Jax glanced over his shoulder, a furrow marring his brow. “Should be at least thirty at a time before they move on to the next location.”
Thirty Fae would certainly make a noise of some kind, right? They definitely wouldn’t have left a gate unlocked, hanging open if they were trying to hide.
The yard lay empty.
The front door of the home was closed. Two pots of pink flowers sat cheerfully on either side, almost welcoming.
Jax raised his hand, knocking at the door.
Still, we were met with quiet.
His shoulders tensed, and I shifted uncomfortably. Something felt wrong.
Jax turned the knob and the door opened, yielding to his gentle touch.
He shuddered a breath as we stared into the home.
