“Have you ever put your spicket in a female? Or a male?” I ask, as Warden dances away from me, sparks rising from his hooves.
“If you don’t shut up, I will leave you here with the Redcaps,” he growls.
“You should. Filling up your mate with your seed is…” I involuntarily circle my hips. “Good.”
“Please stop, Linton.” Warden barrels close to me but stops short of actually hitting me. “Stop now.”
I shrug. It hurts.
“I am going to get my mate. If you wish to come with me, I will not stop you.”
“You’re going to take on Tam Lin again?”
“He thinks I am dead, or he would not have taken my mate,” I reply. “That gives me the advantage, along with knowing his motives and his plans.”
“You can’t have worked all that out from being speared by a Redcap.”
“On the contrary, he has shown all he will ever show.”
“There’s one thing I didn’t tell you about the Night Lands.” Warden snaps into his biped form and dusts himself down.
I growl at the mention of the place. Warden holds up his hands, his tail, still apparent, whisking behind him in agitation.
“Yes, it contains the portal which, if correctly opened, the soul used will sustain it forever.”
“Kaitlyn will be trapped?”
Warden nods gravely. “She will be lost to the Yeavering.”
“That will not happen,” I growl. “You need to take me to…” I grit my teeth and concentrate on the pain in my chest… “the Night Lands.”
Warden puts his hand on my shoulder.
“You’re going to need more than a few daggers, Bluecap. This is going to be your biggest battle yet.”
“Why would I need more weapons when I have you?” I grin at the Brag. He preens a little. “I’ve got the perfect shield when you’re around.”
Warden glares at me. “You got hit in the chest with an arrow.”
“You weren’t in the air.”
“I will stomp on you when I get the chance.”
“Try it,” I respond. “And see what happens to your hooves.”
He shakes his head. “You’ll never change.”
“I don’t want to change. I want to kill Tam Lin and any other Faerie who threatens my mate. They started this, and I am going to finish it.”
A smile spreads over Warden’s face.
“Fyr-bæth - Here-Wulf - Wuldres Thegn - Gast-Bona - Sund-Hengest,”he whispers.
“This is notisern-scur.” I retrieve the remainder of my daggers scattered across the floor. “I have had my fill of war, like the Wyrm and like the Barghest, even if you’re still hankering for it.”
“I was made for war,” Warden growls. “Which is why I took the Shadow Keep. If I am not fighting, I will be ensuring those who fight against us cannot do so.”
“And because you can’t die.” I slide the last dagger into the belt on my pants. “Anyone can enjoy a war if they don’t have anything to lose.”
