“It’s the strangest thing,” he said. “It’s not the stone now. I can feel which tree it’s in out of these hundreds. It calls to me.”
Maeve looked up at him. He wasn’t making a move for the tree.
“There’s only one problem,” said Mal. “We’ve been followed.”
“Miss Sinclair!”
Maeve whipped around, her fingers ready at her side.
Walter Brighton laughed heartily. “So jumpy.”
Maeve’s face scrunched. “Mr. Brighton?”
“What are the chances?” Brighton laughed.
His older sons, Remy and Bill, and two other men emerged behind Brighton.
Walter was a large framed man, his sons were no different.
“What are you doing here?” Asked Mal, with little charm in his voice. He, too, knew this was no coincidence.
Brighton laughed, “I’ve been researching these forests for decades, boy. I should be asking you that question. What bring you so confidently to this grove?”
“He knows,” muttered Maeve.
“I know,” replied Mal.
Maeve tensed as the other men slowly encircled them.
“It is not yours to take,” said Mal.
Brighton laughed. “But it’s yours?”
Mal smiled softly. “Yes.”
“Please,” he spat. “You’re a child. Even if you are The Dread Descendant who’s to say you’re owed that crown? Who’s to say the Magicals even want to see you wear it? It belongs in the museum. We have our government. We picked it. We didn’t pick you.”
Mal laughed hollowly. The noise seemed to unsettle Brighton, but he quickly regained his composure.
“True,” said Mal. “But that is not of consequence or concern to me.”
“You know you would have been smarter to wait until we had actually retrieved the crown to make yourselves known,” said Maeve.
Mal smirked and looked down at her. “She’s right.”
Walter spit at Mal’s feet.
Maeve and Mal stared down at the ground between them.
Maeve inhaled slowly. Disgust swelled inside her. Before anyone could react her arm shot out towards Remy. With a low thudding sound his eyes popped white.
Swirling colors appeared at everyone’s fingertips, but Mal clicked his tongue.
“Don’t,” he said.
Walter looked at his son, his eyes wide.
“They said you-you-couldn’t enter minds anymore. They said you-”
