“Once we have Hale’s location, yes.” She raised a finger. “But… oh, if you do lie to us. I will track you to the ends of your days and make sure your death is slow and painful.” And the way she said it, with little emotion and a cold smile on her face terrified me.
The man hung there, brooding for a long moment. Finally, he spoke: “There’s a tavern called the Slippery Eel, down by the river. There’re tunnels under there that take you to the Owl House estate, a whole warren of tunnels, easy to get lost, and down there are a few hidey-holes, places to lay low. That’s where he’ll be, if he hasn’t already run home to…” the man seemed to realize he was about to say something perhaps he shouldn’t and stopped himself. “He’ll be down there, somewhere.”
Midnight nodded. “Sounds reasonable. She made a movement with her hand and the thing I’d thought was a branch seemed to shrink back into the wooden beam. The brute fell, collapsing to his knees.
What was that?I asked Auwei.She seemed to manipulate the wood of that beam?
Fey Magic.
She’s Fey?
Half-Fey would be my guess.
But… did that mean…? The prince looked so much like Midnight, the same dark hair and jewel toned eyes.Is Alvere half-Fey too?
It’s possible. Those attributes are not always distinctly Fey, but it does suggest a Fey heritage.
Oh…
I returned to myself with a blink. If we were going to let this man go, I wanted to make sure he had something to remember me by. I went over to him and slapped him as hard as I could across the face. MyHerogift had faded, so I didn’t break his neck, but his head turned and I left an angry red mark. “That’s for trying to kill me.”
The man shook it off and held out his hands and the bindings around them. I turned from him. “You do it,” I said to Midnight. “If you put a knife in my hands, I can’t say I won’t kill him.”
I walked out of the barn into the night. It had grown cooler, or perhaps I’d grown warmer, heated by my own anger at the night’s events.
I heard footfalls scampering away out the other side of the barn, then Midnight appeared beside me. I’d known she was coming, using my spider-sense, even if I hadn’t heard her footfalls. She was very quiet.
“What now?” I asked. “Searching a warren of tunnels sounds like an easy way to get trapped and killed.”
“I’m glad you agree,” she said. “For now, we wait. I think tomorrow some help will arrive and we can plan then.”
“Help?” I knew Maverick, Amber, and Sparrow were in the city, though I didn’t really know what they’d had planned.
She nodded, but said no more on that, saying only: “Get some sleep if you can.” Then she vanished from beside me. I sighed, knowing better than to try to call out to her.
Instead, I went back inside and found Ana at her kitchen table, having made some tea. She offered a cup and I took it. She said nothing, but I needed to talk, so I asked: “How did you get involved with all this?” Though I felt I should clarify: “Other than being Maverick’s sister?”
She smiled, looking into her tea, which she held in both hands, letting the steam warm her face. “We were always close, my brother and I, but very different. I had no desire to be Chosen, but it was all he wanted. After he was Chosen, he returned here. He didn’t test for Noble right away. He helped out on the farm and discovered what he could do, but even before a year was up, I could tell he was growing restless. So, I told him to go and test; to be more. He grudgingly went and came back elated that he’d been selected. Even then, he returned as often as he could to help out here.” She took a sip of her tea and sighed. “Even once he was master of the House, he’d make trips and introduce me to other members. Then he started making that a habit. After he’d selected new members, he’d bring them here, introduce us and make some silly threat to them that if they misbehaved, he’d send them to help on the farm.” She laughed. Then she looked up at me. “He didn’t do that with you. Odd.”
I thought back and nodded. “He had business in the city. He stayed behind, and it was Lady Crane who took us to Hedgewild.”
“Ah, that would explain it. She never liked me much. I’m too raw and blunt for her sensibilities. Anyway, my house has become a bit of a safe haven for his members. Midnight has been in a lot over the past few years. She can’t reveal herself in the capital, and when she just needed someone to talk to, she’d come here.”
That made sense. “Is it just you?”
She shook her head. “No, my husband Kal, and our newborn, Jacob, are sleeping. We have a four-year-old as well. I moved her in with her father and brother before we brought your sister in.”
“I’m sorry to put you out like this.”
“No trouble at all.” Another sip of tea. “Midnight didn’t say what happened, but with you being wounded and your sister looking all pale and weak, I assume it wasn’t good. Don’t feel compelled to tell me. I don’t really want to know what trouble my brother is getting himself into.” She grimaced. “And dragging young women like you into.”
“I volunteered,” I said with a tired smile. “I was bait and I got bitten, it was to be expected. I just wasn’t expecting my sister to get caught up in things.”
Ana’s gaze filled with concern and a curious fear when she looked at me next. “Is it… bad… in the city? Midnight hasn’t told me much, but I can figure out a thing or two. Something’s happening amongst the Nobles, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yeah, something is, and it’s very bad.” I tried to smile, but it was false. “And we’re trying to stop it.”
She looked at me, tight-lipped for a long moment. “But your House is small and there are hundreds of Nobles…?”
