I’m riddled with shock.
With possibilities.
Withhope.
“Are you saying…we can get to Annwyn?” Lu asks incredulously.
Emonie glances over at the other fae. “I think so. He’s not a ringer though—his magic worked with his twin, who died in the collapse. But still, I think they were using it somehow.”
“We can go to Annwyn to find them,” Digby says, gaze darting to me.
My heart knocks its fists against my chest, threatening to punch through.
But Lu comes over and grips my arm, turning me away from the fae. “I know what you’re thinking,” she whispers, her serious eyes locked on me. “But we don’t know if we can trust this.”
I drag a hand over my hair in frustration. “I know.”
Thoughts whirl, and I keep seeing my brother’s face before he left Fourth. Keep remembering what he said to me.
Orea has a chance because of you.
He believed in me. Trusted me. And now that Orea is safe, all I want to do is make sure thathe’ssafe. That our mother is, and Auren too.
I shake my head, looking at Lu. “We have to.”
It’s probably a trick. These fae are probably setting up a trap. But we have to try to find them.
I look from her to Osrik. To Digby. To Rissa.
“I’ll go,” I finally say.
“No.”
The reply comes from all four of them at once. Even Argo makes a noise.
Os shakes his head. “We do this? Then we fucking do it together. All or none.”
“Wait, you all actually want to go into Annwyn?” Emonie asks in surprise.
“We need to find Auren and the others,” Rissa explains.
The fae shoves her orange-tipped hair away from her face. “You all care about her?”
Digby answers simply. “Yes.”
No other elaboration, just that one word, but it’s spoken so true that she doesn’t question it.
“Fine. We can try. But you have to let me go through too,” Emonie says, wetting her dried, cracked lips, eyes rounded in desperation. “I don’t belong here.”
“On that we can agree,” I say. “Tell us how it works.”
“I dunno,” she says, wincing as she presses at her ribs again. “It’s not my magic, remember? But that’s a fairy ring, even if it is about three times bigger than I’ve ever seen. All I know is we stand in it. The ringer does the rest. I suggest waking up Friano over there for more details. He was way too twitchy about it.”
“If you’re lying…”
“Yeah, yeah. Threats and such,” she slurs with a sigh. “You think I want to stick around here? No offense, but Orea stinks. Terrible air quality.”
My jaw tightens. This fae is getting under my skin.
