“Before you say anything, that’s supposed to be Winnie the Pooh.” Flynn jabbed his finger at the lump. “It didn’t quite come out the way I pictured in my head.”
“I don’t know what a Winnie the Pooh is. Perhaps another time. I need my daily dose of nature. See you later,mate.”
The word mate sounded so foreign on my lips. A filial word for a friend who was male. I’d never had one of those before. The only other friend I’d had was Liah, and she and I hadn’t spoken since Daigh forced us apart. In the last few days, it had started to fly off my lips when I spoke to Flynn.
I liked it. It made my chest feel twice as wide.
Speaking of Liah…
I hurried across the garden and picked up the package of fruit I’d tossed into the bushes earlier. I circled around behind the topiary maze and ducked into the orchard, glancing around to make sure Rowan wasn’t outside doing the pruning. He’d been down here collecting apples for dessert yesterday, and I’d had to quickly hide Liah’s food parcel and pretend I was just admiring his excellent rootstock.
Also, dessert is an amazing human invention, possibly even greater than curry.
No Rowan in sight. Good.
I hurried through the gate into the woods, calling into the trees.
“Liah, I’ve got some food for you. Meat and taste free, just the way you like it.”
No answer. Only the rustle of branches in the breeze and the lonely chirping of a sparrow greeted me.
Odd. Liah hadn’t been straying from the woods since she’d discovered all the bad things lurking in the human world.Maybe she’s sleeping.
“Liah?” I called, louder this time. “Where are you?”
I made my way through the woods, calling her name. She didn’t show herself. Heart pounding, I realised that if she wasn’t here, there might be one place she would go.
I sprinted down the slope to the low stone wall marking the edge of Briarwood’s boundary. The three sidhe rose from the centre of the meadow, dotted around by bare, charred patches of earth. I vaulted the wall and crept toward the mounds.
As I rounded the corner toward the gateway, I noticed Maeve’s scientific equipment scattered across the grass, cords snapped, screens stomped on, metal cases torn open and exposed to the elements. My stomach clenched.
At the edge of the largest sidhe, standing on top of the stairs with her arms at her sides and her face to the heavens, was Liah.
“Yo, Seelie. I brought you some food that didn’t have to die first.” I held up the basket, hoping my words wouldn’t give away the churning in my stomach.
Liah’s head whipped around, her eyes gazing at me with pure hatred. “Get away from me, Blake.”
I took a step closer, noticing for the first time a circle of black soot at her feet. As I watched, long, thin tendrils of shadow rose from the circle, encircling Liah’s bare ankles.
What in Oberon’s name is that? I’ve seen a lot of fae magic, but I’ve never seenthatbefore.
“Liah, what are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m leaving.”
“How?” I lifted my hand to inspect the wards around the gateway. They still held firm. “We have wards in place to?—”
“I’m not going back to the fae realm, Blake. I’m going to another place.”
Another place? That makeslessthan no sense.There were no other places. The gateway went between Earth andTir Na Nog, and that was it. The only other place we even knew about was the underworld, and she can’t?—
Oh no. Oh, fuck no.
“That’s the stupidest fucking idea you’ve ever had, Liah. Even stupider than that time you wanted us to dance on the frozen river and the ice cracked and we both fell in and I turned blue and got sick for a month. If you think Earth is bad, that place is a thousand times worse.”
“You don’t know. You’ve never been.” She set me with her firm, don’t-fuck-with-me stare. The black fingers rolled up her calves, trapping her legs in place. “All I know is I can’t stand the ghosts of the forest any longer.”
“So come with me.” I held out my hand. “We’ll fight Daigh together. Why even consider?—”
