The door to the bathroom flew open. “Maeve, are you—” Aline’s eyes widened when she saw the face in the mirror. She tripped over the hem of Flynn’s pyjama pants in her haste to scramble to the basin. “Daigh! What are you doing talking to Maeve—ow!”
“Get away from him,” I grabbed her wrist before she could touch the glass and yanked her away. “You don’t know what touching that mirror might do.”
“He wouldn’t hurt me!” she whimpered.
“Don’t be so sure of that. It’s kind of your fault he’s stuck in the fae realm in the first place.”
“Just let me talk with him. I can help you.”
My body twinged with indecision. On the one hand, this was my mother, the woman I’d wanted to get to know my entire life. On the other hand, the only connection we had was our biology. She was technically only a couple of years older than I was, and she was a complete flower child who believed inastrologyof all things, so she wasn’t exactly a mature, sensible influence. Herpresence at Briarwood had unsettled everything. And I wasn’t entirely convinced she’d make the right decisions when it came to Daigh.
“Ladies, as much as this display amuses me, we should continue our discussion before your friends upstairs start to miss you. I came tonight to deliver an important warning about a discovery I made upon returning to the underworld.”
“Why didn’t you say this before?” I demanded.
“You didn’t ask.”
By Athena, fae were so infuriating. “Okay, fine, what’s this top-secret thing you discovered you couldn’t tell me before.”
“My spies reported Liah and some of her main guard were missing. I’ve been trying to figure out what they’re doing. Finally, I captured one of her sprites and managed to wring the truth out of her – they’re up on earth.”
“I thought none of you could return to the earth now you were in the underworld,” I threw my hands in the air. “You bounce between lies like a yoyo.”
“Anything can be had, for a price.” Daigh sighed. “What’s a yoyo?”
I answered his question with another. “What price did you pay to bring those fae here tonight?”
“Nothing you need trouble yourself with, my dear. You should be more concerned about Liah. The sprite says she wants the coven out of the way before the Slaugh ride.”
I gestured to the window, where the villagers continued to ram the gates with their tractors. “She can join the club.”
Daigh laughed. “She will do just that.”
Right, that made sense. If Liah joined with the humans, they could work together to get through our defences.
Except, it didn’t. “Liah hates humans. Will she accept their help?”
“She doesn’t need to,” Aline said, squeezing my thigh.
Of course. Fae can use compulsion.I can’t believe I’d forgotten. Liah would be able to force the humans outside to do her bidding. They might even be under her control right now. My chest tightened with fear at the idea.
“Liah knows she won’t be able to cross the wards of the castle,” Daigh said, as if I needed it explained to me. “But she will use the humans to draw you out.”
“Yes, yes. I’ve got it now,” I snapped. I sank my head into my hands. What could we do? We couldn’t fight the fae without leaving the castle, but we couldn’t risk hurting the villagers trying to get through them. And if they fought us with the fae behind them…
My mind flicked back to the image of the guys impaled on those stakes.
It’s not going to happen. We’ve got to find a way. Think, Maeve.
“If you want to stop her, you have one path open to you, and you need to choose quickly. Turn back the magic on the defensive charms. Allow the villagers entry into Briarwood.”
“Why would I do that? Isn’t that giving Liah exactly what she wants?”
“It creates a distraction. The villagers surge forward, eager to get their hands on the evil witches. Liah and her fae lie in wait for the humans to deliver you into their hands. Meanwhile, you have escaped to a safe location far from Briarwood, such as your friend Clara’s family hall, where without restriction you can attack her at your leisure.”
“This isn’tStar Trek. We can’t just beam ourselves to another location.”I think.I looked to Aline for confirmation, and she shook her head.
Daigh gave me a puzzled look, but continued. “There is a secret passage in the cellars. The last wine rack contains a spring-loaded door. Push it in the right place and it will swingopen, revealing a narrow passage that will admit one witch at a time. It will bring you out in the forest near the Raynard estate.”
