There was absolutely nothing to show twenty-five Fae had been found dead here this morning except for the spots of crushed foliage.
“How were they discovered?” Cethin asked, watching as Razik prowled around the perimeter.
“Sheep farmer,” Corveth answered grimly. “The one I’m helping today. Some of his sheep got loose. We tracked them down and found them here.”
Kailia turned. “Youfound the Fae?”
The male nodded, his thumbs hooked in his pockets. “I sent word to the castle straight away. Commander Greybane was here within minutes, some others with him.”
“Jarek and Fallon,” Razik supplied, rubbing his jaw. “There’s nothing, Cethin. Nothing here that could indicate what happened.”
“I’m sorry to be a bother, but I did leave Henrik and Rania in a pinch,” Corveth said, wincing when all eyes fell on him. “If you have no further need for me, would it be all right if I return to finish helping them?”
“We can find our own way back,” Cethin said. “But you’ll join us for dinner?”
“Of course, your Majesty,” Corveth said with a bow. “Thank you for understanding.”
The male turned, heading back the way they’d come. If the farm was the one Cethin was thinking of, it was only a mile back along the path.
Kailia had wandered away from him, not inspecting the perimeter like Razik was, but walking through the clearing. She’d removed her boots, those now discarded on the ground beside Cethin. Her bare feet were soundless as she moved, and she lifted a hand, letting her ashes flow and snake along the ground as if they were searching as well.
“Aren’t there creatures of old nearby here?” she asked as she continued on a path known only to her.
Cethin nodded. “Thestryxslumber in the Olwen Mountains.”
“The creatures have been stirring. Could they be doing this?”
“The Fae were being targeted before the creatures of old began stirring. More than that, some Fae have been found far from the resting places. There aren’t any creatures of old near Aimonway,” Cethin explained.
“Only those who can shift and those who hide in the shadows then?”
Cethin glanced at Razik, who was watching her as closely as he was.
“I don’t think I’d classify myself as a creature of old, Lia,” Razik deadpanned.
“I didn’t sayyouwere a creature of old, Raz,” she replied. “But I do believe the dragons you descend from are likely as old as the creatures who slumber here, no?”
“That’s valid logic,” he grumbled.
“Logical, sure,” Cethin interjected. “But either way, it has nothing to do with who or what is targeting the Fae.”
“Maybe they’re not being targeted,” Kailia said simply, still wandering around the clearing. She looked over her shoulder, peering at him when she added, “Maybe they are the unfortunate cost of something bigger.”
“I’d thought that at one point,” Cethin said. “That they were being used to get to me, but that was when I thought the deaths were related to the phantom attacks.”
“And now?” she asked, turning to face them from across the clearing.
“And now we’re back to not having any ideas or theories,” he answered. “The phantom creatures only seem to come for me.”
Her head tilted in thought. “Do you think they are creatures of old as well?”
“If they are, I’ve never come across them in books I’ve read,” Razik answered.
“And they only showed up in the last few months,” Cethin added. “There’s no way they’ve been here for centuries like the creatures of old.”
There wasn’t much to say after that. They searched the clearing for another hour, but there was nothing to find and nothing to see. Kailia wanted to explore more of Everfall, so theyTraveled back to the town center, then walked to Everfall Manor. They were shown to rooms where they could change and clean up before meeting Corveth for dinner when the moon was high in the sky.
The lord wasn’t in a relationship with anyone, but there were some members of Everfall present who helped govern the town. Cethin sat at the head of the table, Kailia to his right with Razik at her side. Corveth was to his left, having changed into slightly more formal attire. They were well into their third course of the evening, the conversation light and easy.
