I tore out of Ifanna’s court and into the surrounding forest of silver-barked trees, my mind racing to recall everything I knew about fae hunts.
They would let me run for five minutes unimpeded before unleashing their hounds, their antlered war-horses, their trained raptors with feathers like knives. Longing for Freyda pierced my heart, but I was glad we hadn’t brought our familiars on this mission. More heartbreaking than watching them die would be seeing them bespelled and turned against us.
The fae would use every trick in their arsenal—glamours, music, their own allure—to try and best us. But we had Gemma, Farrin, Talan, Bette, and Tressa—two demigods, a greater demon, an elemental, and a beholder. I had to hope they would be able to see through every deception.
But beyond their numbers, the fae had an even greater advantage: this was their land, riddled with safeguards and traps and Olden beasts who would certainly side with fae over humans from Edyn.
I leapt over a fallen tree, scattering a thousand glowing white moths. Something fat and fleshy rose up from the frosty undergrowthand snapped at me, hissing, but I kicked it away and kept running. The snow was lighter here, but flakes were beginning to fall, and a chill wind nipped at my heels. I didn’t trust these skies; fae were children of Kerezen and of Caiathos, god of the earth. If they wanted to call a sudden blizzard down upon our hunt, they would.
I tore through tangled thickets, ignoring every scratch and bite of pain, and thought back over every word Gareth and I had uttered. I looked for loopholes, mistakes we had made in the accord’s terms. But I found nothing; if we had to forge an accord with a fae queen, we’d done a fine job of it.
Fury gave me a burst of extra speed. I leapt across a roaring river swirling with long, darting shapes that glowed like stars. They swarmed along my path as I soared overhead, and a knot of them slithered out onto the opposite bank—eels, or something like them, skittering after me with gnashing teeth—but I was too fast for them. I crashed through the trees and slammed into the ground, which rattled my bones, but I relished the slight pain, the bite of frost on my palms, and kept running.
Fool. Gareth was an unforgivable fool. He wasn’t the leader of this mission. I was. That he’d struck such a deadly bargain without consulting me filled my veins with lightning-hot rage.
A scream pierced the air. I darted behind a tree and pressed against it, my pulse pounding, and listened. The scream came again; it was avian. I looked left, following the sound, and saw a cloud of gigantic birds burst out of the trees some distance from me. They rose up in chaos, then slid into an arrowhead formation and dove back down as one unit. In their wake, the faint sound of music met my ears. Farrin’s voice—sharp, percussive, swelling in volume. The melody rose fast, then crested. A slight shock wave tore through the forest, whipping my hair across my face.
I closed my eyes, allowing myself a breath of relief. Good. Ryder was wilding; Farrin was singing, and her voice was strong. HopefullyGareth, with all that sage brilliance at his disposal, was smart enough to stay glued to their sides.
But I couldn’t waste time worrying about him. I listened hard to the surrounding forest. If I was going to pull off the wild plan forming at the back of my mind, I would need to find Gemma without drawing every fae in the forest right to us.
I waited another moment, then darted out of my hiding place. I’d not taken three strides before something slammed into my side, throwing me off my feet. I flew into the trunk of a nearby tree and dropped to the ground, gasping. To my left: movement, sound, getting closer, getting louder.
I shook myself and rolled to safety half a second before a feathered spear flew into the ground right where I’d fallen. I pulled my sword from its sheath and pushed myself to my knees just as another spear came flying at me. I swung my sword hard, knocking the spear out of the air, then jumped to my feet and whirled around to meet my attacker. Our blades crashed together, and for a moment we were caught in each other’s grip. Familiar violet eyes glared at me from behind our crossed blades: my captor from before, the fae with white hair and gorgeous obsidian skin.
“Daughter of Kerezen,” he said, grinning. “We meet again.”
I shoved my sword against his with such force that he staggered back and nearly fell. I pounced immediately, but he was ready for me, and this time, when our swords met, the crash was so brutal that I fell hard on my tailbone and lost my sword.
My body throbbing with pain, I scrambled away, fumbling for my lost weapon. The fae stalked after me, slicing through the bracken with his sword. With each stroke of his blade against the dirt, I imagined it chopping through my leg and tried to push myself back to my feet, but something was holding me down, pinning me to the earth.
When I glanced down, my heart sank. Bright pink vines wereunfurling from the snow-dusted undergrowth, joining those already coiled around my wrists. When I yanked against them, they broke easily, but fresh ones—dozens of them—took their place, winding around my neck, snaking across my cheeks.
The fae sauntered over, triumph blazing on his gorgeous face. He looked down at me, pressed the tip of his blade to my throat, and said, “I claim—”
But before he could finish the sentence, a blade thrust through his chest from behind. He choked on his own voice, looked down at the wound in a daze, and coughed up bright green blood.
His killer yanked the blade free, letting him fall. Behind him, dripping dagger in hand, was Posey. Her eyes blazed with Olden fire. The lines of her face were sharper, her fingers longer. Her silver hair drifted behind her in hissing, restless tendrils.
I kicked free of the vines, which had fallen inert upon the fae’s death, and clasped Posey’s offered hand. She helped me to my feet with one fluid pull.
“If you’d gotten yourself killed because of a few measly plants,” she said solemnly, “I would have ensured that the story of your death traveled far and wide and became the stuff of legend.”
I smiled. “So what you’re saying is, I shouldn’t assume that we’re friends again.”
She cocked one silver eyebrow. “Hardly. You’ll need to come tomyrescue a few times before we get there.”
“Fair enough. And don’t claim me just yet,” I added, cutting her off before she could speak. “I don’t trust that Lady Ifanna will actually fulfill her end of the accord if we win. No one can claim me as their prize until we find the key.”
Posey nodded grimly, the hard light of grief in her eyes. “You are wise to doubt her. Breaking accord magic is a great risk, but after what she has done… Clearly she has no honor.”
I glanced at her, noting the desolate look in her eyes. All of her kin, every Frinthian, was gone, if Ifanna could be believed. And yet Posey had still found the strength to fight for us.
I clasped her arm gently. The only words I had for her seemed pale. “I’m sorry, Posey.”
She looked away, dragging a hand across her face. When she looked back at me, her eyes were bright but hard.
“How do we track down this key?” she said. “A tree that never sleeps? If such a thing actually exists and isn’t simply the stuff of rumor.”
