“After you told us to split, we headed south. We wereambushed by a human legion, and Vessara took an iron spear through her side. Somehow, we managed to escape. We came across a farmhouse. We thought we’d have to kill whoever was inside.” He pauses. “The female hid us in her cellar instead.”
“Her name was Elenor. She tended to my wound.” Vessara’s hand moves to her side. “She said a fae had saved her mother’s life once, when she was child, and insisted that not all humans agreed with the war. Her family, and some others had been hiding fae, and helping them find their way back to Underhill.”
“Of course, after the Sealing, no one could return to Underhill.” Kaelith’s voice is flat. “But the network remained. Elenor’s descendants still live here. So do those of the other families. They’ve been sheltering fae ever since.”
“How many fae are here?”
“Thirty-two. Some have been here almost as long as we have. Others we’ve found and brought in as we can.” He stands, and moves to the table, pulling a folded parchment from his jacket. When he spreads it across the surface, it reveals a map. A closer inspection shows me marks in red, black, and blue.
“These are sympathizer locations.” Kaelith points to one of the blue marks. “There are eleven villages, like this one. The rest are single families or businesses. A farmer who doesn’t ask questions when someone shelters in one his barns overnight. A wagon driver who takes passengers without looking too closely at them.”
I lean forward, studying the map. “And these?”
“The black are preserves.” His finger moves over the parchment. “The Dell. Thornwood. Mirehollow. Blackbrook. And Ivylock.”
“What about the red lines?” I trace one of them with a finger, the path connects from The Dell to Mirehollow.
“Transport routes. They move fae between locationsdepending on demand. Auctions, transfers, special requests.” Kaelith’s voice tightens. “The routes change seasonally, but the system remains the same. We watched for years, learned where the weak points are, and exploit them when we can. But it’s difficult to free fae that way. Too many guards bearing iron.”
My finger taps the mark indicating the Dell. “We were here.”
Kaelith’s eyes meet mine. “We heard that something happened there. But reports are jumbled. Some say there was a fae uprising. Others say that a single fae broke free and slaughtered everyone inside.”
“Both are true. I found an opportunity, and I took it. The Dell’s huntmaster and his men will not be harming another fae.” I stand and pour a goblet of wine. “If you are not attacking the transports, how do you free them?”
Kaelith exchanges a look with Sorel. Iknowthat look. It’s the one both of them wear when they’ve done something stupid and they’re about to tell me about it.
“Our biggest concern is not letting humans know that fae are being freed. Attacking the transports would make it clear that we are here and a danger to them.”
I lift one eyebrow. “You’re stalling.”
“We have … contacts who can arrange for fae to go missing. And when that isn’t possible, we … buy them.”
The goblet stills halfway to my lips. “You. Buy. Them.”
“At auction. Through intermediaries.” He won’t meet my eyes. “It’s slower and expensive. But the fae we get that way are less likely to be hunted down which means they can be blended into one of the villages easily.”
They’re bidding on our own people like horses at market. Feeding gold into the same machine that keeps us collared. But I understand why they’ve done it. I’ve done worse things to survive.
“Where does the gold come from?”
Kaelith smiles. “We take it from the humans who take from us. Hunters who come too close, traders who deal in our kind. Their gold buys our people back. It seems fitting.”
“How many?”
“At least four hundred, maybe more. Once they recover, they often move on. Some stay here with us.” He pauses and a shadow crosses his face. “Some don’t survive. The iron …”
He doesn’t finish and I don’t ask him to. I know how iron can destroy a fae without killing them.
“Have you heard anything about the rest of the Guard?”
Kaelith shakes his head. “We hear things sometimes. Stories of fae who fight back. But we’ve never been able to get close enough to the preserves to confirm anything. Every fae we free, we ask. So far, nothing.”
I didn’t expect his answer to be anything different.
I look at the map spread across the table. Five preserves. Hundreds of fae, collared and caged.
“The reason we were at Therison Vale hasn’t changed.” My fingers drum on the tabletop. “And the order I gave when they Sealed away Underhill is still in effect. We survive until we find a way back.” I meet their eyes one by one. “But I’m done just surviving.”
