“I’ll go on ahead,” said Sorsha.
Adriel opened his mouth to speak, but Sorsha held up a hand. “It’s not because of what you said about me.” She swallowed. “I can do this.”
He sighed and dragged a hand through his messy copper locks, regarding her with concern. “We’ll be close behind. And you should sing.”
“Sing?” Sorsha gave him an incredulous look.
“The Scolendra favor music. I don’t think they’ll be able to resist.”
Apprehension flickered in Sorsha’s gaze, but she merelynodded and strode off along the path that wound around a mossy knoll.
I watched her go with a feeling of unease, but Adriel settled on a fallen log, picked up a stone, and began sharpening the blade of his sword.
In the distance, I heard Sorsha hum a few shaky notes before a tune emerged. It was an eerie, lilting melody that was unfamiliar to me, though it sounded like a children’s song.
The lass went out one foggy morn to pick some fickleberries
Her mother warned her of the sprites and that she should be wary
Spirits of olde, they lured her far — far from her humble home
She soon got lost, got scared and wailed, why did I ever roam?
The lass climbed up a rocky ridge in search of her family’s stead
Slipped on a stone, down she fell, and shattered her pretty head
Sorsha’s voice drifted away, and the knot in my stomach wound tighter. Gripping my swords, I strained my ears for the sound of a struggle, but —
A twig snapped a few feet behind me, and I whirled to face our attacker.
A tall figure stood in the shadow of an elm tree, cloaked in silvery mist. Something green glistened where the stranger’s face should have been, and my heart lodged in my throat.
My instincts roared at me to attack, but Adriel hadn’trisen from his spot on the log. He was the picture of calm, honing his blade. His white-knuckled grip on the hilt of his sword was the only sign that he was just as alert as I was.
The figure stepped forward, and the scant light trickling through the trees fell across her face. Flaming red hair with streaks of gold hung almost to her hips. She wore dark green robes with embroidered bell sleeves that were so long they hid all but the tips of her fingers.
Her face was pale and angular, with a delicate nose and yellow almond-shaped eyes. Her temples and forehead were marked with a complicated green design, which seemed to pulse with a rhythmic glow.
“Where is she, the Maker of the Melody?” The female’s voice was soft and honeyed, yet it made the hairs along the back of my neck stand on end.
“Sorsha,” Adriel called, getting to his feet.
A moment later, I heard footsteps crashing through the undergrowth. The fae blinked at us, her expression cool, until the princess reappeared with weapons drawn.
Sorsha’s gaze flickered from me and Adriel to the female standing beneath the tree.
“You are the one,” said the strange fae, appraising her. “The one who sings.”
“Yes.” Sorsha’s voice was breathless as she returned the female’s stare, and I could tell she was trying to discern whether the fae posed a threat.
“Come,” said the female, turning back toward the billowing mist from which she’d appeared. “You may entertain us with your song.”
I looked to Sorsha, whose face had drained of all color. It hadn’t sounded like a request.
Shoving down my nerves, I followed the fae beneath athick bow and onto a narrow trail where the mist seemed to hang even thicker. Her shadow loomed a few paces ahead, winding gracefully through the moss-covered trees.
After we’d been walking for a several minutes, I realized I’d lost my bearings. I’d thought it would be a simple thing to follow the path back in the direction we’d come, but the labyrinth trail had taken so many turns that I had no idea where we were.
