“I know,” she agreed. “Not long after, I joined the clan. When I discovered their predicament that first winter, because they were low on grain, I suggested that I be their liaison. I could go freely as a wood fae and fetch Flaxon. So that’s what we’ve been doing this past year. I’ve never been afraid, except for that last time.”
The lights of the town grew brighter as we approached, the talking and laughing from the streets growing louder with each step.
“Flaxon lives next door to his mill near the river. We can take the side streets behind the town square to his house without getting noticed.”
“Lead the way.”
I followed her as we headed into town from the east side. The dirt road became cobblestones, the sights and smells of a bustling town almost foreign to me after spending so long in the Borderlands, which was nothing more than a few taverns and inns spread out along the route.
An older man pushed open a tavern door, revealing a savory aroma and a room where a dozen or more locals enjoyed a meal and jugs of ale. The clip-clop of a horse pulling a squeaky cart rounded the corner at the end of this side street we walked upon. The crying of a baby from an upstairs open window pulled mine and Tessa’s gazes upward before the mother shushed and spoke softly to the babe, both going quiet.
“Watch out.” Tessa tugged me around a pile of horse manure in the street.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
The doors to the taverns were open, the crowds inside boisterous and loud. But we kept to the shadows as best wecould. For a small town, there were many people coming and going, all of them paying us no mind.
I supposed that would be normal for a river port town. People came and went by the Bluevale River to the harbor from all over. But I only saw wood fae milling about the streets and a few moon fae here and there. The moon fae were easy to spot, with wings protruding from their backs. None of them looked to be Issosian solders.
“This way,” whispered Tessa, pointing to a torch-lit alley beside a shop that was now closed.
As we hurried down the alley, the shouting of a crowd grew louder. When we came upon the first intersection of the lane, Tessa pulled me to a stop, peering around the corner.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“I don’t know. That’s the town square. Something is going on.”
I peered around the corner with her. There were several torches, and the back of a crowd faced the center where a moon fae with auburn hair was waving for everyone to be silent.
“Hear me, good fae of Hellamir.” The voices quieted. “Evil pervades across our lands.” The moon fae gestured toward the north. “Even now, the daughter of our great King Connall of Issos has been forced to fornicate with the demon king and beget his child.”
“She saved us!” a woman shouted from the front. “Princess Una saved us all!”
“Indeed, she did,” he agreed. “But in doing so, she has sullied her bloodline. More than that, she has encouraged the dark fae of the north to take what they want.”
Silence fell across the crowd, the speaker captivating them with his fearmongering.
“Have you not heard what is happening in other northern provinces and to farmers on their homesteads? Women andchildren have gone missing! Taken by these demons for their carnal appetites.”
Protests rose amongst the throng. Then one brawny wood fae male shouted, “Then why hasn’t it happened here? We live closer to the northern border than any of the other light fae.”
The speaker smiled, sending a chill down my spine. “Excellent question. And that is why you are all here tonight.” He pointed to his left. “Because that witch living in the glen just across the river has the power to tell us the gods’ secrets.”
We couldn’t see who he pointed to because the building was in the way. I edged down the alley, closer to the back of the crowd, Tessa clutching my cloak but following right behind me.
“She is a god seer!” he shouted. “She knows the gods’ will. She could help us, but sherefuses! She will not tell us what we need to know to save our kind. To save her own kind!”
Over the crowd, she finally came into view. A dark-haired moon fae, skin pale as milk, midnight blue wings at her back, staring coolly out into the crowd. She was bound to a stake at the center of the stage, raised up on a stone slab, kindling at her feet.
“They’re going to burn her,” I whispered, my voice shaking with fury.
“She has magick that could help us find those who are being taken and kill our enemies. But she refuses even the royal Lord Gael of Mevia.”
Thenhestepped forward. I hadn’t seen him because my sole attention was on the petite moon fae, standing glassy-eyed and facing the crowd. My betrothed and would-be captor marched to the center of the stage next to the speaker, who was obviously one of his lackeys. My heart was in my throat, my pulse speeding frantically at the sight of him.
“We don’t want your witch burnings!” a woman in the crowd shouted.
Lord Gael held up a gloved hand, the one with all five of his fingers, instantly silencing the crowd. He was formidable in appearance, especially whilst wearing the fine clothes of a nobleman. His long black hair shone in the torchlight, his iridescent blue wings tall and strong at his back. But it was the menacing sharpness of his expression that silenced the people.
