I sighed. “So Storm blames you for Skye’s death, and this is his way of making you atone.”
“Seems that way.” Leap hopped off the bed. “Much as I’d love to continue this discussion, we’re going to have to put it on hold. It’s not safe to stay here now that this location is compromised.”
“What? But we already paid,” Adara protested as Leap moved to the door. “Where are we supposed to go? If Storm can break into a hotel room on the second story simply by flying in through a window, then he can break in anywhere.”
“Yep,” Leap said, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. “That’s why we have to go somewhere he doesn’t expect.”
I scowled as we followed Leap out of the inn. “I don’t like the sound of this,” I said as we walked through the crowded streets. I had to lengthen my stride to keep up with Leap as he led us out of the lower city, higher up the mountain into an upper middle-class neighborhood, the houses here are five times the size of even the largest in my village, many of them multi-storied and with well-kept front gardens. The child was half my height, but he zipped through the streets as if on winged feet, and I suspected he was using his air magic to propel himself faster than his shorter legs could ordinarily carry him.
“What are we doing here, Leap?” Adara asked as we stopped outside a two-story house sporting multiple turrets and a hipped roofline. Statues of winged horses decorated the well-kept front yard, and a few mountain roses still bloomed from the bushes, adding color to the house’s bluish-grey countenance. “This doesn’t look like a place we can lie low. There’s a family inside!”
“I know,” Leap grumbled, a scowl on his face. “This is one of several houses in this neighborhood that are used as second homes by families who come to Wynth on holiday. They must have come for the Twelve Winds Festival.”
“That was your idea?” Adara asked, aghast. “To break into someone’s home?”
“It’s actually not a bad one,” I said, keeping my voice pitched low so the inhabitants wouldn’t overhear. “Are there any others in the area we might try?” I was keen to get out of the open so we could discuss our plan for getting into the temple in private.
“You can’t seriously be siding with him, Einar,” Adara hissed, narrowing her eyes on me. Even shadowed by her hood, the angry glint in her cornflower blue eyes would have been enough to make a lesser male take a step back. “Can you imagine if we were caught?”
“We would have to be careful,” I acknowledged, “but staying in an empty house means we won’t have to worry about eavesdroppers or potential enemies.”
“Exactly,” Leap beamed. “Glad to see you agree with me, gramps.”
I glowered at Leap, but before I could come up with a retort, I caught a flicker of movement from the corner of my eye. We all turned our heads to see someone move a window curtain aside from inside the house. A flicker of recognition lit inside me as a familiar face peered out—long auburn hair, nut brown skin, forest green eyes, and a sassy mouth.
“Mavlyn?”Adara shrieked, and I winced as her voice ricocheted through the quiet neighborhood like a banshee wail.“Is that you?”
23
Adara
The sight of Mavlyn’s face in the window was a balm to my soul after so many nights in hostile territory. Ignoring Leap’s shouts, I vaulted over the fence and raced up the path to the porch.
The front door swung open as my foot hit the first step, and I faltered as a tall, imposing-looking air fae stepped out onto the porch. “Who are you?” she demanded, her almond-shaped eyes glinting with suspicion. She had long, ivory hair that was bound into a sleek bun at the top of her head, leaving the elegant bones of her pale face unframed. A long, cerulean gown made of layers of wispy fabric floated around her willowy form, and though she was slight of frame, I could sense the immense power humming in the air around her.
There was no doubt about it. She was a Greater Fae.
Realizing my hood was still up, I hastily lowered it. “Sorry,” I said, my cheeks growing pink with embarrassment. This fae was clearly the epitome of poise and grace, while I looked like a disheveled vagrant. I sensed Einar and Leap come up to stand beside me, and I gestured to them. “My name is Adara, and these are my friends, Einar and Leap.”
I motioned impatiently for them to remove their hoods, and they reluctantly did so. The air fae looked like she was about to question us further, but before she could, Mavlyn burst through the doorway behind her.
“Adara!” my best friend cried, her face beaming with joy. She raced past the air fae and caught me up in a fierce hug. A torrent of relief gushed through me, and I hugged her back hard, taking in her familiar scent of pine, maple, and rich, loamy earth. “I was hoping we would find you here!”
“You came looking for me?” I pulled back to look at Mavlyn, and then the fae behind her. “How did you know I would be here?”
“Mother and I went to Talamh to find you, and we managed to get the story out of Lady Mossi. Or at least a version of it.” Mavlyn raked a hand through her hair with a sigh. “She claims that you and Einar attacked her and then fled into the Gaoth Aire mountains, but I had a feeling your side of the story was different.” She glanced over her shoulder at the air fae woman with a grin. “Mother couldn’t come with me to find you, but Mrs. Aeolan was happy to oblige. She’s a friend of my mother’s, and a professor at Talamh University.”
“Oh.” I turned my attention to Mavlyn’s aunt, feeling incredibly awkward. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Aeolan.”
“Likewise,” the air fae said. Her expression had softened fractionally, and something almost like a smile played at the corners of her thin mouth. “Why don’t you all come inside and get out of the cold. You can tell us how you came to Wynth, and why you were casing my house from the street.”
I stammered, caught off guard by Mrs. Aeolan’s disconcertingly astute observation, but Leap stepped forward with a charming grin, saving me from having to come up with a response. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Aeolan,” he said, bowing with a flourish. “You’ve got such a lovely house we couldn’t help but stop for a few minutes to admire it. I promise we meant no offense.”
Mrs. Aeolan arched an ivory eyebrow, clearly unmoved by Leap’s gallantry. “I am not a fan of silver tongues,” she said, stepping aside and making a shooing motion toward the door. “Now get inside. You’re letting in the cold.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Leap skipped past her cheerfully, and I slunk in after him, my gut squirming with guilt. Mavlyn grabbed my hand and led me through the hall and into a parlor room, Einar and Mrs. Aeolan following close behind. There was already a tea service waiting on the low table, as well as a plate piled with sandwiches. My stomach rumbled pitifully, and I remembered that aside from that steamed bun Leap gave me, I hadn’t eaten anything since the harpies had fed us breakfast.
Had it really been less than a day ago that we’d been eating and parlaying with the harpies in their stronghold? My head spun as I tried to recollect everything that had happened since the tryouts. It seemed impossible that so many life-altering events could have occurred over the last few days, and yet…
