If I had to leave this wooded haven, it would break my heart. But I had been in Knockspur for years now. It was only a matter of time before my stepmother found me.
I swallowed hard, trying to push away my unease and focus on the task at hand. I patted the cushion next to me. “Come and sit, Penny.”
She smiled at the nickname and sank next to me, unwrapping her scarf to let loose her wild red hair. Her green eyes widened at the sight of the gold on the table in front of us. “Shivering bones, that’s a lot of gold.”
Before I could answer, harsh voices echoed from the forest. Penelope tensed beside me, but I stood, recognizing the curt tone of Huck as he argued with Lark.
Those two never got along. But since they came from neighboring provinces, they often traveled together. I smirked. Perhaps we could spread rumors thatLarkwas Huck’s secret lover.
Huck would be mortified. I almost laughed at the thought.
“Do you have to drink while we ride?” Huck griped as the two made their way into the cottage. “You absolutely reek. I’m not riding alongside that stench on the way home.”
“How else do you think I can get through a three-hourride with your constant whining?” Lark said. His voice was smoother and slightly slurred, a sure sign that he was, in fact, drunk. He represented the tiny province of Quinton, and he didn’t contribute much to our meetings. He was here because he was the only human from the area willing to join me. Even if he was sloshed more than half the time, he was loyal to a fault. That, and he was one of the best secret-keepers I’d ever met, even when he was drunk.
“You can continue your lovers’ quarrel later.” I tugged on Lark’s arm to pull him into the sitting room. “We have work to do.”
“Lovers’ quarrel?” Huck sputtered, a blush creeping along his brown skin. “I don’t—I wouldn’t?—”
Tansy burst out laughing, and Gareth covered his mouth to smother his chuckles. Meanwhile, Huck’s face only grew redder.
“I wouldn’t say no,” Lark said with a shrug, his bloodshot eyes flicking over Huck’s short, scrawny body with renewed interest.
A loud snort burst from me, and several others joined in with their laughter. Even Denton cracked a smile.
Once we were all inside, I glanced out the window to check that the animals were safe. Frisk was hovering near the porch—to eavesdrop, no doubt. He shot me a look of pure innocence through the window.
Ordinarily I let him come and go in the cottage, along with some of the smaller animals, like Kendra. But too many creatures would be a distraction.
And today, we needed to focus.
Just in case, I slid open the window. It kept me at ease, knowing I could hear them close by just in case trouble came calling, as it often did for me.
With a deep breath, I turned and faced my seven friends. Seven human nobles, one from each province. Even though they were technically nobility, their titles meant nothing. They were merely a charade, to keep up the appearance of peace. Decades ago, fae and humans were considered equals. But then the fae seized the lands from the humans, and we were left with nothing but anger, resentment, and fake titles. Even my title as princess meant nothing with my father dead and Calista hunting me.
But if my plan succeeded, we would overthrow Calista and give the land back to the humans.
My friends were seated around the table, eyeing the pile of gold. Gareth continued stroking his beard, but I recognized the bleak look in his eyes.
He heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry, darlin’. But it’s not enough.”
I’d been expecting this. But even so, I hadn’t anticipated the crushing weight of disappointment. I felt myself deflating, and I couldn’t even manage a halfheartedly chipper response.
My father’s legacy. The rebellion. Our entire plan. It was as if it was all disintegrating before my eyes.
“We’ve been gathering coin for months,” Stella objected, sitting forward and bracing her arms on her legs “How can it not be enough?”
“Mercenaries are expensive,” said Gareth, his mouth puckered in a frown. “We knew going into this that it would be a long shot.”
“Are we even close?” I asked, my voice tinged with desperation. If we were only off by a few coins, all I had to do was rob a few more carriages, and?—
“No,” said Huck in his clipped voice as he crossed his thin arms over his chest. “We aren’t close. We would need todouble this amount before we could hire any, and even then, it might not be enough to overthrow the queen.”
I shot him an annoyed look. Huck was always the most pessimistic of us all, although he would argue he wasrealistic. “We can’t just give up!” I protested. “We’ve come so far already.”
“Eira,” said Denton softly. “We need a new plan.”
I forced myself to meet his gaze. It was still difficult to look him in the eye since we’d decided to end our complicated and undefinable romance.
