“How are we to believe your promises?” asked the white-haired pixie in front of Eira. “You are part human.”
“I cannot lie,” Eira said. “But, if you wish it, I will strike a bargain with you and seal it in blood.”
Kendra sucked in a sharp breath, her small frame quivering on my shoulder. I couldn’t blame her. The naïve princess was dooming herself. I knew for a fact that a blood bargain with a pixie was dangerous and volatile. Some fae were killed by the intensity of the pixie magic as the bargain was struck; they couldn’t even survive long enough to fulfill their part of the deal.
As a half human, Eira didn’t stand a chance.
“Snow!” Frisk objected.
The white-haired pixie threw her head back and laughed. “You are a fool, princess! You are issuing your own death sentence with this bargain.”
“Then you will lose nothing,” Eira said, her regal tone unwavering. “Strike this bargain with me. If I survive, you heal my friend. If I don’t…” She shrugged one shoulder as if her own life mattered so little to her. “Then you owe me nothing.”
I wanted to laugh along with the pixies. It would be far too easy for me to fulfill my bargain with the queen now. The force of the pixies’ magic would kill the princess, and once the feral creatures were finished with her, I would carve out her heart and bring it to Calista.
Of course, I still needed to find a healer. A minor complication.
“All right then,” said the white-haired pixie, her grin widening. “Let us strike this bargain. I hope you have made peace with your gods, princess, because you will meet them soon.”
Eira flashed her own smile. “We’ll see.”
“Nyra, please—” Frisk began.
“Silence, fox,” Nyra barked. “Your princess has made her decision. There is no turning away from this fate.”
I inched closer so I could better see this pixie queen. She looked magnificent indeed with her long hair billowing in the wind, her inky black eyes wide with delight.
“Bring me the ceremonial dagger,” Nyra commanded. A few pixies shuffled, and one broke through the crowd, reverently bowing as he placed a long, jagged dagger in the queen’s hands.
Frisk was whispering something to the princess, but sheshook her head, her expression fierce with determination. She looked fairly confident for someone about to die. I squinted at her, trying to figure out what she was planning.
“Don’t stand there and bleed on my doorstep,” Nyra called out suddenly. “Come and join us, good sir. You can get a much better view from here.”
Kendra let out a squeak and dived back into my cloak. All of the pixies turned their heads to fix their black eyes on me.
Well, shit.
Of course Theronhad been eavesdropping. I shouldn’t have been surprised.
He didn’t hear anything too damning, but when he witnessed the blood bargain, he would certainly have questions. He already noticed too much during the fight with the Demon Fae.
It was a risk I had to take. There was no other way to enlist the help of the pixies. I needed a show of strength right now.
And far more was at stake than just Theron’s life. If the pixies assisted us, believing I would hold up my end of the bargain, then perhaps I would have allies in the war against Calista—more than just my band of human rebels.
Theron was wearing his signature scowl, his eyebrows lowered and his lips thin. His skin was ghostly pale, and he looked irritated that he’d been caught. He rubbed the back of his neck, the motion oddly stilted. My eyes narrowed as I scrutinized him further. Then I noticed a flash of brilliant blue, and my heart seized in my chest.
Kendra.
Theron’s arm slid down to his side, then curled behindhis back. If I hadn’t been watching for it, I wouldn’t have noticed the small white shape darting out of his fingertips and vanishing into the snow.
Not only was Kendra with Theron, but the hunter was… helping her to escape? I wasn’t sure if I was more touched or stunned by this show of affection for my scaly friend.
When Kendra had vanished from view, Theron hobbled forward. To his credit, he made it to the center of the crowd without falling over. Not only that, but he managed to climb up the mountain to get here. If it weren’t for the shadows under his eyes and the pallor of his skin, I would question whether he’d been truly poisoned.
“A little worse for the wear, aren’t you, darling?” Nyra crooned.
Theron only glared at her.
