I suppressed a shudder. “Quite certain.”
“Brune, see to it that our guests are fed and have a place to rest for the night,” Nyra said, turning to the orange-skinned pixie standing behind her.
“Oh no, we don’t—” I started to object, but Nyra waved away my excuses.
“It’s a blizzard tonight, princess. Do you intend to sleep on the ice?”
I fell silent at that. I thought again of my father’s words:Allies can come to us in the most unlikely of places.
For good or ill, these pixies were now on my side,provided I could deliver what I had promised. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to stay and mingle with them. It might strengthen our connection and improve relations going forward.
Perhaps I could make my father proud.
Several pixies yelped, and I turned toward the commotion. Theron had collapsed, finally giving in to the weakness claiming his body. No doubt the strain of climbing the mountain had done him in.
“Ah,” Nyra said idly. Her great lavender wings spread wide and she flitted in the air before zooming toward the wounded hunter with lightning speed. The rapid movement of her wings reminded me of a hummingbird—a blur of color that made me gasp with awe.
While everyone was distracted, I took a moment to tear a strip of fabric from my tunic and wrap it around the cut on my arm. When I was sure the wound was bound, I glanced up in time to see two brawny pixies hoist Theron up. His head lolled, and his damp brown hair flopped over his eyes. Blood and ice, he lookedterrible. Seeing him like this made me realize just how much he had been holding back before. He must have pretended to be unconscious while astride Mauro.
That was one determined assassin.
Nyra lifted a hand and pressed it to Theron’s chest. The hunter groaned, his body jerking violently. White light burst from the center of his chest, and he unleashed a horrible scream that made me jump, my skin and bones trembling in horror. I stepped forward, my hand outstretched, but I wasn’t sure why. What could I do? But that scream… It was full of terror and anguish, a sound I never expected to come from a hardened warrior like Theron.
It shook me to my core. And as much as I hated him, I never wanted to hear that sound again.
The pixies seemed unaffected. They merely looked on with mild disinterest as if this were an everyday occurrence. I pressed a hand to my chest as the scream went on, shutting my eyes against the sound. But it burned in my ears, searing right through me.
The white light vanished. It was likely only a few seconds, but the duration of that cry made it feel like an eternity. When Theron went limp again, there was more color in his face. Only when silence fell among the pixies did I realize I was gasping for breath, my heart racing.
“Our magic isn’t for the faint of heart,” said the pixie next to me, a tall, wiry woman with bright pink hair and emerald skin. She winked at me conspiratorially as if we were sharing a joke.
“Your companion is healed!” Nyra announced, and the pixies all cheered.
“Is he all right?” I asked the emerald pixie beside me. Theron still looked limp and unconscious.
“Oh, he’ll be fine.” The pixie waved a hand. “He’s healed, but he’ll need to recover from the intensity of the spell.”
I nodded numbly. As much as I didn’t like the idea of spending the night with pixies, perhaps it was for the best if Theron was in too poor a shape to travel.
“I’ll go check in with Mauro,” Frisk said.
“Wait.” I turned toward him.
He looked at me, his black eyes appraising me with curiosity. “What?”
“I—thank you. For bringing us here. For negotiating with the queen. I know that wasn’t easy.”
“Anything for you, Snow. Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone. No more fae bargains, understand?”
I chuckled as he trotted away, his white tail bobbing until he disappeared in the crowd of pixies. Suddenly exhausted, I moved closer to the colorful fire and sank onto a log, my eyes pulled in by the explosion of colors.
“I’m here, Snow,” whispered a voice in my ear. “Please don’t be mad.”
I closed my eyes, relief filling me as I turned to find Kendra tucked in my cloak, her tiny form balled up on my shoulder.
“I had to keep an eye on that hunter,” she went on.
I smirked. “Right.” With an exhale, I shook my head. “You need to be careful around him, Kendra. You can’t trust him.”
