“If you’re really fae, you can’t lie,” I press. “You said you didn’t know where she was.”
“No, I asked you how I should know where she was.”
“So youdoknow.”
Our stare-down continues for another moment. A not-insignificant, traitorous part of me hopes he’ll break it by kissing me again.
But he doesn’t.
Instead, he pushes to his feet. “I know where I’m supposed to meet him. If you’d like, you can come, too. It’d be nice to have someone to keep me warm at night.”
Chapter 20
Ellie
Taran leads me to the northern edge of town, my hand firmly grasped in his. He matches my shorter stride, never tugging uncomfortably on my arm.
It’s as if I’m wandering through a fog. If I let go of him, I’ll get lost, and that would be bad. Everything else blurs at the edges as we pass, nausea swelling within me if I focus on anything but him.
He asks if I’ve ever ridden a horse, and I tell him I haven’t—while we own some, Mom and I have only used them for carriage rides.
Now I’m standing still, engulfed in the stink of manure. There’s an itch at the back of my mind… Something about this… it isn’t right. But the harder I grasp at the thought, the further it slips away.
Taran lets go of my hand as he helps me into a saddle. The world slowly sharpens, but just as my vision clears, the horse beneath me erupts into a gallop. I throw myself forward, clinging to its mane for dear life.
After a few terrifying minutes of not falling, my heart thundering harder than the hooves hit the ground, I peek my eyes open. The sun’s nearly set, and my horse follows behind one galloping through the fields ahead of me. I can’t make out the rider, but it must be Taran.
Every incantation I know flashes through my mind.How do I get out of this?Fire? Ice?But anything like that would frighten the horse, and I’d get thrown. I can barely stay in the saddle as it is.
Frustration and shame boil within me. All my skills, rendered useless by a horse.
After what feels like several bells, we slow to a trot. The moon hangs high in the sky as Taran dismounts at the edge of a forest, his silhouette approaching in the darkness. He offers me his hand, and I accept it, only because I need to be off the horse before I can attack. But the second I pull away, my legs give out as pain sears through my muscles.
“Let go of me!” I snap when he catches me. He doesn’t, so I ignite his arm with a burst of flames.
He yells a curse I don’t recognize and drops me, tearing his coat off and throwing it away from the horses. I hit the ground right as my horse rears, screaming in terror. Taran’s arms grab me roughly around my midsection, hauling me clear of the kicking hooves.
I land hard on my backside a few yards away. Taran speaks soft words I can’t understand, slowly approaching the horse until he rests his hand gently on its side.
My heart rate slows as his calm permeates the air. His coat lies discarded on the ground nearby, still burning; with a thought, it extinguishes, leaving only the moon to offer its faint light. I collapse backward and stare up at it, pain from the saddle radiating through my body.
“Who are you?” I demand.I need him to talk. Get information. Then figure out my escape.
“I told you already. My name’s Taran.”
“Why have you taken me?”
No answer. I push myself up to see him better, the long grass brushing my hands—he’s busy untacking the horses.
“Is it because of my father?”
A scoff. “I couldn’t care less who your father is.”
That’s a first.Perhaps we could’ve been friends if he weren’t in the middle of abducting me.
“Then tell me why you’ve taken me, or I’ll—”
“You’ll what? You’re no killer. Besides, you have no idea where you are or how to ride a horse.”
