“Don’t rightfully know,” the guard beside him whispers back.
Is it me they dislike or all Unseelie fae? How do they feel about their king? Perhaps these men are responsible for the missing Seelie. No one is above suspicion.
When they catch me watching them, they quickly avert their gazes toward the cottony clouds above us.
The cloud nearest town resembles a daisy flower with five petals. The one beside it is a cow. No, not a cow. A bull. The one beside that?—
Focus, Maddox. You may stare at the clouds when you return to the garden.
I offer the guards a smile, which earns me two matching frowns. “I am Maddox Finch. I am here to keep all the Seelie safe.”
The pair trade glances. “That’s what Collum and me are doing.”
Interesting. Ever did not mention there would be additional guards to help me with this task. “Have you been at this post long?”
Collum, a short male with thick eyebrows resembling two fat caterpillars, is the one to respond. “Nearly two weeks.”
Ah. This makes sense now. I was tasked with this mission because these two are useless.
“Two weeks on duty, and how many fae missing? Three?” I click my tongue. “It is a good thing I am here to help, would you not agree?” I say this with a smile, but my good humor is beginning to wane.
This sort of incompetence would not be tolerated on the Unseelie side of the canyon. There, these two would face the council and likely exile for failing to keep their fellow fae safe.
Yet here these fools stand.
“It wasn’t our fault,” the first one who spoke protests. “We were off duty.”
Perhaps I was too quick to judge. “So the Seelie went missing at night?”
“Don’t rightly know, do I?” Collum shrugs. “Monty and me cut out at five.”
Well before nightfall, then. “Who relieved you of your posts?”
“No one. The king’s guard has more important things to do than stand around watching a bunch of men build a fucking bridge.”
“Was the site empty?”
“What do you mean?” the other one, Monty, asks.
Was my question not obvious? “I mean, were you the last to leave the site the day the Seelie went missing?”
“Some of these men don’t knock off till nightfall,” Collum scoffs.
That is a no, then. “You are charged with protecting the workers on this site, which means you should be the first to arrive and the last to leave.” Is this their first post? Have they only recently been hired and never actually guarded anyone or anything before?
Irritation prickles my spine, and I leave them before I say words that cannot be taken back. Ever will hear about this.
I do not envy my friend having to suffer these lazy, ignorant fae.
I stalk toward the thin cropping of trees beyond the site. Any semi-intelligent fae would have already searched the woods, but it is clear we are dealing with fools.
If wolves are responsible for the missing fae, they must’ve left something behind, yet after two hours of searching, I have found no sign of the beasts. No paw prints. No fur clinging to the brambles. No scat.
Part of me is sorry to have not found anything amiss. Another part of me is relieved there are no signs of wolves that would make this side of the canyon as dangerous as ours, especially seeing as these Seelie have no natural defenses, with their small stature, slow legs, and soft bellies.
When I return to the worksite, the Seelie are all sitting around, drinking tea and eating sandwiches.
Every.
