The guard threw Rourke onto the marble floor. In an instant, my fae instructor was on his feet, and two daggers appeared in his hands.
All around me, steel flickered underneath the light of the summer sun streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Every Hunter, every guard, every fae in the room had a a sword. And they were all pointing the blades right at Rourke.
“Stop it.” I held up my hands and slid in front of my Autumn instructor. “Rourke is with me. He’s not an enemy.”
“He’s an Autumn,” the guard spit. “The Queen probably sent him here to find out what we’re up to. Don’t tell him anything. Hide the map.”
The Hunters quickly surrounded the table, blocking Rourke from spying any of the little pieces they’d so carefully spread out across it.
“Someone should take him to the cells,” one of the Hunters said.
Shea suddenly strode in from the door leading to the living quarters, her eyes wide as she took in the situation. In an instant, she was across the floor. She stood by my side, joining the protective circle around Rourke.
“Everyone needs to calm down. Phelan, you’ve known me all my life, yeah?” Shea said in a quiet, dangerous voice.
Phelan nodded, his jaw flickering.
“Rourke here is a personal friend of mine from the Academy. He’s not like the Autumns we’re fighting against. He supported Marin. I swear to you on my mother’s grave that he isn’t a spy. There’s no need to throw him in a cell. If anything, he could help us.”
“Help you with what?” Rourke asked from behind us, his voice rising in anger. “What exactly is going on here and why have you brought Norah into it? Alwyn told me you’d gone off on some crazy mission to help the Summer fae, and I didn’t believe her at first. I didn’t even believe it all the way here. And now that I see it with my own eyes, I still can’t believe it. This is illogical.”
“You see?” Shea asked with a tight smile. “He’s just another idiot who cares about nothing other than the changeling.”
Phelan frowned but he flicked his fingers toward the Hunters and the guards. Reluctantly, they slowly eased away from the table and secured their weapons. I could see in their eyes that they still didn’t trust Rourke. Nothing we did or said would convince them that he was anything other than a typical Autumn fae. They would be on their guard.
I turned toward Rourke then, to face him. His gaze swept across my face, reading my heart and my soul in a way that made me feel as if I stood there naked and exposed before him.
“Tell me what’s going on, Norah.”
“The Summer fae have asked me to do them a favor. I’ve agreed.”
“What kind of favor?” His voice was edged in danger.
I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn’t know where to begin.
“Norah has a special skill that can help us get close to the Queen,” Phelan filled in for me, and I couldn’t help but notice the vagueness of his answer. He didn’t want to give Rourke the details.
Rourke arched an eyebrow. “Norah has a great number of skills, I’ll admit, but so do many other fae, particularly your Hunters here. Hunters who havecompletedtheir training, and are not in the middle of it.”
A beat passed. “None of my Hunters can weave shadows.”
Rourke blinked, surprised, and then his eyes cut to me. “Is this true? You can shadow yourself?”
I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “I mean, I guess? Alastar over there said he saw me do it at the Feast of the Fae, but I didn’t realize it was happening.”
“Right. So, they’re asking you to do something that you have no idea how to control.” Rourke scowled and turned toward Phelan. “And, let me guess, you intend for her to do this alone.”
“She must,” the male fae said, his hand resting on the golden pommel of his sword. “The odds of her getting caught only increase if Liam accompanies her. The Queen knows him. He cannot blend in, particularly not with that blazing red hair.”
Rourke pursed his lips. “I’ll go with Norah.”
Silence rained down on the hall.
“She needs protection, just in case something goes wrong,” Rourke repeated. “I will go with her. I am an Autumn fae. They will not expect anything from me.”
“Fine. This isn’t my first choice, but it’s better than the alternative.” Phelan grabbed the wooden block from the war table and tossed it into the air. “You’ll go at dusk, two days from now. Now, it’s time to train.”
* * *
