Kael disappeared into the bushes while Rourke knelt beside the corpse, seemingly unaffected by all the torn flesh or by the rivers of blood. Autumn fae, as I had learned, were intrigued by death and decay. They weren’t horrified by it like most. In fact, some Autumn fae could be corrupted by their attraction to it if they gave into the siren call of blood. But, it was just part of their season. It was part of their magic. They found no reason to fear death and blood. Autumn was the season of decay, after all. Not all of them were evil just as not all Spring fae weregood.
Rourke frowned as he slid his fingers inside the fallen fae’s cloak. “There is something here. A note has been tucked inside his frontpocket.”
I stilled and twisted toward Rourke, but I kept my eyes averted from the body. “Anote?”
“One word,” Rourke said, his voice as hard as steel. “Murderer.”
Like the message that had been found beside Boyd’sbody.
A chill swept down my spine as Finn joined Rourke, curiosity lighting his eyes as he peered at the body. He knelt beside the fallen fae, and he brushed the long golden strands away from the victim’s face. After a moment, Finn nodded and stood. “I recognize this male, though I didn’t know him personally. He was a Spring fae, and he was a member of the squad of Hunters that focus on tracking downRedcaps.”
Rourke’s gaze slid from the Hunter’s body to my face, and unspoken words passed between us. It was clear now that these weren’t just some random attacks. And as much as I’d hoped that Redcaps weren’t involved, they clearly were. I glanced at Bree who had stumbled away from the scene. She was shivering as she stared at the broken Hunter’s body, her face as pale as themoon.
A moment later, Kael rushed back into the clearing. His breath was ragged and a slight sheen of sweat shone on his forehead. He shook his head, bracing his hands on his knees as he gulped in deep breaths ofair.
“I wasn’t able to catch up, but I caught on a scent on the wind. Redcaps. At least one of them. A female in her beast form. She must have started running just as soon as she threw the body. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to outrunme.”
“There was a note on the body, Kael.” Rourke held up the bloodiedpaper.
Kael’s face clouded over in confusion. “A Redcap left a note? She would have had to write it in her non-beastly form. That means she knows what she’s doing. That means she’s in control of the beast. And it’s clear she sought us out on purpose. She wants us to know that she’s killing these fae andwhy.”
“Or maybe she’s just being controlled like Norah said?” Bree spoke up, her voice as soft as awhisper.
My instructors were all silent as we stood in the clearing. I knew what they were thinking. Bree did, too. These did not appear to be the actions of a Redcap being controlled by someone else. The targets were Hunters who had been hunting down these beasts for years. And now the Redcaps were fightingback.
After a long, tense moment, Kael clapped his hands and motioned toward the smoking remains of the fire. “Let’s get the fire going again. We’ll need to wait until first light to get back on the road. The Wilde Fae are still a threat this deep into the night. Norah, why don’t you try to get some sleep? I’ll take the nextwatch.”
* * *
But I barely slept a wink.How could I? A vengeful Redcap had thrown a dead body at us in the middle of the night. No telling if or when it would happenagain.
I had a horrible feeling it would happenagain.
That made two deaths, all within the span of about twenty-four hours. If this Redcap was on some sort of killing spree to take down the Hunters that had been stalking her and her kind all these years…where would it end? Would she keep going until all the Hunters were dead? There must be dozens who focused their efforts on the Redcaps, if notmore.
When the light finally broke through the morning sky, I didn’t need to be woken. I’d spent the entire night chasing down sleep that never came. Slowly, I pushed up from the dewey ground, eyelids weighed down by lack of sleep. Everyone else looked exactly how Ifelt.
Today, we would reach the hideout where Bree’s friend had been staying these past few weeks. My heart felt split in two. A part of me wanted nothing more than to find this murderer and put an end to these deaths. Yes, these Hunters had been tracking down Redcaps, but they’d only been following orders. They’d only been doing what they thought was best for keeping the inhabitants of the realm safe from harm. But on the other hand, a part of me didn’t want to find Bree’s friend. If Shai had been involved, I hated to imagine forcing Bree to watch us capture someone who had meant so much to her in her time ofneed.
And I hadn’t forgotten Alwyn’s deal. If we found the killer, our Head Instructor would give me the information I needed to get my step-father away from my mom.Forever.
After a quick bite of breakfast, we were on our way again. We threaded through the towering trees, climbing the gently sloping hill until we reached the peak of a small mountain. The trees dropped away as we stepped out of the forest, and I stared at the beauty of Otherworld. From up here, I could see the realm for miles on either side. And it was breathtaking in its orange and yellowglory.
Bree pointed at a rapid river cutting through the golden valley down below us. “There are a cluster of little huts down there by the river where some of the Redcaps have been hiding out for awhile. They’re pretty run down, according to Shai, but that means they look abandoned. That means the Wilde Fae won’t think anyone lives there, so they don’t pay them muchmind.”
Kael gave a nod. “How very logical of them. Fresh water from the river and a food source with the fish. Somewhere to bathe. However, I imagine it gets fairly cold in those hunts when wintercomes.”
“Why do you act so surprised? They’re beasts, but they’re not idiots.” Bree’s dark wavy hair blew in the autumn breeze as she gazed down on the river below with a wistful look in her eye. “I thought you of all people would be more understanding of them,Kael.”
A pause. “I am understanding, more than you will ever know. That said, my insight means I am also more than aware of their true nature.” Kael cut his dark eyes her way. “You may think you’re like them, Bree, but you’re not. You have been cured. You forget what it’s like to have the beast in control of your mind and yoursoul.”
“I didn’t forget.” She tightened her grip around the reigns, tears springing into her eyes. “How could I? The way I felt when the beast consumed my body is something that will haunt me for the rest of mylife.”
My chest hurt as I stared at the tears that fell from Bree’s eyes. Yes, she had been cured, but her wounds from that experience hadn’t healed. Maybe they neverwould.
Bree took a deep breath and plowed forward. “But that means I haven’t forgotten something else. I can’t blame someone for something they didn’t choose. I didn’t want a Redcap to bite me. None of us did. Hell, Shai didn’t even get bitten. She’s one of your human changelings. The ones you steal from my world. The ones you trap here while your discarded fae children are forced to grow up with a family that isn’ttheirs.”
Kael stiffened, and then he twisted in his saddle toward Rourke, whose face had transformed into wary concern. “This girl is one of the changeling humans, Rourke. What in the name of the forest is she doing running around out in the wild? She should be at the facility. Has Alwyn said anything about an escapedchangeling?”
