“Lorcan,” she called out, a strange hope solidifying in her chest.
He slowed to a stop beside Tarrah, stiffening. Twisting on his heels, he shot her a withering glare. “Be more careful. Watch where you’re going. I don’t want to have to explain to my father how the savior of his realm died on our watch.”
“All right.” She brushed the dirt off her trousers, but the thin hoarfrost silk was already stained brown.
He arched a brow. “All right?You’re not going to argue?”
“You just saved my life.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Yes, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. We need you.”
Her heart fluttered. “We? So, youareon the side of the shadow fae. You’re one of them.”
“Of course I am. I have no other choice.” His eyes flashed. “And neither do you.”
18
Reyna
“There’s smoke just ahead,” Nollaig whispered as she dropped onto the ground from the trees. Tarrah’s ‘compass’ had failed several hours back, so Nollaig had taken over. According to her calculations, they were still a full day away from Craobhan, but they would soon pass small villages and hamlets. Most would be far up in the trees rather than on the forest floor, so they had little choice but to climb every now and again to ensure they were not walking straight beneath the enemy.
“How far?” Tarrah asked. “If we stick to the forest’s edge, can we avoid them?”
Nollaig shook her head. “It was impossible to see where the village began and where it ended. The canopy is thick in the Forest of Thorns. The wood fae are very clever about not being seen unless they want to be seen.”
“Fantastic,” Reyna said bitterly.
“Draw your sword, Shieldmaiden,” Nollaig replied. “It might be time for you to use it.”
“Can I use it on you?”
“You can certainly try.”
Reyna sighed and drew her sword. If only she truly did have the freedom to attack these shadow fae, she knew that she would win. The cloaked one might be tricky, and Lorcan was a force to be reckoned with at times, but it would only take a single shove to knock Tarrah down. The other warrior, Teutas, could fight. But he could not fight as well as Reyna Darragh.
“Teutas, you and Lorcan take the front. Tarrah stay in the middle. Reyna and I will round out the back. Everyone stay alert.” Nollaig motioned the party into position, and they began a slow crouch-walk through the dense trees beneath the dappled light of the sun.
Nollaig fell back beside Reyna, holding a longsword tightly in her right hand. “I am going to give you one piece of advice. It is the same advice I gave Prince Lorcan many years back.”
Reyna pushed her brows to the top of her head. Nollaig had given Lorcan advice? She shook her head in awe and kept her gaze focused on the limbs that stretched over their heads, her eyes darting through the trees in search of hidden wood fae, poised to attack.
“All of this will go much better for you if you—”
“What? Give in? Accept my fate? Just be happy that I’m stuck inside an enemy court forever?” A new flash of irritation went through Reyna’s gut. They’d already taken her free will from her. She would not let them take her spirit as well. She would fight back the only way she knew how. With her words.
“You don’t have to accept any of it, Princess Reyna,” Nollaig said, her soft voice almost lost beneath the rustle of the leaves beneath their feet. “You just need to pretend.”
She jerked her eyes away from the trees. “Pretend?”
Nollaig nodded, which caused her hood to rustle around her hidden face. “Play the part. Convince the king that you do not hate the shadow fae. Make him trust you. Make him lower his guard.”
“I don’t see what good that will do,” Reyna muttered, turning her attention back on the canopy above. So far, there had not been any sign of the wood fae. That did not mean they weren’t there.
“He’ll no longer see you as a threat. You can get far more out of him then.” Nollaig nodded at where Lorcan strode at the head of the party. “How do you think Lorcan got to leave for so many years? It wasn’t from him shouting all the time about how he wanted to murder us all.”
Reyna frowned. “That’s different. Lorcan was—”
“Brought to our court against his will,” Nollaig cut in. “That’s right.” She nodded when Reyna shot her a shocked glance. “Lorcan was as angry as you are. Perhaps even more so. In the end, he decided to play the part of a dutiful prince, even if his hatred toward his father never died.”
