Footsteps pounded behind her. Heart hammering, Reyna spun away from the tent and busied herself with the empty food bowl she still clutched with tense hands. She risked a glance over her shoulder. Two more warriors rushed toward the king’s tent, mouths set in a grim line.
Reyna whispered closer once more when they disappeared inside. “Your Highness. We’ve found something in the woods.”
“Go on,” the king replied, voice curious.
“One of our warriors has been killed and stripped bare. All her clothes are gone, along with her weapons.”
Oh no.Reyna’s heart thumped. She’d covered the dead fae with a blanket of leaves. In time, she knew they’d find her, but she had not expected it to come so soon. Well, this wasn’t great.
“Someone killed one of our own?” the wood king asked in a voice as chilling as the shortest winter day. “One ofmywarriors?”
“It seems that way, Your Highness,” the guard replied.
A boom shook the ground where Reyna stood. The wood king growled, an animalistic sound that slithered through her bones. “Unseelie will curse their soul,” he hissed. “Traitor! I am the only wood fae who may kill his own.”
Reyna shuddered. Time to get the hell out of here. They knew an enemy was amongst them.
“Search for anyone who looks suspicious or guilty,” the wood king growled. “And start with the females. Round ‘em up and bring them to the fire.”
The tent flap shifted, and Reyna scuttled out of the way. She tossed the bowl onto the ground and took off at a jog. Somehow, she needed to sneak backoutof camp, when she’d worked so hard to get inside. If anyone looked too closely at her, they’d notice the inconsistencies. The armor was a little tight. The trousers were a bit long. Bits of silver near the top of her head had begun to poke through, even though she’d touched up the dye on the boat.
Her foot hit something hard. A startled cry ripped from her throat as she fell forward and slammed into the ground. Mud squished between her fingers as she hastily scrambled back to her feet.
“Look where you’re going,” a nasally voice said.
She glanced down to find Aengus hiding behind a tent, but his boot stuck out into the path, which must have been what tripped her.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Why are you in such a hurry anyway?” he demanded.
“Getting some exercise in,” she said, forcing her voice to take on the more lilting quality of the wood fae. “Gotta stay strong and healthy for the battle.”
“Sure, if there was actually going tobea battle,” he snorted.
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Surely you don’t actually think we’ll have to clash swords with those shadow fae parasites? They’ve been living on borrowed time for decades now. They have nothing left inside their dead lands except for that throne. It’s only a matter of time before that bastard prince surrenders to Ulaid Molt.”
Reyna narrowed her eyes. “I don’t see that happening.”
“Why not?” Aengus pushed up from his crouch behind the tent to give her a curious stare. “I haven’t seen you around.”
“Well, I’ve certainly seenyouaround.” She pointed at the mud caking his knees. “Why are you lurking around in the muck? I thought the High King ordered you to stay in your tent.”
“No, what hedidis call me here to—”
“What’s going on here?” One of the warriors Reyna had followed suddenly appeared before them. His body was corded in muscle, clearly on display by the sleeveless armor wrapped around his shoulders. Curly strands of orange hair tickled the tops of his ears.
“The Grand Alderman has refused to return to his tent,” Reyna said, biting down a cruel smile. Sometimes, revenge tasted as sweet as Hawthorne Berry Pie.
The warrior frowned. “Our Highness has little patience for this, Grand Alderman.”
“What should we do with him?” Reyna asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
The orange-haired warrior paused for a moment before heaving out a tired sigh. “Return to your tent at once, Grand Alderman. This is your final warning.” And then the warrior turned to her. “Come with me. We’re searching for any females in camp who look as though they don’t belong. Anyone who is hiding. Anyone who seems guilty.”
Reyna’s heart thumped hard. She could scarcely believe her luck. If she hadn’t tripped on Aengus’s leg, this warrior might have noticed she didn’t belong. As she followed him through the camp, the flame of hope in her chest was quickly doused by a bucket of boiled water. The warriors grabbed random females, roughly yanking their hands behind their backs and binding them together with rope.
