With night and mist drenching the city in darkness, it was easy to hide among the shadows of the buildings. I eased down the nearest street with my eyes trained on the fog, searching for any sign of movement. Kalen’s warriors were most likely stationed near the front gates and the castle. Unfortunately, the castle was exactly where I needed to go if I wanted to reach the Tower of Crones.
Soot sprayed from the ground with every step I took closer to the courtyard. Soon, voices drifted toward me on the wind. Achingly familiar voices. Heart in my throat, I threw myself up against the nearest stone wall and didn’t dare take a single breath.
“You’re lying.” Kalen’s distant growl ripped through me. My lips parted, my hands tightening into fists.
Kalen was here. How? And why? When I’d found myself alone on the shores of Aesir, I’d assumed his Mist Guard had somehow forced him to return to Endir. They knew the truth about what had happened out there—or so I’d thought.
But he was here now and very much not in Endir.
Which meant…
My heart pounded. Kalen must not know I’d released the god.
“I said…” Morgan’s familiar voice sounded hollow—andwrong—and tinged with dark, twisted delight. “…your little mortal plaything was the one who caused that comet to appear. Don’t look so shocked. You told me about the prophecy centuries ago, and I’ve been on the lookout for it ever since. For the longest time, just like you, I thought Oberon would be the one to cause it. Looks like we were both wrong.”
Well, it seemed hehadn’tknown, but he certainly did now.
I eyed the distance from my hidden spot against the wall to the doorway leading into the Tower of Crones. From here, it was difficult to make out anything other than vague shadows in the mists, but those shadows rose high into the hidden clouds above. Kalen and Morgan blocked my way.
I needed to find shelter somewhere and wait for them to leave.
So with one last glance in Kalen’s direction, I spun around the side of the building and ventured into what had once been a tavern full of boisterous laughter, the clinking of tankards, and the lilting songs of bards. Now it was home to nothing but death.
Three
Niamh
The worst part of this situation was inarguably that damn comet in the sky, but there was one additional detail that was really rankling my ass. I hadn’t been there to see the life drain from Oberon’s eyes. He’d been a thorn in our sides for centuries. He’d given me the scar on my face the day he’d almost killed me. And I’d watched him, time and time again, kill my brethren on the battlefield.
I hated that monster with every fiber of my being.
And now he’d gone and died without an audience. I should have been there dammit. I would have killed him a second time over, just for gasping his last breath somewhere I couldn’t watch him, if I could.
Of course, there were far worst things to worry about now, particularly the angry red filling Kalen’s face. We had some gods on the way, and Morgan seemed to think Tessa had been the one to cause it. If she was telling the truth…
“This is another trick of Oberon’s.” Kalen, my king and closest friend, stormed toward Morgan, who still stood in the doorway of the Tower of Crones, looking eerily unbothered by the whole situation. She did know who she was poking at, right? “Tessa never would have done that. Sheknowswhat it means.” He pointed a finger at the sky. “Tell me the truth.Now,Morgan.”
Morgan was unarmed, but there was a dangerous glint in her eye—the hint of a threat. With a whistling breath, I slid an arrow from my quiver and notched it in my bow. According to her, she was a common fae, but…well, I no longer trusted a single fucking thing she’d ever said. “You even move your boot an inch, and this arrow will go straight through your skull.”
Morgan looked at me then, and something strange passed across her expression. “I’ve told you nothing but the truth. Search the streets if you don’t believe me. Oberon isn’t here, and this isn’t a trap. But I can see why you’d struggle to believe a word I say, knowing I’ve been forced to obey him all these years. So search away.”
I narrowed my eyes. Since she was fae, it was impossible to scent her truth or her lies. But something about her words didn’t sit right with me. Or the way she looked at Kalen, like she was a hunter and he was her prey.
“Move away from the Tower of Crones,” Kalen said in a low, dangerous voice.
“Your Mist Guard has made it very clear that I should do no such thing. If I move, Niamh will shoot me.”
“Niamh,” Kalen called over his shoulder, “search the streets. Take Toryn and Fenella with you.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the tension in Kalen’s body practically hummed through the courtyard. His mist pulsed from his skin, pounding with every thud of his heart. He was teetering on the edge of a very dangerous cliff, his magic likely scraping against his skin, desperate to get out. His anger fueled it—called for it, really. I’d only seen him lose control a handful of times, but it always started like this.
“Careful, Kal,” I warned him.
His mists whorled and snapped. “I’m fine, and Alastair will stay with me. Just go.”
Frowning, I lowered my bow and hooked my arm into Toryn’s elbow. “Come on. Let’s go hunt down a light fae bastard.”
Toryn gave our king a sidelong glance, but then he nodded, following Fenella and me away from the courtyard where Alastair and Kalen remained to keep an eye on Morgan. I didn’t really want to miss a word of the conversation, but if Morgan was lying and Oberon was hiding out somewhere nearby…a delicious excitement whipped through me. I wanted to be the one who found him.
