“If a redcap is bad, why are you friends with her?”
“They’re not ‘bad,’ Brynn.” Soren snorted. “We’re not a children’s fairytale with good and evil. We’re merely a different species. The redcaps as a wholedogravitate toward violence though. They’re known for their strategy and general bloodthirst. But Gwen left her kind behind years ago. You really didn’t know she was a redcap?”
Since we were alone, I pointed at my face. “Human, remember?”
“Right.” He blew out a breath like he’d actually forgotten. “Well, we may not have much time, so I guess I will bypass the water folk, like the kelpie, selkie, and rusalki...”
“I’ve got a better idea. How about I just stay away from all—” I broke off as the sight of a gray-haired man stopped my heart. But then the older man turned around.
It wasn’t him.
Human, yes. Serving drinks, from the looks of it. But not Dad.
He shuffled around the room with his tray of fae wine like a zombie with dull eyes.
Soren’s gaze followed mine. The corners of his eyes creased. “You can still find him, Brynn. You haven’t run out of time.”
I nodded, but my eyes had misted over.
The older man gave away the last glass of wine. He tottered toward the tunnel on the far side of the room. Blinking, I swallowed the thick tears and waved for Soren to hurry. “Come on, let’s follow him. He might lead us to more people.”
I was right.
Entering a new part of the burrow on the man’s heels, we found a large kitchen with three other exits. A couple cooks worked along the counters, while others used long-handled pans to place food in something that looked like an oven mixed with a fireplace. As smoke wafted up, it was sucked into a vent that I guessed led to the surface, though how far away that might be at this point, I couldn’t say.
The people didn’t react to our presence. They just moved back and forth like robots with their different tasks.
I gasped.
Gripping Soren’s arm hard enough to leave marks, I pointed at the dark-haired girl in dirty gray sweatpants disappearing into the tunnel on the opposite side of the kitchen. “That’s Rissa!”
IWANTED TO run rightup to Rissa, ignoring everyone, and yell, “Where are Dad and Olive?”
But I couldn’t without drawing unwanted attention. I was pretending to be fae, in a fae burrow, surrounded by other fae. So I gritted my teeth and held in my scream.
Only Soren’s hand taking mine kept me grounded in reality. I clutched his fingers so tight he probably lost circulation, but he didn’t complain.
