“That’ll do,” I croaked, grabbing the bottle from him.
I uncorked it and took a big gulp. The refreshingly tart wine coated my mouth with flavor, but I didn’t savor it, taking a few more desperate swallows. The effect of intoxication was almost immediate, cuddling my mind in a blissful, fuzzy warmth.
Kye watched me through a squint.
“You shouldn’t accept food or drink so easily from anyone in this world,” he warned.
“Why? Are you out to poison me?” I wiped my mouth with my forearm before slumping against the wall again.
“It’s not in my interests to wish you dead,” he reminded. “The deal I made with thebrackrequires me to keep you safe.”
“Like Leslo would try to avenge me if you don’t keep your word,” I snorted a laugh, taking another swig from the bottle.
At this point, I wouldn’t even care if it were poisoned, welcoming the lightness it brought while helping me conquer the jittery fear.
“Thebrackwouldn’t have to do a thing,” Kye said casually. “Breaking a promise would kill me more effectively than he ever could.”
I frowned at him, with the bottle poised for another swig.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Although every kind of fae in Nerifir has different kinds of magic, we’re all governed by the same fundamental rules,” he explained. “One of them is that we can’t break promises given. If we do, we die. In a rather gruesome, painful way, too.”
He winced, moving his shoulders uncomfortably.
“Why did you make the deal with him then? Why risk it?” I asked, incredulously.
At the same time, I wondered how much easier life back home would be if everyone kept their promises. But then of course, I’d probably be out of a job if the entire judiciary system could be replaced by magic.
On the other hand, knowing the conniving nature of some of my fellow humans, there’d probably be a million creative ways invented to word contracts without giving any promises at all.
“Making the deal backed by a formal promise was the only way to convince thebrackto risk his life for a bolt of silk.” Kye shrugged.
“What did you promise him in return?” I’d heard their entire conversation but understood very little from it.
“Womora.”
“What’s that?” I shook my head.
“A tree,” he explained. “The smoke ofwomoraleaves temporarily lessens the effects of all fae magic. Thebrack’sdisgraced goddess needs it for some nefarious purposes, no doubt. Butwomoraleaves can only be gathered in Sarnala on the night of full moon. As former werewolves, I suspectbracksaren’t up to the task on those nights. Or maybe Ghata just doesn’t have enoughbracksto get her all thewomorashe needs. It takes at least three people and the entire night to fill in a small jar. The werewolves of Sarnala aren’t capable of doing anything but hunting, fighting, and fucking on those nights. Conveniently, Olathana shares a shore with Sarnala, our border is next to the forest wherewomoratrees grow. We’ve had temporary agreements with Ghata before when our sirens gathered the leaves in exchange for whatever favors she traded. But ultimately, sirens aren’t the only fae who can gather the leaves. Thebrackvery well could’ve found someone else to make the deal with. But then, I wouldn’t have...” He slid his gaze down my frame then up to my face again with a confident, possessive smile. “But then I wouldn’t have the silk,” he finished with a briefsigh. He tipped his chin at the bottle in my hand. “Did it help? Are you feeling any better now?”
“I do. Thanks. It did help,” I admitted.
“Come. Let’s get you back to bed then.” Kye gestured at the wooden screen with my bed behind it.
I lingered, hugging the nearly empty bottle to me. “What if...thatthingcomes back?”
“It couldn’t even if it tried.” Kye shook his head with that cocky smirk. “There are only shards of glass left of it on the bottom of the ocean now.”
“What if there are more of them out there? What are those things anyway?”
An unsettling flicker of uncertainty passed through his expression before his usual confidence settled over his face again.
“Creatures from the Abyss, most likely,” he replied.
“Most likely?You aren’t sure? Have you seen them before?”
“They don’t come up very often.”
