8
MAX
“This is suicide.”
“In a way,” I conceded.
“We should have really brought along the princes,” Samkien mutters.
Peeking out from the brush, I glance high to the moon. It took us straight the rest of the night, through the next day to make it to the palace’s grounds. The guards are exhausted, and the stallions are laying down, unable to continue. They pushed through to get me here.
Because we all want Kaden back.
“We don’t need the princes,” I argue. “We can do this.”
“Can we?” Reid pulls a red bandana from his chin. “Because neither of us know how to enter those grounds without being killed.”
Cocking an eyebrow, I gesture to the field. “She can’t be as bad as you say.”
Samkien sighs. “She is, Your Majesty. Aoife is known to be wildly unpredictable.”
“But Kaden was able to speak to her.”
“And Kaden is the only one. Without the princes or him, we are seen as enemies. We don’t know how she’ll react.”
“I have faith that we can win her over.” My fingers pull red. “We just need her to see us as friendly.”
Reid glances to the soldiers who silently wait behind us. Tiredness seeps from their auras, but their eyes watch, waiting to act. Covered in leather armor, faces are bare to me and their weapons gleam against the moonlight.
They probably don’t look like allies.
I twirl the dagger, a present from my mate for our engagement. Crafted by his hands, they’re light as a feather, easy to spin with dark gems the color of my eyes. They’re a piece, a reminder, of what I fight for.Him.
“What about an envoy?”
Reid snorts. “Who are we sending to be killed, Dark Queen? Samkien?” He points at the Fae. “Feel like dying today?”
“Not particularly, no.”
“Then, what do you suggest?” I growl, tossing a rock at the irritating male. “Because we need her help to crack the curse on the spell book to save Kaden. I’m open toallideas.”
Falling back on his knees, the young male shrugged. “Find another option?”
“Reid!”
“What about a hawk?” he suggests. “Send her a message. Let her know we want to meet.”
Samkien shakes his head. “Only the king knew how to communicate with the Woodland Fae Queen. We don’t know if she’d accept the hawk or kill it out of the sky.”
And considering we have three hawks in our company, we need them for communication. We can’t risk losing one.
Dropping beside Reid, I hang my head. We’re stuck unless we come up with another plan.
Or if Mal and Fenrir catch up to us. They could explain to their mother what was happening, but it’s unlikely. Their horses don’t look like they’re meant for speed. Considering we traveled through the night, and everything in this kingdom hates darkness, it could be some time before we see them.
And we don’t have time to waste. The full moon is coming up, and if we don’t figure out how to break his curse, Kaden will be stuck like that. Forever.
No.
