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I rolled my eyes and drew the leads over Venom’s head, whistling to a squire to take her into the stables.

“Oh, you’ll want her close, Captain,” he said, holding the squire from taking the sweet mare away.

I lofted a brow at him and crossed my arms. “Magic storm again? Tell the villagers I’ll send troops and a few carpenters to help them clean up the mess and rebuild, but His Majesty has most of them occupied with building the new solarium for the ball.”

Silver ducked his head and pulled me in close. “No, you baboon. I’ve had word.”

Every nerve in my body stood at attention. The shell of hope’s corpse rattled in its grave. Did I dare to think he was talking about what and who I thought he was?

Venom danced on her feet, feeling the tension between Silver and me.

“Well, spit it out before your sweet little mare lives up to her name for once.”

Venom had once been named Honey, but when Silver decided to spend a fortune to extend her life, he had to rename her to some wicked name to excuse the expense. After all, sweet mares were as common as sticks, even this breed which was extinct in the human world. But well-trained war horses fit to run on dangerous missions? Those were hard to come by.

“Our spies said there’s been reports of a Fae woman traveling with three daora and a giant black dog.”

I swallowed hard around the razor lump that had formed in my throat. It couldn’t be her. “It can’t be them. She’s not Fae.”

“We both know she was crafted specifically to look like one of us. More so than the others. If you didn’t know she was a human and you were passing by her, she moves just like one of us, smells like one of us and if she tries, she can sound just like one of us. You yourself have suspe—”

I shot him a glare. “I shared that with you in private in a moment of confidence. Don’t you dare repeat it.”

He gave me a long, meaningful look. Silver was the only one that I trusted enough to share my suspicions with—not even my two co-conspirators knew. In one of the many nights since her disappearance, he had helped me off the floor of my rooms, bound up in the Siur Dobh’s embrace, and it had tumbled free. He was not oathbound to me like the other two were, but he was more loyal than I deserved. He would never give my secret up, especially not when it came to her. He had felt her loss almost as keenly as I had.

“Fine. You know she can pass for one of us.”

“Where were they?”

“Fómhar territory. At the Crossroads.”

“What in Odharnait’s name were they doing headed into Abhartach lands? That’s a death sentence! Especially with Brittle Spear’s heirs jostling for position.” I leaned back and scratched at the healed slash on my arm I had fed the tree from. “And you’re sure?”

“Sure as Caoilfhionn’s wrath.”

I gave him a decided nod and in one smooth move mounted Venom, rubbing her neck to ease her startled fear. “Take over. Make some excuse. I’ll be back when I’m back.”

“Captain?”

“What, Silver?”

“Bring her back.”

“If it’s her, she wouldn’t let me drag her back to this pit. I’ll send word if I find her.”

I handled Venom’s reins gently, all my strength holding back the reins of my optimism. It might be her. It might very well be her. But what she was doing headed to the Fómhar Court, I didn’t know.

Venom’s hooves beat the ground as I gave her her head and let her stretch long into her gallop, my seat firm and true.

Two days. With Venom beneath me, I had two days to get to her.

The benefit of a half-Fae horse was they never grew tired if you let your magic seep into them. Venom would race through the countryside without stopping if I let her.

And I intended on letting her.

I ached from head to toe and Venom showed no signs of slowing. We had flown across the dense forests and open meadows dotting the landscape between Sceach Gheal an Bith and the neutral zone known as the Crossroads. All that was left was to cross the bogs of the Fómhar borders. This was the one path in my quest that I could not take Venom through at full pace. Every step could see one or both of us succumbing to the hungry specters haunting the dark waters.

I dismounted, running a hand from twitching flank to darkened neck. Venom pranced on her feet, nervous about the dense fog hovering over the pockmarked landscape.