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“I know little about the fae. A week ago, I didn’t even know they existed.” I sit on the bench beside him, carrying the plate of fruit. “You’ll have to teach me.”
“Mafekadi is the Seelie Court. As a quarter-blood, they don’t bother me too much, and they’re much more akin to my human side than the Unseelie Court.” He pops a slice of apple into his mouth, chomping away as I consider what it means that my best friend in the wilderness is part fae.
I lift the yarrow-filled locket from the table. It’s the best gift anyone’s ever given me besides my father’s music box. I hold it up to the light, illuminating the symbol etched into the silver. Four interlocking circles glow in the afternoon sun. “Is this a fae symbol?” I trace it with my fingernail, curious about Levi’s ancestors.
He hooks a finger through the chain. “No, it’s the symbol for the Kindred Few. Each circle represents a brother or sister. Separate, we’re alone and weak, but together we’re strong.” He dangles the locket from one finger. “We’ll need to add another circle for you, Mari.”
As much as I want to cling to his sentiment of bringing me into the fold, it reminds me of how the Windsong-Barellis family line was decimated one circle at a time. And I’m not sure if there’s room for another circle in this symbol. “How long have you lived with the others?”
Brushing my hair to the side, he clasps the chain behind my neck. “Bastian’s parents took me in after my parents died. We had five happy years. His mother taught me how to bake the best apple pie and how to load and shoot a shotgun.” His gaze meets a faraway place, one where a person who has witnessed too many horrors goes to. “Then came the fire. Bastian and I survived while his parents and brothers didn’t make it. He took me to another farmer. Said he had to go find himself.” He traces the woodgrain of the table with the tip of his finger. “Bastian didn’t know any better. At sixteen, he thought he was doing what was best for me. I only wanted to stay with the only family I had left.”
My thoughts swirl with his story. Losing two sets of parents in five years in grotesquely violent ways might make anyone lose their mind. How can he be the most level-headed person here?
“I met Gray four years ago. He found me sleeping in a pig pen outside a farmer’s cottage near Erith. As an indentured fifteen-year-old servant regularly beaten by my owner, Gray took pity on me and paid for my freedom. When he found out I was an orphan, he brought me to the cabin where he lived with Evie.” He stares at the wall behind me as if drawn back into his memories. “Between that time and the time I lived with my parents, I was taken in by the Hales.”
“Bastian?” A bolt of excitement mixed with a sick feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.
“He came about a year later.” With his hands free, Levi signs his words. “At seventeen, he was almost as impressive as he is now. Strong, lean arm muscles, tall, and much shorter hair. Turns out the Dark King wanted his parents’ farm for the land. It’s close to the First City. Burned their house to the ground rather than offer to pay for it. That’s when we parted ways.”
“And will the others travel closer to the First City when they reach the Ringlet Forest?” A protective feeling washes over me, imagining Bastian, Gray, and Evie fighting the Miscretes to free Lyden. And what if it’s a trap?
“The Miscretes only travel this close to Avren in the protective shadows of the night, avoiding the soldiers and most interaction. They don’t bother the Supes, only the humans, although the Dark King occasionally convinces one of them to join his forces. It’s rare.” He bites into a slice of apple and sits on the edge of the table. “His second-in-command is a vampire.”
All this talk of the First City makes me long for Avren’s safety. “And when we travel to Mafekadi tomorrow? Is it in that direction?”
“No.” He touches my arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you. Mafekadi is to the south, while the First City is west. We’ll travel when the sun rises and arrive at Rumsford before dark, so nothing dangerous will bother us.” He assesses me, his hand warm on my sleeve. The sound of the crackling fire fills the room. “I know you want answers about the prophecy. It’s incomplete, so I don’t think we’ll find them traveling to Mafekadi. That’s where Gray and I were the other night.”
“In Mafekadi?” What other secrets do my brothers keep?
“No, trying to find the lost part of the prophecy.” He hangs his head, and I can tell he’s ashamed, but I’m not sure if it’s because he did or didn’t tell me. “There’s another fae village to the north called Frostacre. It holds the Unseelie Court and my Great-Uncle Bracken.” He glances up as if he expects a look of condemnation from me. “The grumpy bastard’s as cold as the town around him. Only rambled on about how his ancestors ripped apart the parchment holding the prophecy years ago and wiped memories of the knowledge. But we had to go. Gray and I are desperate to find out how you piece into the puzzle.”
“The prophecy mentions another savior.” The word tastes awkward in my mouth, especially if Levi thinks I’m one of them. “From the First City. Do you think the other part of the prophecy holds more clues as to the identity of the two people?”
“That’s what we believe. Why would someone go to such great lengths to hide it? There are plenty of Redeemed who will help the process along if we know the identities of the saviors.” He places the last piece of apple in my hand. “You’ll need your strength for our journey tomorrow. I’ll sleep in Bastian’s bed tonight, so you don’t have to listen to me snore.”
“You don’t snore,” I laugh, then take a bite of the apple.
“You lie and you know it, Maribel Windsong.”
I tap him on the nose, thankful for his friendship. “Only to stay on your good side.”
Birds chirp outside my window, waking me from a restful sleep. I made it through the whole night with no memorable dreams of Bastian. The one from my nap yesterday still haunts me.
I roll out of bed and run my fingers through my hair before bounding into the common room. I’m ready for a journey. Two packs lay on the table. Levi stands by the stove whistling a familiar song way out of tune. He’s as excited as I am.
“Good morning,” I say, moving into his eye line so as not to scare him.
He smiles his sweet Levi smile, pulls me into his arms, and kisses the top of my head. “Are you ready to see one of my favorite places?
“Beyond ready.” I snatch a piece of bacon from the frying pan, burning the tips of my fingers but ready to toss my vegetarian lifestyle to the wayside. Between my lips, it’s salty with a savory goodness I never knew existed. My old ways were in my past life—a life regulated by a five-person Council who knew everything and nothing about me at the same time.
“We’ll travel past the Grove, along the shores of the Lake of Glass, until we reach Rumsford on the southern shore. The next day, we need to climb into the foothills of the Elmridden Range.” He rakes his eyes over my black fighting gear. In all honesty, it’s getting pretty old, but besides my canvas sack from the Council, it’s the only clothing I have. “Why don’t you look in Evie’s room for more comfortable clothes to wear?”
I climb to the top of the stairs and face the three bedroom doors. Levi continues his off-tune whistling while he cooks. Biting my lip, I slowly turn the knob to Bastian’s room. I don’t know why I do it besides trying to quench my curiosity about the commander. The door creaks, but it doesn’t matter with Levi.
Inside, I close the door behind me and drink in Bastian’s room. Levi made the bed, which is raised up from the floor with a frame. A gray blanket covers white sheets. He’s nailed pieces of paper to the wall with the symbol from my locket sketched on them. The only difference is there are five circles instead of four.
On the opposite wall from the bed is a small writing desk with a quill, ink bottle, and a sheet of parchment laid out on top of it. I walk over and run my finger along Bastian’s cursive script. With a pang of guilt, I read his words, wanting to know everything about him.
