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“Ah… the Citizen gone rogue.” Avo pulls me into a hug, but it’s not as tight as I expect it to be. “Levi’s told me all about you. Didn’t think that exclusive little group would ever let another one in. You must be something special.”
“If you count a woman who’s never cooked, cleaned, or shot an arrow straight regularly as special, then you’re a genius in your assessment.” I still don’t understand the magnetic pull Levi feels around me. “Unless my personality draws you in.” Smiling, I follow Avo into the house.
“Have a seat,” he says, ushering us to a bench formed by the giant roots of a tree. Entanglements of herbs and plants hang from the ceiling, giving the room a thick smell. Earthen-colored pillows cover the seating area. Bringing us each a cup of tea, he sits on the floor by our feet, his legs crisscrossed. “The prophecy’s clear. One savior will come from Avren.” Moving to his knees, he lights a long stick in the fireplace before bringing it back to me.
“What is that?” In the wilderness, there are many things I’ve witnessed not present in the city. Most have to do with the spiritual realm or necessities not needed in a progressive community.
“It reveals the hidden.” Avo moves the smoking stick slowly around my body. It has a sweet, woody aroma which calms my nerves.
I close my eyes, giving in to the fae’s magic. Though I don’t know Avo enough to trust him, I trust Levi. If this creature can decipher the puzzle of who I am, I have no problem with him waving his smoky wand.
“It is written.” Avo’s voice echoes through my head. “So shall it be.”
I open my eyes and look from Avo to Levi. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Your presence, your aura, and the clear attraction you emit tell me you are the first half of the prophecy.” He brushes his long hair over his shoulder and tosses the smoking stick into the fire. It releases a purplish hue in the flames. “I’m but a simple fae, but my instincts hold the same clarity as the greatest among us.”
“Do you know anything about the missing piece of the prophecy?” Levi signs out his words.
“If you didn’t have luck with your uncle in Frostacre, I’m afraid you won’t find an answer here. The Unseelie Court stole the prophecy from us years ago. They are the ones to ask.” He stands and leans against a door, probably leading to a bedroom.
“Bracken won’t tell me anything. It’s like asking a wall for help.” Levi draws in a sharp breath, places his elbows on his knees, and buries his fingers in his hair.
“Do you think the fae from the Unseelie Court will listen to me?” I place a hand on his back, trying to find some way to be useful. “If Avo can see I’m a so-called savior, won’t they sense the same thing? I need to know who I’m working with if I’m supposed to take down two cities.”
Levi sits up straight, interlocking his fingers with mine. “You’re never to go to Frostacre. It isn’t safe for a human.”
The door to the bedroom opens, revealing a fae with silver hair. Quinn Malum. “She doesn’t have to travel to Frostacre alone. The king sent me to be her personal escort.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Levi draws an iron dagger from the inside of his coat, leaps to his feet, and holds it in a shaking hand pointed at Quinn. “Over my dead body.”
With a bored expression, Quinn holds a palm to Levi’s forehead. “Fine with me.”
My heart pounds, and I watch in horror as my friend crumples to the ground. Without a second thought, I drop to my knees beside his lifeless body, my hands trembling as I try to shake him awake, the weight of fear and helplessness settling in my stomach.
Wake up, Levi.
“You said no one would get hurt.” Avo’s voice sounds miles away as I gather Levi into my arms.
A hand grips the back of my cloak, and I’m ripped away from him. He falls back to the floor. “He’s not dead, only in a deep sleep. Should give us enough time to get halfway to Frostacre.”
A coal of hatred ignites deep inside my chest, ready to burst out and show this evil fae exactly what I’m made of. With two swift strokes, I jab him in the face with my elbow and execute a perfect round kick, knocking him on his ass.
Bastian would be proud.
I race to the front door and throw it open, only to find two enormous wolves waiting for me outside. Saliva drips from their mouths as they claw at the ground with paws the size of my head. My beleaguered heart races with adrenaline, which is rapidly dropping with the loss of my escape.
“You don’t think I travel alone, do you, Miss Windsong?” Standing, Quinn crosses the floor in two long strides, snatches my arm, and pulls me tight against him. “When the king of Frostacre delegates a task to me, I don’t disappoint.”
The same icy chill I felt the night before rushes through me in a shiver.
Quinn muscles me out the door, practically throwing me on top of a wolf. To my surprise, I’m resting belly-down on top of a saddle. “Sit up, or it will be a very uncomfortable two-day ride.”
Besides the stupid prophecy, what does the king of Frostacre want with a “useless woman from Avren” as the commander puts it? I struggle into a seated position, finding the rancid, steaming breath of the creature beneath me almost too much to take. The wolves seem so out of place in the peaceful valley of Mafekadi.
Avo clutches the doorframe, his face sheet white and tears streaming down his face. “I’m so sorry, Maribel. You’re such a pleasant girl, but he threatened to kill Levi.” He looks back into the room behind him. “I’ll make sure he recovers, if he doesn’t stab me with his iron dagger when he wakes. I’m afraid he’ll never forgive me for this one.” The fae closes the door, leaving me alone with Quinn and his monster wolves.
