Right where our heads had been moments before.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
My necklace pulsed again. But I couldn’t stop staring at the fletching of the arrow, buried deep in the trunk of the oak tree. I gaped at it, opening and then closing my mouth. As if sheer disbelief could invalidate its existence. My mind looped the same thought over and over in shock.Somebody shot at us!Could it be an accident? An inept hunter shooting game along the river? I scanned the riverbank, but it was uninhabited.
Thwack.
A second arrow hit the ground.Nope! Definitely intentional!
Corvin cursed loudly. In one fluid movement, he rolled his powerful body, taking me with him.
Thwack.
A third arrow burrowed itself into the dirt at our side.
“We’re flying out of here!” Corvin called out frantically, tugging a feather off his cloak.
As it dropped, crimson tendrils of magic exploded into life. The next moment, we both vanished from sight.Corvin turned us invisible!It took me several moments to see through the illusion. This wasn’t Fae magic. This was…something different. New to me. Powerful. Corvin gripped my hand, hauling me to a standing position. I scanned our surroundings in a blind panic, but there was no sign of our adversary.
Soft lips brushed my ear. “Don’t let go!”
“Wha—”
My question died on my lips as Corvin slid his strong arms under my knees, hurriedly lifting me up until I was cradledagainst his chest, my arms wrapped around his neck. He shifted his majestic midnight-black wings into being.Whoosh.They flapped repeatedly as he bent his knees, tightening his grip on my body at the same time.
Thwack.An arrow whizzed past my ear, so close I could feel the air it displaced.
My stomach dropped out from under me as Corvin launched us upward in a powerful leap, taking to the sky. I nestled my nose into the side of his neck, too terrified to give it a second thought, swallowing a scream. “Don’t drop me!” I screeched. It didn’t really need to be said.
Corvin’s voice was reassuring. “I’ve got you, Elvira. I won’t let you go. You can relax. We should be safe up here.” He flapped his wings, taking us even higher into the sky. He flew in an erratic pattern, even though we were still invisible.
No more arrows found us.
The landscape rapidly faded out of view as we continued to gain altitude. I looked down at the winding river below and the cityscape farther ahead. The cool breeze walking next to the river had been pleasant. Now that we were flying, the air turned uncomfortably cold, harshly buffeting my face, causing my eyes to water and a strand of hair to escape my braid. I didn’t dare tuck it back behind my ear.
I stopped looking at the scenery so I could focus on Corvin holding me. I kept losing sight of him, my distraction causing his appearance to flicker in and out of sight. Even with Fae Sight, I was finding it difficult to consistently see through his invisibility. The fact I wasflyingfor the first time didn’t help my concentration.
“Kygraw is going tokill mefor using a Sigbin feather.” Corvin muttered gloomily. “I’m flying us to the city gate. Do you have any idea what that was all about? Without your necklace warning us to get down, we might very well be dead rightnow. How does it work?”And we hadn’t even started our true mission yet.
“I’m not certain. But it seems to help me when I’m traveling. I don’t think it works otherwise. I’m learning that moonstone can be very powerful. One of the books in my study called it a traveler’s stone. At least, this necklace seems to protect me and help guide my path when I’m out on the road.”
Corvin grunted. “That’s useful.”
“What’s a Sigbin?” I asked, stuck on his first comment.
“Huh? Oh, terrifying creatures. They turn invisible when hunting for blood at night. Very rare. They sort of look like a hornless goat, but their tails are sometimes feathered.”
“I don’t care how terrifying they are—if I ever meet one, I’m thanking it.” My voice turned remorseful. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t actually think… Well, it doesn’t matter what I thought. Someone is clearly trying to kill me. And I should have warned you sooner—I’m so sorry. An acquaintance of mine visited the island. Told me someone approached him for hire. Offered him money to attack me.”
“What!? Who? And for what possible reason?” Corvin tightened his arms around me.
“I don’t know. He couldn’t remember their face, like he’d been glamoured. It might be a Fae from the Spring Court. I’m still trying to puzzle it all out. We could still be in danger. I wonder if they’ve been tracking me all this time.”
“Maybe. Or someone was stationed at the river. Waiting for you.”
“That’s a terrifying thought.”
“It would make sense if they knew you were leaving.”
