Forget our bargain. It was a load of horse crap, anyway, and I will never allow myself to be tricked so easily again.
I soon find the fissure in the wall and slip inside. I hold my lamp out before me, expecting to find him lurking in the darkness, but like the kitchen, he’s nowhere in sight.
Odd.
Tegwyn never spends the whole night out of the mountain, especially in the cold of winter.
I hope he’s okay.
Shaking the thoughts away, I start searching for my necklace. My eyes land on a padlocked drawer, but when I tug on the handle, it stays put.
Typical.
There must be a key somewhere.
So, I move my hands around his desk, shuffling aside various rolls of parchment and feathered quills, yet my search proves fruitless.
Losing all hope, I start rummaging through boxes, tossing aside bric-a-brac until I find a sewing kit.
If I can’t find the key, then I willmakea key. Bending several sewing needles, I get to work on the padlock, biting my lip in concentration. I don’t expect to have much luck, but when the tumbler clicks, my eyes widen, and then I open the drawer.
To my great disappointment, it’s annoyingly empty.
However, I get an idea and begin to knock on the bottom with my knuckles. The sound reverberates.
I should have known...
Pushing the bottom of the drawer aside, I stagger back when I finally find what’s hidden beneath.
There, on a stained, yellowed parchment, lies my necklace.
The diamonds shine brightly once again, greeting me like an old friend, and I don’t think twice—I stuff the necklace inside my pocket and scurry out of the cave.
It doesn’t take me long to find the exit, and I soon arrive at the slope. The cold takes my breath away the instant I step outside.
Dawn peeks over the mountains, painting the snow blood red, and I’m running out of time. Bypassing the main trail, I find a lesser-used path. Loose scree clatters in my wake, and I slip several times, spreading my arms out for balance. I must be losing my mind, but if it means avoiding that faerie, so be it.
I tread carefully, trying not to make any sudden movements. Rock rattles underfoot, and every time they make a sound, I think it’shimfollowing me...
The ground soon levels out, the forest directly in my line of sight, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
Finally.
A hooded figure appears suddenly in my path, and I almost slip the rest of the way down.
With a face veiled in shadow, he’s death forged in flesh.
I backtrack, never taking my eyes off him.
“Going somewhere?” he rasps, lifting his face into the watery light, and I finally meet those yellow eyes.
They shine no longer, and he’s a mere reflection of the Fae he was.
I wet my lips with my tongue, trying to find my voice, “I…I was…”
He stalks closer, tendrils of darkness hissing in his wake, and I almost stumble on a rock. “Go on.”
My heart pounds, and I shut my eyes, whispering, “I was going for a stroll.”
