Rose, upon hearing Drystan’s voice, shoves past me on wobbly feet and rushes to where the skull is strapped to Prae’s saddle.
“You’re okay!” she cries, then freezes when she sees that only part of her dour knight is actually here with us.
“The fairies had him pinned to the palace gates under guard,” Prae explains. “They’ve let the rest of the fae back into the city to show off Eero’s victory over the ‘corrupt Nicnevin’. This was nailed up with him.” She pulls a pale red wad of fabric from her pocket and passes it to Rose, who takes it, her shoulders shaking. “The horse found me when the head whistled.”
“I have a name,” Drystan growls. “Rhoswyn, you need to get yourself away from?—”
“If you’re about to tell her to get away from us,” I growl. “I’ll remind you that I’m the only thing that stopped her from being slaughtered by her own people just now.”
“Get on the horse,” Prae growls. “Now. We need to leave. The summer soldiers weren’t happy that I took him. I think I lost the ones on my trail, but we can’t be certain until we’re far away from here.”
“Don’t you dare touch my horse!” Drystan snarls.
I shrug. “What are you going to do about it?”
Nothing. He’s a head.
Unfortunately, that’s the wrong thing to say.
My ass catches fire. Literally.
I drop to the floor, trying to smother the flames. “Fucking?—”
“ENOUGH!”
No one in the barn expects Rose to shout. Perhaps that’s why we all shut up, heads snapping to where she stands beside the black stallion.
“We don’t have time for you two to argue.” She runs the fabric over the dried blood of her arms, then tugs it over her head with watery eyes.
Oh.Oh. It’s the redcap’s hat.
It transforms slowly into a droopy looking eight piece, shrinking to fit over her ears.
“Caed is going to protect me,” she tells Drystan’s head. “I can’t ride. Once he and Prae have found us somewhere safe for the night, we’ll work on a plan to get the rest of you out of Siabetha.”
“Don’t be?—”
Rose holds up a hand. “Stop it.” Her entire frame is trembling again, voice shaky. “I need you. All of you. I won’t leave any of you behind.”
Drystan doesn’t listen. “Fomorian.” I roll my eyes at the head. “If there is a shred of honour left in your walking corpse, you’ll take her to the Spring Court, and her brother. Now.”
I look between Rose and the head, then shrug. “Last time I checked, she was the queen, not you. Now, I need that horse.”
Drystan’s curses echo through the barn as I lift our little queen into the saddle by her waist, then swing up in front of her. Her arms wrap around my middle, and I have to work to suppress a shudder.
Fuck, that buzz…
“Gentle on the reins,” Drystan lectures. “He’s not some dumb Fomorian reptile.”
“Set me on fire again, and I’ll dunk you in the nearest river,” I promise his head.
“Hurt her and I’ll scorch the skin from your bones,” he retorts.
“We don’t have time for this,” Prae growls. “Ride.”
I grab the reins and nudge the horse forward into the meadow. “If we’re split up, head for the shack by the sea.”
She nods, spurring her horse to take the lead as I throw a glamour over all of us. Goddess, this is hard. Illusions aren’t my forte, and the strain is brutal. I almost ask Rose for help, but some tiny piece of my pride refuses to admit how much I struggle with this magic in front of the dour knight.
