Page 43 of A Beautifully Crafted Lie

“Be careful what you eat, lovely,” she warns. “Faerie fruit isn’t safe for humans.”

I hesitate, memories of the writings in the book flooding my mind.

She smiles at me, taking a seat across from mine. “These are safe; you don’t need to worry,” she reassures me. “But not these.” She gestures toward the freshly cut fruit out of my reach.

“Why should I believe you?” I ask.

“Because faeries can’t lie,” she replies with a casual shrug of her shoulders, her smile growing even brighter. “I’m Àine, by the way.” Her carefree demeanour is enchanting, filling the room with a sense of lightness. In contrast, Odhran is shadow and thunder.

Taking a bite of the small puff pastry, I can’t help but let out a soft moan. The symphony of textures and flavours practically melt in my mouth. The balance of savoury and sweet, the satisfying crunch followed by the softness—it’s quite possibly the best pastry I’ve ever had. With each bite, I can’t help but close my eyes, savouring the moment.

TWENTY-ONE

BRYNDIS ASHGLO

Fire is a transformative element that signals change, even if it is through pain. It is used to celebrate the end of a season and the commencement of a new one.

The Legends of The Forgotten, by Tibor Harper

The house is quiet when I rise from my seat at the empty table. Àine left shortly after the others, allowing me to finish my breakfast in peace.

Free to take in the now lit room, I marvel at its beauty. It’s painted in streaks of gold and green. Lush vegetation and tall trees encircle the house from every moss tinted window. Large glass panes and transparent ceilings allow warm rays of light to flow freely from between a net of ivy.

The windows are wide open with not a soul in sight. The chirping of birds in the trees outside are all that keeps me company, cheerful and free. I long to be like them and envy their effortless joy. Don’t let anyone rob you of your dreams, someone special once told me. The last words I ever heard her speak. I wonder if she’d even recognise me if she saw me now. She wouldn’t be able to. They probably drank her dry years ago.

Careful not to make a sound, I move my chair back, lifting it off the wooden floor. Stepping out from behind the table, I make sure to tread lightly as I peer through every archway and down the passage to my right—the one that led me to the dining room this morning. No one. Not a single sound or sign of movement. My heartbeat picks up its pace, my plan taking form in my mind. I’m leaving.

I take a step toward the front door. Then two, more than ready to put this place behind me. More than ready to discover a place I truly belong and find Declan and my sister. I pause, my shoulders slumping forward. A familiar ache spreads through my chest, hollowing me out. My mother’s book. I can’t leave without my mother’s book. It’s the one thing I have left of her. The only thing that’s here within my reach and not hidden in my room back at the manor.

“This is stupid!” I mutter to myself, turning from the door and toward the room I’d slept in. I’m going to regret this. I’m so going to fucking regret this. The tightness in my jaw is almost unbearable. With every inch I move away from the front door, I curse myself. You’re an idiot. It’s only a book. At least one is a lie.

The concealed door I’d traced with my finger is closed, the sharp edge perfectly concealed to look as though it doesn’t exist. The passage is just as quiet as the room I’d left. So quiet that my breathing almost disturbs its peace. Leaning closer, I press my ear to the wall where I remember the secret entrance to be. Voices. I hear voices, indistinct but clear enough to know who is speaking. Odhran and his friends.

“If you want to leave, you must go now,” Aed hisses.

“Wait.” I frown as I strain to decipher the conversation on the other side.

“Wait for what? To get caught?”

“I’m trying to listen!” I can only make out a few words before their approaching footsteps filter through the wall. Bryndis. King. Dead.

“They are coming!” Aed hisses.

I don’t fight him this time. Pushing off the wall, I run towards my bedroom, my heart beating faster, harder, until it threatens to climb up my throat entirely. After what I saw Odhran do in the ballroom, there’s no telling what he’ll do to me if I’m caught. If he no longer deems me a guest, will he lock me in another fancy cage? Strike me for my transgressions? Drain my blood? Kill me? I’d rather die freeing myself than spend my life in servitude like Àine.

There may not be another opportunity like this, and I’m wasting it on a bloody book. Dammit! If only it was just a book, but it’s not. It’s a remnant of my mother’s life. A tiny fleck of… her. Every footprint she left behind is more valuable than gold.

The bedroom door is closed. Without hesitation, I grip the handle and push down. It swings open without a sound. Unlike the rest of the house, the room I’d slept in is as dark as night. The heavy velvet curtains are drawn, but I’m sure they were open when I left earlier.

Squinting my eyes into focus, I search the room for my book as my eyes adjust to the dark. My heart stops beating altogether, my effortless movements stilling without further thought. The door handle behind me tilts, and a silver beam of light spears across the floor. I run towards the wardrobe, climbing inside.

“I’ve missed you,” a seductive feminine voice practically purrs.

“Doubtful,” Odhran drawls. He steps into the room, and she follows. Her golden hair falls to her waist in waves of silk. The teal dress clinging to her body flows to the floor from her hips. “What do you want, Thalia?”

She approaches him, running her hand across his back. “For you to make me scream,” she whispers, causing heat to rush to my cheeks then settle in my core. “The way you always do.”

Odhran pauses, glancing in my direction. I fear my discovery as my heart beats wildly in my chest. “Not today, Thalia. You already have someone doing that for you, or have you forgotten about him?” Cool air brushes my flaming skin, and I hold my breath for a moment longer.