Page 48 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

Her smile returns, soft and encouraging. “I know you will.”

I huff a weak laugh, the sound hollow even to my own ears. “I just need to figure out how to read it first.”

“Given that the Fae want your help, I’m sure they’d be willing to translate it,” she says.

I shift my feet, feeling the hard floor press through the thin soles of my worn flats. “Maybe.”

But a louder, insistent voice inside me demands I keep this tome a secret.

I’ll take a day or two to try and read the book on my own. If I fail, then I’ll ask the Fae for help. Jaxon, most likely. He’s the least terrifying of the males camped out in the Forbidden Forest.

Magic tingles in my palms in silent approval.

Juniper uses the fire poker to slide the wooden plank back into place and presses her foot on the edge to make it flat.

“What is that?” I nod at the small bag remaining on the floor.

“An heirloom I’ve been meaning to have cleaned.” She grunts and hunches to grab the bag.

She straightens and tucks the sack into her apron pocket.

I follow her back to the kitchen table, where she sits with a relieved groan.

My forehead furrows. “Do you need more willowsbark?”

The pain-relieving root is hard to come by these days, but it’s the only treatment that manages to numb the discomfort in Juniper’s joints.

“I have plenty.” She waves a dismissive hand. “Do not worry about me.”

“Impossible.” I walk over and press a kiss to her head. “Thank you for the book.”

She takes my hand. “Of course. I hope it helps you with your predicament.”

“Me too.” I squeeze her hand gently. “I should go home. Try to study before the Fae come for me again.”

“Go.” She drops my hand. “But take care about who sees that book. The Elders won’t be pleased to learn you have such a text in your possession.”

At the end of the Shadow Wars, the Fae king demanded that humans destroy all records of Fae. In a desperate bid to avoid invoking the Shadow King’s wrath, Verdanthians complied with frightening obedience.

“I will,” I vow, backing toward the door. “I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

“Good luck, my dear.”

I take a spare shawl from the hook by the front door and wrap it around the book before tucking the forbidden item under my arm.

Excitement lightens my steps as I hop the stepping stones down Juniper’s path.

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Even if I can only decipher the book's images, I’m sure to learn a plethora of new information—information that could not only help me fulfill my debt with the Fae, but might also help me treat my neighbors with new herbs or remedies.

The possibilities are endless. The Gods are smiling on me.

I must visit the temple soon. I’ve never been devout, but I will utter words of praise and thanks to all six Gods if there’s a chance their blessings will help me save Verdanthia.

I’m halfway home when a sudden weight drapes over my shoulders like an unnatural cloak. I freeze, my spine stiffening, and snap my head toward the tree line. My heart thunders.

Nothing moves. There’s no sound. But I know something watches me.

Something. Not someone.