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I pinch myself. The leather rubs against me as I squeeze, leaving a red patch on the pale skin peeking out between the end of my glove and my sleeve. It, uh, it kind of hurt, too. Isn’t that the universal test? Pinch yourself and if it hurts you’re not dreaming.
Well, that can’t be good. Because if I’m not dreaming, then that means I might have shadow traveled here by accident just in time to overhear a conversation between Carolina and her mistress.
“I need an update. The Shadow has already come of age and, yet, she still hasn’t come to Faerie. What is she doing in the Iron? Gathering weapons? Is she still in contact with the traitors?”
“No, mistress. I’ve told you before. Her experiences with the fae have left her wounded. She wants nothing to do with the Seelie or the Unseelie. She still believes she’s mostly human, even after I pointed out that she wasn’t. She has no desire to come to Faerie. She doesn’t want to face the queen.”
A laugh follows. A throaty, terrible laugh.
A cruel laugh.
“She doesn’t have to want to do anything, silly girl. It’s been foretold. She will come to Faerie if you have to convince her to open a portal and push her through yourself. Or would you rather I find another human to take your place? You failed me when you couldn’t get to her inside of the asylum. She’s handed to you on a silver platter and still she hides. When will the Shadow play her part? I grow weary of waiting.”
“I’m sorry. Her time inside has made it difficult for her to believe that Faerie is a real place. She definitely doesn’t think she’s responsible for following the prophecy. I’ve tried. I made her understand that she’s my only hope—”
“Ah. That is quite clever. She won’t risk leaving her nest to save her enemies. But if you are her friend…”
“I’m not just her friend,” Carolina corrects. “I’m human. The Shadow doesn’t realize that, sometimes, we can be as dangerous as the fae.”
She’s not wrong. Before I was in a position to eavesdrop on her, I never would’ve thought Carolina was a threat. She’s so small, I could break her in half if I had to, and my newfound skills with the shadows—and, okay, shade-walking—make me more of a threat.
But there’s something else I have that Carolina doesn’t: a sense of loyalty. Once I dropped my guard enough to let her in, she was one of my people. Sure, I didn’t really have any intentions of, you know, killing the Fae Queen or anything like she wanted me to. I still would’ve figured out some way to help Lina. Even if I had to swallow my pride and ask Nine to bring us food from Faerie, I would’ve done it.
What’s worse? Even hearing her plotting with the Dark Fae who holds all of the power over her, I still would. She might be betraying me right now—might have been betraying me all along—but I actually get it. I do. When it comes to doing whatever you can to save your life, you have to make concessions.
And, after all, who am I really but some chick from Black Pine?
I want to leave. Last thing I need is to get caught at the door, listening to their conversation. I can’t, though. When the Dark Fae speaks again, I stay.
I have to listen.
“Tell me about the fruit. Having my guard leave it for her in the dark of her shadows stole half of his power. I hope it was worth it. Did she eat the peach?”
“I… She did.”
“And?”
A pause, then Carolina admits, “It didn’t work.”
“Why not? It works on all humans. It certainly worked on you.”
“Yes. But the Shadow is half-fae. That’s what the prophecy says, and I’ve seen her pointed ears myself. She’s definitely a halfling. So maybe that’s why it didn’t work.”
Lie. Even in this hazy, strange space, I feel the discomfort tugging at my gut and I’m sure of it. Carolina just told her mistress a lie.
Of course, she did. When I first discovered the truth behind why she never ate, I wasn’t thinking straight. I immediately told her about the peach and how Nine was able to save me from the curse. I offered to get him to help her. So she knows that the peach made me sick and that Nine’s touch healed me.
She didn’t tell the Dark Fae female that, though.
Why?
And even more importantly, who the hell left me the peach? I was convinced it was Rys. Is he working with this nameless, faceless power? Or was it some other fae who tried to poison me?
“Perhaps she needs to eat more. Did you give her the other fruit I provided?”
“She wouldn’t take it. She told me the peach made her sick, that she’d rather stick to the cheese and bread I brought for her. She trusts me more than she did in the beginning, and I’m still working toward leading her to you. I think, after I return from this trip, she’ll be so glad that she’s not alone anymore, she might just leave the house again.”
“Do what you must. The iron gate surrounding the house makes it difficult for my guards to cross the boundaries, even in daylight. I’d send Unseelie after her, but she controls the shadows in her domain far better than a halfling who’s just come of age. Unless she opens the portal and invites them in herself, she’s impossible to reach in the Iron. I need her in Faerie. I need you to do this for me.”
