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Aidan shook his head before turning his nose up in the air and inhaling deeply. “It’s hard to tell. It’s like their scent is masked somehow. But now there’s blood . . . a lot of it.”
His eyes glowed in the darkness as his dragon surfaced, allowing him to pick up on any unfamiliar scents. My stomach sank and my heart raced as we trudged through the woods, guided by a trail of bright red smears.
In the distance, I saw a figure sprawled on the ground. As we got closer, I noticed it was the elf I saw earlier, wearing a tan and green tunic now stained with blood. The dark clouds that once hovered in the sky were no longer there and the trees began to shimmer in the moonlight, rustling ever so slightly in the light breeze. An oppressive stillness hung in the air as I inhaled deeply, overwhelmed by the smell of death.
Aidan and I kneeled beside him, and I gently turned him onto his back. His neck had a deep cut, and his lifeless eyes stared up at us as if pleading for help. His young face was expressionless—he looked too young to have died such an untimely death.
“This is a trap, Bayleon,” Aidan said. “Whoever or whatever this is wants to lure you out.”
There was no doubt about it.
“I know,” I replied. “But who?”
Aidan turned to me, a look of regret in his eyes. “Don’t you have a lot of enemies?”
It was true, I did. I’d killed many people in my time, and lured innocent women to their deaths. I had no doubt their loved ones would eventually try to seek revenge. For the first time in over three decades, I didn’t have the protection of the Spring Court. We were in the elvish kingdom, away from our armies and magic. It was the perfect time for someone to attack. Whoever was here knew I was coming this way.
Chapter12
Lia
“They should’ve returned already,” I whispered, my stomach churning with dread.
Bastian and I watched as the elves trickled out of the ballroom after a night of dancing and drinking berry wine. The evening had been glamorous, but I didn’t have time to enjoy it after learning that Rhoswen had deceived me and something evil was stalking us. It wasn’t a coincidence that we’d sensed the same energy when we were in the mortal world, and now it was here in the elvish kingdom.
Bastian drew closer to me and sighed. “Yes, they should have,” he murmured.
My heart started to race, anxiety rising within my chest. “We need to find them, now.”
Luckily, Bastian nodded in agreement. “Come on. Just stay close to me when we go outside.”
We started heading toward the door just as Bayleon and Aidan marched in. Red splotches marked both of their hands and stained their clothing. Luckily, the ballroom was pretty much empty except for a few elves here and there. Several stared at Bayleon and Aidan, their eyes lit with fear. While they seemed to be in one piece, the blood had to have come from somewhere.
I quickly ran up to Bayleon and held onto his arms. “Are you all right?”
His eyes went to Bastian, then back to me. “No, not really. We need to see the king and queen immediately.”
Aidan stepped close to him, and I noticed the worry on his face. “There’s no more waiting for the right time, cousin,” he said to me. “Something’s really wrong here, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence it just happened to start when you three arrived.”
My gaze dropped to the deep red stains smeared on their clothes. “Where did that come from?”
Bayleon motioned his head toward the door. “That’s what we need to show the king and queen.” He explained everything quickly to Bastian and me before focusing back on Aidan. “I believe the lad was used as a means to get to me.”
Aidan nodded in agreement, his forehead creased in confusion as he surveyed the ballroom. “But they didn’t attack. I could sense they were still around us, but they backed off. What concerns me is that I couldn’t make out their scent.” His eyes focused back on me. “I don’t know if they were elves, fae, or something else entirely. But I do know there was some dark magic involved.”
Aelfric and Rhoswen were still busy talking to a group of noble elves and hadn’t noticed Bayleon and Aidan yet.
“We brought the young elf out of the woods,” Bayleon muttered under his breath, “and have hidden him in the back of the palace for now.”
With a heavy sigh, I set my sights on my protectors and Aidan. “Go there and I’ll bring Aelfric and Rhoswen. They should be able to identify him. I’m certain he must have family here who will be searching for him soon.”
The three of them took their leave, but not before Aelfric and Rhoswen noticed their departure. As our eyes met, I moved toward them, the seriousness of the situation clear on my face.
After bidding farewell to the other elves, Rhoswen intertwined her arm with Aelfric’s, her expression uneasy. I’d never seen her like this before; she was always so serene and calm. Mention of the Tyvar curse must have unsettled her greatly.
“Did you enjoy the ball this evening, Lia?” Aelfric queried. “I hope it was to your liking.”
“Yes, it was,” I answered, glancing at them both, “but now it’s time for you to find out why I am actually here.”
