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Then just as it had the last time I’d seen her, the illusion shattered. The vibrance I’d always associated with her vanished in a blink, leaving a gaunt and listless being behind. Dark horns twisted up and out of her temples to curl back over her head, and strange, dull blue markings covered the skin of her arms.
She was still my mother. Had always been my mother. It had taken me years to realize that on the day they’d ripped me away from her, the strength she used to mask her appearance with magic had failed in the face of her grief.
Reaching out, I took her fragile hand in mine. This was a dream. I knew that. I’d been having these lucid dreams of the house where I was born for years, but it wasn’t until Theon had freed us from Natas that my mother had started calling to me from behind the door. “Will you tell me again, Mother? Tell me the way home?”
“Of course,per cor.”My heart. Her gaze—deep lavender eyes, the same as mine—held me captive as she began to explain again. “Follow the shore. The lake water is cool and sweet, but don’t wander too far in. Keep your feet on the sand, my love. When you reach the forest’s edge, don’t dally. Dive straight through. You won’t see them, but they’ll see you.”
“Who, Mother? The fae? Did… do I have family there?”
She patted my cheek and opened her mouth, but the voice was wrong. “Florin? Are you awake?”
“What?”
“Florin?”
I opened my eyes. Smoke from the campfire tickled my nostrils as I sat up and looked around, trying to shake off the dream and lethargy of sleep.
“You were talking in your sleep,” Braz said, from where he knelt by the fire. We didn’t have much in the way of equipment. Only one small metal pot to warm water for cooking or eating or tea. Not that we had much tea left, either. It’d been four long weeks since we’d fled the Resistance camp in the middle of the night. The constant walking was keeping Theon weaker than usual after his last loss of control, so our pace was slow, but we were making it.
At least, I thought we were. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but we’d reach the lake today. Braz hadn’t said it, but I could tell he was starting to question whether or not I actually knew where we were going. I was confident… most of the time.
“Sorry. I was dreaming.” Gently, I moved to the side of the pallet I’d been sharing with Theon and Braz. Each night, we spread our pallets out next to each other, creating one big one. We slept with Theon between us. He didn’t stir as I moved away from him, so I climbed to my feet, stretching the kinks out of my back, and went to join Braz.
“No need to apologize.” Braz reached out and picked up the metal pot resting on one of the stones he’d used to make the fire ring. He held it out to me. “It’s cool enough to drink.”
Meeting his gaze, I smiled and settled beside him. The coolness of the morning hit me when my butt landed on the bare ground, so I leaned closer to Braz’s warmth and accepted the pot. The scent of hot tea greeted me, and I drank gratefully, careful not to tip it so fast that I sucked the loose tea leaves down with the liquid.
Braz lowered himself from his kneeling position to sit beside me. There was a time I’d have felt the need to shy away from his bulk, but when he lifted his arm to allow me closer to his side, I scooted in with a happy sigh. Braz didn’t look down at me, but I caught the smile tugging at his mouth all the same. He rested his hand on my hip, keeping his arm snug around me.
“Thank you,” I said quietly after a moment. I’d never known such peace as these mornings on the road with Theon and Braz.
Braz hummed his acknowledgment, and the stillness of the morning crept back in around us. We’d left the forest the camp was in over a week ago, traveling through hills and flat fields of tall grass. There had been a few small farming villages, but we’d given them a wide berth.
“He slept soundly last night.” Braz kept his voice low.
I followed his gaze to Theon’s sleeping face. “He did.” I bit my lip, debating whether to share my dream. I’d told Theon about them, about how they felt like equal parts a dream and a vision carried on magic from a mother I hadn’t seen in years. I didn’t even know if she was still alive. “I was dreaming about my mother. It’s her that told me how to find the fae.”
Braz looked down at me. “How does she know where the fae are?”
“Because she was fae.”
Braz’s eyes widened. “Then you…”
“Yes. I only ever saw her true form once.” I took another sip of tea, throat suddenly dry. “She was a slave, a prisoner of a mage with a wealthy house. He made his money selling her babies to other Houses. Including me. With her glamour, she was beautiful. Young, vibrant, and human. Without it… her skin was like dry parchment.”
“And she told you where to go?”
“Yes. When we get to the lake, follow the shore. And when we get to the forest, go straight through.” My voice trailed off, remembering her exact words. They came out in a whisper. “You won’t see them, but they’ll see you.”
Braz pulled me closer.
* * *
A dayand a half passed before we left the forest behind again. A cool breeze buffeted us as we made our way through a scraggly field, earth turning more from dirt to sand with each step. Beside me, Theon wrapped his cloak closer around himself, keeping his arms tucked in and his chin down.
“Here, angel,” Braz said, stepping closer from behind us and draping his own cloak over Theon’s shoulders.
Theon stopped, trying to protest. “No, Braz, you’ll be cold.”
