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He rose to his feet while I was looking around, and when I turned my head, I found him climbing on his esu. “We’re leaving,” he said.
My bonded esu—whatever that meant—prowled over to me.
I eyed her uneasily as she bowed her head toward me.
“You want me to climb on?” I asked.
She bobbed her head.
Guess I was climbing on.
She crouched down, and I slipped onto her back. The moment I touched her fur, my eyes closed and I felt another tingle up my spine.
A soft, warm consciousness met mine before it spoke into my mind.“Hello, Nissa.”
“Hello.”My voice was a lot more tentative than hers.“Do you have a name?”
“I do. I am Brightfangs. The king’s companion is Deathjaws. Most fae know us only by the first portion of our names.”
So Bright, and Death.
Because that wasn’t terrifying at all.
She began walking slowly. My eyes slid over to the fae man and his esu as I adjusted my grip on her fur. I didn’t want to hurt her, but also didn’t want to fall off her back.
“That fae is the king? Do you know his name?”I paused.“And do esu have magic the way fae do?”
“Esu have no magic of our own, though we are impervious to all other magics. And yes, Deathjaws’ companion is Kierden Jirev, king of the tree fae.”
She pronounced his name keer-din jer-ev.
“Tree fae?”I asked.
“There are three branches of fae. Though they all have the same magic, they organize themselves into three kingdoms. Esu know them based on where they live—they have a kingdom in the trees, one inside the mountains, and a third on an island of ice a ways off the sea’s shore.”
Damn.
We humans had always been told that the fae just lived in the jungle called the Endless Wilds. I guess we weren’t completely wrong, if they did have a city in the trees.
“Is that where we’re going?”I asked her.“To the tree fae city?”
“Yes. Deathjaws asked me to follow him to Jirev.”
“Is he the esu king, since Kierden is the fae king?”
She made a chuffing sound that reminded me a little of a laugh.“Esu have no rulers. I respect his request because he carries your mate.”
“What does it mean to be a fae’s mate?
“There haven’t been mated fae for many centuries, but their mate bonds connect their minds and magic.”
I grimaced.“Why did Kierden start a mate bond with me then, even if it’s temporary?”
“I’m uncertain. I’ll ask Deathjaws what he knows, but he may not share something if his companion doesn’t wish him to. They’ve been bonded for many, many years.”
“That’s alright. It’s probably better not to make him suspicious. I don’t want to cause you any problems with him.”
I felt her amusement roll across our connection.“He’ll expect me to inquire for you. Their companion is the top priority for an esu until he or she has taken a mate, and even then, the connection is treasured greatly.”
