AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"You're right. I'll do whatever it takes to keep the Winter Court safe too. Even if I have to be nice to Harel."
"I'll tolerate him," Tavian said. "I don't promise to be nice."
"Me either," I agreed. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of telling him to fuck off again, if I had to. Especially if he called me names.
"I didn't see much of him and I also don't promise to be nice," Zared said. "He seemed like a prick to me."
"He definitely is," Ryze agreed. He resumed walking, but his expression was troubled.
I had a feeling realising Cavan tried so hard to warn him was a hit to his ego. He was so certain Cavan couldn't be trusted. That he was the one causing all the trouble in the first place. And now, it seemed he was very much wrong. Or at least misguided. He couldn't have known those envoys were sent and went missing, or were killed.
I stepped close enough to Tavian that I could speak low and not be overheard.
"Those assassins who went missing in the Summer Court, who were they sent to assassinate?"
Tavian glanced over at me. His apple and cinnamon scent was a comfort I needed amidst the turmoil and chaos. He was like a warm hug even when he didn't have his arms around me. Sometimes it was hard to remember he had anything to do with assassins at all. He seemed more likely to be in a bakery making cakes and tasty pies.
Instead, he could cut a person's throat without them knowing he was even there. Should that be as hot as it was? Possibly not, but it was anyway.
"Mostly business people who cheated on their business partners. Why?"
"Are you sure they disappeared and weren't working for someone else?" I asked. "Is there any chance they were keeping an eye out for any envoys, taking care of them and then slipping away?"
"It's not impossible," he agreed after a minute or two of thought. "Assassins tend to be loyal, but that doesn't necessarily mean they were loyal to me. If that's the case, they were in our midst for a long time. Creating discord and division and watching us."
"How long was Illaria in the Winter Court?"
"Years," it was Vayne who replied. He’d veered close enough to us to hear the last question. "I saw her there watching training at least once a week for years. I never considered her a threat."
"Whatever's going on, they're playing a long game," I said. A game that started before I was even born.
When would it end?
24
Khala
The temple at Havenmoor was twice as large as the one in Ebonfalls. Weathered pale stone stood tall. Carvings around the doors had long since lost their definition. They might have once been flowers and vines, or random patterns. I couldn't tell.
In spite of that, everything was in a good state of repair. None of the stones were cracked. The mortar in the gaps seemed relatively new.
The biggest difference was the sound. Not just because my Fae hearing was better, but because priests, priestesses and those in training moved around, talking and laughing amongst themselves. It was a far cry from the Silent Maidens.
Until they noticed us.
Then they stopped to stare or hurried on their way.
"No arrows yet," Ryze remarked.
"Yet," Vayne said ominously.
"Give them time," Cavan added.
"They won't do anything," Zared assured them. "You're here with me."
"That doesn't fill any of us with as much confidence as you want it to," Hycanthe told him.
"If you prefer, I can tell them you forced me to bring you here." He pretended to genuinely consider the idea.
