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As the wagon lurches forward, it rocks us both.
“I’m sorry,” Hannah apologizes, her eyes glittering with wetness as she keeps our fingers connected. “I couldn’t let them drive away with you. I just kept thinking… What if today is the last time I see you? What if we’re never together again?”
“I wouldn’t let that happen.”
“How are you going to prevent it?”
“I’ll think of something.”
At some point, someone’s going to let their guard down around me, and as soon as they do, we’ll be gone.
Folding one arm underneath her head, Hannah tries to get more comfortable. Her eyes drop to my pants pocket as she considers the magical substance in my possession.
With the net around my body, my arms are plastered to my sides. I can’t move, and I can’t get to the flask in my pocket.
Not that it would matter if I could. Thanks to some experimenting with Vaeront, I know the smallest touch of iron will suppress my power, even under the influence of Glow. Drinking it during iron exposure would be a waste.
“If you were to drink some Glow, would it make a difference?” Hannah asks, her thoughts in tune with mine.
“Not at all,” I deliver the bad news softly. “It’s likely it would leave my system before they take the iron off, and it would be gone.”
“Damn. There goes that idea.” She studies the net. “What if I could get the iron off you?”
“Don’t even try it. Do you see the barbed wire at the bottom? You’d cut yourself to a bloody pulp before you could peel it up to my knees. And unless you’re an expert at picking locks, these shackles aren’t going anywhere.”
“There has to be something we can do.”
“Play along,” I answer. “For now, we need to see how the events unfold. My ultimate hope is on the king. If we complete the trip all the way to Hailene, I’ll be brought before him for questioning. And once I explain the situation, he might agree that you and I should return to our rightful time. Otherwise, my interference could impact his future children, grandchildren, and so on. If there’s one thing a king isn’t willing to risk, it’s his lineage.”
“Do you know what king is ruling right now?”
“Yes. I saw flags in one of the towns while I was getting you food. King Zoren’s face and name was stamped on it.”
“Do you remember anything about him from history? Is he a good person or is he mean?” Hannah’s questions are so basic and innocent. So… human-like.
Meandoesn’t begin to describe most of the kings and queens I’ve heard of. Sure, every now and then we get a selfless ruler who puts the interest of the citizens above their own, but they’re the exception.
“I know nothing of King Zoren. After emerging from the Lost Land, I didn’t have access to books. What I can tell you for certain is that a position of power tends to bring out the worst in the fae, so don’t expect him to be gracious. Like I said, I’ll be relying on his own self-interest to get free.”
“And if he’s not smart enough to listen to your warning?”
“You might see the worst in me. I’ll be ruthless if I must. I’ll kill. Even if my actions alter the future of this world, I’ll do it to save you.”
Surprisingly, Hannah doesn’t try to talk me out of it or give me false reassurances. She just squeezes my finger and says, “I know.”
“Since you insisted on coming with, I’m going to burden you with a task.”
“Yes?” Hannah perks up at the prospect of being useful.
“The second the net is off, get the flask from me. Hide it in the pocket of your dress. They’re less likely to search us for weapons, and if they do, they’ll probably assume you’re just keeping drinking water on your person because of how weak you are.”
She scowls. “Hey. How many times am I going to be insulted today?”
Despite the shitty circumstances, my face splits with a grin because I’m teasing her.
She realizes this a second later, and her lips tremble with a smile. “I guess I could play up the weak human thing. It won’t be very hard with how bad I feel.”
Glancing down, I look at our linked fingers, knowing I’m harming her while giving her comfort. “What symptoms are you suffering? And don’t lie to me.”
