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Chapter 23
Bree
The next morning,Bree almost hated to leave behind the tiny village. Their short time spent there had been so peaceful, minus the whole dead raven thing. But there was no time to spare. They needed to get through the entire forest if they wanted to make the journey before the next setting of the moon. And then they would head straight to the nearest Wilde Fae clan, hoping to find a way to reverse the curse before it was toolate.
As much as Bree hated to take from these fae, she went through a couple of the pantries to collect some supplies for the coming journey. She stuffed a few packets of dried fruits into her rucksack, not bothering to look over her shoulder when she heard Eurig’s footsteps behindher.
“Who are you and what are you doing in here?” An icy voice rang out behindher.
Bree jumped her feet and whirled toward the voice, her heart raging hard when she saw who stood before her. It was the female from the pub, the one they had found face down on the floor. Bree shook her head and stepped back, her legs slamming into the wall. How was this possible? Only hours ago, she’d been dead to theworld.
“I…” For once, Bree wasspeechless.
“We’re travelers,” Eurig said, standing on the steps just outside of the house and calling through the open door. “When we arrived here last night, everyone was in a trance. We thought you were under some kind ofcurse.”
The female’s eyes flicked toward Eurig and then back to Bree, suspicion churning in her irises. “Aye. One minute, I was having my nightly drink. The next, I felt like I was in a tunnel. I couldn’t see or hear a damn thing but I was awake all the same. And then what do you know, the next thing I know I’m coming to in my bed. At first, I thought maybe I’d just been too drunk, but then here you twoare.”
Bree nodded. That sounded exactly like what had happened to Taveon. This female had been cursed, the same as everyone else in the court. But she was awake now. And if she wasawake…
Excitement rippled through Bree, and she threw down the walls she kept between her and Taveon. She called out through the bond, anticipation rippling through her veins. If this female was back to normal, then maybe that meant Taveon would be, too. She had no idea how or why, but that wasn’t what was important, not when she would finally be able to look into his eyes onceagain.
“Taveon?” Bree said, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. “The curse, has it beenlifted?”
A moment passed in silence, but then he was there in all of his Taveon-like glory. There was no excitement on his end though. He felt the same as he always did, a kaleidoscope of dark, churningemotions.
“I am afraid that nothing has changed here, at least not that I am aware of.” His words made her stomach drop. “Why? Please tell me you have not stormed the WildeFae.”
Of course he would not know that she hadn’t left the village yet. She had tried so hard to keep this morning’s actions hidden from him, knowing that he would try to talk her out of it. And grill her about what she had done to theraven.
“Not yet,” she said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “We just…well, we met a female here. She was cursed and now she isn’t. I thought thatmaybe…”
She wasn’t sure how much more she should say. As much as she wanted to give him hope, she did not wish to give him false information that turned out to leadnowhere.
“Come back, Bree,” Taveon said, not even referencing the revelation she’d just had. “I know you are trying to hide your emotions from me, but I can feel hints of them all the same. You’re upset. You’re full of anger. You want revenge. It will make you act recklessly, like you did with that raven. You do not understand the power you have used, power you never should haveaccessed.”
Bree’s eyes fluttered shut, and she fought back the urge to turn her voice harsh against him. “Maybe if you told me exactly where your power comes from, then I would have a better understanding of the power I’m accessing. Until then…” She hated to do it, but she had no other choice. Bree was going to infiltrate the Wilde Fae, because she would do what she had to do in order to get Taveonback.
* * *
They traveled all day,but they made it out of the forest just in time to see the last silver streaks of the moon against the night sky. Their horses stood waiting for them on the dirt path, stomping their hooves aimlessly against the ground. Eurig and Bree swapped a look, one that said far more than words ever would. Together, they were seeing strange things about this realm that had felt hidden beforenow.
“To be on the safe side, we should camp out again for the night,” Eurig said as he gave his golden horse an affectionate stroke. The horse neighed and shook its mane, communicating exactly the same emotion Breefelt.
“Yeah, no. That is a terrible idea. The last time we camped out here, one of those Hawkborn maniacs attacked us and almost killed me. Or at least came as close to killing me as it could.” Bree gave her own horse an affectionate pat on the head and leaned against it, breathing in the musty scent of earth. “Besides, there’s no telling how long the Wilde Fae will wait to launch their attack on the undefended castle. We really don’t have any time to waste, Eurig. We need to get to them before anything elsehappens.”
Bree didn’t mention the fae who had awoken in the village. One by one, they’d all risen from their curse. Every time another fae had stood on his feet, Bree couldn’t help but check in on Taveon, her hope growing with every single beat of her heart. But still, he remained as he was, stuck inside of his own head in the darkness. She didn’t understand why the villagers were coming out of it, but Taveon was still stuck in hisform.
Perhaps it was because the Wilde Fae had not attacked the castle as of yet. They’d ransacked the village and had gotten what they wanted, and now they were heading on to the next. She couldn’t think of any other explanation for what had happened, which meant Bree might still have time to stop the Wilde Fae from finishing what they hadstarted.
Without another word, Eurig and Bree mounted their horses and started down the dirt path that would lead to the Wilde Fae lands. Once again, Bree was forced to put her trust in the outposter. She had no idea what part of this realm the Wilde Fae called home. She knew they lived in clans, scattered throughout the rolling hills and the forests of Underworld, but that information was about as vague as one couldget.
“What exactly is your plan here, Bree?” Eurig asked, raising his voice to be heard over the pounding hooves on the dirtpath.
“Simple. I will sneak in, find their leader, wait until they have an interesting conversation, and listen in to whatever they have to say.” Bree gripped the reins tighter in her hands, knowing exactly how ridiculous the entire thing sounded. “I figure if they have some sort of plan to attack the castle, then the ruler will need to talk to his underlings about it at some point. As soon as we know what they plan to do, we can figure out the best way to stopthem.”
Eurig let out a chuckle. It started as a soft sound, so low that Bree could barely hear it. But then it grew louder, so loud that it became a booming sound across the rolling hills. Irritation flickered through Bree, and she shot him a sharp look. She knew her plan sounded a little weird, but it wasn’tthatridiculous. Hell, she had done far more ridiculous things since she’d come toUnderworld.
“Let me get this straight,” Eurig said. “You plan to lurk around in the Wilde Fae’s territory for a long length of time, and you expect that they would have no idea you were in their midst.” Eurig raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Taveon really does need to up your book learning. You won’t last longer than five minutes in there without them hearing you or smelling you. Their senses are far more enhanced than you give them creditfor.”
