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“Why you want to find her?”
Isa took a breath while she measured her words. “She doesn’t belong here. It is time for her to go home.”
“Why you care?”
“Her mother wants her back.”
“She’s a changeling,” Rinnar said with a shrug, as if that explained everything.
“She’s my sister,” Basil snarled.
The fae twitched and leveled his attention on Basil for the first time, narrowing his eyes at his ears. “You half human? Give me your blood.”
Isa tensed while Basil shook his head.
“I’m fae,” he said. “But the witch changeling is the daughter of my adoptive mother. Tell us where you saw her.”
Rinnar frowned. “You don’t look full fae. You don’t feel full fae.” With a shake of his head, he added, “Never you mind what you are. Give me bit of your blood, and I tell you what I know.”
Isa took a step toward the fae. “No blood will be given. Do not overestimate the value of your intel.”
When Rinnar opened his mouth as if to argue, Isa hissed at him. The fae cringed and drew back.
Reordering the crystal bowls on the low table in front of the couch, he said, “You want to know, you pay well. If not blood, then what? Things changing in Faerie. I need security.”
Basil shot her a look. “The dagger was the most valuable thing I carry,” he whispered. He grasped the nape of his neck with one hand. “Maybe I should just give him my—”
“No.” Isa glanced around the luxurious interior, the abundance of precious jewels and shiny noble metals, the high quality of fabric and workmanship in the furniture. With a heavy feeling in her guts, she dove into one of her pockets, pulled out the ruby that would have paid for a brand-new set of armor.
“Here.” She held the gemstone out to Rinnar. “This will do.”
The fae’s face lit up as he beheld the ruby. He made a move for it, but Isa pulled her hand back at the last second.
“Provided,” she said, “your intel does give us an exact location. Swear on this stone that you saw her, and that you’re telling us the true location.”
Rinnar’s eyes glittered with avarice. “I swear I tell you truth. I swear on the bloodstone.”
Isa nodded and handed him the jewel. “Deal.”
The fae snatched the stone and cradled it to his chest. “I saw the witch changeling near the Sar’oa lake. A fae couple had her. They chased me away. Never went back, and don’t want no trouble with them.”
“Where exactly near Sar’oa?”
“Close to village of Tamnar. Hike from Tamnar toward the lake, one hour, and you find a house in a clearing.”
Isa inclined her head. “Be well, Rinnar of Stone.”
“Yes, yes.” Rinnar shooed them out with a wave of his hand. “Be well.”
They walked back through the lavishly decorated hall, Basil’s excitement a palpable force. He was all but jumping out of his skin with agitation, and when he turned to her once outside, his eyes sparkled.
“This is it, right? We might be just one step away from finding Rose.”
“Or not.” For his sake, she wished she could share his enthusiasm, but life had taught her to be less optimistic. “I don’t want to smash your hopes, but be prepared for this not to work out. We might have to keep searching.”
He released a heavy breath while they made their way back to the main street. “I am. This is still the best lead we’ve had so far, and I’d have to be dead not to be thrilled about it.” He paused and frowned. “I’ve been meaning to ask—what did Rinnar mean when he said, ‘Things changing in Faerie’?”
Her nerves fluttered, and she took great care to keep looking ahead. “There has been…a disruption of power.”
