Eurig met Bree’s grin with one of his own. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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 too late.
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 behind her.
“Who are you and what are you doing in here?” An icy voice rang out behind her.
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 the world.
“I…” For once, Bree was speechless.
“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 of curse.”
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 two are.”
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 was awake…
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 once again.
“Taveon?” Bree said, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. “The curse, has it been lifted?”
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, churning emotions.
“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 Wilde Fae.”
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 the raven.
“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 that maybe…”
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 lead nowhere.
“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 have accessed.”
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 Taveon back.
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 before now.
“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 Bree felt.
“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 else happens.”
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 his form.
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 had started.
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 could get.
“What exactly is your plan here, Bree?” Eurig asked, raising his voice to be heard over the pounding hooves on the dirt path.
“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 stop them.”
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’t that ridiculous. Hell, she had done far more ridiculous things since she’d come to Underworld.
“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 credit for.”
Shit. Bree didn’t want to admit it to Eurig, but she’d totally forgotten all about the whole enhanced senses thing. That put more than a little bit of a damper on her plans. Because Eurig w
as right. Bree’s entire plan hinged on one thing, and that was her ability to sneak around for an indefinite amount of time undetected.
No matter. She would just have to be more careful. Her footsteps would be quiet, and she would mask her scent as best she could.
Halfway to the territory, Bree spotted a swamp. She pointed it out to Eurig and asked him to stop. After she jumped down from her horse, she strode straight toward the swamp and dunked down inside. The water was freezing, and the murky depths stank of death and decay, but it would do.
When she joined Eurig back at the horses, the look on his face was not one she had expected. He shook his head and laughed some more. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?”
“Laugh it up,” she said with a smug smile. “But this will prevent the Wilde Fae from smelling me. They’ll have no idea a shape-shifting fae is in their midst when every hint of me is doused out by the swamp water.”
He raised eyebrows, still laughing. “You do realize that the smell of that swamp water is far more potent than your own body odor? They will smell you a mile away.”
Bree’s cheeks flushed with heat, but thankfully, he wouldn’t be able to see it this time, not with the mud caking her face. “The point is, I just smell like the earth. When they catch this scent, they’re not going to think that it’s someone lurking nearby.”
“If you say so.” Eurig’s smile never faltered as he watched Bree try to mount her horse once again. This was one thing she hadn’t thought through. Her legs were coated with the mud, making her skin slippery against the horse’s back. Every time she thought she’d made it on, she ended up tumbling over the other side and falling face first on the dirt.
After at least a dozen attempts, Eurig broke free of his saddle and jumped down to help her clamber onto her horse. Even with his help, Bree barely managed to get a grasp on the reins. She slid one way and then another, the mud from her skin slipping against his. Just as she was about to take another hard tumble to the ground, Eurig caught her against his chest.
Her face smashed against him, and her heart tripped.
“Careful,” he said with a chuckle. “Or you’ll end up falling right back into my bed again.”
Bree’s entire body warmed at the thought of it. It was the first time he had brought up their night together since they had awoken. And it was the first time she’d let herself dwell on the memories of his arms wrapped tight around her body as she moaned in pleasure.
Swallowing hard, she stared deep into his golden eyes, wanting nothing more than to give in to the desire twisting in her core. But she couldn’t. Not right now. The Court was depending on her. Swamp water or not, it was time to infiltrate the enemy.
Chapter 24
Bree
When they reached the nearest territory of the Wilde Fae, nothing was as Bree expected. She had conjured up images in her head of vicious creatures building forts within the very depths of the earth. Instead, the rolling hills were covered in rows upon rows of cute little huts, made from grass and the limbs of the nearby forest. There was no chaos here or violence. Instead, Bree found nothing but peaceful silence.
Eurig frowned and jumped down from his horse. “Something is wrong. It is far too quiet here.”
“It is in the middle of the night,” Bree said in a whisper. “Can they all be sleeping?”
Eurig jerked his head. “The Wilde Fae enjoy the night, reveling in the deepest parts of darkness. They celebrate it. On a normal night, this place would be an orgy of drinking, dancing, and…” Eurig swallowed hard and glanced away. “And sex.”
Bree’s entire body warmed, and she was far too aware of what she must look like right now, covered in the mud from the swamp. Why, oh why, had she thought that was a good idea? He probably thought she looked like a drowned rat.
“So, then what do you think is going on?” Bree asked, turning the conversation back onto the task at hand. She could not think of Eurig right now, not like that, though it was impossible to rid her mind of memories of the feel of his skin against hers.
“Either they are not here, or…” Eurig let the rest of his sentence fall into silence as he tied his horse to the nearest tree and turned toward the Wilde Fae camp. Bree followed just behind him, grabbing a dagger from her rucksack just in case.
They slowly eased their way down the hill, careful to keep themselves hidden in the shadows just in case a Wilde Fae was keeping watch from somewhere hidden from their own prying eyes. Bree could barely breathe as they stepped in the midst of the huts, and her heartbeat was racing so fast that her entire body trembled from the force of it.
Eurig stepped up close to the door of the nearest hut, ducking his head low so that he could gaze inside. She reached out toward him, instinctively, desperately wanting to pull him back close in fear that a Wilde Fae would catch him lurking around their hut. Eurig’s back stiffened and he sucked in a sharp gasp, causing Bree’s heart to throttle into the next gear.
She expected a hand to reach out from the depths of the hut and wrap itself around Eurig’s throat, but instead, nothing happened. Eurig stumbled back from the hut and whirled toward Bree with wide eyes.
“What is it?” Bree asked. “What’s happened?”
“They’re all dead. That, or cursed.” Eurig sighed and ran a hand down his tired face. “I would put bets on them being cursed.”
Bree’s eyes widened, and she shook her head from side to side in disbelief. “That’s impossible. They can’t be cursed. Not if they’re the ones who were doing the cursing.”
“You’re right,” Eurig said with a frown. “The only way these Wilde Fae could be cursed is if they weren’t the ones behind it in the first place.”
All the blood drained from Bree’s face, not because of worry for these fae but because of what that meant. If they were not the ones who had cast the curse on Taveon and the rest of the Court, then who was? The truth was, Bree and Eurig had no other leads other than what they had found in the fae village. She had staked all of her hope on the Wilde Fae. And now that they had discovered they were wrong, Bree felt as though all the fight had gone out of her in the single blink of an eye.
“There’s more,” Eurig said, his voice edged in something akin to wariness. He eyed Bree with a strange expression, one that made her feel as if he did not want to share whatever else he just seen inside that hut.
“Tell me, Eurig,” Bree said. “It’s only fair that I know.”
“Only if you promise that you will do nothing about it. And I do mean nothing.”
What the hell did that mean? And why did he look as though he almost feared her in a way? Bree sighed, shook her head, and shoved past Eurig. He might be built like a tank, but he hadn’t expected her to charge straight past him so that she could see whatever it was that he had discovered in the hut.
Inside, she saw three fallen Wilde Fae, their signature yellow skin pale from the lack of light in their eyes. All around them, dead ravens dotted the floor, and their blood was a painting against the beige surfaces of the hut. Bree jerked back, shaking her head. More dead ravens. Everywhere they turned, there were more.
They had been in the castle, they had been in the village, and now they were here. They were always wherever the curse was found.
Pieces of the puzzle began to fit together in Bree’s mind. Dead ravens, the curse. It was all connected. Including what had happened to the fae in the village. Bree’s eyes widened, and her heart began to jerk inside her chest. She whirled toward Eurig, and his face reflected every thought raging through her mind.
“That’s why they came back,” Bree whispered. “Because of the raven. It was dead, but I brought it back. And then the next morning, the fae came back, too.”
Eurig held up his hands as if in warning or surrender. Or both. “Bree. Let’s not jump to conclusions. I know it seems that way, but those two events might not be connected at all.”
She shook her head and took a step away from him. “You’ve suspected it all this time
, haven’t you? You don’t seem surprised at all. You came to this conclusion back in the village, didn’t you?”
“The thought occurred to me, but it’s nothing more than a hunch that is probably wrong,” Eurig said slowly. “Just because it happened once does not mean it would happen again. In fact, it is more likely to have no effect at all.”
“But there is a chance that it did make every difference in the world,” Bree said in a whisper. “There is a chance that if I bring these ravens back to life that every single Wilde Fae who has fallen here will wake up. And if that’s the case, then you know what I need to do. This is how we bring Rafe and Taveon back.”
“That power is not normal, Bree,” Eurig said, his voice strained. “Now is not the time to jump to conclusions. Please. We have found what we came here to find. I think it is time for us to go back to the castle now.”
Bree shook her head and took one more step away from him. He knew just as well as she did that she wasn’t going anywhere until she healed one of the ravens in this place. She had to know if this was the cure, if this was the way to bring her males back into the land of the living.
Bree ducked through the door of the hut and placed her hand upon the raven’s feathers before Eurig could stop her. The first time she’d tried to cast Taveon’s power, it had taken time for her to wrap her mind around it. It had been foreign, and it had been unknown to her. But now it felt like home, and it came to her in a rush without even the slightest request from her mind. As if it knew exactly what she needed it to do.
Sparks filled her body with that brilliant light that almost blinded her soul. Her entire body felt consumed by fire, flames licking every inch of her skin. Bree’s heart burned, and tears stung her eyes. Behind her, she could hear Eurig roaring in the distance, but she blocked out the sound. The only thing that mattered now was the bird. The tiny little raven’s life. Because its very soul might lead to the only cure they had.
A Heart of Midnight (Dark Fae Academy Book 2) Page 15
