Page 110 of Faerie Hunted

Or maybe it was just me. I had Noren to guide me when I stumbled or got too tired to walk in a straight line.

Bronwen, bless her, stuck close to Onyx and made sure he had what he needed.

The mothers, like they were some hastily grouped together unit, remained close to each other as well and often ducked their heads together and spoke in voices too subdued for any of us to make out. Even with our extra sensitive hearing.

Which left Mike striding on his own. He kept his focus straight ahead, and outside of a few small smiles when he caught me looking at him, we said nothing.

Despite the company, the experience was isolating for me.

Uncle Will knew where we were.

My mother was alive.

And Onyx was leading me toward my doom. Call it melodramatic but we stood on the edge of a change I didn’t want.

Finally, we found lodgings for the night at a tavern on the outskirts of one of those farming towns. A large water wheel churned beside it, attached to a mill with a river running through it.

“Are you sure this is safe?” I asked.

Laina drew her cloak over her head and worked a glamour to disguise her features. “We’ll be fine here. I want us to get a good rest in real beds. What we face isn’t for the weak.”

“How are we going to pay for it?”

The queen shot me a look that told me to shut the hell up and let her handle it. From the pocket of her cloak she drew out a purse.

“We need to be well-rested for what’s sure to be a terrible journey ahead of us.”

We waited on the front porch of the tavern until Laina came to get us minutes later.

“Here are the room keys.” She doled them out. “You’ll be bunking two to a room. I wanted us each to have our own space but the availability was limited in a place this size.”

Livvy snatched up the key to our room. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Laina answered simply.

Bronwen refused to step away from Onyx, so the two of them would share a room. The height difference would have made me giggle if I’d had the strength for it. He towered over her slight frame, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he rested an arm on the top of her head.

“The kitchen is closed for the evening but the innkeeper assured me we’d be able to get some things from the cook. Money can accomplish many things,” Laina continued.

My legs refused to carry me up the stairs without catching my toes on the risers. My own glamour was half-assed at best and probably flickered in and out of existence. Which made it a very good thing we’d arrived so late in the day.

Most everyone was gathered in the tavern, drinking away, and those who weren’t were safely tucked in their beds.

I wanted a shower and to sleep for days. I’d take either at this point, and although sleep was more important, I’d kill for the hot water.

Livvy glanced at the room numbers and led the way, with Noren trailing us. No one stopped the direwolf when he was the first through the unlocked odor. Noren checked out the space, sniffing in corners before sitting at the edge of one of the twin beds with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

“I think the coast is clear,” I said unnecessarily.

Livvy offered me a halfhearted grin.

The exterior of the inn had the old-timey Tudor look of a place you might find in rural England. The inside had been updated to more modern accommodations, with our own bathroom, fresh linens, and light-blocking curtains.

“You can shower first if you want,” Livvy offered.

I waved her off. “You go ahead. You need it more than I do.” I gestured toward her arm.

She slowly shifted her attention to the area as though she hadn’t really noticed the healed wound before. God, how long had we been awake for at this point?

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