Page 32 of Faerie Hunted

He’d hurt people, he’d killed, and the last time I saw him he’d been strapped to a hospital bed trying to heal from injuriesI’dinflicted. Dark circles drew attention to his turquoise-blue eyes which met mine without blinking. The closer we got, the easier it was to recognize his scent.Pack.

I wanted to reach for him and envelop myself in his familiar smell. To squeeze my own eyes shut and pretend this was a dream. Hyperventilating, I held his gaze with a plea in mine.

Save me.Help me saveus.

Clearly he’d been sentenced as well, and today was chosen for all of us to meet our end. I missed my next step and stumbled, the chains clinking together.

His resolve, the bravery written across every line of his face…it impressed me. On multiple levels. He chose to meet his end without breaking a sweat or begging for mercy.

Fuck. I wanted half of his courage despite my hope of a last-minute save.

The guards holding me kept back while the others ushered Barbara up the steps and situated her beside Onyx. The old witch’s eyes were clear and her jaw set. Her teeth were no doubt clenched together beneath the magical gag.

She cast an acidic glare around to the rest of the crowd that at once belittled and shamed anyone who met her eyes.

Premier Foxfall stood nearby with the others on his Council, watching the proceedings closely. I saw no hint of Mike or Queen Laina anywhere. Had they decided not to attend?

Several loud whoops and hollers came from the crowd outside the gates. They wanted this to hurry up, wanted to see the show, or whatever constituted an execution in Faerie.

It seemed archaic to me. Something private would have been much better than this terrifying yet humiliating spectacle.

The guards began to push me up the steps of the platform when Captain Hezarwick jogged over and held up a hand, his white gloves spotless.

“Prince Michael has asked for one last word with Tavi Alderidge.” He spoke directly to the other men, not to me, his voice hard.

My stomach took a rapid series of flips one right after the other. Mike actually wanted to talk to me. This was it. This was the saving grace I’d been hoping for...he wasn’t going to let me die.Not today.

It was too soon to tell as the guards reversed my direction.

I felt Barbara and Onyx staring at me, their gazes like daggers through my back, as the others led me away toward a small alcove dug into the outside of the castle. It hadn’t been set up as a viewing station, at least.

Mike stood in the shadows with his arms limp at his sides. He stared over my head at my approach and fixed Captain Hezarwick with a dour, disapproving scowl. “We’re not to be disturbed. Do you understand?”

“She might be dangerous, Sir,” one of the guards commented. “You need someone to?—”

“She’s weighed down with magic-damping chains. How much danger can she present?” His tone held a warning. “Give us some privacy.”

He wasn’t asking. This was a side of Mike that I rarely saw, where he made demands and the others jumped to do his bidding.

The guards hesitated only a moment longer before they trailed the captain a few feet away, turning their backs to us. Mike lifted a hand and a silencing bubble fell around us to shut away the noise from the outside world. It was thicker than anything I’d seen him work before.

“Tavi.” Immediately, his tone and demeanor changed. His eyes went round, glassy. “Mom and I have been fighting Cosmo all night to get the execution order rescinded. So far nothing we’ve said has made any kind of difference.”

He was frantic, and listening to him, my resolve gave way to every last raw nerve I’d been trying to ignore. I reached for him and stopped at the last moment as my chains clicked together.

“Mike, you have to do something. He refuses to rescind, right? He wants me dead.”

“The premier is power hungry,” Mike admitted. He bit down on his lower lip. “He’s taken over the castle with Dad still in a coma. There’s nothing Mom or I can do, especially when he has the might of the Elder Council at his back. They won’t stand up to him. This is the opportunity they’ve been waiting for, to gain more ground, and he’s using you and the others to make a statement.”

“It’s not what you think, Mike, I swear?—”

“We don’t have time for you to explain,” he cut in. “Here. Take this.” He reached behind him and drew out a small globe-shaped hunk of metal which he then placed between my palms. “You need it.”

Recognition raged through me. “What did you do?” I lost my breath.

“It’s theAugundae Totalis. It amplifies the magic of the one who uses it. I smuggled it out of Faerie and used it to do better in classes. You’re going to need it to get out.”

“But the chains. I can’t use my magic at all.”

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