Page 112 of The Fae Girl 1

I held my hand out for his bowl, took it, and left him sat still smug as I went to clean them.

It wasn’t that out of character to have given her my blanket. I wasn’t that much of an arsehole to have left her to suffer. Besides, if she did freeze, if she did get sick, then that would put this entire plan in jeopardy. We could hardly continue onwards if she had a fever.

And I also doubted Uther would be too impressed if that’s how the whole thing turned out.

I checked the perimeter, talking to the guards on patrol. We’d already set up a rota to ensure everyone got a decent amount of sleep while keeping the camp adequately defended. I wasn’t expecting an attack but I also wasn’t going to put anyone at risk.

My brother’s words kept repeating in my head. About fucking her. It wasn’t even that the act itself was the issue. It was the reason for it that bugged me more.

To trick her, to use her like that.

That’s where the anger came from. And that’s why I wasn’t going to agree to it. Why I’d never agree to it.

Iwoke curled up snug in my cloak and a blanket that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. I frowned as I got up and Indi and Nela exchanged look behind my back that they thought I couldn’t see.

But as I took the blanket off of my shoulders I realised I knew the scent. It was the same smell as the cloak Fain had given me the first night I had slept under the stars, the same scent from when I’d wrapped myself up to hide during the trial.

It washisblanket.

He must have covered me during the night. One minute he seemed so considerate, so protective but the next… I shook my head slightly trying to figure it out but it made no sense.

“Here I’ll put it in your pack for tonight.” Nela said taking it from me and rolling it up, like she wasn’t sure if Prince Fain wanted it highlighted to everyone in the camp.

“Thanks.” I replied. “Wait, what do you mean tonight?”

“We won’t be back to Montefore until tomorrow. We’ve got at least one more night under the stars.” Nela said.

I felt myself groan. “Where are we going? What is the point of this?”

Nela just gave me a sympathetic smile. Like she was sworn to secrecy too. And if anything that made it worse. So much worse.

“Come on. Let’s get some food. Everything is better on a full stomach.” Indi said cheerfully.

“Now you’re starting to sound like Mira.” I said

Indi laughed, throwing her arm over my shoulder.

We rode most of the morning. Fain set a fast pace to start but after a few hours we’d slowed to a walk.

The landscape seemed to change from fields and small villages to slowly more ash covered and grey. As if everything was suddenly being viewed through some lens. Some filter.

“What is all this?” I asked staring at the ground beneath my horses hooves.

“It’s ash.” Prince Fain said next to me.

I turned both surprised that he was there and surprised by his answer.

“Ash?” I repeated confused. “Why is there so much of it?”

“No one told you what happened at Seford.” He said.

I shook my head. So Seford was a place. And clearly something bad had happened here. “What happened?” I asked quietly, ahead I could make out the frames of burnt out buildings stretching along the hill line.

“Magars.” Fain said. “And spectrals too. They destroyed everything in this town. Killed everyone. Every man. Every woman. Every child.”

I stared around, forcing myself to take it all in. “How many died?”

“Nine thousand give or take.” Fain replied.

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