Page 106 of The Shadow Path
She opened her mouth to shout for Duncan, and they pulled their bows taut.
Carys sucked in a breath, and her heart raced until she noticed a small pair of eyes duck out from behind a pair of legs.
There was a fae child with silver hair and bright blue eyes peering between the legs of one of the archers. His golden-brown skin blended into the woods, but that silver hair was impossible to miss, as were his sharply pointed ears, still devoid of the gold rings that would mark him as an adult.
If he was human, Carys would say he looked no more than four or five, but he could be decades old as a fae.
A woman lunged forward, grabbing the child and pulling a dark hat over his silver hair. Her eyes weren’t on Carys, they were on the dragon just past the tree line, standing in the meadow.
“Do you want to kill us all?” the woman hissed to the two archers. “We should run while we can. The moment that dragonsees us, the entire wood will be up in flames, and we promised the trees?—”
“These woods are our home.” The fae man stared at Carys, never moving an inch. “We have lived here for centuries.”
Carys raised her hands. “I don’t want to harm you.”
Nêrys, what is wrong?
For the first time ever, she lied to Cadell.My drawstring has a knot. I’m fine.
“Carys, that dragon—” Duncan turned and walked into the trees, halting when he saw the fae archers. “Fae.” Duncan raised his sword, and the fae turned their arrows on him.
“They’re a family!” Carys stumbled out of the bushes and between the fae archers and Duncan. “There’s only four of them, and they have a child.”
“Aye, they’re right to be worried,” Duncan growled. “More than one parent is missing a child today.”
“We had nothing to do with that,” the female archer said. “If the prince would claim his seat?—”
“Eldra, be quiet,” the male archer said. “We want no trouble. We’re making for the fae gate near Lewes.”
“We don’t know Éire at all,” the woman said. “But it’s safer than Anglia now.”
Three fae and one fae child, and they’d probably be shot on sight by Harold’s soldiers. Carys stared at the small child with bright blue eyes. “Don’t go to the fae forts,” she blurted. “They’re not going to be safe. By now all of them are surrounded by the king’s soldiers.”
Duncan’s voice was low. “Carys?—”
“He’s a child.” She pointed at the little one. “They’re a family. They’re not a threat.”
Duncan narrowed his eyes at the archers, who had still not lowered their weapons.
“They’re running away, Duncan.”
“Eldra.” The fae woman on the ground met Carys’s eyes and nodded. “Desmond. Lower your arrows.”
Slowly they both lowered their bows, and Duncan lowered his sword.
“She’s right,” Duncan said. “The king’s armies and the wolf clans are surrounding the gates and the forts. You won’t be able to get through.”
“We can go underground,” the female archer said. “My sister speaks to the earth.”
“Maybe.” Duncan nodded. “That’s a possibility. But Harold has sorcerers too. The gates might be warded, and they might know when you try to break through.”
The man’s shoulders slumped. “What are we supposed to do?”
“Stay here.” Duncan’s voice had softened. “Stay hidden for now. If you have friends among any local unicorns, they might be able to keep you safe.”
The fae woman named Eldra nodded. “We know the chief of the local blessing. She might hide us.”
There was no one more trusted in Briton than the unicorns. Even royal soldiers would think hard before they violated the sanctity of unicorn territory. If unicorns were willing to hide these fae, they likely had nothing to do with Cian and Orla’s plans.
