Page 133 of The Shadow Path
“Yes, I can see how that might be more popular.” Duncan’s eyebrows went up. “Then again, if chastity was a requirement, I might take my chances with the bear.”
“How much longer to Yuten Woods?” Carys scanned the horizon through the narrow window; she saw nothing around them but distant green hills.
“Another hour maybe.” Dru looked up. “Your dragon flies swiftly.”
Of course I do. I’m a dragon, not a sprite.
“This looks like good farmland.” Duncan looked out the window. “But there are very few villages here.”
“The soil is thin,” Dru said. “More chalk than living soil. That’s why it’s so resistant to magic. And the trade routes are not good. Sheep and wild horses are the only creatures that likethis place. If my brother had to choose a battleground, at least he picked one that isn’t in a populated area.”
“Why here?”
Dru opened his mouth, then waited for a long moment to speak. “I do not know. Perhaps the isolation appeals to him.”
Lie. That was totally a lie.
Every part of this quiet war—from the timing right after Harold’s coronation when there were still foreign visitors in London to the missing children and the army of crows dropping messages—was designed to catch attention. What had Naida said?
It’s theater, but it’s theater that would impress every magical creature in Briton.
If all this was theater, who was the audience?
And what was the purpose of this play?
“Cian chose this place for a reason.” Duncan was looking at Dru, and he clearly thought the fae was hiding something as well. “Maybe the dark fae of Yuten know what it is.”
The ground wasgreen and damp on the edge of the Yuten Woods. Cool light trickled through the dense canopy of beech trees, and the single path into the forest was heavily overgrown with ferns, spring grasses, and the occasional bell-shaped flower peeking out through the green.
Blue wisps—clear evidence of the fae gate nearby—danced in the shadow of the forest, luring travelers into the woods and whispering secrets like a laughing voice in a far room.
Carys stood at the edge of that narrow pathway, her mind flashing back to another path through another forest and the same man who had led her then: the fae prince who stood on the edge of the forest, beckoning her to follow him into the darkness.
Cadell waited on a hillside overlooking the dark fae stronghold. Dru had all but forbidden the dragon from entering unless he wanted to start a fight.
Nêrys, I do not like this place.
She looked up at Cadell in the distance, the light shimmering off his iridescent green skin.I know. I don’t like it either, but at least I’m with Dru and Duncan.
And I trust neither of them.
He really could be a judgmental dragon.
You told me the woods are not warded and that I can call you anytime I want.
They are not. If you need me, I will burn the forest down to find you.
Okay. So Cadell was feeling a little overprotective at the moment. She didn’t want to judge, especially right after he’d carried a fae prince across half of Anglia safely.That’s a little extreme. Maybe don’t make that yourfirstcourse of action, okay?
There is nothing in this forest but dark fae, trolls, and imps.He was sulking.No one will miss them.
Imps? Had she run into imps yet?
If Carys was going by books, imps were a little bit like sprites or pixies, nature spirits with a surprising amount of magic who liked to play pranks and cause mischief.
Hopefully they were an annoyance more than a problem.
If the situation becomes dangerous,Cadell commanded,you will call.
