Page 26 of Mountain of Mirrors and Starlight
“I wasn’t aware you had friends who traded in unseelie,” Hawthorn said, voice measured.
Owen laughed. “I have many friends and many alliances, King Hawthorn. Please. Come inspect them after luncheon. I’m sure you’ll approve.”
“We shall see.”
Breakfast seemed to take an age to get through, a century before the plates were cleared away and the company dispersed, a millennia before Beau found himself alone with his parents once more. Both of them were very white-faced.
“He has unseelie at his disposal,” Hawthorn said. “If he charges in with them—it could be chaos. They’ll likely kill the dwarves and we’ll never understand their motives.”
“Not to mention the question of whogavethem to him in the first place.”
Hawthorn ran his long-fingered hands down his face. “We need to tread carefully. We don’t want to lose Owen as an ally—or attack dwarven kind without motive. I don’t think we’ll be able to hold off Owen’s forces any longer, but we must get word to Aislinn and find out what’s going on—”
“I’ll go,” Beau said. “I’ll find her. I’m not terrible at tracking, and I might be able to use magic to help me when I’m nearby. Mother can say I left without your permission. Blame it on the impetuousness of youth, whatever—”
For a moment, both of his parents fell silent, their eyes meeting in wordless conversation. He knew they weren’t keen to send him off, too. But who else could they send? They didn’t have any other magic-users with them, no one who could sneak away unnoticed and who might be able to pick up her trail.
“All right,” said Hawthorn finally. “Juliana, my fearsome goddess of lies, would you kindly cover for us as I help our wayward son make his dramatic-yet-invisible escape?”
They crept down to the stables under the cover of glamour, compelling the guards and stablehands to look the other way as they found a suitable mount. No one but Hecate noticed them. She wound herself around their ankles.
Hawthorn had not yet uttered a simple word, other than the odd instruction for saddling the horse. He didn’t even say anything about Beau not being the most confident of riders—even when he was astride the horse.
He placed his hand over Beau’s on the reins.
“Father?”
“Take the cat,” Hawthorn insisted, scooping up the mog and dropping her onto the horse’s rear. She found a narrow spot between two saddlebags and promptly curled up. “I think you’ll need her.”
A horse, a cat and his wits. All he had against the mountains and group of dwarves. Beau hoped they were friendly.
He nodded at his father, his words unable to form.
“I won’t be able to placate Owen for long,” Hawthorn said. “Maybe a day or two. Find a bird and get word to me as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Father.”
“And… stay safe.”
Beau smiled weakly. “I’ll do my best.”
Hawthorn pulled him down awkwardly into his arms, so hard he almost fell off. He clapped his back. “You better,” he said, and patted his horse out of the stall.
Thegiant’sclubwasswinging, and Aislinn had lost all sensation. Time seemed to have blurred to an impossible speed, her body felt like rubber, and she had no notion of where all her limbs were. This monster was much, much faster than any she’d fought in training. Speed was the greatest defence you had with a giant.
Cass was still laughing, still cackling as she swiped and dodged. It was the only sound Aislinn was conscious of.
Until it stopped with a sickening crack.
Her father had told her once that a few times in his life, he’d been so overcome with fury that every sense narrowed to a pinpoint and he found himself in a fierce, dark rage, like an inferno in a haystack. Aislinn had no notion of what he meant, until that moment.
She did not remember what happened next, only waking up when the giant was dead and Cass…
And Cass—
Aislinn woke in Flora’s study, still groggy from the effects of the potion, forgetting where she was for a moment and springing straight out of bed. Pain spliced through her, sending her crumpling to the ground with a sharp shriek.
Caerwyn came running, barging into the room. “Are you all right?”
