Page 86 of Faerie Fate
Her eyes glittered as she settled on a pouf in the center of the floor. She crossed her legs and rounded her lips like the exhale eased some sort of pressure in her body.
One problem at a time. If it were as simple as chowing down on brownies to heal the vast multitude of things I’d done to myself, then I’d be better by now.Maybe.
Fighting Kendrick and outrunning Dorian Jade hadn’t left me with a lot of free moments for junk food, though, so at least I’d enjoy the snack.
It hit me with the force of a hammer to the skull how little care I’d taken of myself. How anyone looking at me from the outside, who might not see my motivations, might consider what I’d done to be an expression of hatred.
For me.
There wasn’t a whole lot of love for Tavi going around, was there?
The thoughts weighed heavily through my first bite. The richness of the chocolate was infused with a floral undertone. The first bite brought an aftertaste of something nutty, and comfortable heat filled my veins.
By the time I finished the brownie, I felt better, glowing from the inside out. Drawing the pieces of me back together and binding them irrevocably.
I smiled at Elfhame, at Bronwen, at Poppy and Mike pressed together on the velvet couch opposite ours.I’d forgotten the vow I made to myself in the halls of the academy, to never turn myself into an inanimate object again. Adrenaline was no excuse for stupidity. I had to stop using it as one. Start thinking things through before I acted.
That kind of thing had not only gotten me into trouble but killed Onyx. At the time, I’d always felt like whatever harebrained scheme popped into my head was the right way to go. But was it true?
Might there be alternatives? If I’d considered our trip into the abyss before we actually went?
I licked the crumbs off my fingers, pondering.
“We’re going to have to leave soon,” Elfhame said. Her mouth thinned. “It’s not safe here. We’re at war with the fae and this area is dangerous. Their first attack struck the outskirts of our fields already.”
“We saw the smoke as we were coming up the road.” Poppy spoke through a mouthful of fruit tart. “It was bad?”
Elfhame dipped her head, long pointed ears visible through her curls. “We’re on the verge of losing the farm. Losing everything. We’re packing to move on. As you know, it’s not an easy process to uproot an entire community but the fae have left us with little choice. They’ve taken action on their threats. We are out of time.”
“We need the morsana flower, badly. There is no way for us to leave without gathering fresh blooms.” Poppy’s gaze bored into Elfhame’s. “Tell me something survived.”
“Why?” the pixie pressed. “Why do you need it so badly that you are willing to risk everything to get it?”
“We’re already risking lives if wedon’tget it,” Bronwen supplied. She sat on a stitched rug with a glass of something pink and icy in her hands. “We can’t leave. We need the morsana.”
“It’s a matter of life or death,” Poppy revealed with another sniff. “Funny how you should mention necromancy, actually.”
Elfhame’s gaze unerringly found mine again. “I have a touch of the sight. Nothing like yours, of course, but certain thoughts press in on me and sometimes I speak without realizing why. There’s more to the story than you’ve told me.”
I took the remaining cup of tea—fruity and sweet—then dropped my free hand to my lap. The last thing I wanted to do was keep sucking the chocolate off my fingers like I was starving, no matter how urgently my stomach twisted and begged for more.
Elfhame stared at me like she knew that I was the kind of person who would be rescued from a shipwreck not half drowned and floundering, but with the bones of my enemies picked clean in my teeth. What else did she see when she looked at me?
At least her attention had skipped over the scar since her initial touch. A small miracle.
“We’re leaving at first light for our stronghold at EverRose. I’ve ordered retreat of every pixie village,” Elfhame replied. “Our morsana is burned in Twilight, but we have hundreds of acres growing there. We should be able to get you a bloom and then some.”
Poppy’s eyes widened. “The pixie palace?ThatEverRose?”
“It’s under heavy protection, both physical and magical, so the fields should still be intact.”
Elfhame reclined, composed, serene. The rest of us had dropped like wilted blooms, nowhere close to being replenished despite the food and drink.
I lifted my cup to my chapped lips again and the sweet cooling tea slid down my flayed throat. The liquid soothed the roughness as it went. I could drink this for the rest of my life, happily. The rest of my life might not be long at this rate.
“Why send everyone to EverRose?” Poppy asked. “Isn’t that a last resort?
“We’ve heard that the fae are marching on EverRose, led by the Faerie king himself.” Elfhame was defiant. “Every pixie has been summoned there to fight. The final battle will commence. The sooner we crush them, the sooner we can get on with our lives in peace.”
