Page 89 of Song of the Heart Scale
“You think they’ll just come out and offer help like tea and biscuits?” she asked dryly.
“No, but Idothink Klaus still has something to prove. And besides... don’t you think it’s odd that no one’s noticed that the Ryder iron mines have gone dry?” I leaned in, keeping my voice low, conspiratorial. “If the iron’s the only thing binding the wards on the forest...”
Her eyes widened further. “Then the fae should’ve broken through already!”
“Exactly. Which means something else is keeping them in. Something weak. Fragile. Probably tied together with spit and political wishful thinking.”
Maeve's mouth opened, then shut, then opened again. “And you want to test that theory by playing bait?”
“Not bait,” I corrected. “Just... bait-adjacent.”
She groaned and flung herself back against the seat. “Immortals preserve us.”
“Look,” I said, resting a hand on her knee, serious now. “I need you to go to the Southern District the moment we reach the tree line. Find Garrick and bring him back here. Quietly.”
“Garrick? For what? More cryptic riddles and threadbare robes?”
“No.” I grinned. “Because if I’m going to poke the fae hive, I want someone with a little magic on standby in case they decide I look snackable.”
Maeve sighed. “Fine. But if you get turned into a toad or pulled into a realm of eternal riddles and screaming, I’m not helping.”
I winked. “You always say that.”
Twenty minutes later, the carriage pulled to a slow halt, wheels crackling on brittle grass and dirt. I opened the door and stepped down, boots crunching against earth that felt colder than it should’ve been. The air here had weight to it. A stillness. Like the world itself was holding its breath.
Faelight Forest loomed before me. No gates. No walls. Just towering trees that faintly shimmered beneath the sun. Not with light, but with somethingother. Something not of this realm. Their trunks twisted in ways bark shouldn't bend, and the leaves overhead rustled even though there was no wind.
The forest edge was soft and almost inviting, like the gentle lip of a tide luring you toward deeper waters. But I knew better.
Behind me, Maeve stepped down from the carriage. Her expression was hard to read—half worry, half resigned acceptance I’d come to know well.
“I’ll go find Garrick,” she said. “But if I don’t make it back, it’s because I tripped over his mismatched boots and fell into a gutter.”
I smirked. “Try not to die. I’m kind of fond of you.”
She gave me a flat look, then turned and climbed back into the carriage. The driver flicked the reins and the horses trotted off, leaving me alone with the woods.
I stood there for a long moment with my arms crossed, staring into the shifting trees. There was a whisper in the branches. A voice I couldn’t quite catch, but it prickled at the back of my mind like déjà vu.
The last time I came here, I'd gotten terribly lost. I was tricked into making a bargain with Klaus, who had no love for humanity but plenty of contempt for boredom. He becamemy unlikely savior—charming, infuriating, and always two steps ahead.
“Alright, Klaus,” I muttered under my breath. “Let’s see if you’re still listening.”
I stepped forward—only one step. Enough to feel the air shift and taste the magic on my tongue. I didn’t go further. The forest remembered.
“Come out, you smug bastard,” I whispered. “I know you’re bored. And I know you hate the Drakonars almost as much as I do.” Damien excluded, that was.
Nothing.
I waited. The shadows moved. A breeze that didn’t belong in this world ruffled my hair.
Still, nothing.
I took another step forward, pulse thudding in my ears. “You owe me a proper goodbye, you know. Bargain or no, you did save me a couple of times. I’d hate to think all that sarcasm was wasted on a mortal who never got to use it properly.”
The wind stopped. The forest hushed.
Then, the air in front of me shimmered.
