Page 28 of Power of Five
“Leralynn.” River extends a hand toward me.
I shake my head and back away, the sudden need to hit something overpowering my thoughts. I don’t even care if that something hits back. I know exactly what I need. “Where is Coal?”
“Still on his way here with Tye, Shade, and the horses,” River says quietly.
“I’ll wait for him in the stable, then.” I take a step toward the door. “You have a stable, right?” I ask Autumn. “Or... if there are several, just tell me where to go and I’ll wait there.”
“I’ll take you,” Autumn offers, moving her slender body between River and me. Slipping her arm through mine, the female guides me out of her room, firmly shutting the door before River can follow. “River can be a thoughtless ass,” she tells me as we step into the corridor—which alone shouts to the royalty of this place. The long passage could be a receiving room for its plush green rug, dangling candelabras, and frescoes of fae in love, life, and war decorating the walls.
“Would it be all right if we called on the seamstress first?” Autumn asks. She is just a bit taller than I am, which probably makes her tiny for a fae female, and glides with the same preternatural grace as her brother does.
“I don’t need anything,” I say quickly. I can’t pay for a handkerchief in this place, much less clothing.
Autumn snorts. “You need everything. Moreover, I can guarantee that River is already placing the order, because he probably thinks measurements are a frilly extra.” She stops, turning to touch my shoulder, her lower lip caught between her teeth. “I know you’ve no reason to care about those four, much less risk your life to defend Lunos against Mors’s darkness, and I’ve no right to beg it of you, but... please just consider them.”
“Has there ever been a quint with a mortal in it?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Andthere has only ever been one other gender-mixed one—the Elders Council. Most are all male or all female. There is something very special about you, Lera. I know it makes no sense, but I think the quint has been waiting for you for a very long time.”
