Page 99 of Oathborn
“Her ma’s an old friend. My sister was the girl’s midwife, and when she passed, helping this little one came to me.” The woman smiled, and only now could Zari see the flash of teeth almost sharp enough to be fangs, too. “Us wildlings stick together, after all.”
So Miss Maye was part-fae, like Yansin, and assumed the same of Ashali. Except, if Tivre was to be believed, that wasn’t true at all. She was a fae, and an Oathborn.
In her arms, Ashali stirred, muttering something softly. Zari stroked her hair, whispering soft words to her, and the child quieted again. What a pair she and Ashali made. A fake Oathborn and a true one and neither of them with a home.
“What will you do,” Tivre asked Miss Maye, “when the fae come calling to take her to the isles?”
“They haven’t yet,” Miss Maye said. “We keep to the warding ways, too. Salt on the doorstep, silverbane in the gardens…”
“Doesn’t work so well when she runs off, does it?” Tivre muttered.
“I’m just glad she’s safe,” Zari stepped forward, blocking Tivre’s view. “She’s a sweet girl. By the way, do you happen to know about a robin?” She tried her best to say it casually, knowing it was not the way Yansin would have wanted her to ask. Had she been the reason the cottage burned down? Perhaps the wordrobinwas a charm to open the door.
“A robin?” Miss Maye shook her head. “Should I?”
Tivre’s green eyes, Zari noticed, were now fixed on her. She winced, remembering that Yansin had said to keep his message away from the fae. Hopefully, she hadn’t said too much. “Just something Ashali murmured,” Zari lied. For someone who had prided herself on being truthful, she’d certainly gotten good at spreading falsehoods. “Thank you again.”
“Right,” Tivre said, “Tell Ashali goodbye and—”
“Goodbye?” Ashali interrupted, suddenly awake and wide-eyed. “No! Stay.”
“We have to leave,” Tivre said. “Ashali, you will be safe here and—”
“I go with you, puppy,” she stated.
Tivre blinked, his bright green eyes widening in his confusion. “I—no. I’m not a puppy.”
“Yes.” Ashalinodded. “You stay.”
“We cannot stay,” Zari told her. “I’ll carry you home, if Miss Maye will lead me.”
“Not my home,” Ashali muttered, resting her head against Zari’s shoulder once more. “Not at all.”
“I know, dear,” Zari whispered. “I know.”
Tivre’s watchful gaze lingered on Zari as they went to the inn and paid for their room, after they’d brought Ashali to the small townhouse Miss Maye lived in.
Tivre seemed comfortable in the town, as if he’d visited Kirkton before. Stranger still was how he unlocked the door for her, gave her a stack of bills to pay for food, and told her he would be back at dawn.
Once more, Zari was alone.
Chapter thirty-eight
Tobias
Kirkton was the first place Tobias had visited in years that reminded him of his shore-side home. Not in terms of climate, for he was freezing, and it was supposedly spring here. Nor in terms of geography. Though the sea was close enough that the gusty winds carried the scent of salt water, he couldn’t see it. Instead, beyond the town was a scrubby moor, with sparse, twisted trees and sinkholes dotting the landscape.
No, Kirkton reminded him of home because it was almost as poor as it was forgotten. Here, the houses creaked in the wind, their timber and peat-brick construction practical, but certainly not the most comfortable. He’d already learned the town only had one restaurant, and they stopped serving food hours ago. Which meant his stomach rumbled as he left town, following a path toward Thomasin Falls, where Javen had told him to wait.
He’d been given clear directions. Survey Kirkton first, then make the journey out to the cliffs, near the falls. In both locations, he should be looking for a shadowy figure and glowing eyes.
So, a fae.
His stomach twisted in fear. Javen had assured him he would be safe. Not only that, but he’d given him an item, a small silver bracelet, far too small to fit on Tobias’s wrist, that he said was enchanted to make a person invisible to Oathborn. At least, for a short term.
This was made for someone much smaller than you,Javen had said.I doubt its magic will last more than an hour, as a result. Only use it as a last resort.
During the whole conversation, though, Tobias had to pretend he’d never seen the piece of jewelry before, because it was the exact same one he’d found in that box on Javen’s desk, back in the capital. Now the bracelet sat in his pocket, right next to that damned business card. He’d been baffled, when he had received it, that there could be anything unusual enough to contact an unnamed governmental official.
