Page 77 of Given to the Fae
And why do I feel so angry about it?
She stares at me, and I find myself wishing to see her true eyes.
She doesn’t answer me and in fact is beginning to look a little green. I grab the skin with the tea in it, thrusting at her.
‘Don’t want you getting Gate Sick,’ I say, changing the subject.
She nods, looking relieved that I’ve ceased my questions. What secrets is this little human hiding? And why is it becoming increasingly important to me that I know what they are?
She takes a sip from the skin and wrinkles her nose at it.
‘I would have thought the Breach would affect the fae more than humans,’ she remarks offhandedly as she replaces the stopper.
‘Why?’ I ask, a little puzzled and wondering if she’s all right.
‘Your hearing. Your ears are more sensitive than my human ones.’
I frown. ‘What do you mean?’
She looks at me properly, her confusion mirroring mine.
‘The sounds,’ she says as if I’m not understanding something that’s plain.
I shake my head. ‘There are no sounds, Bryn.’
Her brow puckers as her puzzlement increases. ‘Yes, there are,’ she insists. ‘Cries and screams. And theywhisper.’
At my blank expression, her frown deepens.
‘Do you really not hear them?’
‘I only hear the roar of the Breach,’ I say. ‘No one hears anything other than that.’
‘I found it!’
I turn to see Morgan easing a wooden box out of a hole in a tree gingerly with two long sticks in a pincer shape. A black, shadowy tendril wraps around one of his tools and tries to pull it back, but Morgan raps it hard with the other stick and it recedes into the hollow tree trunk.
‘We stay close to the fire tonight,’ I say, staring into the hollow of the tree, ‘and I’ll cast a repelling conjure to keep the Dark Realm creatures away.’
Morgan and Jak nod in agreement and the box is opened.
‘There’s only one Gate here, so we won’t have to travel anywhere,’ he murmurs after a moment. ‘Looks like there are some safe caves a few minutes’ walk...’
He turns the parchment around as he stares at it and points down the path to the right. ‘That way.’
He turns the parchment over. ‘The Breach opens every day, and we’ve reached the Third Circle.’
‘Good,’ I murmur. ‘We’re on time.’
To meet up with Bere in the First Circle. Another step closer to success and getting rid of our human millstone.
‘Let’s get to the caves early, and if they’re not as safe as they once were, we’ll still have time to make camp elsewhere and get settled safely for the night.’
I lead my mount down the path, keeping an eye out for anything dangerous. The sun is up, though, so we should be safe enough except in the darkest places of the forest.
The walk to the caves doesn’t take long at all, and we find ourselves in front of a gargantuan boulder large enough to be called a cliff if it wasn’t simply planted alone in the middle of the forest with no higher ground around it. There appear to be three entrances high on the cliff-face. I take a closer look and find concealed foot holes in the rock leading up to where the caves are.
‘I’ll go first,’ I say, beginning to climb.
