Page 18 of Wrath of the Fae

I give a half-hearted laugh and watch the last few Fae pass us. Lucca scoops up his satchel and tosses it over his shoulder.

‘Ready?’

I look above and see three winged Fae circling us. Their broad wings widen as they effortlessly swoop and glide, scouring the skies and surrounding area for any threat.

‘I’m ready,’ I reply. ‘Let’s go.’

After hours of walking, the group slows and stops. Lucca winces.

‘Della’s mother is calling for me,’ he says.

‘Is something wrong?’

‘Not sure.’

Hushed whispers echo around us as uneasy eyes watch us pass. Lucca and I get to the group's centre, where Della lies in her father's arms. We rush to their sides, and I panic that something has happened to the strange owl.

I pass a very pissed-off Tessa, who has awakened from her medicinal sleep. Her shoulders sag as she sits on the floor with her knees up and a scowl to match no other on her tired face. I carry on straight to Della.

‘Spek is at the city border,’ Della’s father tells me. He takes his daughter’s hand and holds it out for me.

‘Della. Can you show me?’ I ask softly, gently stroking her hand in mine. ‘Can you let me in?’

Her fingers tighten, and I use my power to see her truth. To look into her mind and witness the memories of her Hitch. I get chills as Spek swoops through the trees and glides in the air. I see the endless forests and mountains that stretch on and on. Thousands of miles away, it will eventually reach the endless sea where the Thirteen Kingdoms end.

What lies beyond that? No one knows for sure.

Violent weather, dense fog and storms make it impossible to navigate and pass.

The Fae don’t care to explore because those that have, never returned. Or they returned unable to speak through catatonic fear.

But before that, is our destination.

The stars blink in the darkness, and a purple moon peeks over the mountain range ahead. In her memories, Spek continues to fly.

She goes high, and I see deep valleys with a river running through them. Black water rushes forwards before falling over the verge of a great waterfall. She dives, following its trail, and pulls back to fly over the glassy surface, straight towards the dark city of the Thirteenth Kingdom.

Then I’m where she is now, this very moment. She’s perched in a tree facing the city.

‘Can you fly over the city? Show me what you see?’

Spek flies, and I see what she sees.

Cobble streets lined with wonky houses create a maze of pathways and alleys. Wooden beams hold up decaying stone, and dirty water trickles down the gutters. Some buildings are obliterated. Many boarded up. Wooden walkways go from roof to roof, creating elevated paths to avoid the filth below. The streets are all lit with thousands of lanterns.

The Thirteenth Kingdom is cast in an eternal night. The sun only ever rises for a single day in the entire year.

Despite that, it’s not pure darkness. More like the moment just before the sun rises. I can still see everything. It’s just in dense shadow.

Spek swoops over rooftops, showing as much as she can show us.

‘There are soldiers in the city,’ I tell Lucca. ‘Not sure if they’re First Kingdom, though. They’re in the uniform, but they look…’ My words trail off as I consider my words.

‘Look?’ he urges.

‘Drunk. Fat. Filthy.’ I shrug. ’Not well trained at first glance. More like wannabe fighters wearing the uniform.’

‘Sounds about right,’ Wolf grumbles back. ‘The Thirteenth Kingdom is the poorest and most secluded. Anyone worth a damn would have been moved to another Kingdom. I’d wager they left a few soldiers with the uniform to impose some authority over here. The King loathes the Thirteenth Kingdom and refuses to acknowledge that this is where he’s from. He sees it as an embarrassment. From what I’ve heard and seen, he’s all but abandoned it. Along with anyone not worth taking.’

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