Page 2 of Black Hearted
“I won’t hurt you,” I called out.
Quiet footsteps moved inside the house, but she said nothing.
I didn’t need this right now. An untrusting kid slowing me down wasn’t part of the plan, but I couldn’t leave her here. This was the Fall Court. The curse had descended on this land months ago. It was a wonder she’d survived this long, but if she stayed here, she’d surely die.
Sludging through at least a foot of the oil on the porch, I went to the front door, and, with great effort, I pried it open and waded inside. The living room and kitchen were completely dark—no candles, which made sense because this oily substance might be flammable.
“I have shadow magic, but I’m not a bad person,” I yelled into the house.
“That’s exactly what a bad person would say,” she called back from somewhere upstairs, and I hated the terror I heard in her voice.
I blew out a frustrated breath. She was right.
“I’m friends with Princess Aribella of the Fall Court. I’m here on a mission to help the Spring Court princess.”
“Liar! Go away. I’d rather die here alone than trust someone from Ethereum.”
I began to walk up the steps. “How do you know where I’m from?”
“My nana told me things. Shadow magic means you’re a bad guy from Ethereum,” she called from a room off to the left.
I sighed. I couldn’t deny that I was from Ethereum. She’d seen my magic for herself, but maybe I could convince her I wasn’t bad. “I’m going to the Spring Court. Would you like a ride there? I can use my magic to get us out of this oil.”
I stood in the open doorway of the room I’d heard her voice come from and stared at the closed closet door. Black footprints covered the upper floor, along with plates, dried food, and clothes smeared with oil in the corner. No one should have to live like this, let alone a child without an adult to depend on.
“I have powerful magic,” she called back, her voice muffled from the closet. “And if you don’t leave right now, I’ll jump out and blast you with it.”
The little fae might have great power, but she sounded terrified. I didn’t want to scare her any more by taking her by force.
“Please don’t hurt me. And I promise I won’t hurt you,” I said. “I don’t know anything about this land, and I really need to get to the Spring Court to see Princess Lorelei.”
Silence.
“So you can kill her?” she asked.
I huffed a humorless half-laugh. So I can marry her was more like it. “No, so I can bring her a letter and help her destroy the curse.”
The door handle turned, creaking open. The little girl poked her sweaty red face out of the closet. “Destroy the curse?”
I nodded, holding my hands up in a gesture of peace. “I’m here on strict orders from Princesses Dawn, Aribella, and Isolde to help destroy the curse.”
She frowned. “But all those princesses are dead. That’s what Nana told me. Otherwise, the curse would have stopped by now.”
I shook my head. “They aren’t. They’re alive and doing everything they can to end the curse forever—not just for another hundred years.”
She looked me up and down, as if sizing me up. “What’s in the bag, huh?” she asked skeptically.
I opened my satchel and let her see the meager belongings inside. “The things I need to get to Princess Lorelei. Will you help me?”
She chewed her lip. “I have an aunt in the Spring Court. If you get me there safely, I won’t kill you.”
I had to control the smile that threatened to spread across my face. “Absolutely. I’d love to return you to your aunt.”
She lifted her hand, palm out, and aimed it at my chest. “I mean it. I’m really powerful. If I think my life is in danger from you at any time, I’ll kill you.”
I held my hands up again. “I will not harm a hair on your head. But I’d like to get down this mountain before night falls. I imagine it gets very dark here.”
She shivered. “Unnaturally dark.”
