Page 22 of Ignite
“We won’t be here long,” I say quickly.
Just long enough for Brielle to regain her strength while we work on a new plan.
Willow gives me a curt nod.
There’s so much we need to discuss. Like who the hell these fae are, how they found us when they did, and why they chose to intervene—putting their own lives at risk in the process.
They must have questions for us, too, but the weight of using so much of our magic and flying to Kauri weighs on all of us.
Aster turns to Adrian and the Lyles, his gaze guarded. “You three are with me.”
Adrian shakes his head and backs up a step, his eyes finding mine. But he must see something in my gaze—hopefully the rage and distrust that spikes in my stomach each time I look at him—because his jaw clenches and he huffs, “Fine.”
A part of me thought he might use his title as King of Crea to make a demand, but he shocks me as he relents to Aster. His back turns to me as he follows Aster around the tree, disappearing into the night. For once, he keeps his mouth closed—hopefully understanding that being surrounded by fae with no way off this island isn’t the place to mention who he is.
And while it makes my gut churn to think about protecting him by opting to not fully explain who he is, we still don’t know these fae. We don’t know what they’re capable of or what they want from us. So, I send him a silent plea to give me time to figure this out.
As much as anger nips at my chest for what he’s done, I don’t want to see himdead. Used as some kind of tool to show Creans what Penyth is capable of. Because as much as Iwantto hate Adrian, he’s still the boy who showed me kindness in the market—in the castle, even. I may not have forgiven him, but justbecause he isn’t the man for me doesn’t mean I fault him for what the world shaped him into.
Willow continues ahead, and we follow.
Figures move in the shadows as we walk in a single-file line across tree limbs and various rope-tied bridges that sway with each footstep. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, the feeling of eyes following our every move clinging to me like a sticky second skin. Though we don’t trulyseeany of the fae that watch us, I canfeelthem there.
It’s quiet enough that I could fool myself into believing those who live here are all asleep, but with the way the night sings, I find it hard to imagine they don’t thrive the moment the sun sets.
There are signs of life everywhere, of a home that’s trulylivedin. Not in the way the royal training camp was, with the leaking cabin roofs and tents needing patchwork every few weeks. No, this place isn’t like that at all. Instead of muddied walkways with partially thrown-together stake markers, there are woven bowls lining the path beneath us. They’re filled with flowers of all shapes and colors. Some of them hang from thin limbs; nearby, I see one with strings of small green pearls cascading down the sides. Others have heart-shaped leaves the size of my palm, spilling toward the ground.
The moment I look down, I realize how high up we are. I must not be the only one who notices, judging by the way Leda keeps looking down at the ground every few steps. Maybe the Riders are slightly more accustomed to heights than Leda is.
Willow stops on the walkway and motions to the branches to our right. “These are usually where some of the villagers relax, but they’ll do just fine for sleeping.” She nods to the canvas hammocks hanging in the tree.
A flurry of branches splits off from the walkway, each leading to a hammock. They’re patched together with different colors, smattering an array of violets, navies, maroons, and creams throughout the leaves.
As much as I want to sit Willow down and pepper her with questions, I can’t deny that we all need rest—and with rest comes clearer minds.
I take an olive-green and light brown patchwork hammock, the one that’s right in the middle of all the others. Leda takes one above mine, a few branches to the right. Calix settles in one on my other side, while Maddox and Sidra settle over us to the left.
Willow turns away, but I stop her.
“And Brielle?” I ask.
Her gaze lingers on mine, a flash of worry in her eyes. With a quick, deep breath, she gathers herself and gives me a reassuring smile. “Brielle will be well cared for. You can visit her tomorrow if she’s feeling up to it.”
“Thank you,” I say with a nod.
Willow turns and leaves without another word, leaving us to settle into our beds for the night. The moon is still out, but the sunrise won’t be far off.
It isn’t long before light snores fill the air, Calix already fast asleep. I shift, my body teetering sideways as I turn in the bouncy hammock.
Heights have never bothered me, but I still have to try and avoid thinking about how we’re all sleeping on woven fabric tied to mere tree limbs hundreds of paces above the forest floor.
“Lu?” Leda whispers from above. The canvas of her makeshift bed sways, and she pops her head over the side to look down at me. “Still up?”
I prop myself up on my elbows and say, “Hard to sleep after everything.”
There is no need to explain what “everything”means. Leda has been with me through it all. From Adrian showing up and the mass of shadows that engulfed our camp to losing Graylen.
We didn’t just fall short in making our appeal to the Lord of Shadows; we completely failed. And failure hurts like a bitch.
