Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
“I could help you get set up here. I know some people who might be able to help,” she offered hesitantly.
“We’d never ask that of you,” Arbor said at once with a sad smile. “Honestly, we just want your friendship, and we wanted news of our cousin.”
Kerrigan doubted that very much, but it didn’t help to say so.
“We could send a falcon after him though. We could see if we could get ahold of him. Some of what we know might be old news,” Arbor said.
Prescott agreed easily. “We have only been out of the mountain for a short time, and Fordham was cursed so long ago.”
Kerrigan would take whatever they would offer her. Fordham had never mentioned a witch or anything like that when he mentioned the curse. This was all news to her. “Tell me about the witch.”
Arbor leaned forward. “This is the story our mother told us. When Fordham was a baby, a woman came to court. She should never have been able to find the mountain to get inside, but somehow, she did. She came in a long white sheet and entered the throne room as if she owned the place herself. Everyone was in awe of her beauty and terrified of her presence. We hadn’t seen a new person for hundreds of years. Fordham lay in a bassinet beside the queen. Despite the queen’s protests, the witch placed her hand upon his skin and bestowed a gift. But the gift itself was a curse for the firstborn of the Ollivier line for a prior slight against her. After that, we were told she went north into the highest mountains of Erewa.”
“But we never saw her again,” Prescott added.
Kerrigan’s head spun. The story sounded … fantastical. Fordham had never told her that someone else had managed to get into the House of Shadows. Only those who were descendants of the human and half-Fae that had left during the war. Those people were their lone source of trade. It was unlikely that such a woman would have enough power to curse a full-blooded Fae royal.
“Okay,” Kerrigan said softly, “so you think he’s going after this woman?”
“Kill the witch and break the curse,” Arbor offered. “It was the only lead we had.”
“And you think that you can reach him with a falcon? We could find out where he’s going?”
“I can try,” Arbor volunteered. “I would be happy to try.”
“He’s our cousin,” Prescott added.
Kerrigan nodded, trying not to show them how much hope this gave her. It sounded insane, but why would they lie to her? What could they gain? For Ford, she would have helped them any way she could regardless. But she was running out of ways to find him. This might be her best bet until she got better at her spirit magic.
“Let’s do it,” she agreed.
Arbor’s hand came out. “Of course. I’m just so glad to see you. I hope we can see more of each other.”
Kerrigan smiled. “Me too.”
She said her good-byes with instructions to inform her when they released the falcon and if they heard anything from Ford. She should have felt excited about this new revelation as she walked back to the mountain. Instead, her insides were twisted.
Arbor and Prescott had been friends to her in the House of Shadows. She had never been certain of their intentions while in there, but she’d suspected it was a result of the duplicitous nature of the court. Now, she didn’t know how she felt at all. But she was suspicious of all of their tales and didn’t know how to disentangle them.
16
THE FALCON
ARBOR
“Well done,” Prescott said with a nod.
Arbor bowed slightly from the waist. “Thank you. I thought it went well.”
“You had her eating out of the palm of your hand.” Prescott took her hand and turned it over, pressing a kiss to her palm. “My genius sister.”
She laughed. “The first part of the plan is in effect. I wanted her to want me more, but she gave us the ammunition with our cousin.”
“And you’re going to send a falcon?”
“Of course,” she said with a wink. “I desperately want to find my cousin.”
He grinned and fell back across the couch. He reached for the wine and chugged straight from it.
Arbor missed their life at court. The apartment the Red Masks had given them was hardly big enough for the life she wanted, but she realized she had to prove herself. It would take time with Kerrigan. That was why she hadn’t immediately launched into her suspicions about Kerrigan taking the wall down at the House of Shadows. If she started there, then Kerrigan would know she was up to something. She needed Kerrigan completely in her confidence. She wasn’t there yet, but they would get her there. That was all that mattered.
“Now, onto the second part of the plan.”