The Woods

Chapter Eleven

Lessons were skipped the next day, as was training. The three of them seemed to be serious about investigating, and teaching a mortal seemed to be insignificant to them.

Mortal. The thought made me pause as I was walking through the castle. I had forgotten that was all I was to them. They were the immortal, powerful Fae. To them, I was nothing. I was saddened by the thought, a knot twisting in my stomach. How could I forget? I had only been with them for several weeks. And yet . . . I had felt at home.

I thought of my father, guilt panging in my chest. But I couldn't lie to myself. I enjoyed their company and learning more about them. I enjoyed the Woods. No matter how selfish it was.

"You're upset." Celaine linked arms with me, and a jolt went through me, having not realised that she had followed me. Her eyes examined me, as if she could read my face. "What upsets you?"

"It's nothing," I said, dismissing the topic. There was no point in dwelling on the topic; I could never return home, even if I wanted to. She opened her mouth to press further, but two men turned the corner of the hallway to where we walked, drawing her attention.

"Lord Cawther," Celaine said hurriedly, dropping into a curtsey. I followed suit, deciding it was best to follow her lead, as I didn't recognise the men. They both were tall with silvery hair, dark ears sticking out. Behind them swayed furry tails, reminding me of the King and Casper. But it didn't seem they took the traits of foxes. Wolves, perhaps.

"Celaine," the oldest, presumably Lord Cawther, greeted. "How pleasant to see you. Your father doesn't know you are out, does he?" His tone told me it was anything but pleasant, but I knew better than to open my mouth.

Rising, Celaine smiled slightly. "He has his secrets and I have mine, My Lord. I trust your lips will be sealed, as always." He frowned while the second man chuckled, giving her an almost fond look.

Lord Cawther looked as if he were going to speak again, but his eyes snapped to mine, his nostrils flaring. "A mortal. Why, pray tell, are you with a mortal, young Celaine?" I blinked in surprise. Was he able to identify my race by simply smelling my scent? Or perhaps I didn't give off the same air as them, which would make sense, considering I didn't have magic.

"Ask His Majesty," she chirped. "I'm just here to save her boredom. Now, we had better be on our way." She tugged me after her, trying to get away from the pair, but the younger of the two grabbed my wrist.

"What is your name?" he asked. I didn't reply immediately, rather assessing him. His grip was gentle, his eyes kind. I couldn't tell whether it was my own senses or his magic that lulled me to trust him.

"Fida," I eventually said. His smile widened, something like curiosity glinting in his eyes.

"An ancient name. Well, Fida, I look forward to seeing you again." He sounded almost genuine, and I could see some sort of gleam in his eyes alongside the curiosity. It was almost as if he was trying to speak to me through his eyes, though I couldn't decipher the words.

Realising this, he let go of my wrist, seeming almost disappointed at something, and Celaine dragged me away, her brow furrowed as she led me into the gardens. Her grip on my wrist had tightened, her nails digging in, and it was only when she heard me let out a hiss of pain that she paused.

"I'm sorry," she said, letting me go. I silently nodded, rubbing where she had almost broken skin.

"Are you afraid of them?" I asked.

"Of course." She wandered towards a rose bush, stroking the white petals. "You would be a fool not to fear those men. The Wolf House is the second most powerful of the Houses, so getting on their bad sides would be as good as a death wish."

Second to the royal family themselves. I fought the urge to shudder; perhaps I should be cautious around them.

"Who was the man with Lord Cawther?" I asked. "Are they related?"

She nodded, linking arms with me as we began to walk once more. "His name is Drake. He is Lord Cawther's son." She nibbled her lip, almost as if she were thinking back to our interaction with them. "He is . . . unusual. Withdrawn. His Majesty seems to like him very much. They have been good friends for decades."

I nibbled my lip, thinking over her words. "How do you all speak through your eyes?" I finally asked.

"You've noticed?" she smiled. I gave her a curious look and her eyes glittered. "Most people can't tell, even if you are an Above and have been doing it for centuries. It's easy to identify when two people stare directly into the other's eyes, but not everyone does that. It's a useful skill to be able to speak mind to mind."

"But how does it work?" I urged.

She paused for a moment, furrowing her brows as if she was trying to figure out what words to say. "All of the Fae are interconnected," she eventually sighed. "We may all come from different Houses and possess different traits, but we are all linked to the first woman of the Wolf House. The one who is the reason for our gifts. Speaking mind to mind is almost like grasping the interconnected thread and sending your thoughts through it."

Interesting. That would mean that even if they were separated over long distances, they would still hold some form of communication. I wondered whether distance would affect how it worked and was about to ask her, when she stopped suddenly. I glanced up to see the king standing in front of us, blocking our path.

"Your Majesty," Celaine greeted, dropping into a curtsey, and dragging me down with her. The king smiled slightly, offering her a nod.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything," he said.

"Oh – not at all, Your Majesty," she stuttered.

"Then would you mind if I spoke to you, Celaine?" She shook her head, glancing at me. Reading the look she gave me, I excused myself and slipped away, turning onto a different path that led back to the castle.

When I reached the open door, I glanced back at them. They walked side by side, continuing the path I had left. The king was speaking, and though I couldn't hear him from where I stood, I saw Celaine almost sag from what seemed to be relief. Perhaps they were talking about Lord Benroy's attempts to bribe the king. It would explain why Celaine reacted the way she did. At least, I would certainly react like that if I found out I wasn't being forced to marry someone.

I let out a small huff, more a laugh than anything, before turning and making my way towards my room. I wanted to continue reading the books I had gotten from the library the night before. When I had returned to my room that night, I had skimmed through a few books, but they contained nothing other than social interactions and economics. I still had several more that could contain the information I wanted.

When I finally reached my room, I headed towards the dressing table, where I had set them down the night before, but paused when I saw they were missing. I was sure they were there when I had left that morning, but it seemed someone had taken them. Did someone not want me to know about what happened?

I scowled, quicky darting around the room to see if a cleaner had moved it somewhere else but found no signs of it. Perhaps they had taken it back to the library.

I certainly didn't want to search through hundreds of dusty books again, so I collapsed onto a sofa in defeat. Nibbling my lip, I tried to think of something that would help me find more about the Stag House. Just mentioning it seemed to upset the royals, so that was not an option. And I couldn't ask Celaine in case she mentioned it to them. Unless . . .

I could simply ask Dimah myself.

Perhaps it was a stupid idea, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was, but the curiosity gnawed at me, and I eventually decided that I would do it. I didn't see her on the painting, so I assumed she would know first-hand what had happened.

And even if I got in trouble, I convinced myself that it would be worth it.