Page 28 of Death of a Mortal

At least my instincts were spot on, even if it was a beat too late. I opened my mouth to explain how we got it, but he held up a hand and cut me off.

“I don’t need to know. I just want to get you on your way. Quickly. You both wait here. I will go inside and gather what I have for you and then escort you to the edge of town.”

Before I could react, he turned and headed inside what I presumed was his home.

“What do you think, Nella? Should we bolt now?”

She eyed the door. “I dunno, but I’m so hungry I don’t think I can make it somewhere else without food.”

“He already helped us once, and he wants us out of town, not to keep us here. He seems okay. But if he’s not back in a few minutes, we’ll go.”

Nella nodded, and we removed our shoes and replaced them with the new boots, looking back at the door every few seconds as we laced them up.

Just as I started feeling uneasy, the door opened again, and a mortal woman stepped out with the stranger. She had kind eyes, a warm smile, and a very pregnant belly. She handed Nella a bundle of what I assumed to be food and water, and the man gave me a small pouch.I looked inside to find a bottle of milky white liquid and fresh gauze. When I looked back up at the man, it was the woman who spoke.

“This is all we have to give. I’m so thankful my husband found you girls and not…someone else. Please be safe out there.” She leaned in close to me, and her eyes moved to my burns, making me feel suddenly self-conscious. After a few scrutinous seconds, she said, “It doesn’t look to be infected. That potion should help scars form and keep them clean until then. There’s food and water for a few days. You’ll need to make it somewhere safe soon though.”

“Thank you, but why would you both help us so much?” I couldn’t help myself. I was beyond believing in kindness without a reason or manipulation.

“Because we had two daughters,” she said, making Nella halt her effort to shove the food into her satchel.

She’d said, “had.” My mouth dried. Her sad smile tugged at my heart, and the weight of their loss slammed into my chest harder than Aemilia’s lightning.

“We couldn’t save them when the fae came, but we can help you now. Maybe we can save you…for our daughters.” A glimmer of a tear shone in her eye as her husband wrapped an arm around her waist. Her hand went to her belly. My heart ached for their misfortune.

No, not their misfortune. The fae’s cruelty. And it all stemmed from Caedryn.

“You must hurry. My husband will guide you until it is safe. Good luck, girls.”

I nodded. “Thank you, both of you. Very much. And I’m so sorry for your loss.”

She gave a tight-lipped smile as the man headed back down the alleyway, and we followed. Nella turned and waved at the woman.

Before we got to the end, I turned around. I couldn’t say what made me do it, but I said to her, “For your girls, I will protect my sister with everything I have. Even against the fae.”

She was still smiling and rubbing her swollen belly when I turned back around.

We followed the kind stranger to the edge of town. As we made our way through back alleys, we only passed a handful of mortals and no fae—it seemed most of the town was out on the busy street trying to buy and sell what they needed by now.

I wondered if the couple remained here after tragedy because they were forced to—maybe the fae that had come would have killed them all but agreed to let the couple live if he did their dirty work. Or maybe his kids were killed because he failed at a job, as a reminder from the fae. What made them come after the family in the first place if mortals lived in this town?

My unease heightened—the fae here killed children. I pulled Nella closer.

When we made it to the opposite end of town from where we’d entered, he pointed us toward a port town a few days’ walk in one direction. I asked which direction the capital was.

His expression turned grave. “Under no circumstances should you go to the capital.”

And my stomach sank…because that was precisely where we were headed.

Chapter 9

Don’t Let Go

We had weighedour options: take the kind stranger’s advice, but then go where? We couldn’t go home to Briarstead, and I wanted to find my mother. Or we could head toward Dolvenar to find her, even after that cryptic warning. We decided we had to press on toward the capital, toward the evil we knew as opposed to the unknown. Plus, maybe my mom would be there to take us in.

I tried not to let that hope overtake me. The letdown would be devastating.

With full bellies and packs thanks to the kind couple, we passed the day on the road laughing, telling stories, and playing our favorite what-would-you-do-to-the-king game.