Page 57 of The Heir the Fae Forgot
“We have to find a way to alert the Eastern Court,” Finch said, drawing our gaze back to him. Slight surprise flickered across his features at the blank looks that met him. “Because, you know, Icarus is probably going to be headed right for them as soon as Aurra’s spell wears off.”
Even in the dark, I thought I saw Shiel’s tanned skin pale.
He whirled back to face me. “How long until he’s able to come after us?”
“I—I don’t know,” I stuttered, trying to think back to that moment when he “I think he can still use his glamour, at least a little, now.”
Shiel swore. “Then we have to keep moving. Now. His soldiers are probably already after us.”
Zev was the one who reached out a hand next to still his lord before he started leading us out into the darkness.
“Who’s to say he’ll come after us at all?” he asked. “Wouldn’t that be the easier prize? Wouldn’t he just go straight to the Eastern Court now. He’s probably already drawn the connection.”
“Actually,” I said, cutting Shiel off before he could answer. “I think it might take him longer to realize what just actually happened then you think.”
I told them, as quickly as I could, what Icarus had told me. Shiel’s face darkened as I did, and I knew I’d made the right choice not to tell them. There was no way they would have left the lord alive without someone’s blood being spilled if I’d told them the truth earlier.
But, at least, they agreed that it might actually work in our favor.
There was still no time to lose.
It might still take Icarus a while to fully understand what it meant for me to control this glamour, this power oftongues, but Finch was right. It would only be a matter of time before Icarus began to at least suspect the connection. If we were lucky, which was something I wasn’t keen to count on, it might take him a while to start considering it wasn’t thenewglamour that I’d called on, but the old.
I just hoped his obsession with the latter was enough to buy us some time.
At least enough for us to figure out our next step.
Though, first, we needed to figure out the one currently staring us in the face.
As if we needed any further incentive to flee the court of the Wildness, now Icarus hadtworeasons not to let me leave. Shiel’s hunt for the Oracle had uncovered Icarus’ plans to trap us in the Wildness, but that wasn’t what had taken him so long to return. That, it turned out, was because he’d also found a way out.
That was where he led us now.
We had no choice to go back for our carefully packed things, not even our horses. I felt guilty as we crept by the stables, knowing that the beasts would be left to Icarus’ mercy once we were gone. It was cruel to leave them behind, but we had no choice.
Where we were headed, they’d be unable to follow.
That way out of the court?
Straight through the Oracle’s lair.
We didn’t stop again until we reached the narrow tunnel Shiel had promised us we’d find. It was wedged between two trees not so far from the market stall where I’d nearly lost my life, and most certainly would have, if Zev hadn’t intervened.
Now as we stopped stared at the tunnel leading out, I wondered if it was my turn to intervene.
I turned towards Shiel and the others.
“This tunnel…there’s no way the three of you are going to fit in it.”
“No,” Shiel said, with a sly smile. “But foxes will.”
Finch let out a little yelp as he transformed immediately and darted ahead into the tunnel. Zev followed next, but before he followed, Shiel placed his hand on my shoulder again.
“If we get separated, you should go to the Oracle on your own. Do you understand me?”
His words made something chill deep within me.
“If we get separated?”
