Chapter 25
Ellie
Ihurry to my feet as Reid’s and Emlyn’s horses slow to a stop before reaching our campfire. Even in the dusk light, it’s clear who they are. Why is Taran acting like they’re a threat?
Emlyn’s horse tosses its head as he dismounts, his feet hitting the ground. “Ancients, Taran. Lower your bow.”
Taran remains still, his arrow trained on Reid, frozen wide-eyed on his saddle. “You weren’t supposed to bring any other mortals.”
Emlyn marches directly to him and angles the bow to the ground. “No, but mine is Caeo’s best friend, and can actually remember what’s going on. He’ll be useful.”
I rush to Reid’s side as he stumbles off his horse, giving him a hand for balance. “I never thought I’d be this happy to see you,” I admit, breathless.
“Thanks?” He brushes his hands against his pants. “Are you alright?”
“I am.” I glance over at the fae, arguing in hushed tones. “Taran explained everything to me.”
Reid winces as we step away, and I quickly catch him up on all that’s happened. It’s borderline offensive how relieved he is that I know about my curse; he can’t get into it without me forgetting what he says, but I get the gist. It was apparently the true source of his misery these last few weeks.
He tells me how he got Emlyn to talk, then told Alexis what happened—hopefully, she’ll cover our disappearance. After that, it was well past midnight, so they stayed at Emlyn’s, accidentally oversleeping. Then Emlyn had to teach Reid to ride, delaying them even more.
I get the distinct impression he’s purposely skipping many of the details. Coupled with his less-than-subtle glances at Emlyn, I can’t help but wonder how things stand between them. Does he even know himself?
But all that quickly leaves my mind when he pulls a bundle of my things out of his pack, courtesy of Alexis.
Fresh clothes, soap, my hairbrush, and some ties for my hair.
I practically leap with joy as I snatch them from his hands, then flee into the woods, incanting some water so I can clean myself up.
It’s dark when I return, feeling significantly refreshed, and the three of them have finished squabbling and sit quietly around the crackling fire.
Taran’s returned to poking it with a stick, with Emlyn sprawled out on the opposite side.
The four of us sit awkwardly in its flickering glow—two humans and two fae—until Emlyn finally offers to take the first watch while the rest of us sleep.
Which, at least for me, means I pretend to sleep while my mind questions every decision I’ve made and my body screams against the hard ground. Exhaustion eventually overtakes me.
Deep within the shadows, I wander through a gray fog, broken by specks of blue sky. A voice echoes from somewhere within: I’ll find you.
Then sunlight peeks through, burning it away.
I rub the sleep from my eyes, the cozy warmth in my chest slipping away as the last vestiges of the dream fade under the morning sun.
I once again find Taran already up, tending to the horses—despite not being tied to anything, they haven’t wandered off.
Reid still sleeps on his side next to me, with Emlyn curled up a few feet away.
I grip the button in my pocket. This is it. No turning back now.
Reid’s determination to go to the faelands, for reasons he can’t explain because of my curse, has reinforced that I was correct in my decision to trust Taran. Unless Reid also fell victim to fae trickery…
No. After an entire day and two nights with Taran, nothing I’ve seen supports anything I’ve ever learned about fae, other than how captivating they are.
I can’t deny that truth—every time my gaze lands on either Taran or Emlyn, it’s an effort to pull free.
That connection, with Taran in particular, sparks an uneasy flutter in my chest. The way his inky black hair curls near his eyes, despite being longer than feels right.
But I recognize that, so I can manage it.
I pause on my way over, watching as he speaks softly to one of the horses while brushing her golden coat.
He glances my direction. “Sleep well?”
I wince. How long have I been staring? I just told myself I could handle his charm, and I’m already failing.
“No one ever woke me to take watch,” I say, hoping to move past my awkwardness.
“I thought you could use the sleep.”
I frown. “But that’s not fair to the rest of you. I can do my share.” Even now, there’s a red tinge to the white of his eyes. I can’t let others suffer just so they can coddle me.
His mouth twitches into a hint of a smile. “Then you can help with the horses.”
Eyeing the animal, I bite my lip, uncertain if this was really the best way to assert myself. But retreating now would only confirm that I need pampering, so I step closer.
Taran’s hand lands on my shoulder, stopping me. “You need to make sure she can see you.” He gently guides me into the horse’s line of sight. “You don’t want to startle her.”
I exhale as he lets go, expecting him to move away. Instead, he gives me the brush and guides my hand in a flicking motion along the growth of the horse’s hair.
“Her name is Willow,” he says. “You’ll be riding her today.”
My nerves tighten, recalling my last experience on a horse. But he isn’t kidnapping me this time, so hopefully it’ll go better.
“Willow,” I repeat. “Isn’t she your horse?”
Taran releases my hand, leaving me to brush on my own, and the morning chill sinks into his absence.
“It will be easier for you to ride her than the others. She trusts me, so she’ll carry you if I ask.
The rest of them would test your control.
” He moves to Willow’s head to scratch behind her ears, his fingers disappearing under her flowing, ivory mane.
“Where exactly are we headed?”
“If we don’t push the horses, it’ll take a couple days to reach the border. Ultimately, we’re going to the capital, but we’ll be sticking to paths less traveled, since I have to assume the queen still wants me dead.”
I make a couple more swift brushes. “It must be awful to have a mother who’s trying to kill you.”
Taran stiffens, his fingers pausing mid-scratch. He slowly looks at me.
Why did I say that? “I’m sorry! That was a stupid thing to say.” My cheeks burn as I turn away, staring at a slightly off-color spot on Willow’s back.
“You’re trying to be friendly. I don’t need you to be my friend.”
My shoulders slump. “Right. Of course you don’t.”
He sighs. “Go wake the others. I’ll finish getting the horses ready.” He holds out his hand, waiting for the brush. I give it to him, then scuttle away to do as he asked.
Not his friend. Despite all his efforts to reach me, to convince me to go with him willingly, I’m ultimately just a tool—something to solve a problem for him.
I’ll have to prove I have value beyond that.
* * *
I’m hoping for a chance to redeem myself when Taran teaches me to ride his horse, but to my disappointment, he asks Emlyn to show me instead.
Like Taran, he now looks entirely fae, having dropped the glamour he used while in Haven—one more secret they explained that makes it easier to trust them.
In Emlyn’s case, his golden eyes now catch the light like a fire shimmers within, and the tips of his ears come to sharp points against his long blond hair.
A pair of braids on each side keep it out of his face.
“I just spent half a day teaching Reid,” he grumbles.
“Which makes it fresh in your mind.” Taran whispers something to Willow before handing her off to Emlyn, then returns to the other horses.
Minutes later, I almost fall over attempting to get into the saddle, causing Reid to burst out laughing.
“Quit it,” Emlyn snaps, glancing over his shoulder. “You were so bad at this, I thought you must be faking it just to get me to touch you more.”
Reid shuts his mouth, then decides he has other places to be.
Other than that mishap, my instruction goes relatively smoothly.
Emlyn runs me through the basics, occasionally correcting my posture.
It’s kind of fun, even though I’m still a bit uneasy with all this outdoorsy stuff.
But it brings me a sense of joy, enduring experiences I’d only ever read about in adventure stories.
“We don’t really have time to get into much more,” Emlyn says after a while. “Taran will ride in front, and Willow will follow his lead. If he goes faster, stand up in your stirrups and let your knees absorb the bounce.”
I push myself up as he directs, and he nods with approval.
“Reid, your turn!” he calls, heading to the other horses.
I resist the urge to snicker as he helps Reid mount his, noting he’s much more handsy about it than he was with me. But now Taran’s approaching, and my pulse quickens as I straighten up.
He pats Willow on the shoulder. “Are you comfortable with what you’re doing?”
“I trust Willow will take care of me.” I’ve been brainstorming possible responses all morning.
Taran smiles as he glances my way, sending a tingle through my chest. I finally said something right.
But my relief fades beneath a gnawing in my chest. I wish that didn’t matter so much, that I didn’t have to try so hard to do it.
That someone existed who was easy for me to talk to.
A void pulls from within, as if I once had that and someone took it away—but even with my mom, I was never that comfortable.
My eyes follow Taran as he mounts the remaining horse. They pass over Reid, briefly meeting his gaze. To my surprise, he frowns.
He can’t possibly blame me for Emlyn snapping at him earlier, can he?
Before I can spare more thought on the matter, Taran clicks his tongue and Willow starts forward, forcing me to focus all my attention on staying balanced.
* * *