“Well, I’d say probably not much. All the circling you did probably slowed them down a bit.”
“Intentionally,” I lied.
She grinned and pointed to a good climbing tree with stepping branches placed evenly apart. “You’ll have to get yourself up there. And try not to touch the tree too much.”
“How the hell am I supposed to climb a tree without touching it?”
“Right, well, just try your best and let’s see what happens.” She spun, scanning the dense forest around us.
Once I reached the highest point I could while still being able to see below me through the branches, I called down. “How’s this?”
“Perfect.” She climbed up behind and sat near me.
“I cannot believe I agreed to this. Must be the lack of sleep.”
“Listen, if you want to get down right now and keep moving, we can. But I promise they are going to catch up with us sooner than later anyway, and we seriously need Kai if you plan on going north.”
“Well, we’re already up in the tree now. We might as well see it through.”
“He is going to kill me,” she laughed.
“Nah, I’ll kill him first.”
“Well, the fight will be fun to watch.”
“Indeed.” I pulled out a knife to give my anxious hands something to do. “Is he terrible? The prince?” I didn’t want to let that burning question seem so damn vulnerable, but it did.
“No. He isn’t really.” She passed her hands through her hair, and a smile lit her eyes. “Passionate, stubborn, asshole? Yes, but terrible? No. My sister and I grew up with him at the castle. She serves on the council now, but Fen and I have just always been closer. I think he has spent his whole life thinking about you, and now that you’re here, he isn’t sure what to do about it.”
He sure had a funny way of expressing obsession. “And the others?”
“Oh gods, they are terrible.” She laughed. “Kai is Fen’s best friend. He is the quintessential definition of a southern fae warrior. You can’t take a single thing he says seriously, but there is no one Fen trusts more than Kai, except maybe Greeve.” She shifted on her branch and leaned back against the rugged bark. “When Fen’s mom died, he wouldn’t eat or sleep. So, Kai moved into his rooms at the castle and refused to as well. He told Fen if his best friend was going to starve, then he was too. So, Fen ate and slept just to make sure Kai would. They’ve always taken care of each other like that. Like brothers.”
“And the other two?” I asked, pushing the picture of a starving little boy from my mind.
“Well, Greeve is a wind cleaver and a drac.”
“Which means?”
“Oh right, sorry. Northerners.”
“Call me a northerner again and I’ll leave you dead in this damn forest.”
“You could try,” she said, lifting an eyebrow.
I scoffed.
“The draconian fae used to be from the Wind Court until Fen’s mom convinced his dad to let her people come south during the Iron Wars. I guess it’s a long story, but basically, all the dracs live in a communal way. They are fierce southern warriors now, and no one messes with them. They can be scary. Greeve travels on the wind too with his magic.”
I ran my fingers over the deep grooves etched into the cool handle of my blade as she continued. I knew what a draconian fae was, of course. But she didn’t need to know that. I didn’t have time to care, but she talked a lot. And as my mother said, even useless information can become a weapon at the right moment.
“Well, when Greeve was born, they knew right away that he had magic, so they sent him to the castle to be trained. He was the third wheel with Fen and Kai for a while, but now they don’t go anywhere without each other. I’m pretty sure they piss in a triangle.”
I snorted and she continued.
“Lichen is a whole different story. He’s a lot older than the rest of us, but he used to be an important advisor on the council. When the queen died, the king reduced the council size. Lichen was sort of gifted to Fen so he could learn the ropes. He’s nice and all, for an older fae, but—”
I jerked my hand up to quiet her as I heard a movement somewhere in the distance. “I think they’re coming,” I whispered. “No one is talking though.”
