Page 27 of The Witch & the Grizzly

Oh.

What had Morgryn said about this black potion, that it was corrosive to living things. She recalled her experiment that ended up with a ruined apple and bowl. It was corrosive to some nonliving things, too.

What sort of effect would the potion have on the castle? Assuming it would even affect it since it likely had some fae enchantments to protect it from various types of assault.

Was it prepared for something like her two vials, however?

Say that it worked. Probably, it’d take some time to do anything, given the sheer scale of the castle. And if it didn’t work, well, she’d know.

If it worked… she pursed her lips. How persuasive might it be for the fae who didn’t want to admit anything was wrong?

There was only one way to find out. She was probably placing a death sentence on herself if there wasn’t one on her already.

The entire realm would be out for blood, but that was a risk she was willing to take since no other options presented themselves. With bated breath, she popped out the vials with their viscous substances, wondering if this was a huge mistake. She uncorked them both, holding them carefully, knowing she had something highly dangerous in her vials.

Something like this wouldn’t occur to Morgryn, who was trying to preserve his realm, though perhaps he might admire the scheming of wanton destruction, or he might be accused of doing this.

Ah well. She poured both vials, dispersing them slowly until both were emptied.

Perhaps I better back away since this tree is attached to the wall.

No sooner had she thought it that the dark liquid hissed and began eating away at the wall bark as if it were paper. The wound widened before her eyes, growing faster and faster by the second.

She’d used exactly one drop and destroyed an apple and a bowl. Perhaps she should have considered what two vials might do.

As the darkness began to spread along the tree trunk she sat on, she leaped backward, deciding to stay in the trees as long as possible and hope she might get a cell signal on her phone and its dying battery or a friendly face might turn up.

She vanished into the trees. The darkness spread, eating into the wall at an astonishing rate.

Chapter Nine – Nathan

It seemed that court business was boring for the fae if they stood around arguing for too long. Right now, they had a lunch break and were being served by the dining staff while talking with their various followers as they schemed and tried to consider ways to bend things further to their advantage. Naturally, food tasters sampled every bite and drink before it was served to the various high-born Unseelie.

“This isn’t going well,” Greer said sourly, her ancient face heavy with exhaustion. “I think you pushed for this meeting too soon. We needed more time to consolidate allies. I was working on one as well. A few more days…”

“What’s done is done,” Morgryn said, but with a sharp look at Nathan. “The corruption had spread to various parts of the human academy. Other followers in this realm reported worsening blight. I went to examine some of the academy’s corruption and more than a few of them shifted to be near the court itself. With my… half-blood charmer and potioneer missing, most likely to be found sooner or later, I felt it better to arrange a meeting now before they were found and then used as propaganda to show that I was trying to overthrow the court by callous means.”

“Like how Aelund did, you mean?” Greer smirked. “Rules for thee but not for me.”

“Sorry,” Nathan said when some eyes turned to him. “I can’t say I was expecting this to happen today. It’s not every morning you wake up and find a portal to the fae realm outside your door.”

One of the other fae on Morgryn’s side yawned. “I only joined because I expected you had a real chance. You’re the only real contender we have since you were the actual king. But it doesn’t seem we’re going to bring the pups to our side anytime soon.”

“We have the master of the hunt now searching for the missing potioneer, with express instructions not to slaughter her like a dog,” Morgryn said, and Nathan shivered at that. Hopefully, they’d find Eva and bring her in safely, without hate or torture. “He has also sent some of his men to check beyond the blighted land for the portal Nathan mentioned to back up his tale. I understand we needed more time, but it was either move now or be lost for certain.”

“Who is the half-blood’s father?” Greer asked, grinning. “Do we think it’s a member of the Unseelie? Is it you, you old rogue?”

Morgryn grimaced. “I don’t dally with any humans. No, it’ll be someone from the other courts. His mother was the one born back then – so it lines up with when we were looking to sign the treaty. I’d bet money it’s Caelen. He always did like sleeping around and enjoyed how his charm affected mortals. But there are two other options other than him since the Spring and Seelie courts had queens at the time.”

Nathan listened, and realized that he actually wasn’t curious to find out who his grandfather was. Clearly, it was someone who enjoyed a one-night fling with his grandmother before vanishing. He’d never inquired about any potential offspring since the treaty was signed. Someone like that wasn’t worth being known as a parent.

Their talk veered to politics, and Nathan didn’t eat or drink anything from the court – preferring his own snacks and water instead. He didn’t exactly trust being here in the Unseelie Court.

What these fae needed, he thought absently, was a great big kick in the ass. He eyed Aelund, surrounded by his sycophants, clearly enjoying all the attention. He’d stayed in power because not only did he have it, but he shared very generously with his followers. He clearly was passionate about what he believed in as well, but misguided. If the elder fae had indeed been so frivolous with magic in the past, he could see why Aelund thought it massively unfair that they now restricted everything. It’d be like… having all your favorite candies banned when everyone before you had enjoyed them for years.

Still, this didn’t excuse the willful destruction. The murmur of the fae carried through the hall.

So, Morgryn had called for the meeting in the morning, most likely while Nathan and Eve likely spent hours wandering through the landscape while he tried to find a mark of familiarity to lead them to safety. No such thing had appeared, and now it seemed that they sat in the middle of a slow-brewing disaster.

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