Page 7 of Deliverance

“Only time will tell.”

Well, that is a helpful answer. Rolling my eyes, I stand and brush down my dress. “I should return to my cottage. My family will have a heart attack if they find out I was in the forest.”

Hopping over the stream, I head in the opposite direction to where my companion is hiding in the shade of the trees. Withoutbothering to say goodbye, I follow the path that will take me home.

“Iris.”

His call has me pausing despite myself, and I turn slightly to indicate that I am listening. He disappeared on me without any explanation. I thought we were friends, yet he just… vanished, and now he has the gall to show up today without an explanation. I should leave without giving him a chance to speak, just like he did with me, only I cannot seem to help myself.

“Things are happening in the forest,” he begins, his voice travelling across the space on a phantom breeze. “Things that would be dangerous even for someone like you. Stay away from the forest for the next couple of weeks. If you were to get into trouble, I could not step in to help you.”

If I hoped for an apology or explanation over his absence, then I amdisappointed, but the tight note of worry in his voice has me paying attention. Fear, worry, and anxiety are not emotions that a powerful male like him experiences, so if he is allowing me to hear it now, then things must be serious.

Spinning, I pin him with my gaze. “What do you mean, something is happening?”

He’s very specific about the timeline of his restrictions, so why is the forest more dangerous for me only for the next few weeks? He makes it sound as though he regularly keeps me safe here, but if I were to ignore his rules this time, he would not be able to step in. Why can he not be straightforward and just tell me what I need to know rather than giving me only parts of the information I need?

Just like usual, he doesn’t answer me and starts to dissolve into shadows. “Do not trust anyone. Do not enter the forest.”

Panic suddenly grips my heart in a vicelike hold. Why does this feel like goodbye? I cannot let him go without saying something, without him knowing that his absence hurts.

“Where did you go these past months? I came looking for you.”

His form pauses for a moment, half in shadow, and I wonder if he is going to answer me or not. He lifts his head, his eyes flashing beneath his hood in a rare show of emotion.

“For your safety, Iris, don’t,” he finally responds and then completely disappears in the shadows, leaving me staring at the spot where he had just been standing with an ache in my chest.

Chapter Four

Nyx

She thinks I left, but I’m still watching her, hidden in the darkness where she cannot see me. I would never leave her alone in the forest. It’s not safe despite her gifts. She is different from the other humans, and that puts her at risk.

I have watched her grow over the years and develop into the beautiful woman she is now. Even from a young age, she showed signs of beingother, preferring the company of plants and animals. These creatures seem to reciprocate her feelings, and even the trees of the forest grow towards her.

All this time, I have watched her as a protector, making sure she is safe. However, in recent years, I felt more invested, and I knew I needed to take a step back for her own safety. Leaving was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, and like a fool, I caved today when I felt her enter the forest.

I was just going to stay silent and invisible, and watch her to make sure she was okay and then leave, hopeful that would sate the incessant need to see her. However, when I saw how sad she looked, I couldn’t stop myself from speaking to her.

This is only going to make everything harder, but it is necessary. The fae will begin their hunt soon, and I cannot hide her any longer. My warning might keep her from the forest, but they’ll be able to sense her and will be drawn to her just like I am.

When the hunt begins, I cannot interfere. There are many rules I do not mind breaking, but I am so tightly bound to this one that it would be catastrophic if I did, bringing war down on top of us all.

Chapter Five

Iris

Brushing down the skirts of my pale floral dress, I fidget under my mother’s careful but precise touch. Sitting before the mirror this way with her takes me back to my childhood. I am not sure why she is making such an effort with my appearance today. While I am assisting with an important meeting in the village, I feel like a dressed-up porcelain doll.

“Will you stop fussing?” Mother’s hands land on my shoulders, squeezing gently, her eyes softening as she takes in my discomfort. “It is a good thing that the mayor has invited you to be such a big part of today, yet you are acting as though you are about to walk to your death.”

Perhaps that is because I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong. No matter how I try to look at it or ignore the tightness in my chest, I cannot figure out what is wrong with me. I wish I could be honest with my mother and tell her my true thoughts about today—that I have no idea why the mayor has asked for me to be there. As the town pariah, I know I’m not the first choice, so his insistence makes no sense to me. Maybeit is for the good of his son? Robert and I have barely spoken since our argument under the oak tree last week, although not through his lack of trying. He has begged me to forgive him, and I have, I just have nothing to say to him, the easy peace between us now tight and strained.

Thankfully I have had an excuse not to be around him, being so busy with the gardens and plants in the village to impress whoever is visiting from the city today. From the moment the sun rises until its rays sink below the treetops, I am in the flower beds tending to the flowers.

With Robert’s stark reminder that I am the reason my family lives on the edges of society, I am withdrawn and solemn. Not even the flowers bring a smile to my face. It does not help that I am not supposed to go into the forest, and the one time I did, I was chased out by a sense of foreboding unlike any I had ever felt before. I have not returned since.

My mother is still waiting for my response, startling me from my thoughts. I look into the mirror and smile weakly so she can see it despite being behind me. “I am not good around lots of people, and I know how important this is to the village.” While those facts are true, it is not the reason why I feel so unsettled—not that I know the reason behind that either. I have no idea what this visit is about, but I do know it is important. Everyone has been frantically cleaning and preparing for the visitors’ arrival, and I shall have to be on my best behaviour.

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