Page 69 of The Last Heir of Elsewhere

I furrowed my brow. “Why?”

The soldier sneered. “The rumor around the village is that the royal family had their asses handed to them by the rebel army. We sent word to the capital and all the nearby outposts hoping to get some confirmation, but haven’t heard anything.”

“Why does that matter to you?” Bael asked, seeming unable to keep his mouth shut any longer.

The guard laughed again, giving Bael a once over. “You must be new. If you’d done as many years of service to those bastards as I have, you wouldn’t be asking why it matters. The moment I know for sure they’re all dead, I’m leaving and never looking back.”

“Then I’m sorry to tell you they’re not all dead,” I said through gritted teeth.

The male frowned. “That’s a shame. Any idea who survived?”

Bael and I glanced at each other. Of course, we were all well aware of how the people of Elsewhere despised us, but it was fucking surreal to hear oneself talked about like this. At least he hadn’t said anything about Lonnie.

“Does it matter who survived?” Bael asked.

“Course,” the guard said easily. “You know they used to send their precious raven prince down here to hunt down deserters? I want to get out of here, sure, but I’d slit my own throat before willingly meeting him. I’d reckon he’s more monstrous than anything over the wall.”

I smiled tightly. “Yes, I’m sure he is.”

I stepped forward to brush past the guard, aiming to end this conversation quickly. We’d pretend we were taking their place guarding the wall until they were out of sight, then cross the border without any further trouble. Easy, except…

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, Cyrus,” the human guard said. “The royal family isn’t even in charge anymore.”

I jerked, having nearly forgotten he was here until he’d spoken. In response, the Fae guard—Cyrus—grinned at Bael and I, as if we were sharing a joke at the expense of the human. “Ignore him. I’ve tried to explain the hunts to him a dozen times, but he doesn’t understand.”

“I do fucking understand,” the human snapped. “We threw a party in the pub in the village when that human girl took the crown. I’m telling you, Cyrus, you don’t have to worry about the bird king or whatever the fuck he’s called.”

“And I’ve told you,” Cyrus sighed, exasperated. “They killed her. Must’ve done, right? Since nothing really changed after she won.”

“You don’t know that,” the human grumbled.

Cyrus grinned at us again. “I swear, he never shuts up about the Slúagh queen. All the humans act like she’s the incarnation of Aisling herself, but I’m sure that either that girl is long dead, or they’re keeping her as a pet and by now she’s been fucked so hard she’d wish she was they killed her.”

My pulse pounded loudly in my ears, like the ominous ticking of a clock. Then, before I could think what I was doing, my fist connected with the soldier’s jaw, sending him crashing to the ground with a resounding thud. “That’s my fucking wife you’re insulting.”

With a maniacal chuckle, Bael swiftly took down the other guard, his lion-like strength evident as he effortlessly subdued the man. The air crackled with tension, and within seconds, we were standing in a puddle of fresh blood, two obsidian armored corpses at our feet.

I breathed heavily, and looked over at Bael, almost anxious. I wasn’t really sure what had come over me, but certainly that had been an overreaction and I didn’t want to hear him point it out.

To my great relief, he only shrugged. “No great loss, I’d say. They wanted to be free of their post anyway…now they are.”

I let out a long breath. “We need to move,” I said sharply, my mind “Before someone else comes looking for them.”

Bael grinned, seeming invigorated by the violence. “Lead the way.”

Nodding, I turned to face the Hedge once more. With a deep breath, I took a resolute step over the wall, and blinked as the glamor immediately faded and it suddenly became very clear why this was the only point at which one could cross into Underneath.

Before us stood a massive and seemingly endless chasm. Jagged rocks jutted out from the fiery lava below, and the foul-smelling steam rising from the depths only added to the ominous aura of the place. The sound of crackling lava and hissing steam echoed, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur and ash, reminding me uncontrollably of the scent of Wilde magic that hung over Aftermath and followed wherever the afflicted went.

Directly beneath our feet, a narrow bridge stretched precariously over the gaping chasm, its length disappearing beyond my range of vision.

I looked back at Bael, and was slightly unnerved to find him beaming with excitement. A sense of unease washed over me, but I shoved it to the back of my mind. Somewhere beyond this chasm, my brother was holding Lonnie hostage and I would find her…even if it killed me.

28

LONNIE

ABOARD THE FORESIGHT

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