Page 6 of Heir of the Autumn Queen

“Want anything to eat?” he asks, as we head back towards the door.

“I think I’ll just stick with water for now, thanks.” I stop him just before we go back inside.“And thank you again for the dagger. I can’t wait to show Killian, he’ll be super jealous.”

“You’re welcome, Auri,” he says, holding out his arm, politely waiting for me to walk inside.

Back inside the tavern, the air is noticeably warmer and stuffier after being outside. Briar finds me immediately and drags me into the center of the room and starts dancing to the folk music radiating from the quartet playing animatedly in the corner. Pretty soon, the whole tavern is on its feet, circling us and clapping to the beat as we dance wildly in the middle. Songs blend together and sweat drips down my back as we dance endlessly, until we finally decide to take a break. I feel only mildly buzzed now, no doubt having sweated out most of the alcohol in my system. A pint is waiting for me at our table, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find that it’s more water. Next to my cup, a slice of freshly baked bread is buttered and waiting to be devoured, and I happily oblige, suddenly feeling ravenous.

We sit and rest, talking and laughing about everything and nothing until most of the patrons file out of the tavern and head home to their beds. We say goodbye to our friends until only Briar and I remain, and we walk the streets of the quiet town together, arm in arm.

“Thank you,” I tell her.“Tonight has been the best night of my life.”

“What happened with Ced?” she asks, giving me a wicked smile.

I groan, having forgotten about that strange interaction.“He gave me water.” She looks unconvinced, so I elaborate.“There was a moment where I thought he might kiss me, but he didn’t.”

“And how do you feel about that?” she asks softly.

“I don’t know.” I shrug.“It’s probably better if we just stay friends, right?”

“That’s up to you. But you know I am an advocate for you finally getting laid.” I shove her arm playfully and she laughs.“What? You’re seriously uptight!”

I laugh and gather her into my side.“How do you know I’m not already getting laid?”

She gives me some side-eye for a few seconds before saying decidedly,“You’re not. I would know.”

“You’re right.” I sigh exaggeratedly.“You’ll be the first to know when that happens.” It’s not that I have anything against having sex, or those who choose to sleep around—gods know Briar is all about casual hookups—I just haven’t ever been interested in anyone in that way. Truthfully, I’ve probably been too busy sparring with Killian and honing my riding skills to care about finding a partner.

Briar stops suddenly, and I notice we’re on the outskirts of town, standing outside of a run-down cottage.“Your future awaits.” She gestures to the house, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

“What?” I ask, shaking my head to clear the cobwebs of lingering intoxication.

“You have to talk to Sibyl, it’s practically a right of passage,” she says with a wink.

In all the excitement of the evening, I had forgotten all about Killian’s warning about talking to the seer.“Killian told me not to see her tonight.” My brows furrow at the memory of his concern.

“What? Why?” Briar laughs.“She’s harmless.”

“That’s what I said, but he was insistent about it. Then I heard my Ma asking him if he told me not to go…” I say, remembering the conversation that I accidentally overheard. Well,sort ofaccidentally. I’ve always had a curious streak, sometimes sneaking out of my room at night to eavesdrop if my parents were arguing.

“That’s bogus,” Briar says, nudging me toward Sibyl’s cottage.“Here.” She tosses me a silver piece.“My treat. Maybe she’ll have something to say about the Cedric situation.”

I roll my eyes but decide there’s no reason not to; it’s just a bit of fun, and like Briar said, it’s kind ofthething you do on your twentieth birthday, especially if you don’t have a Kindling.

My best friend nudges me encouragingly and I turn toward the house and walk up the path, just as the sun creeps over the horizon. I knock on the door, never having been here before. A moment later, it swings open with a loud creak, and my curiosity gets the better of me. I walk inside, curious to hear whatever the seer has to say.

Chapter Four

The hallway of Sibyl’s cottage is dimly lit and full of clutter, so much so that it’s hard to navigate. Books, broken furniture, plants, and what appears to be lots of trash crowd the hallway. I step forward tentatively, unsure if I should walk through the seer's house when she’s nowhere in sight. The floorboards groan under my feet as I step further into the cottage, and something scampers along the floor and over my sandaled foot, making me jump and squeal in surprise. Heart pounding, I put my hand over my chest and will myself to calm down, inhaling slowly a few times. The smell of something rotten hits my nose and I immediately regret breathing so deeply.

As I step forward, a raspy voice makes me jump again, this time almost completely off the floor.“Aurelia,” Sibyl says.

I look through the archway on my right to see a sitting room adorned modestly with a small wooden table and two chairs. The fire in the hearth has been reduced to embers, but the smell of rotting food is less overpowering in here. Sibyl sits in the chair closest to the fire, her frail hands resting on the table in front of her, fingers interlaced, as if she’s been waiting patiently for me to arrive.

“Sibyl,” I say. Even though I don’t believe she’ll have anything significant to say, my blood is still rushing loudly in myears.“The door opened when I knocked.”

“I’ve been expecting you.” She tracks my movements by sound alone, not bothering to stand as I enter the room. I knew she was blind, but seeing her cloudy, milky-white eyes in person is a whole other experience.

I shuffle forward and take a seat in the chair across from her, feeling slightly unsettled. I remind myself she’s just a harmless old woman and try to look at ease in the cramped room.“Is that so?”

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