Page 43 of The Mirror in the Mountain

Eva tensed. “Just Eva, please.”

Thorin tilted his head. “But?—”

“You three saved my life,” Eva said simply, her gaze turning inward for a moment as if remembering the circumstances. She gave a quick shake of her head, then looked at Thorin, Akeno, and Pari each in turn. “So I’d like you to use my name.” A smile quirked her lips. “I’d ask for you to do it anyway, but especially in light of that.”

They all shared a solemn look before bowing their heads in unison.

“If he’s back in Morehaven, then he’s likely regenerating his power,” Tobias said in a dark voice. “He’ll need to before going wherever it is he needs to go after Eva’s quick thinking with the collar. Unless the Choosing is held south of us?”

Yael shook her head. “Our remaining spies there say his army is preparing to leave, though no hint as to where except for the winter clothes. So we can count out the desert.” Her lips twitched to the side, the only tell of her disdain for her homeland. “He’s likely heading back north, with a larger contingent this time based on the number of troops he’s recalled. But we still need to figure out where he’s heading, unless we plan to just follow him.”

Rivan smiled grimly, setting down his ale. “I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”

Yael groaned, taking a long swig of hers before asking, “What?”

“We need to find a sprite.”

Eva and Quinn exchanged a wide-eyed look. Quinn leaned forward eagerly. “Like,actualfaeries?”

Even Tobias had perked up, though whether that was from the talk of faeries or the excitement in Quinn’s voice, it was hard to say. I hadn’t missed the way his eyes softened when he looked at his sister’s best friend. From the sideways look Eva gave her brother, neither had she.

Rivan nodded. “Though I doubt they’ll be what you’re expecting. Usually, they only deign to be seen as faerie lights—little blue lights in the forest that disappear the second you try to catch one.”

Eva’s fork clattered to her plate. Undiluted shock prickled down our bond, piercingly electrifying. “Little blue lights?” she choked out, her face pale.

Everyone turned to look at her. My grip on her hand tightened.

“I saw one,” Eva whispered. “When I first escaped from Av—from Morehaven.” My throat closed up as she looked past me with hollow eyes, lost in memory. “When I got to the forest, there was a blue light that led me to safety.” She swallowed. “I forgot about it afterward with everything else going on...and even then, I thought I imagined it.”

Rivan’s face had turned deadly, as if remembering the moment he had found her half-dead in those woods. I suppressed a shudder as I remembered her bleeding and lifeless in his arms. But Rivan’s voice was forcibly light as he said, “Well, that bodes well for my plan if one’s already helped you once.”

“You want to find a sprite,” I repeated incredulously. “You realize that’s asking for trouble if they decide they don’t want to be found? And potentially more trouble if they do.”

Rivan just nodded, taking a bite from his apple unconcernedly.

Yael was watching Eva closely. “Stands to reason they would make an appearance for their true High Queen.”

Eva sighed with resignation, the flicker of unease disappearing as quickly as it appeared. She had gotten far too skilled at keeping me out, especially for the things that bothered her. While I appreciated that level of shielding, especially with Aviel’s history of dreamwalking to her, I wished she didn’t feel the need to do so with me even if I understood the impulse. Though we couldn’t count on the lack of Tobias’s bloodlink to keep her safe from Aviel’s machinations…not when there was no telling what dark magic he had worked while she had been his prisoner.

Tobias raised a brow. “And why do we need a sprite in the first place?”

“Because they’re seers by nature,” Rivan said. “They’ll know where we need to go. And the more we know about stopping Aviel, the more of an edge we have.”

Yael snorted. “They’re also notoriously given to twisting truths to suit their own whims.”

Rivan sighed. “Does anyone else have a better idea?”

Eva looked at me imploringly, the trust in her gaze making my heart twist.

I shrugged, trying not to let my apprehension show. “One already helped you. Perhaps they’ll do so again.”

“Fine,” Eva said, looking resolved even though I could feel her nerves. “It’s worth a shot.”

“That’s the spirit,” Quinn said merrily.

Chapter 20

Estelle

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