Page 44 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

The old one shook his head. “No more witches.”

“What about…others?”

“Nothing but the army.”

“Of beasts?”

He shrugged. “Various creatures.”

Wickham hissed. “Persi, the sand!”

She nodded but didn’t move. “And the simplest way to end the creatures?”

The old one pointed to the last door. “Nothingness.”

“They can’t be brought back if the king decides he needs them?”

“Nothing can be recalled from nothing, no matter the power.”

Still, she didn’t move.

“Persi!”

“How do we move them from one door to the other without a fight?”

“Clever girl,” Wickham said under his breath.

The old man smirked. “A Fae King must be obeyed, even if she is not Fae.”

“Then do it. Move them.”

He waved a hand, ignoring his fellows who tried to get his attention.

Griffon scowled. “Is there a problem?”

The old woman spoke up. “When the other Fae king comes to fetch his beasts, we must tell him what happened here. You will regret this.”

Persi lifted her chin. “Tell him. Tell him a pretty face doesn’t buy what it used to.”

“And when he asks about your door…” The old woman pointed to the rift Griffon still held open. “We must also tell him.”

Wickham sighed. “We already knew it would happen. We just didn’t know we’d be the ones to lead Orion to Hope House.” He nodded to the opening. “Let’s go.”

“Luck go with you, young lord,” the woman sang out as Griffon stepped through the rift. “Remember, Moire has yet to be proven wrong!”

15

Too Soon To Fall On The Dram

Wickham…

Hope House was absolute madness. Nearly a hundred pairs of witches had been taken from Muirsglen, and though it was a relief to learn that so many had survived the slaughter, managing the crowd was a daunting task.

In addition, they’d been held in some sort of limbo, with no need for food, water, and the like. But now they were free, they were in shock, and they were starving.

Alwyn got on the phone and made arrangements for a food delivery. The rest of the household pitched in to calm the children and give what few answers they had about the fate of Muirsglen.

“We can feed them today,” Wickham told his valiant chef, “but we cannae keep them here. It doesnae matter if the next place is large enough. It only matters that Orion will soon learn where we are. We have to go, and soon. Even staying the night is a risk.”

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