Page 90 of Crown of Slumber

I slowly slid off the boulder, making my way to Aurelia, who still sat in the dirt. I squeezed her arm, and she stiffened.

“What?” she hissed.

I hastily brought my finger to my lips in warning, my gaze still fixed on that spot across the stream.

She stilled, her breath hitching, her arm going tense in my grip. I crouched down low, positioning myself in front of her to shield her from whoever watched across the stream.

If they were here, they had Night Fae blood. They could likely see us, too.

Snap.The sound split through the air. Instinct drove me to shove Aurelia to the ground, my body atop hers.

Thunk. The bolt sank into the earth just inches from my face.

“You don’t want to hurt us!” I shouted, pouring all my energy into those words. “Put the crossbow down.” The air quivered from the force of my magic. Dizziness clouded my mind. I was already weak from the mist. I wasn’t sure I had any magic left in me.

From beneath me, Aurelia stared up at me with wide eyes, her body trembling. I held my breath, praying to the gods that my magic worked on the assassin, that he would turn and walk away.

I heard a splash, and I froze, holding perfectly still. A rhythmic sloshing sound followed as the attacker waded through the stream.

He was coming toward us.

Shit.

I jumped to my feet, hauling Aurelia behind me. She had her dagger drawn, and I followed suit, wielding my short sword as the figure drew closer.

When the sloshing stopped, he stood right before us, a tall, hulking figure. Gradually, the mist parted to reveal a man with brown hair and a short beard, his dark eyes like steel as he glared at us.

But he wasn’t holding his crossbow. Had my magic worked? Had he set the weapon down?

“How did you do that?” he demanded, his voice gruff.

I said nothing, one arm brandishing my sword with the other splayed protectively over Aurelia.

“Tell me,” the man growled.

I licked my lips. “Swear you won’t harm us, and I’ll tell you.”

He huffed a dry laugh. “I already can’t hurt you because of whatever witchcraft you pulled on me.”

I shook my head. “My magic doesn’t work that way. I can only influence you if the idea is already there. Which means… you don’t want to hurt us. If you did, even my magic couldn’t stop you.”

I felt Aurelia shift behind me, and I knew she was staring at me in confusion. Yes, there were loopholes to my magic. If she’d stopped judging me for one second, I could have told her that.

The man straightened, his eyes narrowing. “I swear I mean you no harm. My assignment has already been fulfilled.”

Slowly, I lowered my arms, but I kept my grip on my sword. Just in case. “You’re the Winter Queen’s assassin.” It wasn’t a question. I’d heard stories of the unstoppable hunter who slaughtered at the queen’s whim. Thankfully, he hadn’t struck our kingdom. Yet. But he was known throughout the Realm of Valora as a bloodthirsty killer who never missed his mark. We likely only crossed paths because he had to pass through the Mistwood Hills to return to his court.

“Yes,” he said tightly.

“You killed the Autumn King.”

“That was my assignment.”

“Why?”

He said nothing. I hadn’t really expected him to answer.

“Were we part of your plan?” Aurelia asked. Though I felt her trembling behind me, her voice was sure and steady. Ever the firebird.

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