Page 31 of Fae Reckoning

10.MINI IN SIZE ONLY

ELOWYN

With Saffron bouncing against my back, I ran around yet another of the queen’s dilapidated cabins and slid to a stop, gaping at the felled tree. It was as tall as two or maybe even three Einars.

Ryder skidded to a halt beside me and breathed, “By the Ethers.”

More footfalls and shocked gasps told me others had joined us. But for several seconds I couldn’t look away from the caved roof, broken walls, and busted windows, which had been shuttered. The shutters were now cracked and splintered, the shattered pieces beneath the tree trunk that had clipped an entire corner of the building.

“If the queen’s got more fae in those rooms…” Reed said grimly, trailing off.

I didn’t need him to complete his thought. If the queen housed more fae like Ramana inside theunexplored rooms, we were unlikely to find survivors beneath that level of wreckage.

“Ye, dwarf!” Edsel’s gruff voice called at my back, reminding me that we needed to find time for introductions.

“Aye,goblin?” replied Roan in a deep rumble.

“I seen ye hovering the possessed fae,” Edsel continued. “Can ye lift the tree off the roof?”

Right. Problem solving. That’s what I should be doing instead of gawping at the damage like a dumbass.

Roan didn’t answer for so long that I turned to face him. He was vigorously rubbing his bushy beard, his frown disappearing into the bristly hair while he contemplated the tree. Eventually, he exhaled with a sputter. “Nah, I cannot. ‘Tis too heavy for me to handle alone. The four fae were already taxing. At most, I could lift it just enough n’ just long enough for ya to drag anyone out from under it.”

Apology tugging down his brows, Roan gazed at me, his eyes shining a green as bright as newly unfurled leaves. “‘Tis the best I can do, lass.”

Why was he looking at me? It wasn’t as if I were in charge. But he stared on, as if waiting for … something.

When I finally offered, “Your best is good enough,” his shoulders relaxed, his hand dropping from his beard to the handle of his ax. “More than good enough.”

Indeed, Pru, Reed, Hiroshi, Ryder, Edsel, Roan, Larissa, and Zafi were all regarding me. West and Bertram must have remained with Ramana and theother sleepers. And Azariah might be too defeated to move. I needed to check on him soon—along with everyone else, probably.

“What? Why’s everyone looking at me?”

No one had a chance to explain before the acute crack of dense wood split the tension, and as one we all spun toward the forest, where I could now make out Einar’s head peeking between trees. It was moving toward us.

I shot my hands into the air and shouted, “Einar, stop! Wait!”

“If he pulls down another tree…” Ryder was saying.

I didn’t give him the opportunity to elaborate on how screwed we’d be or whom else might get hurt. “Wait for me, Einar,” I yelled at the dragon, who hadn’t stopped advancing. I projected through my thoughts to him.

He halted.

Without removing my eyes from the beast who was too large for these woods, I barked at the others, “Help Roan and Edsel save anyone who can be saved. Get them all outside. I’ll deal with the dragon.”

Saffron snuffled against my shoulder. By sunshine, my little dragonling would need a long period of recovery to overcome all the strain he’d endured. “The dragons,” I amended, guiding Saffron around my waist to prop him upon my hip.

I might not have asked for a leadership role, but at my request everyone moved into position. Roan stayedby the toppled tree with Reed to assist. The others circled the house, presumably to drag out survivors. And Zafi shadowed me.

As I tromped toward Einar, trudging over fallen limbs, I eyed her. “Watcha doin’?”

“Coming with you.”

“I got that part. But why?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

Her little wings blurred as they beat so fast they hummed. “That dragon’s the biggest of all of us. Only makes sense that you’d need the tiniest of us too.”

I had no idea how that made any kind of sense, but far stranger things had proven true since Dougal first showed up to steal me from Nightguard.

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