Page 60 of Samhain

It was possible he knew our names, being children of very famous people, or maybe he remembered us from the last time we were here, although that seemed more unlikely.

“Yes, I know who you are,” Smythe said. “And I know what brings you back.”

“How’s that?” Lex gave a small chuckle, like he was barely a blip on his radar.

“You’ve been marked,” Smythe said, glancing at me while I narrowed my eyes at his explanation. “So have you. A group gift, if I’m not mistaken. Let me guess, there’s two or three others?”

I cleared my throat, and Lex straightened his spine, his eyes widening for a moment before he locked his surprise down again.

“We need to find Siobhan,” Lex said.

Smythe shrugged. “I don’t know where she is.”

Lex pursed his lips like he didn’t believe him. “She was seen not far from here three days ago.”

“Three days?” Smythe raised his eyebrows and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “She could be anywhere by now.”

“It’s Samhain,” Lex pressed on. “If there were a reason for her to come home, wouldn’t she wait until the veil between the realms is thinnest?”

Smythe kept his cool. “That depends on what you think she wants.”

I looked at Lex with frustration, almost to say, Are we done here?

Yep, replied his stoic expression.

“Tell me the truth,” he said, and I gasped at the strength in those words. They hit me like a tsunami, pulling me under his massive power, assaulting all my molecules. It affected Smythe just as intensely. He sagged into his desk, gripping at the edges to keep himself upright.

“Bleeding hell,” Smythe said. “I don’t know where Siobhan is. But if she did come back, she’s headed for Faerie.” He pronounced it like Fay-Ree, and I assumed that was the name of the fairy realm.

“How?” Lex said. “How do you get in?”

Smythe licked his lips, visibly sweating. “Please don’t. They’ll kill me.”

“Who?”

He shook his head and whimpered, opening his mouth like he was compelled to answer, but would rather bite off his tongue than do it.

“You know who,” he said. “You don’t have to ask. You know.”

“Ashley,” Lex said. “Siobhan.”

“All of them,” Smythe confessed. “I’m half fae. They kicked me out a few years ago, but I’ve been trying to get back in. Ashley and Siobhan, they were helping me. We were helping each other.”

“What happened?” I asked.

Smythe rubbed his cheeks, wiping away tears. He obviously didn’t want to tell us, and part of me felt conflicted about forcing it out of him.

“Maybe we should stop,” I cut in. “This feels wrong.”

Lex only took another step closer to Smythe. “Tell me how to get there.”

“In the woods,” he blubbered, spit flying out of his mouth. He cracked open like an egg, tears now streaming out of his eyes, sobs ripping from his chest. “Full fae like Ashley can come and go as they please. The same with Siobhan before she was banished. Me and you? We need a key. An invitation.”

Lex looked at me as the puzzle pieces clicked together in my mind.

“The ring,” Lex said. That was how we got there the first time. Siobhan had slipped the ring into Ivy’s pocket, and she’d had the foresight to bring it with her when we went to find the Midsummer ritual.

“Yes, a ring. A bracelet. Something fae made. Even then, you might not be welcomed,” Smythe said. “They’re not the forgiving type. If the queen decides she doesn’t like you, that’s it. They’ll kill you and not think twice about it.”

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