Page 22 of Ties of Bargains

Val turned her back and stalked into the darkness before he could get the words out. She didn’t want to hear them and experience more of that uncomfortable itchiness filling her chest. “Come. We’ve already lingered here too long. More rifts are bound to open and let loose more monsters.”

“Rifts?” Harm trudged after her, not trotting to catch up like he had before.

Daisy leapt to her feet, bounding into the forest ahead of them as if she wasn’t the least bit tired.

“Rips in the barrier between the Fae Realm and the Realm of Monsters.” Val shoved a branch aside. “They form when evil deeds are committed. Such as hatred in a marriage.”

“Like whatever is going on between King Oberon and Queen Titania.” Harm was already breathing hard. The human couldn’t take much more tonight.

“Yes. They are infamous for causing rifts. I suspect the whole Court of Revels will be crawling with monsters tonight.” Val searched the darkness around them, making sure they weren’t about to be attacked. “If you can make it, I’d like to get across the border into the Court of Knowledge before we stop for the rest of the night. We’ll be safer there.”

“Isn’t the Court of Knowledge the one Queen Mab said you should avoid?” Harm stumbled over a root, though he caught himself on a nearby tree.

“Yes.” Val swallowed down the rising irritation. She wasn’t sure if it was with Harm, with the king and queen of the Court of Knowledge, or with this mission as a whole. “King Theseus and Queen Hippolyta of the Court of Knowledge are the rare fae monarchs who are actually good. And I don’t just mean good as in competent rulers, though they are certainly that. But genuinelygood. Because of that, their court has taken a stand against the trade in humans.”

“I see.” There was a note to Harm’s voice that she didn’t like, his quiet afterwards far too contemplative.

Val halted and half-turned toward him. He walked for two more steps, nearly running into her before he seemed to realize she had stopped. He halted only a step away from her.

She waited until he met her gaze before she spoke. “Yes, the Court of Knowledge would be the place to go if you ever get free of your new master. But until then, even a fae monarch can’t loosen this cord or break the bargain your father made. They might still do all they can for you, but they could makemylife difficult, which would eventually makeyoursmore difficult. So don’t think you’re going to find help there anytime soon.”

Harm nodded, his gaze dropping from hers. His shoulders slumped still further as he hunched over his injured arm.

“Still, it will be a safer court to give you time to recuperate.” And train him as much as she dared.

As tonight had shown, he needed some skills. She would never get him safely through the Harvest Court and into the Court of Stone if he wasn’t somewhat competent enough to save his own skin once in a while. If that also gave him the skills to rescue himself once her part in this was all over, then so be it. That wasn’t her problem. Getting him alive and mostly well to his destination was.

Val spun and set out into the forest once again, Harm stumbling after her.

They hiked for several hours, the forest growing darker around them. They were deep in the Tanglewoodnow. That enchanted forest separating the Court of Knowledge from the Court of Revels held secrets even King Theseus of the Court of Knowledge didn’t fully understand.

At least the Tanglewood seemed somewhat benevolent tonight. Their path had been fairly smooth, not riddled with roots and dropped branches. Nor had they encountered any more monsters.

Then again, the Tanglewood tended to favor the innocent, and Harm was nothing if not innocent.

A tug on the cord halted her steady march, and Val turned to Harm.

He had fallen to his knees, his face even paler than before, his blue eyes glassy. Blood soaked the bandages and the shreds of his shirt. The man was well and truly done in.

Val strode back to him, bent, and pulled his good arm over her shoulder. He gave a moan as she hauled him back to his feet. “Just a little farther.”

His head hung, but he gave something that might have been a nod. He had a core of stubbornness to him, she would give him that.

She wasn’t sure if they’d crossed into the Court of Knowledge or not. Since both courts were Summer Courts, there wasn’t a change in temperature, and within the depths of the Tanglewood, there was no distinct border. They might be in the Court of Knowledge. Or they might not. It was even possible that they had been walking in circles all night if the Tanglewood had decided to be particularly mischievous.

Val halted and rested a hand on the trunk of a hugetree. She didn’t normally attempt this since she was a courtless mercenary. But with Harm’s weight sagging against her, she had to try. “I know I’m not a part of your court. Nor do I have a claim here in this realm. But for his sake, please show us a safe place to camp.”

“Who you talking to?” Harm’s voice slurred as his head tipped into hers as if he was too weak to hold it up.

“Not you. Shh.” Val kept her hand on the tree. For a long moment, nothing seemed to happen.

Then a particularly clear section of forest opened before her, though the forest didn’t seem to move or anything like that. It even seemed brighter ahead.

Daisy’s mouth flopped open with a grin as she bounded down the trail before them.

Always trust a companion animal. They had better instincts than she did.

Val followed Daisy, hauling Harm along with her. Little red flowers lined the mossy path while bigger yellow flowers grew in waving stalks on either side.

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