Page 9 of Ties of Bargains

Val eyed him, frowning. Good thing she was handing this human over soon. He might look as toothless as a newborn puppy, but he actually had something of a brain behind that grin.

The faerie queen huffed. “I was told to provide a cure for a particular fae poison. That’s all I know.”

The human puppy’s eyes widened. “Then my brother was poisoned by a fae.”

“Or someone who bargained with a fae for poison.” Queen Mab flapped a careless hand, brushing that aside.

Even more curious. And dangerous. Just what was this human tangled up in? Val needed to hand him over before his problems becameherproblems.

A shower of pixie dust raining onto her skirts, Queen Mab wiggled her fingers again. “I have kept my end of the bargain.”

With stilted movements, his face still pallid, the human stepped closer to the throne and held out the plate.

Queen Mab snatched it, clutching it in her tiny fingers. While the plate had appeared small in the human’s grasp, it was as big as a platter in Mab’s hands.

“Now that everyone is satisfied with that bargain,can we complete the other bargain?” Val tapped her fingers along the hilt of her knife.

Queen Mab stopped stroking the plate long enough to scrutinize Val. “As much as I wish to add a human this delicious to my collection, I gave in to Titania’s whining.”

Something twisted in Val’s stomach. Surely the queen didn’t mean…

“I’m afraid I’ve already traded his bargain to Queen Titania to pay off a debt I owed her.” Queen Mab clutched the plate in both of her hands. “He’s not mine.”

Of all the swamp-infested, dragon-eaten things! Val bit back her growl and forced herself to grit out in a reasonably personable tone, “In that case, I invoke the Law of Hospitality and humbly ask for a safe and secure room along with safe food for myself, my dog, and this human until the time that I should decide to continue my journey.”

Queen Mab shrugged. “The Law of Hospitality doesn’t apply to you. You don’t have a court.”

“No, but as long as I’m on a retrieval mission for one of the courts, I’m to be afforded the hospitality due a member of that court.”

“Fine. The room and food are granted.” Queen Mab gestured grandly in a rather overblown and bored magnanimity. “You’re fortunate I’m still friends with Titania. The Court of Revels is on the outs at the moment. I wouldn’t travel through the Court of Knowledge if I were you, nor would I depend on your tenuous link to the Court of Revels to grant you hospitality in many places of the Fae Realm.”

Val wasn’t going to thank Queen Mab for the advice or act like she was in the queen’s debt in any way. “I can handle myself.”

“Hmm. Perhaps. Though I’d keep an eye on the human. He’s one worth snatching, I think.” Queen Mab gave both of them a cruel smile before she returned her focus to her new plate. “Chicory, please see our guests to their room.”

A wispy sprite woman with little blue flowers trailing from her hair stepped out of the crowd, nodded to Val, then pivoted to walk in a new direction in a clear indication to follow.

Val headed after the girl with Daisy sticking close to her legs. The human hurriedly shrugged on his pack, running to catch up before the cord dragged him.

As they left the structure of arbors and started down a meandering path between the giant blossoms, the human leaned closer to Val. “What does it mean that I’ve been traded to Queen Titania?”

At least he’d had enough sense to wait to ask until after they were well out of earshot of Queen Mab and her court.

“It means”—Val gritted out between her teeth—“that I’m stuck with you for a while longer.”

Chapter Four

Harm stumbled after thefeeënwarrior woman and her dog, his mind reeling.

Someone had poisoned Gijs with afeeënpoison. And that enemy was still out there, with his father and brother unaware and unprepared.

Had it been afee? A human who bargained with thefeeënvolk? And how had that mysteriousfeeknown about all of this to set up the bargain with Queen Mab?

Harm’s stomach churned. Hang the bargain. He needed to escape. Now.

Thefeeëngirl leading them halted before what looked like a yellow tulip bloom, except that it was the size of a small cottage and rested directly on the ground instead of on a stem. The girl gestured to it. “Your room.”

The warrior woman nodded. “Deliver food at midday.”

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