Page 59 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

I found a large branch on the first day we set out after swimming in the spring. I’ve been carving the top to make it sharp, but it makes a fine weapon as it is. One whack sent a fae flying, and landing knocked the wind out of him.

I killed another by running him through with the filed limb. Even though I didn’t use my glowing mist ball, I unfortunately still absorbed his magic.

Now I know it isn’t only using my power when killing that makes me take in their magic, just as I know any time I do that it makes me sick for a while. I swear even after half a week, I can still feel the magic of all the fae I’ve killed. None of this makes any sense to me.

I just hope I can find my father when we get to the fae city. If not him, then someone like us. He abandoned me, so it makessense he wouldn’t want to help. It’s possible he’d even actively hide, or worse, come after me. I’m ready for any possibility, but it’s the not knowing that drives me crazy. I have to plan for any possible eventuality, and there are likely several I haven’t even considered. Probably more.

Even if no fae like me will help, somebody has to knowsomething. Anything would be better than trying to figure all this out on my own.

Harek stops walking, and so do I. We’re at the edge of the woods.

In front of us is a sprawling city unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It seems to glow in golden and silver tones, sparkling in the bright daylight. The sun is behind it, as it’s late in the day, and that gives it an even more intense appeal.

I finally catch my breath. “Have you seen this before?”

He slides his fingers between mine and squeezes—he’s been doing a lot of that over the past few days. “I’ve only ever heard rumors, but I never imagined it was so…”

“Magnificent?” I offer.

“Exactly.”

We stare at the sight for what feels like a few more minutes before Harek turns to me. “Are you ready?”

My throat closes. I glance down at my dirt-caked clothes. They’ll never let us inside. The golden city must not have a drop of dirt or dust in sight.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Look at us.”

“You look amazing.”

Normally, that would embarrass me but now I want to throw something. “We’re going to stick out! Nobody’ll take us seriously, and that’s assuming we’re even allowed inside.”

“We’re both fae. It won’t be a problem.”

“Even though they’ll think we’re beggars?”

He shrugs. “We’ve been camping. Who cares?”

Usually, I love his optimism but not today. I wave my hands toward the glimmering city. “We don’t belong in there! Not even close. This was all for nothing.”

“We’ll get in there and get cleaned up. Nobody will give us a second look.”

I glance down at my clothes again. “Look at that place!”

“Have I ever steered you wrong?”

“Ever?”

Harek pauses. “Okay, fine. I’m sure I have at some point over the course of our entire lives, but I got you here. We made it—this was your goal. Do you want to find your father, or look like royalty?”

“I just want to fit in. That isn’t a lot to ask.”

“How about this? We dust ourselves off, perhaps even change into something cleaner, and then go in looking as presentable as possible? I’m sure we can figure something out once inside.”

Suddenly, all of this seems like such a bad idea. We don’t have any fae currency, we look—and smell—like we belong in the forest, and even if my father is in there somewhere, what are the chances we’ll find him? We could spend weeks exploring and still have so much longer to go.

Turning around and going back to Skoro won’t work either. Not with Gunnar furious at me and wanting to line his pockets by marrying me off to someone like Vog.

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