Page 46 of A Court of Ravens

Niall laughs darkly, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Understood.”

The fight in me fizzles out when another thought hits. “But you’re not the one who attacked Mr. Archer’s worker,” I say, my voice wary, laced with suspicion.

“It wasn’t me. We were alerted beyond the Veil when it lifted prematurely. We don’t interfere with the human world until Samhain. I was sent here to find out why.”

I chew on that for a moment, staring down at my sandals like they might have the answers. Niall wasn’t supposed to be part of my investigation. He was supposed to be a distraction. Now, somehow, I’m part of his mess. “Why do you think the Veil thinned early?”

“The people here used to believe in us,” he says, his voice soft but edged with frustration. “Now they don’t. The Veil only lifts once a year, but something has changed. The construction site, the superstitions, and people talking about us again are all connected. I just don’t know how yet.”

I narrow my eyes. “So you’re saying the Veil lifted because peoplebelievedagain?”

Niall shrugs. “It’s possible. But there’s one thing I do know…”

“And that is?”

His eyes hold mine. “You can’t write the truth.”

I blink. “Excuse me? Why the hell not?” My voice comes out sharper than I intend, fueled by indignation. This is my job. People might dismiss our magazine as a tabloid, but I take my cases seriously. I find the truth. I write about it. That’s what I do.

“You’re not ready for the consequences. Your readers aren’t ready either. If you publish the truth, the Ironlands won’t be the only place in danger.”

I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re asking me to…sit on this?”

“Maybe not forever. Let me show you. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Before I can ask who, or why the hell I should trust him after everything, Niall turns to the mirror. He mutters something in Irish, his voice low and lilting, like he’s coaxing a spell from the air itself.“Beannachtaí mo chara. Maelíosa…”

The mirror ripples like water, a sight so strange I almost step back. Then, a young woman appears, her face framed in the sort of effortless beauty that probably makes flowers wilt out of jealousy. Behind her, the tower from the photograph looms, looking every bit as ominous as you’d expect from a fae backdrop.

“This is my twin sister, Maelíosa,” Niall says, his tone softer than I’ve ever heard it.

“Pleased to meet you,” I manage, defaulting to politeness because that’s what you do when a mirror starts introducing people.

Maelíosa grins, the kind that promises both kindness and trouble. “And you as well. It’s good to see my brother has finally found someone willing to put up with him.” She leans closer to the glass, as if sharing a secret. “And don’t worry, I havemanyembarrassing stories about Niall. When you visit, we’ll have a proper chat.”

Despite the absolute absurdity of the situation, I laugh. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Niall groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can we focus, Maelíosa?”

“Oh, come now, brother. Let me havesomefun. You deserve?—”

Niall cuts her off. “Felicity needs to know the truth about us.”

“We’re almost extinct,” a male figure with pointy ears steps into view and announces, more excited and peppy for saying such a thing than he should be.

Before he can say anything else, another male fae appears and clocks him on the back of the head with enough force to make me wince. “Shut it, Finn.”

Finn whirls around, murder in his eyes. “Do that again, Kieran, and I’ll introduce your ribs to my dagger.”

“Try it,” Kieran snaps, flipping a blade into his hand so fast I barely catch it. “I’ll carve ‘Extinct’ on your tombstone myself.”

“Enough!” Maelíosa snaps. She doesn’t even look at them. She waves a hand like she’s swatting flies. “If you two can’t behave, I’ll send you both through the Veil and let the humans sort it out. Now, shut up and let me finish.”

The two men glare at each other like they’re one insult away from redecorating the room with blood, but they back off. Barely.

“Apologies,” Maelíosa says, as though this level of conflict is completely normal. “We’re close to losing everything.”

My lips part. “Losing everything?”

---