Page 9 of This Midsummer Heart
“I want the same thing you do,” she says. I very much doubt that, but I hold my tongue. “To go to the City of Nox.”
“The runeships are gone, if you hadn’t noticed.”
She tilts her head. “I’ll admit, part of me actually thought you stayed behind just to gloat. Your people are all safe, and most of mine are still here.”
Titaine is standing too close. I can smell the honeysuckle scent of her hair, mixing with the lavender and early summer roses of the garden that hugs this path, as if she were just another flower. I can’t hide the way my throat bobs as I swallow thickly.
“You didn’t know, did you?” She withdraws. A tiny, infuriating piece of me regrets that she pulls her hand away, too. Instead of resting on my collar, it curls beneath her chin as if to hug herself while she thinks. “So Puk and Vervaine truly did plan this together. I imagine they used the same sleeping drops on you that they used on my fetes when they wouldn’t go along with their plan.”
“How many of your people left with them?”
“Not many, thank Morgana. Only ten of them, plus Vervaine. I can hardly blame most of them, with the way the loss of magic was affecting them.” Her eyes shoot toward mine, dark with judgment. “Didn’t you know you had a disloyalty problem with yourentireHouse?”
Typical Titaine. One minute, she makes me want to forgive her. The next, I am back to being her enemy again.
There is no getting along with her.
“Should I bother to point out that there was fae trickery involved?”
“Fete,” she corrects me, her voice flat.
“I don’t have time to get into this argument right now,” I say before she can start it again.Fae and fetes are the same dragon-blasted word!“I’ve accommodations to secure, and a very long journey to plan.”
“So you’re still going.” Her face brightens in a way no glamour could hide.
“What choice do I have? I’ve got to take back my House.”
I blurted it out before thinking—a troubling habit of mine—but the moment I say it, warmth fills my chest, because it’s true. The House of Elves isstill mine by rights.I am the only elf alive who can bring the dark elves and wood elves together. It will not be easy to get to Nox by hoof and by foot—especially with so little coin left in my purse—but there are settlements of elves on the way that will help me. I am still the only heir of the dark elves, and that affords me respect in most other lands, even if my position as a Houselord no longer does.
“Then it’s settled. I’m going with you.”
My eyes bulge. “You most certainly aren’t.”
“Yes, I am. We won’t risk bringing the other fetes with us—they must save their strength and protect this House until we can build new runeships to retrieve them. I may be the only fete left who is strong enough to make the journey.” She is in front of me again, her neck craning upward to lock eyes with me. Her finger jabs into my stomach with each word as she grinds out, “You need me.”
For a moment, I simply gape at her. “You and I don’t work, in any way you can use that word. Remember?”
“Of course I remember.” Has she dropped her glamour? I swear I catch a twitch of a muscle in her jaw. “Traveling with me means you’ll be admitted to fae circles and minor Houses—a safe place to rest on the road, enchanted to keep bandits and predators out.”
“The elven settlements are just as protected.”
“Not with enchantments. Even the best watchmen can be overwhelmed.AndI have magic you’ll need along the way. My skill with it still holds. I dare to think it’ll hold all the way to the City of Nox.”
“I don’t need anything from you, Titaine.” Though my words are cold, I tip my head in acknowledgment. “I thank you for your help this morning, but I am absolutely never traveling with you ever again.”
“I have a way to get across the Bridge of Miracles safely,” she rebuts.
Surprise roots me in place. I hadn’t eventhoughtabout the Bridge of Miracles yet. Now that there are no more runeships to be had, the narrow strip of land with its unpredictable tides will be more congested than ever. It will be the only way for merchant caravans and travelers to get between this continent and the southern continent of Tethered Malu.
“How do you know your magic will hold?” I demand, crossing my arms. It has the added benefit of showing the well-earned muscles in my arms, reminding her I can make the journey without her. I have physical strength that the loss of magic will not alter.I think.
A half smile crosses Titaine’s lips. This time, she has not backed away from me. It almost seems as if she leans closer.
“I have my ways,” she murmurs. Her voice grows louder again, and the illusion of her closeness vanishes.
I shake my head out, unnerved by her fae tricks.
“Shall we head to the market, then?” she asks, as if I’ve already agreed. “We’ll need supplies for our journey. We can leave as soon as tomorrow morning.”
