Page 55 of Faeheart
“But who?” Wild asked, his free hand clenching into a fist on the table. “The only people who knew we were here are the Elder Council, the Dean, and Professor Blackwood.”
“And your family,” I added, glancing at Wild. “That’s why they left that message for you.”
“And,” Atlas added. “They mentioned there were people in the Seelie Court that supported the Purity Front. Maybe even some in Briar Hall.”
“You… You think my parents did this?” Wild asked, his fear palpable.
“No,” I replied, grasping his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “But that doesn’t mean they weren’t overheard.” I looked up at him, seeing the worry crease around his eyes. “Is there someone in the Seelie Court that doesn’t like you?”
Wild laughed, the sound lacking any sense of joy. “Uh, yeah. Lots of people don’t like me, including my parents. And there are even more that think the fae should go back to their old ways of trickery and violence against the mortal world. That includes the witches they would steal power from.”
“So… what do we do?” Caden asked.
“If there’s a spy in Briar Hall feeding information to the Purity Front, I’m not sure there’s much we can do from here.” But then he paused, a grin curling over his lips. “Unless,” he said, looking at each of us in turn, “we feed them thewronginformation.”
Chapter 21
Wild
“How are we going to feed them the wrong information?” Elias asked, clearly confused. “We’re in the middle of the Veil, our wards are twice as strong as before, and I have no idea how to get back to Widdershins.”
“We don’t need to get back,” I smiled. “We have the witch’s glass, remember?”
“Is that what that crystal looking thing is?” Atlas said, lifting an eyebrow. “The one Councilor Vael pointed out?”
“Yep.”
“But I thought it was only for emergencies?” Caden added. “She didn’t make it sound like we could use it like a telephone or something. What if it breaks once we use it? Or it goes dark? If something goes wrong, we won’t have a way to call for backup.”
“We might not need to,” I said, gesturing for all of them to follow me. They all stood up, keeping in step with me as I wound my way through the house. “If we can figure out a way to force the Purity Front to play their ace too early, we can stop them before they become too powerful. And after that last attack, they’re already hurting.”
“Webarelykept them out,” Elias retorted. “And we only managed to kill a couple of them. If they come back, they’llbring their strongest enchanted items and forbidden magicks. We won’t stand a chance.”
“That’s the point,” I said, leading our group down a winding corridor that seemed to shift subtly as we walked, the mansion responding to our intentions. “They’ll bring everything they have, but to the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Atlas’s brow furrowed, his protective instincts flaring through our bond. “You want to set a trap?”
“Exactly.” I grinned, feeling the familiar rush of chaotic energy that always accompanied my best schemes. “We send a message through the witch’s glass to my parents, knowing full well it’ll be intercepted by whoever’s feeding information to the Purity Front.”
We turned a corner and found ourselves in the entrance hall to the mansion. Against one wall stood the pedestal holding the same large crystal orb we’d seen upon arriving. It pulsed with gentle silver light. This was the witch’s glass.
“And what would this message say?” Elias asked, his magic already analyzing the artifact as we approached. Through our bond, I could feel his mind working through the possibilities, calculating risks and advantages.
“That we’re wounded and vulnerable,” I said, stopping before the pedestal. “That the attack damaged the mansion’s defenses beyond repair. That we’re desperate for extraction. Maybe that the Elder Council has abandoned us.”
“So we lie,” Caden said, eyeing the witch’s glass with apprehension. “We make them think we’re easy targets.”
“Better than that,” I said, placing my hands on either side of the crystal without touching it. “We make them think they’ve already won.”
The orb pulsed brighter as I leaned closer, responding to my fae energy. Through our bond, I could feel Elias’s concern,his magic already calculating all the ways this plan could go catastrophically wrong.
“Wild,” he said, stepping closer to me, “if we tell your parents we’re vulnerable, and that information reaches the Purity Front, they’ll come at us with everything they have. What happens if they break through our defenses for real this time?”
“They won’t,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “The soul bond has doubled the mansion’s protections. And if we’re prepared for them this time, we can do more than just drive them away.”
Atlas crossed his arms, his golden eyes thoughtful. “We could eliminate a significant portion of their forces. Maybe even their leadership.”
“Exactly,” I nodded, flashing him an appreciative grin. “They think they caught us by surprise last time. This time, we’ll be the ones doing the surprising.”
