Page 47 of Unraveled
“I would like you to read this,” Ash says, showing me the small book he holds in one hand. “This book comes from the seelie court. We have a few of their tomes. A handful of fae on our continent can understand their language.” He moves to a table in the middle of the room, and we sit close enough to the windows to read without the need for candlelight.
“You are letting the human read the seelie king’s diary? I thought that belonged to me, since he’s my betrothed?”
“Wait, you’re marrying the seelie king? Aren’t you all enemies or something?” Surely I read that somewhere.
Ash says, “Enemies is a strong word?—”
“Yes, we are. But when I was promised to him, we were on better terms.”
“You promised your sister to a fae you hate?”
Ash takes a deep breath and interlaces his fingers on the table. He levels me with a glare and nods to the forgotten book in front of me. “Read, Monster. That’s why we’re here. Not for you to judge our customs.”
“But, why would you do that?”
“Yes, brother, I’m dying to know.” Nera rests her small chin in her hands, batting her lashes rapidly.
“Don’t encourage her,” he growls. “I doubt Monster would understand, with her very limited human knowledge of how the fae work.”
“If you don’t tell her, I will. Though my account may reveal certain aspects of our nature, like fated?—”
“I didn’t promise her to anyone,” he blurts out. An expression of genuine panic flickers over his face, there one second and gone the next. “I would never do that to her. It was written in the stars.”
“What?” I almost laugh, but the both of them look so serious, I sober immediately.
“A prophecy, Monster. Humans also have those.”
True, but I’ve never heard of one that was taken seriously before. They’re more a myth than anything else.
Ash leans back in his chair and brushes invisible fluff from the lapels of his coat. “My father promised Nera’s hand to King Aberon’s son after a soothsayer foresaw that her union with the crown prince would prevent a calamity that would destroy the seelie.”
“I wasn’t born yet, but Father saw the opportunity to strike a mutually beneficial deal,” Nera says, far too relaxed for someone who was offered around like cattle for auction. “It was the only way he could convince the king of the seelie to ride the Wild Hunt so Ash could get his spirit companion. They don’t believe in the Hunt or the genuine connections we form with the ancient beings.”
“That is...”awful. I’m glad the word remains inside my mouth.
Nera taps her long fingernails over the wood table, like she’s talking about the weather. “Don’t look so horrified. It won’t happen. Have you seen me? I’ll be dead before he comes to claim his bride.”
“But I thought you just said your nails will be back to normal soon, and you aren’t rabid anymore.”
There’s a flash of hurt behind Nera’s eyes, though she’s so quick to hide it she must be an expert. “It’s only a matter of time until I don’t snap back to my old self after a blood moon, and with how things have been going for me, I probably only have one left. Three more months.” She shrugs like she doesn’t care. No one in this library believes her act. “It doesn’t matter either way, Mia, the curse will take me either by making me mad or by turning me into stone until I won’t be able to move anymore, to eat—tolive.”
Horror settles in the pit of my stomach. I hate that she’s talking about fading into the curse like there isn’t a way out.
I glance back at the tapestry and take in the fine details woven together to create the beautiful masterpiece. Naheli runs beside Ash. Every single star inside and around her body is stitched with silver thread. I study Ash’s sword, which he swings at a man whose head is flying somewhere else. Humans are running, screaming. It’s almost like I’m there, watching the Hunt unfold in front of me.
I clear my throat, hoping my voice doesn’t break with how overwhelmed I feel. It would be better to change the subject. “So, you’ve met him before? The king?”
Nera shakes her head. “No, not in person at least.” Her expression turns more severe, and she looks away, perhaps regretting telling me the truth. “But enough about me. Why are we here?”
“Ash and I made a deal yesterday,” I say, and lean back against the smooth leather backrest of the plush, burgundy chair.
“Oh?”
I shrug, keeping my hands busy with the small book. “I will help you break the curse, and if I do, he will set me free. I’mguessing that’s why I’m learning all about the Hunt and Ash has deemed it necessary that I read this strange diary.”
“Something like that...” he says, looking away from us, his jaw ticking. “I might have drunk too much whiskey and gone half mad to make this deal.”
“I see.” Nera’s brows arch, and I’m still amazed her face can be so expressive even though it’s all stone. It doesn’t even make a sound, but it feels like it should. “Well, this should be interesting. I’ll stay here and see what you two get up to.”
