Page 15 of A Tale of Treachery

I stomped my foot like a child. It wasn’t fair that someone like him could be so wickedly beautiful.

“You’ll owe me a favor if I let you pass,” he drawled.

I gritted my teeth. Everyone knew it was a mistake to bargain with the fae and that finding yourself somehow indebted to them was even worse. But I was running low on options and needed to get to Eulalia before Aiden did.

Glaring at the bane of my existence, I asked, “What do you want? The favor should be no greater than the favor you grant me by allowing me to pass. I also won’t remain in your debt, so make it clear.”

Ryken chuckled. “You’ve read up on fae tradition and customs. You should be proud. Most people would agree to the terms and simply move along with their life, only to curse themselves once the day came that I demanded payment.”

Of course I’d read up on fae traditions. I was the head scholar’s apprentice, after all.

I glowered at him and waited for his demand. Entering a bargain with the worst fae in the world would probably end up being one of my biggest regrets. But my options were limited.

He lowered his arm and backed up a step, and I longed to wipe the smug smirk off his face.

“It’s not that serious. Stop glaring at me like you hope I catch fire.”

“Ryken,” I warned, losing my patience.

He held his hands up in surrender, a wry expression on his face. “Let me into the sanctum tomorrow night. I need to look at a few books.”

His request was a simple one but would be challenging to fulfill. Only scholars and pupils were allowed into the sanctum, as it held some of the kingdom’s most forbidden secrets and knowledge to which only scholars were permitted access.

I chewed on my lip and contemplated ways to sneak him inside. There were wards carved into the sides of the building that kept those who weren’t scholars or the royal family out. Redmond could power down the wards or remake them to grant Ryken access. He’d already revamped them multiple times to allow in soldiers of the king’s guard.

I should have been worried about what information Ryken wanted, but the soldiers were moving to the stables and preparing to mount their horses. My time was running out.

“Fine. It’s a deal.”

“It’s a deal,” Ryken repeated, his gloved hand firmly gripping my wrist.

I tore my arm from his grip, my mouth falling open at what lay on the skin of my inner wrist. A silver tally mark cemented our bargain. Silver like the color of his eyes, like that lock of hair that kept slipping from beneath his hood.

“It’ll disappear once you follow through on your end.”

I swallowed and nodded, dumbstruck at the sight of the silver tattoo. It never occurred to me that fae bargains were marked upon your body for all to see.

I would need to find a way to hide the mark until the scales could be balanced.

The sounds of the soldiers finalizing their preparations grew louder, and my gaze shifted from the tattoo to Ryken. He was watching my reaction to the mark, his eyes tracking my expression as his lips curved into a self-satisfied half smirk.

“Go on now. You should be on your way. I’ll see you tomorrow night,” he promised with a wink. “I warn you. Don’t break the bargain unless you want to die or be owned.”

My gaze narrowed on his leather-clad form draped in black, his cloak billowing in the wind as he disappeared into the darkness of the night.

I looked at the remainder of the wall and rolled my eyes.

He could’ve at least helped me down.

CHAPTER7

The witches were active around this time of night, drinking, singing, and boiling potions by the fire. The sounds of music and chanting filled the air, and my lips tilted downward.

Eulalia was sitting fireside with a drink in her hand and her many admirers surrounding her. She was never one to brag, but the witches looked up to her. They had one wish, and that was for her to take her place as the head of the coven, something she was adamantly against.

The former coven leader had been captured and prosecuted nearly a year ago, leaving the group of witches adrift and without direction. Eulalia was the obvious choice to take her place. Her magic was incredibly powerful and deeply instinctual, something uncommon with witches. But she refused to take leadership. It was a dangerous position, and deep down, she didn’t feel she deserved it. But she did. Everyone knew it.

She sensed my presence, somehow, from that innate perception within her, and her honey eyes widened with excitement as she twisted in my direction.

---