But you know who hasn’t? Veron. The Seelie noble has a bounty out on my head. I didn’t think I’d have to worry about that until I followed Grimly out of the Shadow Realm, but it looks like I was being a little too complacent. And, of course, there’s still the little matter that I’m a freaking fugitive from fairy jail.
One good thing about being too frightened to sleep is that it gives me a lot of time to think about what I’m going to do next. I’ve spent the last ten days assuming that, as soon as I finished the last task for Grimly, I’d be on my merry way. He’ll bring me back to the Summer Court and I can go from there.
I still want to look for Rys. Even if there can never be anything romantic between us, Morgan has taught me that it’s possible to be friends with one of the fae. I liked Rys before I realized I was falling in love with him. We got along, and Lord knows he probably needs a friend as much as I do.
I thought I had more time. In the light—ha!—of another day, I’m pretty sure Grimly was bluffing. For whatever reasons, he wants that hair from Morgan. I’m his best hope of getting it. He really wouldn’t sabotage his own greed by destroying the one thing keeping me under his control.
Right?
Now that my circle has been compromised, I have to accept that I’ve stuck around for too long. Unfortunately, I forgot that—as a formerly untouched human who’s on her own—I have far more threats against me than just the ones that exist in the Shadow Realm.
Morgan has mentioned before how the Seelie can’t exist for long in the Shadow Realm without their being affected. Well, one of them made it far enough to discover my circle.
What are the odds they weren’t looking for me?
Yeah. That’s what I thought.
There’s a slight difference in the purple sky between what I count as “morning” and “night”. I’ve grown used to it, though, and as soon as it shifts, I get to my feet. It might be a combination of little sleep and an overworked imagination, but I came to a decision.
Before Grimly comes to check on me, I grab my sack of apples, arrange my cloak on my shoulders, and pull the hood over my head. Then, for the last time, I step over the remains of my circle. My boot crunches down on the snow on the other side. Reaching into my pocket, I grab the petal I’ve been carrying since the day I retrieved the plum for Grimly.
I let it fall to the ground.
There. Even if I wanted to come back, I probably wouldn’t be able to.
Finding Morgan’s cottage is one thing. I had to work to learn which path to take to visit her. Relying on the petal to backtrack to my circle has made me lazy, though, and I’m not confident I know the way back.
Good. It’s better that way.
I only hope that Grimly understands. I’m not coming ba
ck which means that he’s not getting the strand of hair from Morgan’s head; at least, not from me. I still don’t feel right, tricking her when she’s been so kind to me, and since I’m heading out today, I don’t think I’ll change my mind.
And if he doesn’t? Well. Sucks to be him. By the time he tracks me down, I’ll be so far away from Morgan, there’s nothing he’ll be able to do.
But there is something I can do.
It doesn’t seem right, leaving without saying goodbye. Just like it doesn’t seem right, disappearing without warning Morgan about Grimly. I won’t be the one to steal a hair, but what if he tricks someone else into doing it? No. I have to tell her, even if I did keep the truth from her for too long.
I knew it was early when I set out. I guess I didn’t realize how early it was, though.
Morgan isn’t sitting outside when I make it to her cottage. All the shades are drawn on her windows, the fairy lights from inside her home peeking out from the sides. The torches outside aren’t lit, either.
I hesitate a moment before knocking on the door.
When it swings open, Morgan is standing there, already dressed, though she hasn’t pulled on her cloak just yet.
Her soft grey eyes sparkle in delight when she sees me. “Elle! You’re so early today. Come inside. I was just having some tea. Join me.”
Good thing she offers me tea instead of coffee. If it was coffee, I’d probably ask to move in on the spot; I didn’t realize how addicted I was to the stuff until I came to Faerie where, as far as I can tell, there’s no coffee. But tea? Ugh. No thanks.
“I would,” I lie, “but I’m actually here for a reason. I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something. I have to tell you—” Ah, jeez. How do I admit to a creature from Faerie who can’t lie that our newfound friendship was based on a honking big one? “Goodbye and, uh—”
“Goodbye? Where are you going?”
Oh. Right. She knows that I can’t go back to the human world. And, because it was still too painful to talk about him when I first met her, I never really told her about Rys or anything that’s happened to me since I’ve been in Faerie.
Like I’ve grown accustomed to doing, I give Morgan a version of the truth. “I never meant to stay in the Unseelie Court. It’s time I continue on my way. To, uh, the Seelie Court, actually.”