“There’s no way of knowing. Some have been lost to time, destroyed by the blight, or demolished by mortals when they sacked the sacred places of power. But there are a handful of them still scattered throughout the Northlands.”
“Where did they come from?”
“They were built by our ancestors. Ancient fae. They wanted a way to connect the strongest leylines of the land. To travel quickly between the four courts.”
“I’ve heard of leylines, but I’m not certain I truly understand what they are,” I admit.
“If Anwyvn were a man, the leylines would be the veins beneath his skin. Instead of blood, they ferry maegic. Usually, they are invisible to the naked eye. Inaccessible. Except in spots where the maegic is particularly potent.”
“Like the cavern behind the falls?”
He nods. “There are certain spots where the fabric of the world stitches together. Like a seam joining two sides of a garment. Power pools naturally in those places. You’ve likely come across them before, even if you did not recognize it at the time.”
“The Starlight Wood,” I whisper. “In Seahaven. There was a feel to it. A current in the earth. Like untapped power.”
“Probably a portal.”
“If it was, it is naught but ashes now. The wood was set aflame by soldiers the night I fled my home…”
I meet his eyes and find him watching me carefully. I havenever before voluntarily shared any information about where I came from, what my life looked like before our paths crossed.
Perhaps it is finally time to change that.
“One of the Midland kings sent soldiers.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “So many soldiers. They overran the entire peninsula, laid siege to every settlement. They killed everyone. My entire village.”
“Your family?”
“My mentor. His name was Eli Fleetwood. He was mortal. A healer by trade, and a skilled one at that. He could’ve set up his practice in Bellmere, in any big city, but he preferred to live in a cottage by the sea. People would travel all across the realm for his aid. He’s the one who taught me to set bones and mix salves and brew tonics. He kept me safe—kept me shielded—for years.”
“And…” Penn’s voice is halting, as if he is afraid to push me too far. “Your parents?”
“I never met them. As far as I know, they abandoned me the day I was born. Eli found me squalling in a wicker basket on the shores beyond the Starlight Wood. Left there to wash away with the tides, like some sacrifice to the gods.”
Penn absorbs my story in silence, then murmurs a soft “I’m sorry.”
“About my parents? Don’t be. You cannot grieve something you have never known.”
“Not about them. About your mentor.” His eyes are very dark in the predawn morning. “You must miss him.”
I do not say anything. I merely nod and look away. And Penn, being Penn, understands that there are some things I am not yet ready to discuss. Some wounds still too raw to poke or prod.
“This portal is currently dormant,” he says, swiftly changing the subject. “If we stepped through now, we would merely findourselves on the other side of this clearing instead of back in Caeldera.”
“So how do you activate it?”
“Blood.”
My brows lift. “Blood?”
“Specifically, maegical blood. Blood of a high fae. Blood like ours.”
“That seems a bit barbaric.”
“However you travel, be it by horse or ship or sled, you sacrifice something. Time, sleep, stamina, coin. This particular sacrifice is simply paid up front in exchange for safe passage.” He stares at me, seeing the trepidation in my expression. “Don’t worry. We’ll go through together this time.”
Before I can say anything else, Penn yanks one of the blades from the bandolier strapped over his chest and slashes a deep cut across his hand. He does not even wince. I am so busy staring at the blood welling into a pool in his palm, I don’t realize he’s taken hold of mine until I feel the sudden bite of the blade against my skin.
“Ouch!”