They’re here.They’re really here. After all this time, I’m finally going home. Tears spring into my eyes, but I brush them away. I can cry when I reach Kumulus.
A thin young man with dark brown hair emerges from behind a stone, calling for someone named Tully to wait up.
I step out of the shadows and give him my best smile. “Hello there.”
The man’s head swings toward me. He lets out a shrill yelp and leaps back. I’m about to apologize when his boot slips on the snowy ground. His arms cartwheel, but he goes down like a brick, cracking his head off the stones and falling still.
Oh, no. No, no, no.
Tell me I didn’t just kill some poor man. Cursing, I sink down next to him, checking the pulse at his throat. Strong and steady, thank the stars. I press my cold hand to his warm, smooth cheek. Why did I think it would be a good idea to burst out of the darkness instead of announcing myself like a normal person? Now this man will refuse to help, and I’ll be stuck here all night waiting for someone to return.
The man groans, wincing as he reaches for the back of his head. “Bloody hell.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
He blinks up at me through wide eyes. Why isn’t he saying anything?What do you expect, you dolt? You nearly killed him.
Perhaps I should say something else. “I need your help.”
He pushes himself to sitting, still rubbing the back of his head. “Help with what?”
Here goes nothing. I gesture toward that light in the sky. “I need you to bring me through the portal.”
His dark eyes narrow. “How do you know about the portal?”
“I’m Scathian—just like you. Only I missed the window last year and cannot recall my wings.” That sounds convincing, doesn’t it?
The man’s brow furrows as his gaze sweeps down my tattered cloak and worn woolen dress. The longer he stares, the more my cheeks heat. “You don’t look Scathian,” he says eventually.
How am I supposed to convince him? It’s not like I can recall my wings because they no longer exist. If Eason were here, he could’ve shown the man his leathers, but I didn’t even think to bring something to prove my heritage.
Wait! I know.
I tear off my cap and tuck my hair behind my pointed ear.
Even with the proof right in front of him, the man still looks wary.
“I can pay you.” I drop my pack onto the ground, digging to the bottom where I’ve hidden my purse. “One piece of gold to bring me up.” It took me two months to earn this gold, but I’d pay anything to get home.
His eyes flick nervously to the empty forest, where the rest of the fae have long since disappeared. “If you’re Scathian, then you must know it’s illegal to fly with an adult passenger.”
I withdraw another coin. “Twopieces of gold?”
He stares silently at the coins in my palm. I don’t have much more to offer.
“Please.” I am prepared to beg if necessary. “I need to get back to my elderly aunt, Lady Marjory Rittey. She must be devastated. Can you imagine your family missing you for an entire year, believing something terrible has happened to you? Please, help me. Please.”
I’m about to launch into a second round of pleading when he lets out a withering sigh and agrees. We both stand, and I gladly hand over the coins.
I’mfinallygoing home.
Eason should be going home too.
My smile falters. What if this is a mistake?
A sharp breeze lifts my hair around my face, unsettling my mop cap. That tugging in my core grows stronger. I can’t back out now. I’m doing thisforEason. He gave up everything for me. He deserves to go back home too.
Next year, I will be sure to send someone straight to our cottage so Eason can choose whether he wants to remain in the human realm or return to our world.