He dipped the spoon back into the bowl. “Greyhaven.”
Greyhaven?
“How did I get here?”
“You came through the scry. Don’t you remember?”
As soon as he said it, the memories hit me all at once. Cosanus. The fae. Caleb. The scry. Calendula. Where was Calendula?
“My sprite!” I tried sitting and regretted it immediately. I could feel my broken skin stretch and crack beneath the leaves, and a wave of dizziness consumed me. “Where is my sprite?”
The elven set the bowl on the floor and placed gentle hands on my shoulders, laying me back down. “There was no sprite with you. But I do have some questions of my own. You’re mortal.”
“Astute observation,” I muttered. “That’s not a question.”
“Let me rephrase. What was a mortal doing on the borders of Cosanus?”
My eyes locked with his. “How do you know about Cosanus?” Kilian told me only the elven with special clearance for the Mortal Trials knew about it. Unless this male was somehow involved?
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his ankles casually. “I’m a bit of a scholar. One of the few who believe the fae still exist. I’ve been examining the borders of Cosanus for well over a decade now, trying to find a weak spot. A way in. Wasn’t it a surprise when I opened the scry, intending to resume my work, only for you to amble in all bloodied? So, I’ll ask you again: what was a mortal doing on the borders of Cosanus?”
This male knew about the fae. He knew about Cosanus. He wanted to getinsideCosanus. Why anyone would want to gointo that demonic place, I had no idea. The land would devour the elven’s magic. It would drink him like wine. And then the geysers would melt the flesh off his bones. And the aching sun would bleach his bones white. And eventually they would turn to dust and ash on a warm wind.
I swallowed and decided on a half-truth. “I was sent in to survive for an hour. It was the third challenge in the Mortal Trials.”
“Ah.” He leaned forward, intrigue lining his face. “And what did you find?”
Just a cavern full of dried-out fae, before accidentally waking one, then watched as it ripped a sprite’s head from her body and barely escaped with my own life. All for a dagger.
The dagger.
The leaves rustled around my arm as I reached for my neck.
The elven’s gaze went to the hollow dip in my throat, and he clicked his tongue. “The blade. Of course.”
“Where is it?”
“I’m curious, did you find the fae?”
“The fae don’t exist,” I snapped. “I was sent to retrieve the dagger. If you don’t give it back to me, I will have failed the Trial.”
“If the fae don’t exist,” the male said evenly, “then who put the dagger there?”
My mouth snapped shut.
“You should rest,” he said. “Your injuries are serious, and I’m no healer. The mud leaves will help, but they’re slow acting. You should feel better in a few days.”
“Days? How long have I been asleep for?”
“Little over a day.”
Little over an entire day. Calendula was missing. And Kilian had not found me.
I reached for the link, but there was nothing. Only unending silence.
What if Caleb had not made it to the scry in time? I hadn’t actually seen him cross the boundary. The scry had simply lit. It didn’t mean Caleb had exited through it. What if Kilian thought I was dead? He would have no way to know for sure, but the aching silence in the link would certainly give that impression.
My saliva turned sour and hot tears pressed against the back of my eyelids as I shut them against the sunlight streaming through the roof. I let the darkness wash over me once more.