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Progress was slow, but that gave us the opportunity to take in the mine and any activity that might arise. On the last count, I remained confused. As my wife had observed, no one was outside. Nor any homes.

How could there be an active mine if there were no people to work it?

The guide twisted. “I’m not sure where to go from he?—”

An arrow bolted through his gut and the dwarf fell forward, off his horse and onto the trail. The horseskittered a few paces down the path, her eyes wide and rolling.

“Neve!” I barked, my heart rate spiking. “Move!”

In an instant, the bow I’d taken from Roar’s castle and attached to my saddle was in one hand, an arrow from my quiver in another. I knew without checking that Caelo had mirrored me, and I scanned the area down the path. Movement behind a tree that dangled from the side of the mountain gave away our attacker.

“Come out. Do not shoot, and you’ll live.” I nocked.

The attacker did not appear.

I pulled back my arrow. “One more chance.”

A person leapt out from behind the tree, landing on the path, his arrow drawn and ready to fly. But they were too slow. The instant I’d seen the weapon, my own arrow was steaming through the air.

It sunk into the attacker’s heart, and they fell to the snow, staining the white red.

“Bleeding skies,” Neve whispered.

Something wasn’t right. Why were we being shot at?

“Sentries,” I motioned to Caelo. “The road widens considerably from here on out. If it’s easier to travel for us, it is for them too. There might be more.”

“What about the dwarf?” Neve asked.

I gazed down at the guide. There was nowhere to put his body, but she was right. We couldn’t leave him.

I dismounted and went to the dwarf. Hefting his body was easy. Easier than coaxing his horse to me, which necessitated Caelo’s assistance. Finally, I slumped the body over the horse. It was the best I could do.

“Caelo, go first. This horse is trained to follow.”

Wordlessly, Caelo readied his weapon again and took the lead. My wife rode after Caelo. I ushered Anna behind her and fell in line, my weapon at the ready. I spared only a glance to find that the horse carrying the body had indeed followed before I focused on the trail again and on the threats that might be lurking.

And thank the stars we were prepared, for as we descended the mountainside, three more archers, none of them particularly skilled, attacked. One by one, Caelo and I felled them.

When the last met the snow, Neve’s horse stopped. She dismounted.

I stiffened. “Get back on your horse!”

“They’re dead, Vale,” she called back as she approached the body.

“Look out,” I said to Caelo because I wasn’t about to take my eyes off my wife.

Neve knelt next to the body and turned it over. Blood stained the male’s chest, already seeping into the cloak he wore. It took only a moment for Neve to stand, her face pale.

“He’shuman.”

“Excuse me?” Surely, I’d misheard.

“This is a human. Rounded ears, no lingering magical imprint whatsoever. And he hasn’t been dead long enough for it to be completely gone.”

“That makes no sense.”

In this kingdom, humans were only slaves. Or in rare cases like Emilia, servants. They were allowed to workonly in the Tower, the House of Wisdom, and noble homes, for there they would always have shelter, food, and protection. Out on the free market, it was not guaranteed that a human would ever be hired for work when many fae looked down on their kind.