Page 46 of The Path of Blood and Betrayals

He holds up a hand. “No, I’m not sitting this out. I’ll be fine.”

There goes that argument.

“But I could?—”

Tay shakes his head, eyes soft. “You have no use to this raid, other than being an advisor to me. They need me, Max. If you stay alone, you risk being discovered. We don’t need Humans—or onCella’scrown, the Dark Fae to discover what you can do.”

Biting my lip, I close my mouth.Too bad they already do.

“You’re coming.”Serafinawalks over to me, looking from my dusty boots to my leather riding pants and matching vest. “And yet, you’re not a warrior.”

“Unfortunately, not.” I shrug. “But we both want what’s best for Neevea.” I jerk my thumb up atTaylay.

He palms the sword on his hip as a warning to the femaleFae.

“Hm, I see,” she makes a noncommittal noise and disappears, the crowd of men engulfing her lean frame.

Taysnorts next to me. “They’re a friendly bunch. If we keep this up, we’ll make friends in no time.”

Snorting, I gesture for the Witch to walk in front of me. “Friends.Right.”

Swinging into my saddle, our guards surround us and the remaining lords take to their places. The Dark Fae, with their dozens of guards, take the front, a black cloud of covered faces and heads as we head out of the palace’s grounds.

It’s a long journey to the cursed forest, along sturdy roads that travel over Griffin’s vastlands. As we pass smaller Human villages, people come out to wave and stand watch. Clearly, word has spread to these people, of the volunteers going out into the woods, to hunt the Crimson Army, to bring them to justice. For Neevea.

Something doesn’t sit right with me; these villagers are not starving. They’re clean, heathy, with nice clothing.

“Aren’t they supposed to be hungry?” I askTay as the village disappears behind us. Lowering my voice, I say, “They looked happy.Healthy. Didn’t Griffin say he sent people out to find more land? That his people won’t last?”

Tay’s brows furrow, thinking. “That could have been a home to a lord’s peerage. Those close to a lord can reap benefits, like status, money. Food, even.”

“Tay,” I drawl, looking around. “Something feels…off, about the king’s reasoning.”

He nods. “I understand, but that’s not for us to debate. We have a job to do.”

“Taylay—”

“Max,” he cuts off, mouth frowning. “Leave it. We need to focus on our task ahead and not speculate.”

Raising a brow, my magic flickers up, amped by the irritation lining my gut. When does he speak to me so harshly?

“Not speculate about a Human king whose people are the very reason that we are so divided?” Tay glares at me as I continue. “You and I both know the Humans started the Great War. They’re the reason we don’t rebuild together. Why we’ve all stayed isolated. How can you not worry about his motivations?”

“Because I choose to believe in hope,” he snaps. “Because I choose to believe in his good character.”

Scoffing, I look away. “Then you’re naive.” Shaking my head, I fight the magic that wants to reach for his blood. “Naivety doesn’t suit you.”

“I would say suspicion doesn’t suit you,” he mutters, “but that would be lying.”

The silence falls around us, as I focus on the steady beat of horse clops, ignoring the call of my magic in my ears. It wants toattack Tay for the disrespect, but I don’t let it go. Instead, I fasten my mental shields, shove the magic deep inside my soul and keep my mouth shut.

It’s dusk when we break for camp on the edge of the forest, dark lush trees blocking the setting sun. Here, the road ends with overturned roots and wide trunks blocking our path. Inside, the forest is dark, silent, with no birds, no insects making noise, too afraid to do so.

“We stop here,” the heir calls, dismounting his horse. “From here, we must pick through the forest. No one goes off alone. No one leaves the safety of the group.”

Those amber eyes land on me and I shift, uncomfortable with the attention.

Leaving my saddle, the blood thumps loudly, just once in my ears. It’s a heavy drum, telling me something is there—bigger than a Human. Could it be a beast the Fae spoke of?