Page 62 of The Tracker's Revenge

“What a dreadful and unfortunate turn of events.” Kalyll appeared genuinely upset.

“I know this doesn’t excuse my presence here, my use of his token, the thing is—” I started, but the Prince interrupted me.

“There’s no need to apologize for that. You have not broken any rules. That token is, indeed, a very important passport. There are few of them in existence, and they are only given to trusted individuals, who are then free to pass it on to whoever they wish. Someone saw it fit to pass it on to Damien, and he, in turn, decided you were trustworthy to possess it. I wholeheartedly agree with him.” He smiled, his fine features brightening in a way that made him impossibly beautiful.

Next to me, Jake shuffled from foot to foot, seeming uncomfortable. I had the feeling that he felt threatened by the Prince’s undeniable charm, and maybe, he was even jealous.Go figure!He thought I had a chance with a prince. I thought of myself as special, but notthatspecial. I almost laughed.

It was stupid of Jake, anyway. By now, he should know that I belonged to him, despite all his mistakes and the heavy baggage of our relationship. No one but Jacob Knight could ever occupy my heart.

“I should be completely forthcoming,” the Prince added, growing serious. “It is no accident that I am here, that I was alerted to your presence. In fact, after you and Damien left, I had one of our wizards place an alert on your token.”

“Oh,” was all I was able to utter.

Jake’s expression hardened as if he were re-reevaluating his new impression of the Prince. “Why would you need to keep track of her?” he asked, his voice reverting to that initial rumble that put the hairs on my arms on end like eager little soldiers.

I expected Kalyll to respond similarly, but instead, he put his hands up and said, “Worry not. I mean nothing untoward. I assure you. I’ve been unable to leave my duties here, so I feel fortunate you decided to visit. If I may explain, but perhaps, this is not the best place, and we might go elsewhere to talk about it.”

Jake and I exchanged a glance. We had come here for a different purpose, and this would certainly derail us. Or would it?

I thought of Glimlock, a good-natured Fae that no one would suspect, but was he a better candidate than the Prince of the Seelie. I highly doubted it. If Kalyll put the elixir in his Vine Tower, no one would be able to get to it—not unless they decided to wage war against the Seelie family’s royal guard. And if no one would suspect Glimlock, then not even my mother, who loved me to death and thought I could command the moon and the stars with mysnowflakeness,would begin to imagine that I could have the favor of a prince.

“Yeah,” I found myself saying. “Sure, Jake and I have time, and in the end, maybe, we can tell you why we’re here.” I gave Jake a meaningful glance, trying to convey the idea that had just occurred to me. He gave a slight nod to indicate he understood.

“Very well,” the Prince said. “Follow me then.”

Unable to believe the turn of events, I walked the way we’d come in the company of the Seelie Prince.

Chapter 21

We followed Kalylldown the hill and across the stone bridge and headed down a wide moss-covered path. We had no idea where he was leading us, and more than once I wondered if, after all, he was luring us to some inaccessible dungeon for daring to use a transfer token that didn’t belong to us. With every step, Jake seemed to also entertain the same thoughts, judging by the tension rolling off of him.

But when Kalyll invited us to enter a familiar tavern, my worries dissolved. I recognized the walls made out of thousands of tiny branches and the honeycomb windows right away. It was the same place where Damien had first taken me, and where I’d met Glimlock.

The Prince was an astute man and had surely figured that a public place would set us at ease. Though, if it was privacy he sought, we were in the wrong place.

It turned out, however, that the Prince was able to command a private room in the tavern as soon as he walked in. He guided us through a passage lined with twisted branches as thick and dense as actual walls. At the end of the short walk, he requested the attendant—a man with blue skin and leopard eyes—to bring ale for everyone, as well as their dinner fare.