Fox snorted loudly, and his flaming red locks swung wildly as he tossed his head in a clear sign of contempt. I ignored him.
Hawk continued in a low, lethal whisper. “Our archers are better than most. The first few times we had these raids, we rained death down upon them, but not before the Wild Hunt had used the humans they were transporting as shields. Even we weren’t quick enough to stop them from dying.”
I suppressed a shiver as a cloud passed over Hawk’s eyes, smothering the fire that had been burning within.
Hawk took a step back and peered down at his fingernails. He pulled free a dagger from his belt and picked at the dirt beneath his nail beds. Another skin, another mask to slip into: boredom, irreverence. “We may not be willing to risk our necks to save you women from slavery. But every second we spare a member of the Wild Hunt is a second we’re endangering everything we hold dear.”
“Don’t expect gratitude,” Isabel breathed out in a fierce exhale.
Bear growled, making Brandon flinch.
“Enough.” Hawk gave the order quietly, but it still caused a hush to descend. His head cocked. “We need to go. I can hear those two wingless nightmares preparing another attack. So, what’ll it be, boys?” he asked, peering down at Brandon and Billy. “Come with us, or stay and roll the dice with your new masters?”
He was a master manipulator. Maybe he should wear the Fox mask. A moment of silence followed. Hawk turned away, and that was all it took.
“Wait!” Billy took a step toward him.
Isabel grabbed at his mockery of a coat. It was the poorest of cloth, dirty, frayed, and coming apart at the seams. “You can’t trust them,” she whispered to him. “They’re fae.”
Hawk barked a laugh while Fox and Bear gave appreciative chuckles.
“I know,” Billy admitted with a mournful shrug. “But I can’t trust the other two either.”
“Well said,” Hawk crowed.
Billy cut a sharp look in his direction. “Did you really mean it? Would I be free to leave if I wanted?”
Hawk gave a curt nod. “You would—but to be clear, if you hope to go back, you won’t achieve it. Only the Hunt know how to cross the bridge between realms, and trust me, others have tried. The more ruthless among us have even tried hunting the hunters, risking Morgan’s ire, just to force them to show us how to do it. So unless you can do what the rest of faekind has failed to do, there’s no hope in it.”
Whoever Morgan was, he didn’t elaborate, and I refused to admit more ignorance for him to poke fun at. I waited to hear Billy’s thoughts on this, hoping he’d ask the questions I was too proud to. “Even if it were possible, you wouldn’t want a human to go back, would you? You wouldn’t want fae secrets coming out,” he said, wearing his trademark scowl.
Fox gave an appreciative snort, although the Bear remained stoic.
Hawk’s upper lip curled. “You’re a smart fellow. You’ll be a fine addition to our company. If that’s what you want?”
A light, questioning tone. As if he didn’t already know the answer.
Billy nodded, seemingly resigned to his fate. “I’ve got nothing to lose.”
For the first time, I heard a note of grief. My heart ached for him. It’d become too easy to forget he was only a child.
Billy walked forward and joined Bear’s left-hand side. Brandon shifted beside me again, causing me to pull him in closer.
“Excellent.” Hawk stroked his chin. “Well, now we’ve filled our purses and we’ve bagged a recruit, I’d call that raid a successful one. Don’t you agree, lads?”
Fox crowed, but Bear grumbled, “Let’s go. I need a draft of ale and a fire to rest my wings by.”
“You shall have it, my friend!”
Hawk clapped Bear on the back and turned to the forest. “Farewell,” he said without a backward glance.
Fox bowed once more in our direction. Bear picked Billy up in his arms and prepared his brown wings for flight. Before the company could take to the skies, Brandon wrenched himself from my grasp and ran forward. “Wait, take me!”
Hawk whirled and spread his wings outward. They looked like Hunter’s and Kesha’s in they were bat-like, only his wings were an ungodly obsidian. But Brandon didn’t even slow—he just held out his arms expectantly.
Hawk flashed him a fatherly smile and reached down, swooping him up into an embrace.
Isabel moaned, and I went to clasp her hand in solidarity.
“Take care of them,” I murmured. I wanted to warn, to threaten, but they’d be empty words.
Isabel added, “I’m not much of a witch, but hurt them, and you’ll wake up on fire.”
That took care of that then.
Hawk didn’t look remotely ruffled. “I’d expect nothing less. Good luck!”
He beat his wings, and Bear and Fox followed his example. The gusts of wind they created blasted cold air against my face and nearly blew out the flames dancing behind us.
The firelights returned to the forest, and we watched until the Winged Fiends disappeared into the shadow of the night.
Isabel cursed. “What now?”
My eyes locked onto the rough forest track we’d been following. “We should run.”
She dropped my hand and stared longingly at the path. Turning her head with a sad shake, she added, “We can’t just run off into the dark with no supplies.”
Galvanized, I ran over to the plundered satchels and rifled through one. “These still have food in them—the Fiends only took the coin. It might not last long, but shouldn’t we try?”
Isabel clasped her hands, twisting them. A second of doubt was a moment too long.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” sounded Kesha’s voice from above.
She was floating above with Hunter at her side, their wing-beats silent. As soon as their feet touched the ground, I straightened.
Kesha snorted in my direction. “There’s no point trying to hide it.”
I lifted my chin. “I wasn’t.”
“It’s better that you didn’t run,” Hunter replied quietly. “We’d have to hunt you, and …”
“My predatory instincts can get the best of me,” Kesha added with a smirk.
Monster.
“Now they have the boys, we should split up,” Hunter said pointedly.
“All hail, Freyta!” Kesha sounded genuinely pleased for once. “Finally, there’ll be an end to this mindless drudge.”
I peered over at Isabel, and her expression matched my own: despair.
Kesha continued, clearly eager. “We should head out now, then. We don’t want to give any more roaming packs a chance to steal these two as well.”
She never once looked at us. Hunter grunted in approval, and Kesha went to pick up her satchel. She peered inside and made a low growl in her throat. “The gold’s gone—no surprise there.”
A steady stream of curses flowed from her mouth as she attached her quiver and bow to her pack. She slung the whole thing over her shoulder so it seated nicely between her wing joints, and then lifted Isabel to prepare for their flight. Meanwhile, Hunter donned the other rucksack, kicked dirt over the fire, and before I could protest, had hooked an arm under my knees, braced my back and pulled me up, pinning me against his chest.
“Wait!” Isabel interjected. “Will the boys be okay?”
Kesha’s lip curled. “No idea. Either way, it’s not our problem anymore. They made their choice.”
Isabel’s mouth formed an angry line. Who could blame her?
“I’ll see you at the rendezvous point next week,” Kesha told Hunter.
“See you then.”
Isabel’s eyes bored into mine. She was saying goodbye. “If you’re ever in the Crescent, come find me.”
Kesha shot upward into the sky. I’d no idea where the Crescent was, but I shouted at their retreating forms, “Good luck! It was nice meeting you …” I trailed off lamely.
I watched Isabel get swallowed by the night and a great weight pressed down on my chest again. I should be used to loss and loneliness by now, but I can’t say I welcomed those feelings as they settled in like two unwelcome houseguests.
“Good job we’re leaving. Shouting into the wind is enough to bring all the packs in the area running straight for us,” Hunter remarked.
He didn’t seem remotely upset; he was smirking.