The Twice-Scorned Lady of Shadow (The Guild Codex: Unveiled #3)(20)

Grenior’s quiet presence brushed against my mind, reassuring me that the pack was keeping watch.

Inside the case, narrow vials were lined up in neat rows. My fingers brushed across the tops, and I pulled one out. The label was written in Ancient Cyrillic, which I couldn’t translate, but I’d memorized the name I wanted. I slid it back in and checked another.

The fourth vial I withdrew was two-thirds full of a faintly greenish liquid. This was it. I tugged the cork open and waved the fumes toward my face. A strong scent, like acidic mint with an undertone of crushed leaves, hit my nose. I tilted the bottle against my fingertip. With only a slight dampness on my skin, I touched my fingertip to the end of my tongue. The liquid had a faint, minty sweetness that was almost pleasant—until my tongue went numb.

I capped the vial, placed it back in the case, closed the lid, and clicked the lock shut.

Less than a minute later, I was striding through the dark trees, one of my alchemy texts tucked under my arm. On silent paws, my five vargs trotted out of the shadows to join me, our mission complete.

I could steal that poison. And I would. But first, I needed to come up with a substitute to replace the poison. If Bane noticed the volume had dropped, he’d know I’d stolen some. So I would mix up something faintly green, minty, and sweet that could fool him.

I was leaving nothing to chance.

My gaze dropped to my wrist, where Lallakai’s new spell marked my skin.

Nothing.





CHAPTER EIGHT





“Tell me about Echo.”

Zak glanced at me, then refocused on driving. The first hour of our trek north had followed the scenic Sea to Sky Highway, and I’d spent most of it gazing out the window at the choppy waters of the Howe Sound. After passing through the town of Squamish, he’d directed the truck onto a narrow highway that ran through densely wooded valleys.

We’d since left pavement behind and were rumbling along a dirt road. The gray overcast clouds hung low in the sky, spilling down toward the treetops, and eddies of fog drifted across the road like clouds fallen to earth.

“I’ve known Echo since I was a kid.” Zak’s low voice blended with the road noise. “His territory is north of Bane’s old territory, so we were neighbors, in a sense.”

“Friendly neighbors?” I asked dubiously.

“I wouldn’t call Echo friendly. He’s difficult to read, even for a fae.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I’m not sure what to make of his disappearance. He’s the sort of fae no one messes with, so what happened? Even Izverg was deferential to him.”

The unfamiliar name sounded extremely Slavic, like “eez-verg” with a rolled R. “Who?”

“Hm? Oh, Bane’s fae partner, the death master.” He smirked. “Izverg never revealed his real name, so Bane nicknamed him. It’s Russian for ‘fiend.’”

Remembering the huge jackal beast that had killed Dex, my father’s fae partner, I thought “fiend” sounded like an accurate name. “Is ‘death master’ a title?”

“Master is the rank below Lord or Lady.”

Dex had called himself a master of fire, which meant Zak and I had both ranked up from our predecessors in terms of fae partners. I glanced over my shoulder at the backseat where Ríkr was curled up in cat form, sound asleep—or so it appeared.

Zak slowed the truck as we passed through a particularly dense eddy of fog that whited out the road. “Their ranking system is pretty loose. ‘Masters’ are fae with particularly strong magic. Lords and Ladies are fae who’ve risen above other masters in power, and Kings and Queens rule courts.”

“Who determines if a fae is a master?”

He shrugged. “Another fae of similar or higher rank gives them the title, as far as I know. It’s the same for druid names.”

“Oh, so you didn’t choose ‘Crystal Druid’ yourself?” I asked archly.

He snorted. “No. Actually, Echo gave me that name.”

“What makes a fae give you a name?”

“When you do something that impresses them, they might name you. Or if you offend them, but you won’t like whatever name they give you then.”

I’d better try not to offend any fae. If I was going to eventually get a druid name, I’d prefer it not be insulting. “How much farther?”

“Thirty minutes to the farm, then another five hours on horseback.”

“What farm?”

He didn’t immediately answer. Surprised, I watched his jaw lock up and tension line his posture.

“My old farm,” he finally said. “It’s the best route north to the Shadow Court, and an easy place to have Tilliag meet me.”

The condition of the road deteriorated until it was little more than a dirt track. The forest had grown wilder, the towering trees blocking our view of the mountains that crowded the valley. On our right, a rocky creek raced in the opposite direction toward the Squamish River, the water frothing and white.

I peered through the windshield. “Is it just me, or does the road end?”

“It collapsed into the creek decades ago. This used to be a mining route. There’s abandoned equipment scattered around the forests here.”

“How do we get to your farm?”