Rise of the Seven (The Frey Saga, #3)(34)

I had to fight a smile at her use of “us.”

Rider held up a finger. “I believe it is a mistake to consider them children. I understand Asher may have been fostering this strategy before even Francine or Eliza were born. Simply because the one who created silver was a boy does not mean we should expect the same of the others.”

Rhys nodded. “If I were the influencer of these ‘heirs,’ I would send the weakest first.”

Ruby’s eyes went wide. Apparently, she’d underestimated the cunning of the Strong brothers.

“You are right, though.” Rider twirled a quill in his hand as he thought. “We do need to find the source.”

“I feel like we’re beating our heads against the same rock,” I complained.

“At least we know it isn’t the fey,” Ruby said with mock cheer.

No, I thought, they wanted to either keep us balanced or own us all. With a sigh, I returned to the passage I’d been reading on rare fey talents.

The fey liked to keep records of other people, but preferred no written history of themselves. I had always assumed that was why so many fey tales were spoken. And surely they considered it a bonus, the embellishments that came along with stories passed by word of mouth. But I supposed it was safer that way as well. How much had Ruby learned from her mother’s diary...

As I scanned the pages, I recalled the fey visits when I’d been bound in the village. They’d caused no ruckus among the light elves, but they’d only been allowed to come as one, occasionally a pair, to study the libraries. And, if I really thought about it, I had no idea whether they’d caused trouble in the village. For all I knew, they’d been the ones messing with the council documents, not Fannie. Fannie, who had burned that village to the ground.

I didn’t dream much of Fannie since regaining myself. The nightmares I had now were those of my mother. But now the flames were real, memory instead of vision, and they were so much more disturbing with added details like the taste of smoke and scent of blood. Every night, the screams of the slaughter tore through me, the sound of my mother’s crazed laughter as they burned her, the pain ripping my own chest as I stood helpless, as I was dragged away. The icy water pulling me under, stealing my breath.

Ruby had been reading through one of the books from Asher’s private study and I noticed her go still as she flipped a page. I absently glanced up at her.

“Frey,” she started, but then didn’t continue when she saw my face. She wordlessly slid the open book to me.

On the yellowed pages lay a tiny scrap of paper with three words. A ribbon of blue silk was attached to the corner. I stared silently at it for a long moment before sliding the silk between my fingers. Nothing on the pages of the book was relevant to the message. Someone must have intercepted the note and simply tucked it away as if it hadn’t mattered.

“What does it mean?” Ruby whispered.

I glanced at the table, covered in documents and ancient tomes. “Nothing...” I shook my head, coming out of the stupor. “Nothing, Ruby, let’s take a break.” The light through the windows said it was late afternoon. “We’ve missed lunch, I’m sure we could all do with something to eat.”

I spared one last look at the note before sliding it into my pocket. Fellon Strago Dreg. It was like the words were following me. Warning me.





By evening, I’d done all I could to prepare for our departure. Anvil had returned, but wasn’t able to find anything useful in regard to either the fey plans or the attacks. When I’d told him about Veil’s visit, he’d been so angry the hair on my head tingled with electricity before he left me to “go over some final details with the patrols.” The sky had lit two shades lighter not long after that.

Steed and Grey had also returned, convinced that no one from here to Camber had seen anything out of the ordinary. We went over the final details for the morning and when Steed and Ruby got into a heated argument about some traps she’d left set in her Camber house, Grey took the opportunity to discuss our purpose.

“They are all still mourning,” he said. “The shock of your return, the stir over your recent actions, those have only been a distraction.” He absently ran a hand over his jaw. “They need this as desperately as you. We have all lost so much.”

I glanced at Steed, whose own mother had been killed in the massacre. It had driven his father so mad, he’d fallen under the thrall of a fire fairy.

Grey sighed. “You are doing right, Frey. And when it’s done, they will follow you.”

I bit my cheek to stop myself from pointing out it would do no good if one of Asher’s progeny found me.

“Thank you, Grey.” I squeezed his arm, grateful for his words, and knew Chevelle had not chosen him merely for his connection with Ruby.

“Have it your way, then,” Steed seethed as he strode from the room with less than his usual cool.

“I will,” Ruby yelled at his back.

When she realized Grey and I were staring at her, she threw her hands up in disgust. “I don’t know what’s with him lately.” She shook her head as she glanced back at the empty doorway. “He’s so jumpy, always looking over his shoulder, you’d swear someone was stalking him or something.”

A choked cough escaped me, but neither seemed to know why. I simply kept watching Ruby.