Camelot's Crow | ✓ [BOOK 3]

~ 13 ~

THE WALK TOOK LONGER than Kit wanted it to. When he used to visit these woods, it was light outside, and he often got lost in his thoughts until he found himself in the thick of them, unsure of how he'd even gotten there. There was always a pull, something that called him to these trees, a call that he now knew was Morgana, who'd taken his name. He had it again, but only because Kit gave it to him, and he never asked to have it back.

He could feel the pull again, though it wasn't so magnetic as it once was. This time, it was urgent, and his own anxiety didn't help. The sight of those poor faeries made him want to vomit, but he held it together, barely. They had to hurry and tell the others as quickly as they could if they wanted any chance of saving the people of Faerie from further slaughter.

"Here's one," said Selene. They had no light to guide them anymore, but the faint glow of the mushrooms in a small circle and the little fireflies flitting about the place was enough for them to know they had succeeded.

"Who's going in?" asked Kit.

Eurion raised her hands up. "Not me. I like my limbs."

Kit couldn't help but laugh. It felt like an eternity ago when their biggest worry was saving Eurion's limbs from an idiotic deal with a Seelie and arresting an assassin. Oh, how Kit missed that assassin now, his touch, his sour attitude. So much had changed since a criminal was all Morgana was to him.

"I'll go," he finally said when everyone else studiously avoided the circle. What was the worst that could happen to him? Both of the Grand Queens were fond of him, they wouldn't do the evil things they did in the stories.

Kit bravely took a step forward, clearing his throat before placing one foot into the circle of fungus. The others gathered around to watch him with eager eyes as he planted himself firmly in the circle, waiting for a faery to appear.

Nothing happened.

"Come on," he groaned. "We really need you, can you please--"

"Kit, watch out!"

He barely had time to process Selene's warning, and he stepped back right as a blade swung his way. It clipped his cheek, and Kit drew Excalibur defensively. Before he knew what was happening, he was fighting with a faery he couldn't see. They were lightning fast, and he could hardly get his footing before he was covered in shallow cuts and fresh bruises. He needed to see, goddammit.

Kit would have no such luck, of course. All he managed was a heavy punch to the faery's face before he was forced to his knees, a cold blade to his throat. He dropped the sword and held up his hands in defense.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa." He gulped. "Why the hostility? Is something wrong?"

The faery's voice was rough and smooth all at once. "Don't play dumb," they hissed. "I know why you're here. You'll never succeed."

"You know, I think there might be a misunderstanding--" Kit was interrupted by the blade pushing a dent into his skin, though it didn't break through just yet.

They spoke with a venomous tongue. "There's no misunderstanding. I know who you people are, and you will not take another one of us. We aren't idiots."

"Wait, wait, hang on," said Selene. "You don't think we're here to--oh, Gods."

The faery didn't say anything.

"We're enemies of the castle," Kit whispered, afraid he'd make the blade slice through his throat if he spoke too loud. "We're your allies, we aren't here to take you. We just need passage into Faerie, I need to speak to the Seelie Queen."

"The Queen is dead. A man sits in her place, an Unseelie." Their vicious tone made Kit defensive. He would've stood up for Morgana had he not had a knife one deep breath away from killing him.