Spirit's Fortune

Chapter Eight. The Breath from their Pale Faces .

"And most pixies are sick," Rea said. "I spoke with Aritza recently, it doesn't look good for them."

"It doesn't look good for anyone," said Trevith. "Dryads, spriggans, high feerics, pixies and specially-" He trailed off, looking at Thalia, and she knew what he was going to say next.

Nymphs.

"Yeah," Rea said, voice lowering. Her family was infected as well, and they were too weak to leave their dwelling. Rea and Fen were of the few still unaffected. "Humans are going to be the least of our problems if we don't do something about that. Hey, viper, how's your family? Alyan's potion worked?"

"I don't know," Thalia admitted, looking up to the night sky. The forest felt lonely tonight, disturbed, it made her skin bristle. "I haven't been back to the glade."

Trevith's eyes widened. "What? Why not?"

Thalia closed her eyes as a faint breeze rustled the leaves around her. It was the beginning of spring, yet the air felt too cold, too wrong. It carried the smell of dead things and fell magic. It brought back images of a dead demon laying among withered grass.

"Haven't had the time," she said quietly.

"How are you holding up?" Rea asked softly. "Did you talk to Falwyn about-?"

The demon. Thalia sighed. "No, he would've brought too much trouble to it. I spoke to Lalveth, she'll take care of it."

She smiled. "You preferred talking to someone all the way to Ghlainne Cawyr? I know you two are close but-"

"We shouldn't speak of this right now," Thalia said. "Make fun of me and Lalveth after we deal with Spirre and his mercenaries."

"Agree," Burek said.

"Well, but we still have no idea how to deal with them." Trevith crossed his arms, turning around to stare at the little houses. "We could trick them somehow, they have sound wards but that's about it, if they were to see or smell something that would alarm them-"

Rea perked up. "Ah, deathflowers, yes, we put them in water and then-"

"I think," Thalia said, "that it's time to forget stealth and quietness." They all turned to her, even Fen. "There were a dozen of them, Rea killed one, Burek probably killed another, two wounded including their captain. Eight of them if we don't count Spirre, and there are five of us."

"Pardon me," Trevith said, raising a hand. "Five of us? You know I won't fight if it comes to that, unless you're counting Burek as two fighters, which wouldn't be too inaccurate."

Burek smiled, clapping a hand against his own armor.

"You'll go with us," Thalia said. "You'll go with us," she said through her teeth, stopping Trevith's protests, "and you'll get yourself inside the hearing wards, then you'll play your music-but don't make them sleep again, make them terrified."

"We'll protect you, little faun," Rea said idly. She was always the first to agree with Thalia's plans, especially if violence was involved. "And you won't have to hurt anyone directly."

Trevith shook his head. "This is madness! The mercenaries have mages in their ranks, surely you wouldn't-"

"A few," Fen said quietly, almost a whisper. "And not trained on the Councillium. The captain was the only one that would've given us trouble, the rest are not well-trained sorcerers."

Rea made an appreciative sound under her breath. "Well, Fen, how do you know?"

"Because I watched them the other night. Their wards dropped too quickly, and only the captain used magic against Thalia. I could not see silver rings on them, and I would like to believe mages of the Councillium wouldn't do something like this, especially if they studied under the current High Sorcerer."