To the White Wolf | Fenrys (ToG)

Extra: His Birthday Gift

(Leading into Heir of Fire. Kya's POV)

"So you're a liar?" I froze at the sound of Lorcan's voice. I had been browsing through shops for the past two hours. Right now I held a woven leather necklace with an emerald dangling from it.

I set the necklace down and turned to see Lorcan watching me with his arms crossed. I sighed, "I didn't lie. I did go to watch healer Ginya but her patient ended up dying a few minutes before I got there."

Lorcan narrowed his eyes at me, trying to catch my lie. I wasn't. Maeve had kept me constrictingly close to her side lately. It was exhausting following her around all day and witnessing her cruelty but I knew something, no someone, was coming. I saw golden hair and fire in my dreams. Maeve afraid. Rowan being whipped. It made me jittery with excitement and fear at the same time.

I knew that when she got here, shit would hit the ceiling and things would start to pick up the pace.

"And what are you doing now?" He didn't sound curious nor friendly. I felt like I was about to be scowlded. I wasn't afraid of Lorcan though. Under all those layers of cranky aged warrior, he was decent. We only wanted someone to protect. The only time he scared me was when Maeve was around, then he turned into nothing more than her weapon.

I looked back to the table full of gold and picked up a golden bracelet with strange symbols carved into it. "I haven't gotten a birthday gift for the twins yet," I placed the bracelet down. Maeve was having a celebration for them tonight, even if it was small and mostly for herself. It would be a simple dinner with dancing afterwards.

Lorcan came to the table and went for a blade that had the same kind of carvings on it as the bracelet. "Wyrdmarks," he waved the shopkeeper over and handed over half his coin purse before slipping the blade into his boot with a smug look.

I kept looking, moving from table to table. I had no idea what to get either of them. I knew what I would want to get them but I had to remember to be careful.

A rolled up scroll with a single golden dart tied to it caught my attention. The dart was covered in wyrdmarks, the tip seemed to be made of sharpened bone, and the tail was a mix of inky black and pure white feathers.

"That's a magical dart," the shopkeeper startled me. She grinned at me with a missing front tooth. She was human, just like everyone else in this little town I flew to after I begged Maeve to let me watch a well known human healer that had come from the Torre of the South.

The shopkeeper carefully untied the twine holding the dart to the scroll, and when she unrolled the scroll and laid it on the table, I saw it was a hand painted map of the world.

The shopkeeper ran her fingers over the cities, some of them had tiny holes from where the dart had already pierced. "You hang the map up. The thrower closes their eyes and thinks of a question that can be answered with a place and when they throw the dart, it will land on the place that answers the question."

Lorcan scoffed. That was all the reaction I needed. I knew Maeve would hate the gift.

"I'll take it."

*****

No one talked through dinner unless Maeve addressed them. I sat in my seat next to Gavriel and ate with my head down. Connall sat across from me and I gave him a small smile as Maeve's attention shifted to Rowan.

After dinner, I perched on the highest part of Maeve's throne in my owl form. More faes had joined to dance and listen to music, but no one looked like they were having much fun. I kept going back to looking at Fenrys as he drank and talked with Gavriel and a few females. Connall hung close to Maeve with Lorcan and Rowan was sulking in the corner completely sober. Those that did dance seemed to be only doing so for Maeve's favor. I wouldn't put it past her though if she hired them to dance.