Tamlin's eyebrow arched in surprise as they arrived back at Heath's Inn. "You found another one?"
"Yes, I did. And I'll need to borrow Ander to help me retrieve her," she replied firmly, pausing briefly at the base of the stairs that would lead them up to their rooms.
Tamlin's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't protest. He knew that Cin was a capable woman, and if she needed assistance from Ander, then he would lend him to her aid without hesitation.
Ander's voice was firm as he interjected, "My lord, I'd advise against that. We need to go over everything that was said and promised today."
"And you will know where to find me once you have finished helping my Lady," Tamlin replied in a calm and even tone. With a wordless nod to Cin's sentries, Tamlin twisted on his heel and jogged up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
"Her name is Lya," she announced, gesturing towards the small parlour and the booths off to the side of the foyer. "I'll be over there, Ander."
Ander let out a resigned sigh before complying with Cin's request. Cin, for her part, made her way to a secluded booth located at the back of the room. Her sentries followed her lead, settling into various seats around the booth to keep a watchful eye.
For a few moments, there was silence as they waited for the arrival of Lord Bryony's mysterious server. Then, Rafe stood up from his stool and smoothly slid into Cin's booth, his movements practiced and graceful.
Cin glanced up at him, her expression guarded. Despite the trust she placed in her sentries, there was always a part of her that remained wary and cautious around new people. But as she studied Rafe's features, she found herself slowly relaxing. There was something about him that set her at ease, that made her feel safe.
Rafe leaned back in his seat, studying Cin intently. "So this Lya woman," he mused, "do you think she could be like you?"
Cin's shoulders lifted in a noncommittal shrug. "I don't know," she said slowly. "Or at least, I don't know to what extent. I know what I saw, Rafe. And she changed the flowers in that dining hall."
Cin's sentries shifted in their seats, their gazes darting between their Lady and Rafe. There was a palpable tension in the air, a sense that something important was happening.
Rafe leaned forward, his expression thoughtful. "Your gifts are no secret," he said quietly, "not after the way you've spent the better part of the last year using them to all but feed this court. So I know she knows what you can do. But I have to wonder why she showed it to you."
Cin nodded slowly, her mind racing with the possibilities. "Maybe it was a warning," she said at last. "A way of saying, 'I know what you can do, and I can do it too.'"
Rafe's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe it was a test," he suggested. "A way of seeing how you would react, of gauging your strength and your power."
Cin's smile was small, but it held a hint of mischief. Rafe had always been a quick study, but there were still some things that he didn't know about her. Like the fact that she often left to collect her Foxgloves, and that Quiet Jon and Hadden were usually the ones she took with her.
At the very least, Rafe wouldn't know about the Foxgloves. He might suspect that she was meeting with other people who shared her gifts, but he wouldn't have all the details. And that gave her a small sense of satisfaction. It meant their secret truly was safe.
Cin's eyes were serious as she leaned in closer to Rafe. "If Lord Bryony and his wife knew what Lya could do," she said, "they would use her to turn Monarda into a paradise. They would have an abundance of food and beauty, regardless of how much of the gift she can access."
Rafe's expression darkened at the thought. "That's not right," he said, his voice low. "No one should be used like that, especially not for their gifts."
Cin nodded in agreement. "I'm in a privileged position," she said, "where no one would dare suggest abusing my gifts. Not while I stand at Tamlin's side. But for the rest of them, they're not so lucky. They're not afforded the same safety."
Rafe's frown deepened as he folded his arms, leaning against the back of his seat. "So, you just snatch them up and sequester them away?" he questioned, his voice laced with a hint of skepticism.
Cin chuckled, shaking her head. "I wish it were that easy. No, I simply take them under my wing and offer them shelter and guidance. The new recruits are sent to a secluded training facility outside Calla, where they're matched with a mentor who guides them in mastering the art of self-defense. The mentor also imparts knowledge on how to shield their minds from intrusion and teaches them how to end a life if the situation demands it, all while honing their gifts so they don't accidentally hurt anyone or reveal themselves to the wrong people."
Rafe's frown deepened. "You make it sound like you're running some sort of underground network."
Cin's smile faded. "In a way, I suppose I am. It's not ideal, but it's necessary to protect these people and their gifts. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, not like some commodity to be bought and sold."
Rafe nodded slowly, his expression contemplative. "I understand. And I'm glad you're the one doing it. Not everyone would be so selfless and responsible with that kind of power."
Cin hesitated, aware of the weight of the information she held. If she divulged any more, she would have to bring him into the fold, to help protect the fae at the camp. Only four individuals knew of its true existence: Tamlin, Cin, Quiet Jon, and the sentry who would guide the next fae to the camp and serve as their mentor. Currently, that sentry was Hadden. The secrecy and safety of fae with her gift depended on keeping the camp hidden from prying eyes.
The fae camp was designed not only to hone their skills in battle and magic but also to acclimate them to their new lives. Cin would spend the next few weeks gathering intelligence on a fae close to one of the High Lords of Prythian, using flowers as her tool. She would then pass this information on to a Foxglove fae who had been at the camp for at least six months, and with Tamlin's help, they would assume the appearance of the fae they had studied. Finally, under Cin's flowery guidance, they would slip seamlessly replace the High Lord, or lady's, attendants with one of Cin's Foxglove Fae.
Though Cin desperately wished to trust the High Lords, Tamlin had been burned too many times to let his guard down again. Some days, he even doubted his own thoughts, wondering if Rhysand had somehow infiltrated his mind, making him irrationally distrustful of everyone on Prythian soil. Tamlin couldn't take any chances - not when everything he held dear was at stake. So, he'd chosen to act under the impression that Rhysand left doors open for himself in the mind's of all of the High Lord.
The contingency plan was firmly in place. The Foxgloves had been carefully trained to infiltrate the staff of the High Lords and Ladies, where they could gather vital intelligence and relay it to Cin through the flowers. No conversation, no matter how secret, could be held behind closed doors without their knowledge. The fate of Prythian hung in the balance, and every precaution had to be taken to ensure its safety.
And if the day ever came when their worst nightmares were realized, the Foxglove would act on Cin's signal and eliminate the High Lords. They were trained for this very purpose, and their loyalty to Spring and its people was unshakable. It was a grim thought, but one that could not be ignored in the face of such a dire threat.
Tamlin had no illusions about the power that Rhysand and Feyre wielded. They were too formidable, too ambitious. To leave them alone to rule the Night Court was to invite disaster - their hunger for power would know no bounds and it might one day threaten the safety of Prythian itself. And when that day came, he was prepared to do whatever it took to protect his people and his home, even if it meant standing alone against the might of the Night Court.
There was no way she could bring herself to tell Rafe the truth. Losing him was a risk she simply couldn't bear to take. It had been a tough adjustment to see Bron and Hart leave for the Monarda military encampment, knowing they would be gone for months on end. She had grown accustomed to years of seeing them nearly every day, even back when they worked for Tamlin. Now, she would only include Quiet Jon, Rafe, and Enzo—although Enzo was often occupied with his own duties, and Rafe was only available if Cin needed a second sentry.
To her own surprise, there were days when she found herself missing Mendes. After his harrowing time in Tamlin's cells, he had spent three months doing construction work in Clematis before moving on to help Hart with recruiting new soldiers for the army. It was strange how much the dynamic had shifted since those dark days—but even stranger was the fact that she had come to value Mendes as a trusted ally and friend.
It wasn't until some time later that Ander arrived, the hour growing so late that the night staff at Heath's establishment had already brought a tray of biscuits and a steaming pot of tea to Cin's booth. Rafe had wasted no time indulging himself, scarfing down half the biscuits with a devilish grin. Cin had offered the rest to her fellow sentries, but none of them seemed interested. She couldn't blame them, really—watching Rafe stuff his face had taken all the appeal out of the treats for her as well.
Ander came to a halt before the booth, his voice ringing out in a clear announcement. "My Lady," he said, "may I present to you... Lya."
Rafe dipped his head in a quick bow to Cin before rising from his seat and transforming into a sentry in the blink of an eye. Cin motioned for the nervous-looking fae to take Rafe's vacated seat, then turned to Ander.
"Thank you, Ander," she said, "please tell Tamlin that I won't be long."
Ander's stiff-lipped smile didn't fool Cin, but she didn't dwell on it for long, not as he strode away. Instead, she turned to Lya, who looked small and nervous in her seat.
"I saw what you did with the sunflowers," Cin said, giving Lya her full attention.
Lya's nervousness was palpable as she tucked her frizzy brown hair behind her ear and spoke softly. "If I had known it would draw this kind of attention, I might not have done it," she stammered. "I just wanted you to know that you're not alone."
"Are you alone here?" Cin asked as she pushed the plate of biscuits toward Lya and leaned in closer, studying her intently. "Do they know what you're capable of?"
Lya vehemently shook her head, her eyes darting around nervously. "Absolutely not," she declared. "No one, and I mean no one, can ever discover my gift."
"And pray tell, what might your gift be?" Cin inquired, her heart racing with anticipation. Perhaps Lya, like Cin herself, possessed the rare ability to communicate with flowers, and not merely create them. So far, Cin had encountered six different Foxgloves, but none of their talents compared to hers. While they could produce vast fields of lush vegetation, none of them had the gift of listening to the whispers of the flowers. It was a rare and unusual talent that made Cin feel like an outsider even among her own kind of fae.
"I can grow up to two hundred acres of flowers before I tire," Lya confessed, her shoulders drooping with the weight of her words. "But when it comes to vegetation, I'm afraid I've tried time and time again, and it simply doesn't work." She snagged a biscuit from the plate.
Cin's mind whirred with the possibilities of what Lya could do to cultivate her talent. With proper training, she knew that anything was possible. Cin herself had seen how easy the transition from flowers to vegetation could be.
"Is that all?" Cin prodded, her heart sinking. She had worked diligently with Tamlin to ensure that nobody knew about their rare gift of communicating with flowers. If Lya couldn't hear them too, Cin didn't want to be the one to shatter her illusions. "Not to discount your impressive accomplishment of growing two hundred acres of flowers, but I'm curious to know if there's anything else that falls within your capacity," Cin added, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice.
Lya's eyes gleamed with curiosity and a hint of challenge as she replied, "Yes, my Lady. That's all I can do."
Cin pondered for a moment before an idea struck her. "Well, I have a proposition for you, if you're open to it," she began, settling back into her seat with a sense of ease.
"I'm all ears," Lya replied, as a smile blossomed on her face.