“If I break one of these”—I finger the threads gently before meeting his gaze—“you’ll help me?”
He nods. “Yes. Though I cannot save you from mortal peril, so don’t bother with it if you’re to become some beast’s next meal. But with information, for travel within the realm, I can help.”
“At what cost?”
His grin is more devious than comforting. “But a lock of hair. Or teeth if you’d prefer.”
My hand shakes as I take it from him. “What if I break a thread by accident?”
“Goblin threads don’t break accidentally. There must be intent.”
I slide the bracelet over my hand, and it magically tightens around my wrist. “Thank you, Bakken.” I reach for the door and step into the hall.
“Fire Girl!” Bakken says, stopping me. “Remember, the shadow king is clever. He’ll play you against your fate for his own benefit.”
Play me against my fate? What does that even mean? Faerie riddles. “I don’t believe in fate, Bakken. All I care about is my sister.”
“Ah yes, and the king knows that.”
Chapter Four
“YOU NEED TO TELL SEBASTIAN your plan,” Nik says, leaning against the side of Mage Trifen’s house.
“Is that why you brought me here?”
I had moved out of Madame V’s this morning and gone straight to Nik, who patiently listened to my panicked story and half-baked plan before insisting that I follow her to Mage Trifen’s for a sleeping tonic. The portal doesn’t open until midnight, she reasoned, and I wouldn’t be any good if I didn’t get some rest before then.
Now the sun inches toward the horizon, and it feels as if time is moving both too fast and too slow. If it were up to me, I would already be searching Faerie for my sister, but I’m scared I won’t be strong enough or smart enough once I get there. I’m so scared I’ll fail.
“I brought you for the tonic,” she says, patting her purse, “but I do think you should tell him. Maybe he could go with you.”
I shake my head. “He’ll get in the way trying to protect me. And anyway, he leaves for the next portion of his apprenticeship tomorrow. I won’t ruin that for him.”
Frowning, she straightens. “I don’t like you doing this alone. I don’t like that you’re doing this at all.”
“Would you go if you were in my shoes? If it were Fawn who’d been sold to the Unseelie king?”
Her dark eyes glitter with tears, and she swallows. “In a heartbeat.”
“Then you know I have no choice.”
“I imagine you’ve done many things because you had no choice,” she says softly. She toys with a dark curl and seems to consider this before adding, “I need to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
She looks down the alley in each direction, and even though we’re the only ones out here, she lowers her voice when she speaks. “That money you gave me for Fawn’s contract . . . did you steal it from Gorst?”
My stomach plummets. How would she know that? “Do I look that stupid?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Brie.”
I rub the back of my neck, where all my tension from the last twenty-four hours seems to have coiled into one big knot. “Wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t know where I got it?” I can’t believe that was only last night. So much has happened since then—my whole world tipped on its axis.
She purses her lips. “Someone broke into Gorst’s house, got past his wards, and raided his vault. He’s pissed.”
“I imagine so.”
“Whoever it was left blood behind,” she whispers. “And it’s only a matter of time until his mage finds the match—finds the thief.”
Shit. I’ve been so busy dealing with everything else that I’d forgotten about the blood. “Gorst is the least of my worries.”
“Yeah? Well, you’d better hope the magic works slowly, or you may never get the chance to enter that portal.”
“Brie?” Sebastian calls, coming down the alley from the courtyard.
“We’ll talk later,” Nik says, giving me a sad smile and squeezing my wrist before backing away. “I’ll see you at home. Until then, watch your back.”
“Thanks, Nik.” With a deep breath, I turn to face Sebastian. My heart squeezes at the sight of him. He’s wearing a white tunic with dark leather pants that are fitted to his powerful thighs, and his white hair glows faintly golden in the sunlight.