“I’ll come with you,” volunteered Tiny.
The corporal nodded. “Don’t go outside the perimeter, otherwise the patrol guard will be all over my ass.”
Will and Tiny walked until they were beyond the reach of the light from the campfires, then Will stopped. “I need to talk to someone. I wasn’t expecting you to come.”
“I can go back if you want,” offered the big soldier.
“It’s all right, just try not to be surprised,” said Will. Under his breath he repeated a single word three times, ‘Tailtiu.’ Deep down he felt something, and he knew she had heard him.
Ten minutes passed in near silence before Tiny asked, “Is someone supposed to meet you?”
Will nodded. “She’ll be here soon, I think. Thank you for today, by the way.”
The big man shrugged. “I don’t have many talents, but I know who to trust.”
A voice purred at them from the darkness, “You have good taste then.”
Will tried to reassure Tiny, who looked as though he was about to jump out of his skin. “Don’t worry, it’s my friend.” It was then that a slender hand snaked up behind the big man and stroked Tiny’s cheek and neck.
“W-wh-who are you?” said Tiny, his voice tremulous.
“Leave him be, Tailtiu,” said Will sternly. “He’s never met any fae before.”
Tailtiu peered at him from around Tiny’s shoulder. “Oh, I like them fresh.” Then she moved around to the big soldier’s front and gazed up at him hungrily. “And he looks delicious.”
Tiny stood frozen in place, though whether it was from magic or fear, Will wasn’t sure. His eyes moved down, taking in the fae woman’s naked form. She was still covered in scars, though they were a dark green now, making her appearance even more feral. After a few seconds Tailtiu turned away and stepped toward Will. She opened her arms as though she would embrace him but almost immediately leaped back, hissing.
“Nasty!” she exclaimed. “What is that all over you? Iron? Why, William? Why would you do that?”
He chuckled. “I like breathing. This helps keep arrows out of me.”
“Don’t expect a kiss from me until you’ve taken it off and had a long bath,” said Tailtiu with obvious disgust. Will saw one of Tiny’s brows go up in surprise. The fae woman noticed as well and she gave the big man a sultry look. “Didn’t you know? I’m his aunt, but don’t let that fool you. We’re very—close.”
Alarmed, Will waved his hands at Tiny. “Don’t listen to her. It isn’t like that.”
“Sure it is,” said Tailtiu. “Would you like me to show you?”
Ignoring her remark, Will continued, “You still owe me another day.”
Tailtiu sighed. “Always business with you. What do you want?”
“Can you move about without being seen?”
“Of course,” answered his aunt, before glancing back at Tiny. She puffed her chest out slightly and formed her lips into a sly pout. “But I much prefer being seen.”
Will’s friend was turning red, and Will worried that Tiny might pass out from the strain of enduring Tailtiu’s attention. “I want you to scout the mountain ahead of us. There may be soldiers in the area.”
“Of course, there are,” she said abruptly, waving her hand toward the camp. “I can smell hundreds of them over there, along with an unsavory amount of iron.”
“That’s our camp,” said Will dryly.
His aunt smiled sweetly. “I knew that.”
“How long will it take you?” he asked.
She pretended to think, putting one hand on her chin, then answered, “I don’t know. I’ll find you when I’m done.”
Will had hoped it would be quick and easy, but he guessed that was just hopeful thinking. “We have to go back to the camp. I’ll call you tomorrow—”
“It won’t take that long, silly boy. Not to worry, I’ll find you when I’m done.”
“But we’ll be in camp.”
Tailtiu began walking away, fading into the darkness. “I can always find you, Will.” She glanced back once, her eyes glowing ominously. “Remember that.”
Once he was sure she was gone, Will nudged Tiny who seemed to have fallen into a trance, staring into the darkness. “Come on. Let’s go back.”
“Oh, right,” said the big man. As they were walking, he asked a question, “So she’s really your aunt?”
“Don’t remind me,” grumbled Will.
“And you—with her—you—?”
“No!”
They got back to their beds just in time, and while Dave was as talkative as usual, Tiny said not a word until after the fire was extinguished. Will was beginning to drift off to sleep when he heard the big man mutter to himself, “She’s not my aunt, though.”
Chapter 47
In his sleep, Will found himself running through a forest, chased by a foe he couldn’t see. Whenever he turned to look, all he saw behind him were golden cat’s eyes, and no matter how he raced he couldn’t escape the beast. Near the end he could feel its breath on his neck, until he turned a corner and found himself face to face with a dark-haired woman. It was Isabel. She put a finger to his lips to keep him silent, and he found himself sinking into her gaze. Like pools of clear water, her eyes threatened to swallow him, and he realized he couldn’t breathe.
“William Cartwright,” she whispered, and he found himself wondering how to answer. “William Cartwright, you will be mine.”
Run, said a voice deep within. Run before it’s too late.
“William Cartwright,” she said again. “I’ve bought and paid for you. You will be the finest slave to serve me. Show me the limnthal.”
“Thrice called,” said another voice, and Will’s eyes shot wide open. Tailtiu was leaning over him, her nose mere inches from his own. She had her hand over his mouth. “Shhh. Don’t wake them.”
Will turned his head, but quickly realized he couldn’t even see the closest bedroll, aside from Tiny’s, where the big man’s body made a darker shadow against the mist that covered everything. “How?”
“No one will see me in this fog,” said his aunt, “so long as you don’t wake them.”
“You did that?”
Her eyes crinkled into a smile and she nodded. “Of course. It made it much easier to search the pass without being seen.”
“What did you find?”
“Men,” she said simply. “Lots and lots of men, as far as my eyes could see. Were there always so many of your kind?”
“How many did you find?”
“As many as there are in your camp and half again more,” she answered. “Most are on the other side of the pass, waiting just beyond the high point. A third are hidden in a camp in the rocks several miles south of here.”
“Hidden?”
Tailtiu nodded. “No fires. They sleep clustered in small groups among the rocks that cluster along the side of the mountain to the south. Is that what you wished to know?”
“Yes. Thank you,” said Will gratefully. “This resolves your debt for the favor.”