She nodded and joined Declan, who stayed behind with the rest to start making plans to launch an attack on the false queen. The exact nature of the final battle would depend on if I could destroy the well of power on my own, but we would need as much backup as we could get in case the fight would be a big one.
Of course it will be a big one.
I hurried to keep up with Brielle, who moved through the forest with the graceful swiftness of a doe. “She lives outside of the camp? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“She refuses any other accommodation.” Brielle shrugged. “The Hag is a weirdo.”
After a few minutes, we came upon a strange dwelling made of trees that had bent over at the trunks to form a ceiling with their branches. An arched doorway led into the dark interior, and Brielle gestured forward. “I told her to expect you.”
I nodded and hurried forward with Tarron. A strange scent wafted from the door—spicy and delicious and gross at the same time. Ugh.
Together, we stopped at the darkened doorway. There was no actual door, but the interior was so dark that it was impossible to see inside.
“Um, Hag? Hello?” I called.
“It is Mordaca, the true queen, and Tarron, King of the Seelie Fae,” Tarron said.
I nudged him with my arm. “Smart. Better to introduce ourselves.”
A low voice echoed from within, carrying with it the distinct sound of a smoker’s rasp. “Come in, come in.”
I hurried in, anticipation and nerves making me jumpy.
The woman who stood over the cauldron at the fire was definitely not what I’d expected. For one, she was drop-dead gorgeous. She was probably somewhere in her seventies from the look of the fine lines around her eyes, but she was one of the most beautiful, graceful women I’d ever seen.
Slender and tall, her dark hair was threaded through with silver that glittered like diamonds. Her green eyes were unusual for an Unseelie Fae, but they contained a darkness that was riveting. Her black gown revealed the figure of a supermodel, and she moved toward us with the grace of the angels.
“You’re The Hag?” I asked.
“Indeed.” She smiled, her blood red lips parting to reveal perfect white teeth.
“The name is an interesting choice.” I couldn’t help but look her up and down. “Normally that’s a name given to someone, not chosen.”
“Well, I definitely chose it for myself.” She shrugged an elegant shoulder. “After all, hags are powerful and have no use for men. And since I am fabulous, I am The Hag. Capital T, capital H.”
This was a woman after my own heart. “Fair enough.”
The Hag eyed Tarron, who stood at my side. “Although if you were running around the Unseelie Court, I can’t say that I would have given up men entirely.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He reached for my hand. “But as it stands, I’m taken.”
The Hag’s eyes moved between the two of us. “I can see that.” She strolled to us, sniffing delicately at the air, as if to get a sense of our signatures. “Hmmmm. It will be difficult to conceal you.”
“But not impossible?” I asked.
“Nothing is impossible for me.” She gave a catlike grin and turned. “Come.”
We followed her toward the cauldron, which had two chairs to the left. They hadn’t been there a moment ago. I hadn’t even seen her conjure them. I shot her a look, my brow raised.
“I am a woman of many talents.” She turned and faced us. “Now, tell me your greatest fear.”
“Uh, what?” She might as well have asked me to drop my pants. I’d probably have preferred it.
Tarron frowned. “Why?”
“Truth helps my magic.”
I squinted at her. It helped her magic…or she was just curious.
“I’m serious.” She went to her shelves and collected a glass jar and several clusters of dried herbs. “Take a moment to think of it.”
My mind raced as she started chopping up the dried herbs.
My greatest fear.
There were so many, actually.
Losing Tarron. Losing my sister. Not defeating the false queen. Failing the Fae.
I shot a glance at Tarron.
He didn’t seem even a little bit torn.
I nudged him and whispered, “You know your fear?”
“Of course. You don’t?”
“I’ve got loads. How do I choose?”
“One has to be stronger than all the others.” He nodded to The Hag. “Or she’s going to be very disappointed.”
If she really needed my greatest fear and I didn’t come up with it, I was going to be disappointed because we’d never get the spell we needed.
The Hag worked quickly, lighting the herbs on fire and collecting the smoke in a glass jar. It swirled with gray and green light, a sickly concoction that turned my stomach.
Finally, she turned to us. “Have you thought of your greatest fear?”
I pointed to Tarron. “He can go first.”
He nodded.
The Hag shot me a knowing look, but she approached Tarron and held the glass jar up. The smoke continued to swirl inside, never leaving the jar.
She held it up to his face. “Speak your greatest fear into the smoke.”
Tarron took the jar, held the lip of it up to his mouth, and spoke. “Losing Mari.”
I blinked, surprised. Losing him was one of my great fears, too, but I hadn’t expected him to say it so easily. So confidently.
But the words rang with truth.
And the smoke seemed to know it. It brightened, turning to a brilliant blue that sparkled with life.
The Hag smiled. “It seems that you spoke true.”
“Easy enough.” Tarron handed the jar to me, meeting my gaze.
The smoke swirled within, taunting me.
“Um…” My mind raced. I feared so much. The idea of deciding who I was most terrified to lose—my sister or Tarron—made me want to vomit and then die. Not to mention the idea of failing all the Fae and allowing the false queen to stay in power. She’d suck the life from all of them.
So, no pressure there.
Listing them all wouldn’t do it. She wanted the one great fear. The big one. And suddenly, it came to me.
“I’m not enough.” I blurted it into the smoke. It flared even brighter blue, swirling with purple light and sparks.
“You spoke true as well.” The Hag’s eyes sparked. “I had my doubts.”
“It was easy.” After all, if I were strong enough, smart enough, quick enough, I could save them all. I wouldn’t have to lose them, or choose which was the one I couldn’t bear to be parted from.
The Hag shot me a knowing look, then took the glass jar from us. She smashed it to the ground, chanting a spell in a language I didn’t recognize. Light flashed, and magic filled the air. The smoke expanded, swirling around Tarron and me as a tornado.
It filled my lungs, making me cough and my skin tingle. My muscles were next, then my bones. My entire body vibrated.
Tarron grimaced. “I presume it’s working?”
“It is indeed.” The Hag gestured to us. “Look at each other.”
I looked at Tarron, whose form shimmered with light, turning nearly transparent.
“You’ll be able to see each other, but you will be invisible to the rest of the world. Your signatures will disappear as well, until you are entirely undetectable to the protections on the queen’s palace.”