Gripping!🤯
I have definitely enjoyed Kip and Stryder’s journey throughout the Fae kingdom as they travel to The Blood Court! And omg the amazing banter and comedy constantly easing the edge off of all the war drama 🎭 ⚔️ thank goodness for Kip and Harley’s amazing sarcasm.🤣😂
“Do you think they're going to be safe sleeping out there?” I looked over at Harley. She was busy getting herself ready, fluffing pillows and shaking out blankets on one of the two beds that barely fit into Valerie’s room.
“Stryder and Roane?” she suddenly stopped to look up at me. “Yeah. We're in here, nice and comfy, while they’re outside.You heard what Stryder said. We're far away from his court and it's dangerous out here. He already nearly died because of the poison on that goblin’s knife. I think that warrants a real place to sleep.”
Harley studied me curiously. “Minerva said the procedure she did on him took effect and he is out of danger. You know this isn’t the first time he’s been injured in a battle. Besides, it's not like they rolled out their sleeping bags in the front yard. They're sleeping in the lean-to behind the house. They’re fine, in fact, they probably like it.”
I huffed. “I’m sure. I just wish that they’d let them sleep inside.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like Stryder gave them a lot of choice," Harley pointed out.
She deepened her voice, mimicking Stryder. “‘We’re sleeping outside,’” she walked around the room, her chest puffed out. “I’m a manly man, nobody tells me what to do. I kill bad guys for breakfast and wisk women away on my steed.”
“May I suggest you invest in a large map of this place and put little red pins in all the places seething with icky monsters like that one?”
“There are no maps,” Stryder replied.
“Of course there aren’t. Because why would there be? We’re in the land of the fairies – Fae, sorry, Fae – why would we possibly need something as mundane as a helpful piece of paper to let us know where the hell we are?”
“I’m probably not going to like the answer you give me no matter what it is, but I’m going to ask anyway,” I said when we made it past the tree line and it was still eerily quiet around us. “Should I be worried that I’m not hearing or seeing anybody around here?”
“No. The inhabitants of the Woodland Realm are shy. They rarely come out to engage with travelers. Even if you encounter them, they’re usually uninterested in interacting. It’s just their way. Don’t let it offend you.”
“Why would it offend me?” I asked. “You seemed very concerned about it,” Stryder said.
“I was concerned because I thought this might be a War Pig situation and we were about to be retaliated against for every bacon cheeseburger that has ever been eaten, not because they didn’t rush out to welcome us.”
Harley rushed over and helped me up. "Thanks for saving my ass there," she said dryly.
“Oh, you know, just tackling giant Fae men with swords. My normal Tuesday," I said.
I have doubt that Mac was sent to look after and guide Kip, but why the heck didn’t he tell her everything involving her destiny, and help prepare her more for what’s coming?🤔
I wondered how much Mac knew. I’d met him so young, but he seemed like he had been around forever. I remembered what the men said when I was trapped in the prison cell.
Had Mac really known all along and was trying to guide me? So many things were clicking into place. The story of the two towers rang strongly in my mind. It was like Mac was subtly training me.
Through telling me that story, he instilled in me that if I was ever caught, I would end up there. He gave me a map for a land that had never been mapped with those stories, silly stories I thought were nothing more than entertainment.
Even after everything we'd been through, I couldn't escape the reality that I didn't understand him or his world yet. In so many ways I was on the outside, watching what was unfolding and still trying to get a grasp on it. There was an unavoidable possibility that I was still being manipulated and would soon be handed over to the wizards and sacrificed.
"King," the lead wizard said, bowing his head and putting his fist to his heart in the traditional gesture of respect for his king. "Greyfeld,” I acknowledged.
“What is she doing here?” he demanded angrily, raising one finger to point toward Kip. “She is here with me,” I said defiantly. “You were sent to destroy her.”
“Plans changed.”
The men came down from their horses and approached us. I refused to step back. “Did we not make the prophecy clear to you, Stryder?” Greyfeld asked in a low, rumbling tone. “Your prophecy was clear,” I told him. “Then this ends here. Kill her.”
Hmm Ive had a feeling from the beginning that those “wizards” are not at all what Stryder thinks they are, that they have a very sinister plan that’s not in Stryder and Kip’s favor.🤔😒