Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,15

a small, single-mast vessel sat waiting for them. Wood fae scuttled across the deck like ice crabs, tying ropes and rigging the emerald sail. Two raised platforms sat on either end like miniature wooden towers, and a crow’s nest squatted at the top of the mast. The cog was one of the old merchant ships that had once been used to transport goods between the realms. It had been a long time since she’d seen one like this.

“That’s your ship?” Reyna asked as they stepped onto the wooden planks of the fishing dock. “I didn’t think these sailed much these days.”

“We stole it from a merchant. Well, smuggler.” Duff grinned. “Tempted him away with some Wood Whiskey. It was like taking candy from a babe.”

Reyna couldn’t help but laugh, even as dread continued to rush through her like a storm. “Wood Whiskey is worth a small fortune.”

“Exactly,” he replied. “So, the smuggler got the booze, and we got the ship so we could sail to safety.”

“And now you’re sailing straight back into the viper’s nest.” It was a sobering thought.

They climbed on board, and the ship set sail, aiming the bow southwest. According to Duff, they would sail around the northern tip of the Wood Court before heading due south, passing the river city of Annwyn before reaching Craobhan where they’d smuggle themselves into the army. It would take a week. A very long seven days that stretched out before Reyna like a godforsaken desert. But it was the best option they had.

As the sun set on the first day of their journey, Reyna stood on the stern, watching the shore fade into a golden smudge on the horizon. Wingallock perched on her shoulder, cooing softly. Her whole heart felt ripped in two.

She clutched the letter in her hands, picturing Lorcan’s face in her mind’s eye. Strong, angular jaw. Dark as night eyes and wavy hair that was made of the shadows themselves. Mist curled around his muscular form as the hardness of the past year chiseled his shoulders into stone. But even amongst the darkness, there was light. There was always light in Lorcan’s eyes. They shone like the stars in the sky.

“Wingallock, I need you to do something for me.” She choked out the words. It was the only way to get them out of her throat and into the salty air. “I need you to take this letter to Lorcan.”

Wingallock cawed, a harsh and angry sound she’d never heard from him before. The sound cracked her soul, a sharp stab right in the gut. She tightened her grip on the letter, trying her best to hold on to her words, scared she would not be able to go through with this.

“I’m sorry, Wingallock. You have to go. Lorcan needs you.” She closed her eyes. “Just please. Hurry. And fly high. Hide amongst the clouds.”

He flared his wings and snatched the letter from her hand. Wind swirled around her as he rose into the air. A mournful song slipped from his throat, a sound that Reyna would never forget no matter how long she lived.

“Wingallock. Wait, I—”

Before she could say goodbye, he was gone, only a small dot of white against the setting sun. Sobs shook her throat as an excruciating pain rippled through her entire body from the very depths of her heart. She clung on to the bannister, barely able to keep herself upright. Breath shuddered from her lungs. Tears splashed onto her cheeks. He was gone. Her familiar was gone.

She opened her mouth to call him back, desperation seizing her resolve.

Wood creaked behind her. “You let your familiar go?”

“I need to let Lorcan know we’re coming. To hold on a little longer. Before he does something rash.” Reyna quickly brushed the hot tears off her cheeks and tried to pull herself together. “The wood fae would notice me in the skies, but they won’t spot an owl the color of the clouds. Besides, he can fly a lot higher than I can.”

“Won’t that hurt you, princess?” Duff asked gently.

“Only my heart.” She let out a shuddering breath, already feeling as though a piece of her soul had been ripped from her chest. “This can’t kill me. Not with Seelie’s magic in my blood.”

“Hmm.” He leaned against the bannister and frowned up at the red-streaked sky. “It seems you’re depending a lot on Seelie.”

“He’s all we’ve got.”

Six days passed with a brutal chasm inside Reyna’s chest instead of her heart. The Ruin’s incessant thumping seemed to