man asked.
Liam pulled the vials I’d given him from his pocket. “Pricklewart from Faerie.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Now that is very useful. I’ll take it, and one strand of her hair.”
My eyes widened and Liam snatched his hand back. “No deal.”
The warlock sneered before rolling his eyes. “Fine. Come inside and let’s have tea.”
Liam met my eyes and gave the tiniest shake of his head.
“We’ve just had breakfast, thanks,” I said sweetly.
Jasper looked over at me and grinned. “He’s taught you well.”
I gulped, stepping into a large entryway that showcased a massive set of stairs. The Fae padded along the hardwood floors and turned right into an open, double-doored office. The second I stepped in, I felt an energy shift. It was heavy and dark, making me feel like I couldn’t breathe.
“Interesting, you’re the third Fae from Faerie to visit me this week.” The man rubbed his finger over a crystal ball at his desk and I frowned.
Third Fae? What?
I took the bait. “Who were the other two?”
He shrugged. “That kind of information will cost you.”
Liam groaned. “He’s a warlock bard. Anything you want him to tell you will cost something.”
I nodded. I’d heard of bards; they wouldn’t let you pass the Dark Forest without payment, and in kind they would tell you a story. I needed to find out who from my world would visit him this week. I had an inkling, but I needed to know for sure. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out one of my healing crystals Kira had given me. I could just ask her for another one.
His eyes tracked it greedily as I set it on the desk. “It’s a hea—”
“I know what it is.” His hand snatched out and he took it, before opening a drawer and locking it inside.
“The two other Fae that I’ve seen this week are the Faerie elder of Winter and the Faerie elder of Summer.”
My heart dropped. That’s what I’d thought. “What did they want?”
Jasper shrugged his shoulders, holding out his hands. Fucker wanted more payment! I glanced at Liam, who shook his head no.
Reaching into my bag I pulled out another healing stone, leaving me only one left. My arm was sore. I should have taken it this morning.
“Tell me everything about the visit with the elders,” I told him, making sure he couldn’t turn this into another bargain.
He swiped the second healing stone and placed it inside his desk.
“They wanted to know how to change a Tree of Life crystal that had been tainted back to its original form.”
Liam and I shared a look and the guy grinned. “And I’m guessing that’s why you’re here.”
Liam nodded. “And what did you tell them?”
He laughed and it was a cold, biting sound. “That I knew nothing of the matter. Fuck Faerie. They left us out to dry.”
My heart jumped into my throat and Liam tensed. “But you do know how, don’t you? Help an old friend out.” Liam slid the two vials across the desk.
The Fae’s gaze flicked to me and sharpened. “And why should I help her? She’s one of them.”
I frowned, realizing the divide between us living in Faerie and those living on Earth was far greater than I imagined.
“Because I’m not like the elders. I didn’t live through the dark times, and only recently was I made aware of this war. I grew up my entire life shielded from all of this, which makes me different.”
I realized now that my mother had given me a gift.
His brows raised. “Different how?”
I shrugged. “I don’t have a bias to either side.” I met Liam’s gaze and his cheeks reddened. “I’m learning as I go, and trust me when I say that I want to seek a solution that benefits both of us.”
We needed all the crystals in Faerie, but they needed them too, and I needed to figure out what that meant.
The Fae seemed to mull that over. “If you take all of the crystals from Earth, I die, he dies—every magical creature here will perish.”
This was not as cut and dry as the elders had made it seem.
“Then I won’t,” I breathed. “Not until I’m sure I can create a place where we can all live in harmony.”
His laugh was dry and full of disdain, forehead wrinkling as he glared at me. “Oh, little spring Faerie who smells of roses, how naive you are! We cannot all live in that small little village of what’s left of Faerie. We’d kill each other.”
I slammed my fist