Chapter 6

6

" I don't like this," Lugh said, pacing back and forth across the training room floor. "We know next to nothing about this fae, and if he was involved in the plot to bring Nemain back to life, there is no limit to what he is capable of."

The whole day had passed like this. Lugh and I would talk about the plan, and he'd end up telling me that he didn't want me to go, even though my spycraft was the whole point of my visit. There had been no more half-kisses or hopeful murmurs about druids who knew the answers to all the questions about the universe. He couldn't shake his unease about the mission.

I shrugged my leather jacket over my shoulders. It was half past nine. We had no more time to waste. "It's about damn time you stopped underestimating me, Lugh. I can take care of myself. You've seen how well I can fight. "

"You could be walking straight into a trap. Whoever this fae is…he could know who you are to me."

I met his gaze head on. "Yep, you're right. It could be a trap. Maybe he did some research, and he's on to me. But if we don't even attempt to make this connection, we might lose our only chance at getting a heads up about the attack they have planned."

He crossed his arms over his chest and growled. "I don't like this."

"Tough luck, mate," I shot back at him. "I'm not going to let some arsehole get his hands on your spear."

I grabbed a twin pair of blades from the training room rack and strapped them around my waist, careful to keep them hidden beneath my leather jacket. I probably wouldn't need to use them, but I wasn't dumb enough to go into this meeting completely unarmed. Arthur's Seat wasn't exactly a remote location. It was very popular with tourists, though perhaps not this late at night. Still, there would be plenty of humans around. Enough to keep the fae from going on attack.

That said, I still wasn't going to risk it.

A rthur's Seat was located about a mile east of the castle, an extinct volcano that rose high above the city. At the top, hikers were rewarded with amazing views of Edinburgh, although the climb wasn't particularly difficult. Legend had it that it was once the location for Camelot, the infamous castle of King Arthur. In truth, the very first fae who entered this realm founded the place as their own. Humans, not understanding the ways of the fae, thought it came from wizards.

After climbing the rolling hills, I glanced around. It was windy up here, and I shivered in my leather jacket. A few humans were standing along the hilltop, gazing at the sparkling city lights below. Only one stood alone, in the distance, with a long dark cloak flapping around a pair of shiny shoes. He was tall and slim with a moustache that squatted like a bushy caterpillar above his lips.

He was fae.

Squaring my shoulders, I crossed the hill to stand beside him. I kept my hands in my jacket pockets, turning to face the direction he was looking. He was staring right at Castle Wraith.

"Good evening," he said in a silky voice that caused goosebumps to break out along my arms. "My name is Quentin. I am assuming you are Moira."

"Yep," I replied. "I answered an ad that took me to A Knight's End. You're looking for supes."

"Quite right."

I shifted on my feet. "You want to destroy the king on the hill."

"Indeed. "

Frowning, I turned to face him. "Well, I'd like to join your team. That's why you called, isn't it?"

He pressed his thin lips together, still refusing to meet my gaze. "I called you here because I wished to meet you. To determine if you are a good match for the team. Tell me, Moira. Why do you wish to fight King Lugh?"

"I'm a solitary fae," I said, repeating my earlier story. "He's been tracking me for years, and I don't want to join his damn Court. He killed some of my friends."

"Yes, so I've heard." He turned to face me then, flicking a pair of ice blue eyes across my face. "Why don't you just leave and go elsewhere? It would be safer for you than this."

I narrowed my eyes. "Because he needs to be destroyed. Even if I make it to safety, he'll just do the same damn thing to someone else."

Quentin pursed his lips, then nodded. "Very well. I'm inclined to add you to the team. We could use a solitary fae such as yourself. In fact, I have the perfect mission for you, if you choose to accept it."

My heart thumped hard. That...had been easier than I'd expected. He was going to take me at my word. Maybe I really was a better spy than I'd thought.

I nodded eagerly. "Brilliant. Count me in. Just tell me what to do, and it's done."

A strange smile pulled at the corners of his lips. "Very well. I need you to get into Castle Wraith and have a meeting with Lugh, preferably this evening, at which point you will set off a Sapphire bomb in his presence."

I blinked at him. "You want me to do what now?"

"I would like for you to use a Sapphire bomb against the Wraith King." He steepled his hands beneath his chin. "Is that a problem for you?"

"No, I guess not." I nibbled on my bottom lip. "But is that really necessary? Attacking him before the actual attack seems counter-productive."

Quentin's gaze hardened. "For someone so intent on destroying the king, you seem suspiciously opposed to my plan."

Shit. I'd done it again. Speaking my mind often came back to bite me in the arse, and I feared I'd really shoved my foot in there this time. My pretend persona would probably find this entire thing hilarious. She'd be eager to throw some Sapphire on Lugh. Anything to see him squirm. Instead, here I was, arguing.

"I want to take him down, that's all. And I don't want to tip him off ahead of time that we're coming after him. If we drug him with Sapphire, he'll know that someone is targeting him. He'll go into defensive mode." Shifting on my feet, I lifted my chin and met Quentin's ice cold gaze, daring him to question me again.

"I appreciate your concern, but I will call the shots on this," he replied. "Lugh already knows a plan is brewing. He will have seen the advertisements. "

"Right. I guess that makes sense." I shifted on my feet. "So what exactly is it you want me to do? It's not like I can just waltz into his palace and throw the thing at him."

A strange smile twisted Quentin's lips. "Oh, but you can. You're on the run from him, which means he wants to find you. I propose that you let him do just that."

My heart thumped. "You want me to get caught. But—"

"Ah ah." Quentin held up his finger and wagged it in my face. "If you want to prove that you are loyal to this cause, you must do as I ask without question."

"And you want me to get caught." I swallowed hard.

This was really not how I had expected this whole thing to go. For starters, I still had next to no information about the plan, even if I had made it to stage two in the screening process. I'd gotten nothing from the bartender. I'd gotten nothing from this creepy fae. And now I had to pretend to let myself get caught. For...what exactly?

Sapphire might make Lugh's inhibitions drop away, but it wouldn't make him give up his spear. I knew him well enough to know that he would cling on to his soul as hard as he could, no matter how drugged he was. So if that was Quentin's plan, it was a pretty dumb one.

"Get caught." He leaned down and unlocked his briefcase. As the lid clicked open, Quentin revealed a tiny blue orb that glowed with magic. Even from here, I could feel the pull of the spell, and the desire to give in to my deepest needs. "Set this off in front of Lugh. Once the magic has hit him, you will lure him into showing you his spear. It will be kept in a locked container. Make sure it stays unlocked after he's shown it to you."

I wrinkled my nose. "That's it? You just want me to make sure his spear case is unlocked?"

"The magic of this Sapphire bomb is directly linked to me," he continued as though I hadn't spoken a word. "When it goes off, I will be alerted. That is when my team will know it's time to move in."

"You're going to attack the castle?" I asked, arching my brows.

Instead of answering, he lifted the orb from his briefcase and slid it into my hands. It was warm to the touch and pulsing with life. A part of me itched to drop it now and let it explode all over this wanker. Let him get a taste of his own medicine. Not that breathing in some Sapphire would be any sort of terrible tragedy. I'd been dosed with it once before, along with Lugh.

It had been...intoxicating, to say the very least.

"Never you mind that." The fae straightened, his long coat rippling around his dark, glistening shoes. "Do we have a deal?"

I swallowed hard, hesitating. This whole thing felt off. None of it made much sense. Surely he didn't believe that this would work? Yes, a solitary fae would be able to get inside the castle and set this thing off. Maybe, she'd be able to get a look at Lugh's spear. But it was highly unlikely she'd stop him from locking the case after, even if Lugh was drugged out of his mind.

Not to mention, how exactly did he plan on getting past the added security at the gates? Ever since the attack last month, Castle Wraith had become even more impenetrable. There were guards everywhere. No one was getting inside unless Lugh wanted them inside, and a little magic drug wasn't going to convince him to open the gates to an enemy hell-bent on stealing his soul.

"Sure," I squeaked. "No problem."

With a wide smile, the fae sent me on my way. I clutched the Sapphire bomb tight against my chest as I hurried toward the castle, my heart thumping. Something wasn't right about this, but I didn't know what. And I had a terrible feeling that when I figured it out, it would be far too late.