REBEL

40

"We're almost to the territory line," Aria said when they'd made it back to their packs, hidden within a hollow tree, the forest around them now dark. Evelyn immediately dug her knives out and sheathed them around her body. "Once we cross the creek, we'll be back on Zephyr land."

"There's a natural spring where the trees thin out, further into our territory," Taren said. "I say we set up camp there for the night before we lose all the light." Aria didn't miss the way Taren now claimed Zephyr as their home. The sentiment gripped her heart and squeezed tightly.

The trees were too densely packed for Taren and Aria to fly, and the shifters didn't dare bring any unwanted attention their way, so Taren led them through the forest on foot. It was quiet, save for the crunching of their steps along the foliage beneath them.

"She didn't want us to see her for some reason," Aria thought out loud as they finally caught sight of the dwindling sunlight peeking through the edge of the trees. She could hear the creek from where they stood, water bubbling just ahead.

"Maybe she wants to continue to hide the improvement in her health from you," Taren replied as they hopped across the running water, barely wider than Aria was tall. "Did she sound younger to you, too? She sounded younger to me…"

Evelyn and Finn followed Taren over the water, helping Aria when she stumbled a bit in her landing, despite having assisted herself with a gust of wind at her back as she jumped across. Apparently she could save someone's life but couldn't even jump across a creek on her own. Embarrassing, she chided herself . The lack of training she'd done in the last month while attending to other matters was catching up to her.

They kept walking, moving briskly to try and beat the sunset. "I don't know," Aria mused, "it's possible she truly doesn't know that we're onto her plans. Maybe I should have been more forward about—"

"Stop," Evelyn interrupted them, her nose high in the air. She turned to Finn. "Do you smell that?"

Before Aria could process what was happening, one of Evelyn's knives whizzed past her face into the sky and sliced through the unprotected wing of one of the guards that had greeted them at Vera's estate. The fae fell through the air with a scream, their sword clattering to the ground before they landed with a loud thud .

"Bastard," Evelyn muttered as she moved toward the crumpled body on the ground, claws drawn.

Aria approached the man whose helmet had fallen off during his descent. Blood ran down his wing as he struggled to grab his sword, but Taren wrapped molds of earth around his hands and feet, imprisoning him against the ground. He tried to shove the earth away, but Taren's powers were stronger.

Evelyn grabbed his fallen sword and now held the tip at his throat, motioning for Finn to check the woods and sky around them for any further trespassers .

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he spat at Evelyn's feet, blood coating his teeth. His deep voice was familiar. The left guard, then.

"You're on Zephyr territory now, so you better think wisely about how you proceed," Evelyn snarled. "Why are you following us?"

"Fuck off," he said, eyeing the hole in that delicate membrane of his wing, still oozing blood that dripped steadily into the dirt.

"Fine, let's try this again," Evelyn spoke slowly to the man on his knees before her—his dark hair cropped and his tan skin dirtied by his fall. "Garreth, was it? Are you alone?" She shoved the sword further into his gullet.

"Yes," he blinked up at her as a line of red trailed into the neck of his armor. "So to answer your question, no one will know if you kill me. At least not for a few days." He eyed them all one by one, the corner of his ragged lips tugging upward. "But perhaps if you let me go, I can convince the queen to accept your invitation."

"Fucking coward," Taren shook their head. "That didn't take long for you to betray your leader."

"She may be my queen, but I am still my own person," he narrowed his eyes at Taren. "I have a family who relies on me. Forgive me for not wanting to leave them alone."

Aria kept her face emotionless. "Why would we believe you hold any sway with Vera?" she challenged. "Why would she care what a measly guard has to say?"

"Queen Vera enjoys my services, from time to time." He smirked. Aria wanted to throw up. "Perhaps I could make her see things your way. Get her to attend your little party and hear your pathetic pleas for peace. "

"If you're so eager to fess up," Evelyn snarled, "then answer my question. Why are you following us?"

"Why does anyone follow anyone? Information, you bitch— augh!" He cried out as Evelyn twisted the tip of the sword further.

Aria cut them off. "I have no interest in negotiating with you when you've overstayed your welcome outside your own land." She considered the man before her. She knew what Vera would have done. What her parents, even, might have done. But she wasn't them. "You're lucky I also have no interest in taking a life today."

"I might," Evelyn interrupted, grinning wickedly at the man as she brought a single sharp claw to the corner of his eye.

"That will not be necessary, Evelyn," Aria touched her arm lightly. Evelyn emitted a disgruntled sigh. "You may go," she nodded to the man, "but allow me to follow in my grandmother's footsteps. If we catch you or any other guard pursuing us on my land, you'll deal with Evelyn's teeth instead of her knives next time. And you will tell your queen ," she spat, "that our invitation for a truce stops when she sheds our blood. Deal?"

"Fine," he said through clenched teeth. Evelyn motioned for Taren to release him. Garreth stood and looked at Taren then, hatred staining his face. "Your parents will be thrilled to hear you're a shifter sympathizer."

"You wouldn't be telling them anything they don't already know," Taren grinned, crossing their arms.

"Now you fuck off before I decide to make your other wing match the first one," Evelyn growled. "Or better yet, use your own sword to cut it off entirely." She flourished the sword with expert handling .

"Traitors," he muttered, backing away with a scowl. "You deserve what's coming to you," he declared as he launched into the sky, his flight lopsided by the injury.

Aria looked at Evelyn as the panther sheathed the new sword along her back, her eyes wild with determination. Evelyn's heightened senses may have just saved all of their lives.

"Do you think he was telling the truth? About being alone?" Taren wondered out loud when the guard disappeared behind the line of trees.

"I can't smell anyone else, and I didn't see anything from the tree canopy," Finn replied as he rejoined them. "Let's get the fuck out of here."