Abigail has learned a lot over the years and the one thing that has always stuck was to be wary of the fae and their intentions. There were a lot of unknowns, a lot of moving pieces that she couldn’t see. With Dark Star, Everdark, Kelpie Kings, Pips…all of these seemingly random events were crossing paths, clearly not as random as she first thought.
The arrival of both Jilliup and Paltis was proof of that. Abigail needed answers and she was tired of only having more questions.
“Hello? Are you guys still there?” Tess asked. “I asked if I could open my eyes yet.”
“Only if you want to see a dead body,” Paltis said without a trace of remorse. “Excuse me, two dead bodies.”
“I’ll keep them closed. In fact, I’m just going to turn and face the wall with my eyes closed. Safer that way.
Abigail highly doubted they were safe. Paltis had her gaze still fixated on her, waiting for Abigail to hand over the trap.
Yeah, there was no way that was going to happen. She didn’t trust Paltis, especially not after witnessing her murder two men in cold blood. Not that they were innocent men but they probably didn’t deserve such brutal ends. There was only one person Abigail would even consider giving the trap to and that was her father. And even that gave her reservations.
She found it convenient that as soon as the agent started speaking, Paltis quickly shut him up. Had he really been trying to break out of her control or had she wanted him to stop talking? Abigail guessed it was the latter. And where did that bird go?
“Sorry, I can’t,” she said. “It’s attuned to my energy and can only be opened by me during a specific ceremony under the light of the new moon.” The lie tumbled from her lips effortlessly that even she was impressed with herself.
Paltis’ eyes narrowed. “Really?” she asked in a flat tone. “How convenient.”
“Magic is a fickle thing.”
Tess cracked an eye open and glanced at Abigail. But she was smart enough to know that her boss was lying for a reason and kept her mouth shut. Paltis stood in silence for a moment before she let out a big sigh.
“I love the moon but it can really mess up the flow of things, can’t it?” she said. “Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll just have to hold onto both of you and the watch for the time being.”
Tess made a noise of distress, the fear in her evident by the way her body shuddered.
“Except we’ve made no deals with you nor have we given you our names or consumed anything you offered, so you can’t,” Abigail reminded Paltis.
“Sadly, that’s true,” Paltis agreed. “Which only leaves one option. We must travel together until this mess is all sorted out. Forgive me, but there is no way I can let you out of my sight knowing that you have a fae in your possession.”
Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Somehow that sounded worse. But Abigail was out of ideas and the tattoo was itching bad enough that her shirt irritated it every time she moved, no matter how slight it was. Having Paltis tag along was the lesser of two evils.
“Great, because there is a nest of Pips around that need taken care of, and with you, we should have enough firepower,” Abigail said, trying to keep her tone light.
“By all means, lead the way.”
Hating the thought of having Paltis at their backs, yet knowing she was already pushing her luck, Abigail grabbed Tess’s arm and they started back the way they came.
“What are you doing?” Tess asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Keeping us alive. Just follow my lead.”
The hair on the back of Abigail’s neck stood up as she felt Paltis’ stare bearing into the back of her skull. Her tattoo provided a helpful distraction. It was itching to the point of pain, especially now that she was headed in the right direction. After a few twists and turns, Abigail realized the shadows started to recede and there was a light at the end of the long stretch of hallway.
As the shadows hung back, Paltis started to as well. Abigail wondered if her appearance was only contingent on traveling through the shadows. Would she be able to follow them into the light?
Abigail’s tattoo started to burn as the trio came to the end of the hall. The light nearly blinded them and she had to blink a couple of times to adjust. Once she did, she noticed numerous doors lining the walls of a stark white hallway. The Pips were behind one of those doors, she could feel it, but what was behind the others? Could the true king be here? How and why?
She glanced over her shoulder. Paltis hugged the wall, her eyes burning like two bright embers in the shadows that clung to her.
This might be their shot to get away. She didn’t seem keen to follow them into the bright hallway. Though, Abigail wasn’t sure if that was due to necessity, preference, or something else. It would be a gamble to find out.
Next to her, Tess stared with wide eyes, waiting for Abigail to decide what to do.
👍LIKE THIS POST for Abigail and Tess to make a run for it down the bright hallway.
❤️LOVE THIS POST for Abigail to bide her time and hope for clearer means of escape.
POLL RESULTS: 0❤️ 2👍
