Kenzie pressed a hand to her mouth and shrank back, trembling, but I caught the murmur of voices from the front of the room. Carefully, I eased up to the shelf, trying to ignore the awful contents, and peeked through.
A desk sat against the far wall, a pair of redcaps standing on either side. Seated in the chair was a tall, spindly man with pale skin and dark hair that writhed atop his head like shadows. His ears were pointed, his eyes completely black, and he steepled his fingers under his sharp chin, appraising the cloaked, hooded figure standing across from him.
“I apologize for the delay,” the man said, his voice a slithering whisper that reminded me of snakes and insects and other unpleasant things. “Business has been quite busy of late. I normally do not get such esteemed visitors to my humble shop. My clients are usually exiles or, more recently, the scores of fey you saw outside. I cannot imagine you would need what I offer.”
“It’s not for me,” said a quiet, instantly familiar voice, and my heart leaped to my throat. Annwyl stifled a gasp, and I put a warning hand on her arm. I almost lunged forward to grab the hooded figure myself, but something made me pause. Something about him was different. Even though it was the same calm, polite tone I recognized from before, his voice was cold, and the two redcaps near the desk were eyeing him in fear.
The man behind the desk blinked slowly. “And are you certain I have what your...friend...needs?” he asked. “I normally do not deal with middlemen—if the client has need of my merchandise, they come get it themselves. The price depends on many things—how long they have been exiled, how close to the Fade they are, how soon they need it. All of this affects price, as I need to know how potent a mixture they should have. Your friend should really be here.”
“Well, she’s not,” the hooded figure said, his voice hard. “And you’ll deal with me, because there’s no time left. The Fade has already begun.”
“Already begun?” The man straightened, suddenly intrigued. “Well, if that is the case, she’ll need the strongest mix possible. Of course...” He eyed the figure, a slow smile spreading over his face. “That means the price will be...quite high.”
“That’s fine” was the immediate answer. “Price doesn’t matter. Whatever it takes, as long as it’s from me.”
“No!”
Annwyl couldn’t contain herself any longer. Breaking away, she rushed around the shelf into the room. “Keirran, no!”
Cursing, I scrambled out of hiding, Kenzie right behind me, as the hooded figure spun, his cloak swirling around him. My stomach lurched as our gazes met. Cold ice-blue eyes stabbed at me from beneath the hood, and bright silver hair fell around his face, the only spots of color to be seen. Beneath the cloak, he was dressed in black: black shirt, pants, boots, even gloves. I remembered the smiling, easygoing faery from just a week ago. The hard-eyed creature dressed all in black, staring at me in this den of shadow and fear, seemed like a stranger.
But then his gaze slid to Annwyl, and the cold stranger disappeared as shock replaced the impassiveness in his eyes. Keirran stepped forward, his voice an awed whisper. “Annwyl?”
She rushed forward, and the prince’s arms opened as the Summer girl threw herself into him. Keirran hugged her close, closing his eyes. “Annwyl,” he murmured again, sounding relieved and almost desperate. His hood had fallen back, and the torchlight glimmered over his loose silver hair as he buried his face in her neck. Kenzie smiled, watching them, while I glared at the man and the lurking redcaps, making sure they didn’t try anything.
Keirran pulled back but didn’t release the Summer faery, pressing a palm to her cheek, his face intense, worried. “Annwyl, what are you doing here? Why aren’t you with Leanansidhe? Ethan...” His icy gaze flicked to me, but it was just puzzled now, looking like the prince I remembered. “Why are you and Kenzie here?”
“I asked them to come,” Annwyl replied, drawing Keirran’s attention back to her. “I needed to find you. They agreed to help.”
“Excuse me,” said the man behind the desk, standing up. His redcap guards had drawn forward, but he held up a hand, waving them back. “Not to interrupt, but we do have a business transaction to complete.” His stark black eyes fixed on Annwyl, and he cocked his head. “I assume this is the friend in question?”
Keirran sobered. “Yes,” he replied, keeping a tight hold of Annwyl’s hand as he stepped forward. “It is. Can you help her? I’ll pay any price.”
“No!” Annwyl tugged at his sleeve, and he gave her a puzzled frown. She drew him away from the desk, back toward the corner. Kenzie and I followed, myself keeping a wary eye on the man and his redcap guards.
Back near the shelf with its awful contents, Annwyl faced Keirran again, taking both his hands. “Keirran, please,” she whispered, gazing into his eyes. “You can’t do this. I don’t want you bargaining your life away, not for me. The price is always too high. You don’t—”
He kissed her, stopping her arguments. Kenzie blinked, and I looked away, my face heating. Keirran didn’t seem to notice or care. Pulling back, he gazed down at Annwyl, his face angry, defiant and tender all at once.
“I love you,” he said, without a trace of embarrassment or hesitation. “Please, let me do this. I finally found a way to halt the Fade. Mr. Dust has something that can stop it. No price is too high for that.”
“A way to stop the Fade?” Annwyl looked stunned, and Keirran smiled at her.
“Yes,” he replied, brushing her hair back. “There is something that can halt it, Annwyl. If it will keep you here, if it will stop you from Fading, I will gladly pay the cost, whatever it might be.”
I didn’t like where this was going at all. Another cardinal rule of Faery: if something seemed too good to be true, it was. “What is it?” I asked, and Keirran’s gaze flicked to me. “This miracle cure that can stop the Fade,” I continued. “If it’s so wonderful, why don’t more of the fey know about it? Why is this place so difficult to find?”
He hesitated this time, and I narrowed my eyes. Kenzie, it appeared, had caught it, too. “Truth, Keirran,” she added, making him wince. “You owe it to Annwyl, before either of you agree to anything. She should know what’s going on. What’s the catch?”
“If it’s the only way—”
“It’s not,” I said, interrupting him. “Dammit, Keirran, just listen to me for a second. There might be another way.”
Ice-blue eyes turned to me, surprised and wary. Kenzie and Annwyl glanced my way as well, their expressions puzzled. But at that moment, it seemed Mr. Dust had had enough. “Humans,” he rasped, a note of irritation in his voice. “This is a place of business, not a place to stand around and chat. If you are quite finished, I believe the boy and I have a contract to fulfill.”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small leather pouch, pulling it open with long, bony fingers. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a handful of black dust, letting it slip through his fingers into the bag again. The grains sparkled in the torchlight, like powdered black diamond, and I felt a chill slide up my back. “This is what you came for, is it not?” he whispered, staring at Keirran, who straightened at the sight of it.
“Keirran,” I warned, desperate to stop him, knowing he had only to speak one word to complete this bargain. “Do not say yes. You don’t have to do this. I’m telling you, there’s another way. You just have to trust me.”