I sighed, “I think the potion is unpredictable and not fully in use yet. I also think Ferro was originally supposed to deliver a high-level death fae to Lord Terwyl, not Isay, so they could test it before further improving the potion. When Isay came with us to the club, he flipped and renegotiated his terms.”

“Ferro would have offered one of us?” Hiko clenched his hands on the hilt of his sword. If the fae wasn’t already dead, the prince looked like he would gladly do the honours. We did not stab each other in the back.

My lips tugged up as another strand loosened, offering the information. “He would have offered me. The Quaffer. Who better to test out their potion than the fae who could drink from his clanmates?”

He’d started the stories and gave me the nickname to raise my value. The sonofabitch had plotted this for months. He’d made me famous to sacrifice me. His end goal? Immunity for the whole court by reproducing the potion. My life was barely even a payment for it.

Isay’s life? Completely worthless to Ferro. He’d felt like he’d won the lottery. He was over the moon telling the king about the potion, seamlessly blending lies into his story.

I was getting a headache. The steady pounding made it more difficult to tear through Ferro’s memories.

The North gate soon became visible through the high landscaping of the garden. So did the shed where the vehicles were kept when they weren’t in use. In front of it, four fae guarded the doors and four more stood by the guard towers, each and every one of them alert.

It seemed word of the missing prisoners had spread. Now we had to fight our way through our own warriors.

“I don’t think they’ll believe me if I say you were dispatched,” Hiko murmured, eyes warily taking in the scene.

“They likely won’t,” I agreed.

“Should we try anyway?” Regar chewed on his lower lip, squinting  to see the guards better. “Hey, is that Sinister?”

We all stared at the guards then. One of them certainly sported a bald head and a beard. The way his body moved in composed confidence that could change into unpredictable fury within seconds was comfortably familiar.

“Fuck me, I think we’re in luck,” I muttered

“Don’t mind if I do,” Regar chirped.

I gave him a side eye, and he raised his hands up in defence. “You stepped into that one yourself.”

I shook my head, getting back to the task at hand: Get to Sinister before anyone suspects anything sketchy about us, convince him to let us through the gate, and get to Isay. Easy peasy. We’d be in a car in no time. If they didn’t stab first and ask questions later.

Chapter 37

KARMUTH

WE WEREN’T HIDING WHEN WE MADE OUR WAY OVER TO WHERE Sinister stood next to another guard. Hiko thought if we looked confident, they wouldn’t question our approach.

He was wrong. All of the guards stood stock still, hands on their swords and awaiting Sinister’s command to attack. It never came.

I would’ve grinned at the Rottweiler loyalty Sinister displayed, but every step I took vibrated through my ankle in a sharp pain that made my vision blur.

I’d been fine a second ago. More than fine, in fact. The doorway to life I’d opened had healed me of any and all ailments. I hadn’t had any trouble with my feet to begin with, but the splitting pain was unmistakable, and I almost lost my footing the next time my left leg had to support most of my weight. This pain was Isay’s.

With the next step, I got a flash of a warehouse as the pain pierced my foot. The next flash of pain gave me a blurry street sign.

I closed my eyes to read it better. Butterberry? Bufterbey? Something of the sort. I’d know it when I saw it again, but Los Angeles was… ah… big… as Isay put it. We couldn’t drive around in circles until I found it. I needed more clues.

I also needed to keep walking because Hiko and Regar were two steps ahead of me. I couldn’t stop myself from limping no matter how convinced I was that my ankles were perfectly capable of carrying me.

Regar raised an eyebrow at my sudden hobbling walk but didn’t comment. Couldn’t comment more like it.

We now stood in front of Sinister and the guards who all shifted suspicious glances around. Even though they’d bowed their heads to Hiko, none of them relaxed one bit.

“We’re going after Isay,” I announced to avoid dancing around the matter at hand. Within the past week, Isay had won over most of the court. Her kidnapping had to rub the guards the wrong way.

While not everyone could get away with disobeying a direct order from the king, I was hoping the guards would be willing to turn a blind eye for a noble cause.

Sinister gave a stiff nod. “Figured as much.”

“Will you let us through?” I asked.

The guards all looked to Sinister for instructions.

“We’re letting you through,” he agreed for all of them.

As Sinister stepped aside, the rest of them were less eager to move.

“We could always rough you up a little,” Regar pointed out. “It’s two against one, but we all know how that’ll go.”

Finally, they moved, albeit reluctantly.

Pulling the shed doors open, I stared at our options. Ferro’s motorcycle was here, and so was my own, but Sinister’s was left behind at the bar, and Hiko didn’t ride. The car we’d driven to the bar earlier was busted. That left the king’s Alfa Romeo.

“Where’s the Audi?” Regar asked no one in particular.

The Audi was a general use car for fae who wanted to visit the city, just like the one we’d wrecked.

It would’ve been safer to use than the king’s personal car, but we could not take the motorcycles. If Isay was hurt, I couldn’t ride through the city with her on the back of my bike.

“King Grath sent a negotiation party about thirty minutes ago,” Sinister said.

“To Lord Terwyl’s hideout?” I asked, brows furrowed.

“To the King of Felroth,” Sinister amended.

I scoffed, “Their king has nothing to do with Isay’s kidnapping. He is wasting his time and efforts.”

“We’ll take the Alfa Romeo.” Hiko ushered us all in, slipping into the driver seat, saying that if he’ll drive he’ll be taking the blame.

I didn’t complain. I was a bit pissed when Regar claimed the shotgun, but arguing with him would be wasting our time which is why I loaded myself in the back seat, grumbling. Sinister joined me at the back, which cheered me up if only slightly. Invading enemy territory with just the three of us was going to be risky, and having another warrior with us wouldn’t hurt our chances.

As we passed through the portal and headed towards Los Angeles, I tried to connect to Isay again. I also tried to run through the rest of Ferro’s ecos, but if he had the location of the warehouse somewhere memorised, it hadn’t carried over to me.

“Where to, Romeo?” Regar asked, playing with the inbuilt GPS.

“Is there a Butterfield anywhere close by?” I wondered, going back to the street sign I’d gotten a glimpse of.

He nodded. “Gotcha. Twenty minutes from here.”