Mogwen birds sang choruses from the treetops, and though the scent of smoke clung to her clothes and hair, she could still smell pine sap and wild honeysuckle in the air.
The trees were thick, forcing them to walk single file. Nula led the way.
They’d been walking for an hour without saying much when the trees opened up a little, and Mack had the space to walk next to Poppy and Nula again. “I was always told the noble Fae didn’t think much of pooka. I mean, they call you the lesser Fae,” he said. “How did you meet them anyway?”
Nula’s tail whipped back and forth. “I’m just lucky. I met them by chance and … they think I’m different—special. They might believe most of us are lesser, but they’ll talk to me. For sure.”
He exchanged a look with Poppy. “Special how?” he asked.
Nula blushed such a dark blue that her cheeks looked bruised. “They didn’t go into details. They like me. That’s all.”
Mack gave a terse “huh.”
“Is it much farther?” Poppy asked.
Nula sniffed, and stroked Brutus’s ears as she walked. “We should reach the Rowan Gate before too long—that’s the entrance to the queen’s realm.” She peered up at the treetops. “They might even be watching us already.”
Mack peered into the trees. “Be careful when we get there, Poppy. Watch what you say.”
“That’s true.” Nula confirmed. “Every word matters with the faeries.” She lifted her chin. “That’s their integrity.”
“Integrity is one way to put it.” Mack scowled. “Nasty piece of work is another. Just be careful what you agree to, okay? Every word counts, so think before you talk, and don’t get creative.”
Poppy almost snapped that she always thought before she spoke, but one look at Mack’s face held her back. He was worried for real. She could tell from the way his eyebrows crumpled together at the bridge of his nose. “Okay,” she agreed.
He shoved his hands into his pockets as if he couldn’t think what else to do with them. “What are you going to trade? You’ll have to give them something for information about your parents—or for anything they know about the Soul Jar.”
Nula startled.
Poppy gave him a blank look.
“You do know they’re not going to just … offer it to you for free, right? These are Fae we’re talking about.”
Poppy’s cheeks warmed. There was only one thing of value that she had with her now. Her thoughts turned to the little gold locket hanging around her neck. She reached up to touch it, rubbing its surface gently.
Mack’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of it. “Are you sure?”
There was a pang behind her ribs, but that was all. She wished she’d been able to keep it with her longer—that she had worn it more—but she knew what had to be done. She reached her hands around and moved her ponytail, unclasping the necklace her parents had given her.
“This should do it, don’t you think?”
Mack looked to Nula. “Will it?”
It was Nula’s turn to blush. “Oh, sure. Gold works fine. It’s all a matter of … it’s all a matter of what they want. I—sorry, I probably should have mentioned they’d be wanting payment.”
Poppy traded looks with Mack again. Nula was acting strangely. Probably just nervous, despite her proclaimed confidence. Poppy figured there was a good chance Nula didn’t really know what she was doing any more than she and Mack did. She quickly pried the little pictures out of her locket and zipped them safely into her pocket.
Poppy turned to ask Nula if something was bothering her, but before she could, she caught sight of something in the distance. “Is that—”
Nula gave her a glorious smile. “That’s the gate into the Fae realm,” she confirmed.
It was much bigger than Poppy expected. Two enormous trees soared up into an archway draped in clusters of red berries. Beams of sunlight shot to the ground all around the gate in a golden circle, which cast the rest of the woods into shadow.
She scanned the trees around them. There was nothing there to see except the occasional Mogwen, but the sense that they were being watched grew, prickling at her skin. As they approached, she saw that two guards stood to either side of the arch, legs stiff and faces stern. Their black armor was shot through with silver designs that shone coldly in the sun. As they got closer, Poppy spotted more guards in the trees nearby.
Their skin was shadow blue—darker than Nula’s, and their fine, sharp features, together with the dark circles under their eyes made them look about as friendly as a punch in the nose. They all had jet-black braids that matched the shadows stretching under their eyes and down their cheeks like tears. Each had a tall silver pike at their side. Poppy’s mouth went dry as they got closer, but the guards didn’t even twitch, and for a moment she wondered if they were real. Nula pushed past Mack and Poppy to approach them. The guard on the left frowned as the pooka raised up on her toes to whisper in his ear.
Nula pointed toward Poppy, then turned back to the guard, who didn’t acknowledge she had said anything at all.
Nula frowned and leaned in again, this time pointing at Poppy and Dog. The guard’s dark eyes grew hard and bright—the only sign that he had heard her.
Nula harrumphed and stomped to the other guard. “She’ll want to see me,” Poppy heard her say as she stuck one fist on her hip. “I’m telling you.”
The second guard’s eyes shifted to Mack. Mack drew himself up to look his biggest. “You’re not Fae,” the guard to the right of the gateway said in a voice that was warmer than expected, considering the coldness of her expression.
Nula’s other fist rose to her hip. “I—I am! I’m lesser Fae. But believe me, the queen is going to want what we have to offer.”
“No.”
Nula stepped back, a look of shock settling on her face. “No? But—”
The male guard smirked. “We
