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PADAVION HUNCHED OVER the scrying bowl, searching for any signs of danger. A group of beautiful fae women were clustered behind her. They were whispering quietly and were darting fearful glances towards the mouth of the cave. With her illusion that she was still scarred and melted in place, Padavion made a stark contrast to their loveliness. The deal she’d made with the angel who had healed her meant she had to hide her real appearance. At least for now. She’d been tasked with making contact with the survivors of Lord Dallinar’s numerous trysts. As soon as she’d met the women, she’d taken them under her wing.
“Is the wizard gone, Padavion?” an elf maiden asked tremulously. Her hands were tightly clutched together in front of her chest.
“He’s gone,” Padavion confirmed. “I haven’t seen him for the past three nights. He must have given up on his search.” They were gathered in front of the conjuring table where they practiced making potions. None of the younger women had much power, but they still liked to hone their skills.
“Thank goodness,” a young fairy said and sighs of relief spread through the group. Bunkbeds lined two walls of the spacious cave. A living area with comfortable furniture sat near a fire in the center of the cavern. Several coffee tables held food and beverages. Thanks to Padavion’s arrival, their small amount of magic had been boosted. A new bed had appeared to accommodate her after she’d decided to remain with them.
“I doubt he could have seen through the illusion that hides the entrance to the cave,” Padavion said. “But it’s best to remain vigilant.”
“We’d be lost without you,” another fairy said gratefully.
“You girls managed to survive for years before I was told where to find you,” the older fairy said wryly. “You’ve done well to remain hidden for so long.”
“We knew that if Lord Dallinar heard we’re still alive after what he did to us that he’d have us assassinated,” the elf maiden said. Shudders of revulsion and terror wracked the girls.
“That little purple-haired bastard will never find you,” Padavion declared, eyes going flinty. “Not on my watch.”
“Do you think the wizard in the red cloak was looking for us?” another girl asked.
“There’s no way we can know for sure,” Padavion said as they settled onto the couches and chairs. The sprites had stopped in to visit them when she’d first seen the human blundering around in the fae woods. They’d said he was harmless, but she found it hard to trust their opinions when they were so scatterbrained. It hadn’t been easy to find the wizard, but Padavion had managed to keep rough track of him as he’d searched the forest.
“Why would Lord Dallinar send a human to search for us?” a fairy asked as she daintily picked up a mug of herbal tea.
“I caught a glimpse of his face and I think he’s only half human,” Padavion replied. “I think he’s half fae as well.”
“Still,” the girl said, wrinkling her nose. “I would have thought he would send a full blood fairy after us if he suspected we’re still alive.”
Padavion was about to respond when the small pack of sprites flew through her illusion. There were six of them and they’d become friends with the exiles. “How are you all holding up?” one of the little beings asked as they flocked to the tables to steal their snacks.
“We’re fine,” Padavion replied with a fond smile at their blatant thievery. “Have you seen the man in the red cloak recently?”
“Oh, he’s gone,” another sprite said, then shoved a huge cookie crumb into her mouth.
“He found what he was after and left,” another one said.
“He wasn’t searching for us?” one of the fearful fae women asked.
“Nah, he was after the unicorn,” a male sprite told them.
Gasps of shock and horror rang out. “He found the unicorn?” a fairy asked. “Did he hurt him?”
“Of course not!” another male sprite said scornfully. “He doesn’t let anyone with evil in their hearts see him!”
“What did he want with the unicorn?” Padavion asked. A strange sense of excitement and anticipation was rising inside her, but she didn’t know why.
“He said he needed the unicorn’s help,” a female said. “He’s formed a new triumvirate and he wants to overthrow the Immortal Triumvirate and save Nox, or something,” she added with a shrug.
Padavion’s mouth dropped open at that news. “There’s a second triumvirate now?” she asked.
“That’s what I said,” the sprite said crankily, then bent to take a bite out of a cupcake. When she straightened up again, her face was covered in frosting. Her friends broke into shrill laughter, pointing at her in glee. She grinned and swiped some frosting off her chin, then shoved it into her mouth. She clicked her fingers to clean herself with magic.
“We heard the unicorn gave the wizard one of his hairs,” one of the little beings said when they’d collected themselves.
“What does this mean?” a fairy maiden asked. “How can there be two triumvirates in Nox?”
“Anyone can form a triumvirate if they use the correct spell,” Padavion replied absently as the sprites flew back out through the illusion. She was shaken that the unicorn had chosen to bequeath a strand of hair to the half human wizard. “I’m not sure how they think they can possibly overthrow our leaders,” she added. No mere wizard would ever have the strength to rival Lord Dallinar. A single unicorn hair would boost a spell exponentially. It was even more powerful than dragon blood, but it couldn’t permanently increase his innate stores of magic.
“He must be a good man if the unicorn decided to bless him with one of his hairs,” an elf maiden figured.
“I don’t care how good he is,” someone else said. “I don’t want him wandering around in the woods again. He might find us and tell others where we are. We’ll have to leave the cave and find somewhere else to live.”
“We should send a letter to the angel who healed us,” someone suggested. “Maybe she and that gargoyle who rescued us from falling to our deaths can find somewhere else safe for us to live.”
“I can’t believe we trust two Night Cursed beings more than we trust our own kind,” another woman said, shaking her head mournfully. “How can they even remember us? I thought their kind had terrible memories.”
“The angel and the gargoyle are special,” one of the others said firmly. “They’re different from the rest of their kind.”
“They’re heroes,” another maiden declared. “I don’t care if they’re cursed. They helped us when no one else would. We’re alive because of them.”
“I think we’ll be safe here,” Padavion said to get them off the track they were on. “The sprites and other woodland creatures will warn us if they see any strangers wandering around in the forest.”
“You know best, Padavion,” one of the females said and a chorus of agreement rang out.
Padavion smiled at the girls, then pretended to listen to them as they chatted about the mysterious new triumvirate that had been formed in secret. Her sense that something big was going to happen increased. She didn’t know who the other two members of the trinity were, but she hoped they were stronger than the wizard. They would need to be if they hoped to overthrow their current rulers.
