Chapter 36: War

Sy held my hand—my non-iron-ring-hand—in his as we stepped gingerly back into the chalet. I felt him edging toward the living room, where the wood stove and the invaluable iron poker were waiting for us. His skin was buzzing with magic, and I caught an edge of that dangerous red-rage magic like lightning in his flesh. Still controlled, but coiled, dangerous, waiting. If Jarrah was already back, if he challenged Sy again—I knew Sy wouldn't be able to hold back. He'd attack his own people. And I'd really have doomed him.

I felt the bright shimmer of power in the chalet's open design living room and kitchen. For an instant I was almost comforted—This was certainly Seelie power, not Unseelie, that I felt now. But then my brain caught up. Luckily there were no fae manifesting visibly, which absolutely didn't mean we were safe. It just meant they weren't here yet.

"Poker," said Sy under his breath, and we shuffled toward the wood stove. Sy took up the iron poker like a sword, looking bot