Satisfied or just finished, she spoke.
“I have heard many tales of you from the young ones of our clan, despite the fact that you’ve been with us such a short time. Which among you is the one who spoke to Tork and Wheelie this afternoon?”
Her voice was soft and whispery, like sheets of thin paper sliding together, but still commanding.
Olivia cleared her throat, took a half step forward. “I spoke first, ma’am. Myself and my mate.” She nervously gestured to me. “I’m Olivia, by the way.”
“Olivia. So, you are the one who wishes to populate our woods with little wolf pups? And with the scarred one. Interesting. You seem… soft for him. Too soft? Or just the softness he needs. Only time can tell.”
Her gaze roved on quickly, settling squarely on Fiona next. “And you… You’re no wolf at all, young one. What are you?”
Fiona hesitated, and the elder tsked. “Don’t be shy, now, I’m not getting any more days on this rock. Spit it out.”
“My ancestor was a djinn, ma’am,” Fiona admitted, taking an anxious step closer to Reed, who looped his arm around her waist.
It stung a little that Olivia had so tidily kept her distance, but it was understandable.
The crone’s eyebrows flew up. “My oh my. A djinn child. What is your element?”
“Uh, water? I think. It’s kind of new. I didn’t know until recently. But we are pretty sure it’s water.”
“A wonderful and dangerous talent, to be sure. Is that all? Djinn usually have… more. Not to be insulting.”
“I sometimes have… visions.” Fiona shrugged, saying no more.
The crone nodded slowly, considering. “Those who are unseen may see with clarity that which is unseen by others. That is an equally wonderful and dangerous talent.”
Satisfied, she continued her slow way pacing down the line. When she reached Leigh, she arched an eyebrow at her swollen belly, but said nothing.
At Kane, however, she paused, scowling.
“State your name, boy, and your title as well.”
I held back a growl at the high alpha being called boy, but to the ancient goblin before us, he probably was just a boy. She clearly cared nothing for offending us.
Perhaps it was a test.
“Kane, son of Kosta, son of Konstantin, high alpha of the nine great packs.” Kane stood tall, unflinching.
But so did she, despite barely coming to his midthigh. She craned her neck to look up at him and nodded, gaze sliding over to the diminutive Brielle.
“And you?”
“Brielle, ma’am. I’m a doctor.” Brielle smiled, none of the nerves the rest of us seemed to be feeling evident in her face. “And the high alpha’s mate.”
The crone tapped her chin, then strolled back to stand between Olivia and me. “You two have lied to our young scavengers. That much is clear, traveling with the high alpha of your kind as if this were some great camping adventure. The only question is, why are you really here, and do you mean us harm?”
“Oh, gosh, no! I mean, yes, it was a small fib. They looked so young, and we’d been looking for goblins for weeks, and I was determined not to scare them off. We just wanted to meet you-” Olivia’s nervous ramble was cut off midstream by a sharply raised hand.
“Ah-ah. Watch your tongue. And think very carefully about telling any more lies. You might have fooled the likes of Tork-he’s a bit simple-but you will not fool me.”
Olivia cast me a helpless glance, so I stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“I can assure you, no harm is intended by our pack. Yes, we are traveling with the high alpha pair and his top men, but we are not here to cause you trouble. We seek the return of something that belongs to us that we were told has been held by the goblins for… some centuries.”
Her face paled. “And you seek to take the stone by force? You’ll not succeed. It’s not here, and if you raze every clan dwelling to ash and murder every innocent under my protection, you’ll only gain blood on your hands.”
I was surprised when the usually hotheaded Leigh stepped forward, none of her usual piss and vinegar on display. “Listen, I get that Olivia told a white lie to get us here. But I promise you, we’re not here to hurt your people. Okay? We’re trying to protect our own people. I get the feeling you know what Brielle is. What my daughter is.” She rested a hand on her belly, a sorrowful expression the only sign that it hurt her to admit.
“And if we don’t get that stone-all of it-and soon? There’s an entire department of the Interspecies Governing Council that’s going to try to rip my baby out of my arms and kill her. I can’t let that happen.” Her chin jutted up, the fire in her eyes leaving no room for argument as it burned up the sorrow from before.
The crone was silent for a long, long time. So long that if I hadn’t already observed that she was whip-smart, I’d have thought her mind had wandered.
“Sympathetic as I am to your plight, you don’t know what you ask. You mean us no harm? The last time that stone was held by a wolf, whole clans were destroyed, bloodlines gone, heritages erased, for naught but petty gain. So I say this. You came under the guise of friendship. My people have prepared you a feast fit for any king. You may stay and enjoy our hospitality, and then you will leave. If you truly mean us no harm, you will accept this.” She waved her hand and turned, walking away without a glance back.
Batten-who had been so silent this entire time I’d nearly forgotten she’d led us here-cleared her throat, breaking the heavy air of failure permeating the clearing.
“Right this way. The feast is prepared, and the younglings grow overexcited. Word has spread about your way with plants, green witch.”
Olivia blanched and shot me an anxious glance. I gave her a reassuring squeeze and followed.
There was nothing we could do for now, but wait and hope for a second chance. My wolf had detected no lies when the crone had spoken; the stone was not here, but I had no doubt that she knew where it was.
And with the steel in her spine? She wouldn’t tell us where it was unless she wanted to.
But how the fuck did we make her want to?
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