Free Grave Dance by Kalayna Price Page B

only one who could help, he honestly believed that was true, and considering everything Caleb had done to make this conversation happen, I assumed he agreed. I turned back around.
    “Why me, and who is included in ‘us’?”
    “‘Us’ would be the fae in the floodplain in particular, but also extending to al the independent fae in Nekros.” Malik paced across my smal apartment. “Yesterday she ordered the floodplain cleared. Al fae inside were to be taken to Faerie for questioning, but the brutes she sent came with iron chains, and none of the fae they captured have returned. There’s war brewing in Faerie and she’s bolstering her court with our numbers.”
    “That is only speculation,” Caleb said, but he didn’t sound sure. In fact, I thought I caught an edge of fear in his voice.
    “She?” I asked because they obviously both knew what woman they were talking about, but I surely didn’t.
    Caleb pushed away from the counter. “The Winter Queen. Nekros City is part of her territory.”
    “The winter court? Seriously?” I frowned at Caleb.
    “Nekros City hardly has a proper winter. I can count on one hand how many times it’s snowed here and the snow stuck to the ground more than an hour. Hel , half the trees don’t have the decency to lose their leaves. Shouldn’t the winter court hold territory somewhere, I don’t know, cold ?”
    winter court hold territory somewhere, I don’t know, cold ?”
    Caleb shrugged. “Faerie is the ultimate contradiction. It is unchanging and yet ever in flux. Doors in Faerie are . . .
    inconsistent. For the past few years the door from Nekros into Faerie has opened to the winter court so Nekros City is part of the queen’s territory. The door wil change soon enough, and al the fae with ties to the winter court wil move on, making room for the next court. Only the independent fae, those who have tied themselves to the mortal realm instead of Faerie, wil remain.”
    That was more information than I’d ever gotten out of Caleb at one sitting before. And it was clearer than any of the lessons the one and only fae teacher the academy had hired to teach students fae history had ever been—our teacher definitely had never taught us anything about the doors to Faerie moving. I sipped my coffee, giving myself a second to absorb this information and let it infiltrate my limited understanding of Faerie. Then I put the mug aside.
    “If the queen is il egal y gathering the independent fae, shouldn’t you go to the FIB?” After al , if the local court was kidnapping fae, someone with a lot more authority than I had needed to know.
    Malik huffed under his breath. “Who do you think is doing t he questioning ?” He shook his head. “The FIB are al court-loyal—not an independent in the bunch.”
    “Then go to the police.” I knew for sure the NCPD wasn’t answering to a queen.
    Malik’s dark eyes widened like I’d said something unbelievable, and Caleb shook his head.
    “Al, there are certain . . . restrictions to being independent,” Caleb said, stepping forward. “As we don’t answer to any regent, we had to take vows before leaving Faerie. Involving mortals in affairs best settled among the fae is strictly forbidden. That’s why Malik came to you.”
    “That’s why?” The blood drained from my face. If the fae couldn’t involve anyone mortal... “You know.”
    Caleb nodded.
    Caleb nodded.
    So much for my heritage being a secret. “You didn’t say anything.”
    “Neither did you.”
    True.
    “I only suspected in the beginning,” he said. “Even with you living in my house, under my wards, I wasn’t sure. Until a month ago. Now I can hardly believe I missed it.
    Something about you changed.”
    Don’t I know it. Discovering I had fae blood was only the tip of my problems, but Caleb wasn’t done yet.
    “You are in a unique position, Al,” he said, stepping closer. “We can go to you. We can talk to you. But you’ve taken no vows. Yet. You can work