Free Return of the Hunters (The DeathSpeaker Codex Book 4) by Sonya Bateman Page A

about that. Most Fae had very little love for humans, and the Seelie definitely had issues with the Unseelie. I hoped Reun’s nobility would be enough to keep them at bay. Because they really looked ready to harm someone.
    “Lord Reun.” One of the guards broke away from the line and started toward us. He was taller than the rest, and he carried the biggest sword. “You seem to have an excessive number of humans,” he said.
    Reun lifted a hand briefly, and then let his arms fall. “Naevahn. I see you’ve been made captain. What an…interesting development.” Somehow he managed to sound surprised and condescending at the same time. “Yes, these humans are with me,” he said. “We’ll not be long in Arcadia. In fact, we are about to cross the Veil and return to the human realm.”
    “I’m afraid you won’t be doing that. Lord.” Naevahn rested a hand on his sword. “Care to tell me why you’re skulking about the Valley with this…collection? And you’ve an Unseelie among you, too.” The captain glared at me. “A young and foolish one, from the looks of him.”
    “What the hell’d he just call us?” Denei said, cutting off my own ill-considered retort. “A collection ? Collection of what, Fae?”
    “ Enough. ” The single word from Reun boomed like thunder, and all four guards cringed. “You will stand aside and let us pass, or the King will hear of this.”
    This was not going well. As I tried to decide whether to interfere with the negotiations, and concluded that was probably a bad idea, Denei slipped back and called the rest of them into a huddle. I glanced over my shoulder and frowned. “What the hell are you doing?” I whispered harshly.
    “No time for this bullshit,” she murmured. Bastien and Isalie were pulling pouches and jars from bags, and Zoba had palmed a blade. Rex was chanting something, low and rapid, and Senobia held a small wooden bowl out in the center of the circle. “They won’t stand aside, we’ll knock ’em flat,” Denei said.
    Meanwhile, Naevahn had regained his composure, but he wasn’t paying any attention to the Duchenes. “Aye, the King will hear of it,” he said. “If you’d like, you can tell him yourself. Eventually. You see, we’ve orders to detain you—and we’ll take your humans along, as well.”
    “Really,” Reun said flatly. “And whose orders are those?”
    The captain offered an unpleasant smile. “The King’s.”
    “Excuse me?”
    Instead of answering, Naevahn drew his sword—just as Zoba sliced the knife across his forearm and splashed blood into the bowl to join a small heap of powder and bone fragments. Then Denei scooped the mixture out, darted past Reun, and threw the bloody dust in the Fae captain’s face.
    He screamed and fell writhing to the ground with blood streaming from his eyes.
    Reun stared at her. “That was perhaps not the best course of action, love,” he managed.
    “Like I’m gonna stand here and let these little boys with swords detain us,” she spat. “Any of ’em. Bring it, Fae,” she called to the other three guards.
    Unfortunately, they decided to take her up on the offer.
    “Goddamn it,” I said as the guards charged down the hill. “Guess I’ll take the one on the right?”
    Reun grimaced. “We’ve no choice now,” he said.
    “Yeah, lucky us. At least there’s only three more.”
    “Three.” He laughed with absolutely no humor. “I’d not depend on that.”
    The words didn’t inspire me with confidence.
    I tried to ignore it and focus on the guard coming at me. Denei and Zoba had already engaged one of them, and Reun had blown another back with a spell. The one rushing me had his sword upraised.
    Good thing I’d learned a few tricks the last time I was here.
    I gestured at him and called, “ Dei’ahmael! ” He looked surprised when the sword fell from his hand—enough that he didn’t react too fast, and I darted in to grab the weapon. “ Seabh’fos ,” I said quickly.
    He froze in