Read Online The Winged Fae (The World of Fae) by Terry Spear - Free Book Online

might be considered the enemy among her people. She plucked a handful of lilacs nearby, then kissed the petals and slipped them into the pouch at his waist.
    If anyone should find him before she cured him of his sleeping sickness, he or she would have him searched and they would know that Serena herself vouched for Niall. That he was under her protection.
    Then with her basketful of sunflower seeds, she rushed back to the croft. She added several herbs, primrose, and rose petals, and five sunflower seeds. And would toss in the rest of the flowers and herbs as soon as the others had cooked long enough. Five minutes more to go.
    But as soon as she heard men’s hushed voices, she knew she was in trouble. Someone must have spied the smoke coming from the chimney of the croft. She was nearly done with the potion for Niall.
    But all of her effort was doomed.
     
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    Night cloaked Niall in a comforting darkness when he finally woke from his unnatural slumber. He blinked his eyes as he peered at the ebony sky sprinkled with shimmering, winking stars and a sliver of a pale moon suspended in the inky blackness.
    A soft breeze rustled through the fragrant flowers surrounding his impromptu bed, the hollyhocks and sunflowers nodding sagely to him, but he didn’t see any sign of Serena. Nor did he feel any better.
    He narrowed his eyes. Had she left him here? Abandoned him? Intended to meet with her knight and tell him that Niall wouldn’t joust him because he didn’t have the strength? Or courage?
    Annoyed to high heaven, Niall sat up. He had to have missed the joust.
    He was about to call out her name when he heard male voices.
    “They came here,” Deveron groused.
    By the gods, not Deveron. Niall lay back down and covered his aching temple and shook his head.
    “I know, I know, my lord, but their fae dust is scattered so far and wide, I have no idea where they are. We’ve been searching for hours. They could be anywhere in the Mabara kingdom by now.”
    Niall didn’t dare make them aware he was here. How could he explain why he had helped Serena to escape the Denkar prison?
    Niall knew Deveron had never experienced such a horrible hangover as he still felt. But now he didn’t want to explain further how he was to fight a dragon fae, and how he’d lost Serena in the bargain. Not only that but he had no potion to counter the effect of the drug. Serena’s abandoning him bothered him the most.
    “At least she’s back in her own kingdom and should be perfectly safe,” Deveron said. “We’ll return home, and I’ll let Queen Irenis know.” He sounded more relieved than angry.
    “What about the count, my lord?” the tracker asked.
    “He most likely has already returned home. Come on, let’s go,” Deveron said darkly.
    Niall didn’t hear anything more that was said between them and figured they had returned to the Denkar castle. He closed his eyes and groaned silently to himself.
    When it was first light, he’d make his way to the Mabara castle and let the queen know what he’d done for her daughter, how he had freed her from the Denkar dungeon, although he didn’t want to explain that either, but he would. And maybe the queen herself would take pity on him and give him the antidote.
    Then he was back to wanting to strangle Serena.
    ***
    Oooh, Serena wanted to scream! She couldn’t believe she’d nearly finished making the potion to give to poor Niall when her own trackers had the notion to look for her at her herb cottage in the wildflower meadows. And hauled her off to the tower. The tower!
    Now she was confined until her mother reigned in her anger enough to speak with her. Serena was afraid to even mention Niall, that he was dead to the world in the meadows, sleeping off the potion she had zapped him with. She had hoped she could get word to one of her lady companions to go to her herb cottage and finish the draught, then find Niall and serve it to him. Then he could go home. He’d missed the