“Reading.” The Carlin pounced immediately, leaning forwards in her seat. “What have you been reading, Ash? What books are there?” She glanced at Balor. “Whose cottage was it?”
“Your former drachmsmith’s, Mother,” he told her in a bored voice, before his eyes sharpened with spiteful mirth as he stared at me. “Have you been attempting potioncraft, mortal?”
“How sweet. Do you think you could be a drachmsmith, Ash?”
The Carlin’s question sounded sincere, but I got the distinct impression that they were laughing at me. I clenched up.
“No,” I muttered. “I’ve just read what’s there. As something to do.”
“Maybe you should try a little potion.” Bres shot me a lazy grin. “Maybe even a deadly one, hmm? Really get the blood pumping. I heard you weren’t very happy about the apothecary giving you a tiny dose to get you here safely. Perhaps some fae-spiked, spiteful retaliation will be just what you need to shed this mortal skin.”
I stiffened even more. “I don’t want to poison anyone.”
Bres barked out a sharp laugh. “So mortal. Still.”
Balor was still watching me over the rim of his glass. He took a sip then lowered it to shoot me a sharp smile. “I wonder what you’ll look like when you finally shed this skin.”
His eyes flicked to Lonan, and he stared hard even though Lonan wasn’t looking back. He was leaning back in his seat, toying with the stem of his glass. If I hadn’t been sat beside him, I would have thought he was simply bored. But I could feel the tension rolling from him in waves.
“What do you think, Lonan?” Balor asked. “What do you think our Ash here will look like when his mortal trappings are finally gone?”
Lonan shrugged stiffly.
“I don’t know.” His husky voice was stilted.
The Carlin gave me a wide smile.
“I think you’ll be stunning,” she purred, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable. “Already such a beautiful boy. When your fae side has taken over, you’ll be a feast for the eyes.”
She gave me another gleaming smile as she rose from the table. “I cannot wait, sweet boy.”
When the four sons all followed her up, I quickly stood from my seat.
“This has been most enjoyable, Ash.” The Carlin’s one eye slid from me to Lonan. “Lonan, my dear, walk Ash back to his cottage, would you?”
He gave a stiff nod and turned for the door. Before I followed him, Balor shot me a vicious smile, his cobalt eyes gleaming.
“Sleep well, mortal,” Bres called as I followed Lonan out of the room, my shoulders hunched up to my ears.
I had no idea what the point of any of that had been.