Death warms him
cold it’s cold it’s cold it’s cold
scrape him clean frost brings fire
The Carlin’s frost will steal his breath
The Carlin’s frost will steal his breath
The Carlin’s frost will steal his breath
it burns like coals scouring it off he hurts he won’t be able to stand it
his first life gone
Blue eyes black fur the gleam of silver dark blood ice and grass golden skin new skin that shines he makes it brother my brother my brother
whispered promises forgotten vows
Death weeps
Shivers broke out over every inch of me. Were these about me? If so, that was terrifying.‘Death warms him’? What did that mean? I thought of Ankou—that big fae in the wide-brimmed hat, with his monstrous dog—and shuddered. Was he watching me? Did that mean I was… going to die soon?
‘The Carlin’s frost will steal his breath’.I stared at the words, trying to rationalise them. The Bitter Months were here, when the Carlin’s power was at its peak and her ice and frost and snow covered the unseelie lands. Was that what it meant?
‘Scrape him clean’. That made me shiver. It sounded far too close to the phrase I heard constantly;shed your mortal skin.
And death weeps. Why would death weep?
I quickly shoved the papers to the side and picked up the book, my stomach twisting with terror and dread the longer I thought about the words written on those pages.
A History of Spellsmiths
I stared at the book’s title. Spellsmith? What was a spellsmith? And why had Nua and Odran given me this? Nua kept telling me to work on the potioncraft. He’d said being adrachmsmithwas my calling.
A slow, loud knock at the door made me jump out of my skin. Heart pounding, I quickly gathered up the book and the sheets of paper. I stuffed the latter under my mattress with the notes and left the book on the bedside table.
I froze when I opened the door, staring into the deep, cobalt blue eyes of the Carlin’s eldest son.
Balor’s pure white hair was twisted back into a long braid, and he was dressed in an ostentatious white fur coat over black leather trousers and a pale blue shirt. He gave me a sneering smile, eyes sweeping down over my form with disdain.
“I trust you enjoyed the Samhain festivities yesterday.”
I swallowed, nodding silently. I wanted to reach up and make sure Lonan’s favour was hidden under my shirt, but didn’t dare.
Balor watched me for a moment longer, his gaze piercing, before his mouth twisted into another unfriendly smile. “Have you seen my brother?”
I forced myself to remain completely still, my fingers tightening, unseen, around the door handle.
“No.” My voice was mercifully steady. “Why would I have?”
Balor let out a tiny snort at that, which made my stomach clench up into a tight knot of fear.
What did he know? Had he been spying on me too?
His cobalt eyes, so similar to the Carlin’s single one, were far too interested as they peered behind me into the cottage. “May I come in?”
I stiffened. I absolutely did not want him anywhere inside, infecting my one safe space with his cruel coldness and all-seeing gaze.