All of a sudden, the silence is replaced by the low hum of conversation. Voices grow louder, deeper. The mist slowly subsides, revealing twenty or so painted carriages, all parked in a circle, with their backs facing one another.

Beyond is a forest of trees taller than I’ve ever seen before.

“Where’s the village?” I whisper to Maddox.

His brow furrows. “This is the village.”

This is where the Unseelie live? There are no paved streets, only dirt paths. No cafés or libraries or pubs. A group of women hunker around a fire, turning a spit holding some sort of dead animal. Two of them bear silver scars shaped like kissing crescent moons along their necks and shoulders.

Unseelie mating bonds.

The others’ gray-green skin remains unmarked. Is one of them Everett’s fiancée?

Former fiancée.

The woman who lied to trap him.

The reason he is all alone.

I wish I knew her name so that I could give her a piece of my mind.

When the women see us, they fall silent.

Their clothes are plain earthen tones of grays, browns, and greens.

If I’d known what to expect, I would’ve changed out of this canary yellow gown.

Loathing oozes from their stares.

Is this how the Unseelie feel every time they cross the border into Rosehill? It’s awful.

A handful of children screech, running in the center of the circle of carriages, chasing each other in a game of tag.

At least something in our worlds is the same.

We continue out of the “village” to the edge of the forest where the trees creak, their branches so high, I have to squint to see them. Ancient and stoic but providing very little shelter to anyone living here.

A short distance up ahead sits a turquoise wagon, the weathered boards painted with colorful flowers.

Maddox halts next to a boulder blanketed by moss. “This is as far as I will go.”

“Why is that?”

The crease in his brow deepens. “Unlike Ever, I would like a mate one day. If the others catch me speaking to him, they will shun me too.”

“I thought you and Ever were friends.”

Maddox’s scowl deepens. “Siding with Ever means certain death.”

It might not be right to judge Maddox when I’m not facing the same dire consequences, but I judge him all the same. If Nia were kicked out of her home, you’d better believe I’d be right next to her. Hell, I don’t even know how to survive in this land and I’m here for Ever.

With nothing more to say to Maddox, I leave him by the boulder. My ire slowly melts into despair as I approach the lonely carriage. The door swings open on squeaking hinges, and Ever appears, filling the space. When he sees me, his eyes widen and his gaze flies to where Maddox stood only a moment ago.