Netta nuzzled his side, speaking directly to him. He smiled at her in a way that meant that their bond had clearly worked. Kerrigan had to look away from the display. She and Tieran would never have that.

She grabbed her own pack off of Tieran.

Don’t get killed, he said.

“What is this, sentiment?” she joked.

He puffed a hot breath out of his nostrils. Hardly. But if you die and I don’t, someone is going to know that we weren’t bonded.

She rolled her eyes. “As if that would be your greatest concern.”

Just don’t die.

“I don’t plan to,” she told him by way of good-bye and followed Fordham across the moss-covered path.

The farther they walked, the more oppressive the sensation got. Whoever had created this spellwork did a magnificent job. It completely repelled her and had ended up so ingrained in their history that Kerrigan hadn’t known Death’s Valley was hiding the mouth of the House of Shadows.

“How do humans and half-Fae end up on your property if it makes them feel this sick?”

“Usually desperation. The Fae have closed off their hunting grounds or refused them help. So, the only option is to brave us.”

Kerrigan sighed. Yes, that sounded very plausible. “Starvation or suicide.”

“Basically. Some of them aren’t repelled by the land though,” he said easily. “We weren’t the only people here when we were trapped behind the magical barrier. Humans and half-Fae coexisted with us, and many escaped during the Great War. Their descendants don’t feel the oppression and can come and go.” Fordham frowned. “It’s our one source of trade.”

“You trade with humans?”

Fordham’s face was like stone. “My father doesn’t like it, but he permits it. We have a sort of truce with a nearby village.”

“Interesting.”

So, Fordham wasn’t the first to work with the enemy. And they didn’t just kill humans and half-Fae, unprompted. Maybe she wouldn’t die on sight when she entered. Maybe.

“Here,” Fordham said, going suddenly still. “This is the border for the barrier.”

Now that Kerrigan was right in front of it, she could almost put the pain aside. She closed her eyes, putting her hand out in front of her. A humming vibrated against her hand as she felt the edges of the spellwork. It was ancient and powerful. Unlike anything she had ever seen before. Completely invisible to the naked eye and yet all-consuming. To be able to have multiple uses—keeping the House of Shadows inside, repelling everyone else, and shielding its location—was a marvel. Even at a lucky thirteen casters, she couldn’t imagine any group being strong enough to contain this much power.

A shock hit her palm. She yelped and stepped back, breaking her connection with the invisible wall.

“What was that?” Fordham asked.

“I don’t know.”