Odessa narrowed her eyes at the leaf again.
Where had it come from?
The red drop shimmered under the dappled sunlight. She glanced around, turning in a circle — but there was no creature, no wound, no fruit-bearing tree nearby. With slow fingers, she wiped the droplet off the leaf and rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger.
It was thick. Sweet. Almost... narcotic.
Her breath hitched.
"No way…" she whispered.
Neverafter.
A fruit so rare that most fae believed it only grew in cursed pockets of the realm, under full moons and silent oaths. Just a taste was enough to intoxicate the strongest minds. Some said it whispered secrets to you if you let it rot on your tongue.
And it was not supposed to be here.
She looked up.
And then saw him.
Lounging on a thick branch like it was a throne, a boy with sharp features and sharper eyes casually chewed on the Neverafter fruit. His right leg dangled freely. He looked perfectly content — as if gravity, laws, and sanity didn't apply to him.
Odessa's jaw dropped. "Have you gone insane—or do you just lack simple brain cells?!"
The boy raised an eyebrow, chewing lazily, then grinned. The fruit passed from one hand to another as he snickered.
"You sound concerned, princess."
Odessa pointed her sword at him, voice clipped. "Get. Down."
He twirled the fruit on his palm. "And why should I do that?"
"That tree branch deserves better company."
His smirk grew.
"Oh, I like you."
Odessa stepped forward, blade still aimed. "You haven't seen anything to like yet."
The boy slowly stood, balancing effortlessly on the branch like it was solid ground. "Alright, alright…" And then—he jumped.
She didn't flinch, though every instinct told her to. He landed just in front of her with feline ease, boots barely disturbing the dirt below.
Now she could really see him.
He was a fae, unmistakably. Ears pointed like blades, hair the shade of jet black night, and eyes—
Eyes like carved obsidian, with something heavy behind them.
He looked like the storm that came after the battle.
Dangerous. Dark. Playful.
And somehow... young.
Odessa tightened her grip on her sword.
"Who are you?" she asked, chin raised.
The boy tilted his head and offered a crooked grin. "I'm someone you shouldn't concern yourself with."
She narrowed her gaze. "Then don't sit in trees and leak legendary fruit. It's suspicious."
He looked mock-offended. "Leaked? You make it sound indecent. I prefer the term graciously shared with the forest."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Mysterious fruit boy who leaks in trees. Got a name?"
He gave a half bow with a mocking flourish. "Wether. And yes, I know it sounds like the weather. Like the sky. Like doom. It's a spy name."
Odessa blinked. "A spy name? What kind of self-respecting spy tells someone they're a spy?"
Wether grinned. "Exactly the kind who's good enough that it doesn't matter."
She stared at him.
He just smiled wider.
"What do you want?" she asked, voice quieter this time.
He studied her face. "You."
Odessa blinked.
He snorted. "Not like that, princess. I meant you. You're the one I came to warn."
She sheathed her sword slowly, but didn't relax. "Warn me? About what?"
Wether tossed the half-eaten fruit aside. It landed without a sound. "That you're asking the wrong questions."
"Oh really?" She folded her arms. "Then maybe you could give me a better one."
He took a step closer. "Alright. Try this: Why would the High Queen lie about the Forged Crown?"
Her heart stilled.
He tilted his head again. "Or better—why would a 'mere half-blood' have dreams of it?"
Odessa's breath caught in her throat.
"You don't know anything about my dreams."
"I don't," he admitted with a shrug, "but they know about you."
That silenced her.
Wether looked up at the canopy. "You think you're just some shadow on the wall of this golden palace, but you're not. You're a crack in its foundation. And cracks, princess…" He turned to her, eyes gleaming. "Let the truth seep through."
Odessa didn't speak.
He gave her a long look, his tone shifting lower, quieter. "They're hiding something from you. You're not what they told you. And I'm not here for you by chance."
She swallowed hard. "Who sent you?"
Wether turned away with a grin and started walking. "Now that's a good question."