In the 17th Century, the ancient sprawl of Epping forest is bursting with magic and those who go unseen by human eyes: the elves who rule the summer court, and the goblins who rule the winter court. It is said that if a human catches the eye of one of the fey, they are either doomed or blessed. Contains the stories: Wulfren and the Warlock: When Wulfren wakes from a strange dream of a human captor with long silver hair, and grey eyes, his brothers tell him they rescued him from a warlock, and take Wulfren back home to the goblin king's palace. But Wulfren isn’t so sure the matter is that simple. Why was he missing so long? What are the strange dreams of the beautiful man with the silver hair? Dalliances with humans are severely frowned upon, especially by Wulfren’s father, but Wulfren is willing to risk the scorn of his family to find the human who haunts his dreams. Quiller and the Runaway Prince: After a hard winter, Quiller is sent deep into the forest on a family errand, and is surprised when a human stumbles into his path. Quiller swoops in to pester him, perhaps even eat him, but there is something special about the human: his scent is royal, though he protests that he is not, and soon Quiller finds himself agreeing to help the human with his troubles—in exchange for a kiss.

Goblins

A ball of light swung in, blinding me. The light smacked into the bush, knocking bats and birds away. I too was knocked into the air, flailing madly until something surrounded me. My wings beat against a shield—a shield of glass—and I realised I was trapped inside a dome. The air in here was quiet, safe. My feet slipped on smooth surfaces and there was a residual smell of sulphur and candle wax. I was in a lantern, and it was moving, being lifted.


Staring through the glass, my moth’s heart beat wildly as I saw the pale glow of a human face peer in at me. Perfect, bowed lips curved up in a smile. “Hello, Wulfie,” Ash said.


Chapter 27