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

“Hold,” he said breathily. “We-we cannot do this here. Someone may see…”


“As you wish.” I pulled him away, toward the stables and the stench of horses and hay. Even the overpowering smells couldn’t distract me from the way Cashel smelled, now his blood had heated. Inside the stable I pushed him against the wooden wall. His breathing deepened, and the way he looked at me made my blood burn. I tilted my head and leaned in, a breath away from kissing him.


A sound startled me. A fluttering and a squawk as a crow landed on a beam above. The crow squawked again, and I immediately recognised my mother. My head snapped up as she told me: Humans are here, waiting for you. Take care, son


I nodded at her. Turning back to Cashel, I whispered, “Wait here. Don’t make a sound.”


Chapter 52