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

Tansy leaned in, a knowing smile on her lips. “That’s border dance. It’s danced by villagers, not here in the castle. Here, they do court dances.”


“Oh.” I tried not to be disappointed. If this was human court dancing, it didn’t look like much fun to me.


Chuckling into her flute, Evie took a sip of wine. “Sebastian, I rather fear you’ll lead us astray. I think you’ll like these dances if you give them a try.”


“Hnf.” Turning my back on the hall, I sought out the food tables. “Perhaps later, my lady.”


As I found a plate and began to pick for food, Tansy appeared at my side. “If you want border dance,” she whispered in my ear, “meet me at the servant’s door after the duke’s toast, and I’ll take you dancing.”


I smiled at her, raising my flute. “That, my dear, sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.”


She smiled in response, touching a hand to my arm. I wouldn’t have minded, but it was then I noticed Cashel watching us, a curious expression on his face.


Chapter 54