Book Five: Chapter 34

He didn’t have to answer because she heard it. At first, it was almost imperceptible—a faint tapping echoing from somewhere within the walls of the cabin—but then others joined in, and the rhythm became unmistakable. It wasn’t random. Someone—or several someones—were deliberately testing the fortitude of the old wooden siding. Velvet crept closer to one of the shutters, peering through the narrow gap. One of the little men, squat and wiry, was levering a spear against the boards, tapping and prying with small, precise movements.

“Can they get in?” she whispered, keeping her voice low as she glanced at Emery, who hovered silently beside her, wings barely twitching.

“I don’t know,” Emery admitted, his long nose twitching nervously. “But we need to get them to stop. Before they figure something else out.”

Velvet cursed under her breath, eyes flicking over to Big