Elizabeth’s back was to the sea and the east, but she knew when the sun rose. Not only did its rosy light begin to touch Kinfairlie’s forest ahead of her, but the last signs of the Fae’s presence faded. The frost circle upon the ground melted at the touch of the sun and the lilt of their music, which had faded, was silenced. The earl’s men stirred, like men waking from a dream, many of them with new holes in their boots. It seemed that Finvarra claimed no additional prizes on this night beyond the one man’s soul that would be the tithe to Hell.
She waited until the last stars of the night were banished from the sky, then she took a deep breath and moved. She walked backward with steady steps, retracing their entry into the Fae circle. Catriona followed her lead, clearly understanding her
