Chapter 4

At an abandoned house, Oak and Tiernan prepare faerie horses while Hyacinthe, bridled and bitter, provokes them. Oak seats Wren on Damsel Fly and agrees to detour so she can retrieve belongings from her woodland hut. As Wren packs, Tiernan warns that the Court of Moths is perilous; Oak insists they need the Thistlewitch’s dowsing rod.

Wren finds a note from Bogdana—“You cannot outrun fate”—and hides it. Moments later, stick-creatures attack with crow-fletched arrows. Oak maneuvers, fires an enchanted bolt that erupts in blue fire, scattering their pursuers. During the flight Oak is struck by a poisoned arrow; they cross suburban roads under Tiernan’s glamour and finally halt when Oak collapses.

Tiernan identifies the poison as deathsweet and administers an herb antidote. Bleeding, the horse Rags is led to the sea and taken by selkies back to Elfhame for healing. On the windswept beach, Hyacinthe privately begs Wren to free him, claiming loyalty to Madoc, not Nore, and warning her not to trust Oak.

They reach a shabby motel. Tiernan glamours the clerk for two rooms. Oak, groggy but wry, minimizes his wound as Wren and Tiernan remove his armor and bind the injury. Suspicion lingers—Wren questions why a prince undertakes this quest with so little protection—while Tiernan binds Wren’s ankle in their room, then departs.

After washing and reflecting on her appearance, Wren is startled by a shadow at the window but it passes. Oak returns with food; their awkward exchange softens as she eats. Tiernan urges departure. Outside, Damsel Fly shies from a newly acquired black mount. Wren recognizes it as a kelpie, signaling both progress and new danger as they continue toward the Court of Moths and the Thistlewitch.