6. The Hunter
Ididn’t know how the princess was able to get under my skin. I could endure Queen Calista’s taunting, but I couldn’t handle the half-human Snow Princess? Absurd.
And yet, her presence, her teasing jibes, even the sound of her voice was so irritating it made my blood boil. How I would survive the entire journey to Taerin, I didn’t know.
If it weren’t for this damned fae bargain, I could have ended her life in seconds. Hell, the princess would probably have met her demise at the hands of the fae creatures she trusted so much. Her idiocy would do the job for me.
The thought brought a smile to my face, but a rough jostle from Mauro’s hindquarters made my grin vanish. The beast was correct; he was fast. But my position gave me a bumpy ride, my frame lurching with each turn. I had to grip the princess’s waist more times than I would have preferred. Each time I did, she stiffened ever so slightly. I wasn’t even sure she noticed it, but I did. Part of my skill as an assassin was to take note of every move, every reaction of my enemy. And she visibly reacted to my touch. To my closeness.
Perhaps I could use that to my advantage.
After a few hours of hard riding, Mauro slowed to catch his breath, and I made my move. With a long sigh, I leaned forward, wrapping my arms tightly around the princess and nuzzling my face into her shoulder.
She jerked so violently I was nearly thrown clean off the stag. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What?” I asked innocently. “I’m tired and would like a rest.”
“Not like that, you won’t.”
“Well, if it bothers you, you can continue on foot.” I drew closer again, and she jabbed me with her elbow. Her pitiful blow only made me laugh. She couldn’t hurt me.
“Keep your distance, hunter,” she seethed.
“You’re the one who insisted we ride together.”
“You’re doing this on purpose.”
“And what if I am? What will you do about it?”
“Silence, both of you!” Mauro roared. “Blood and ice, you two are insufferable. Snow, this is the last time I do you any favors.”
“You know you don’t mean that, Mauro,” she said, her tone immediately softening.
“Keep up this bickering, and perhaps I will. Don’t test me.”
The princess seemed unperturbed by the stag’s threats. She reached into her satchel and withdrew a shiny red apple. At first, I thought she would feed it to Mauro as a peace offering. Then she took a large bite, the crunch echoing in the snowy wood.
I wrinkled my nose. “So now you’ll eat like the animals, too?”
“It’s a sparkwood apple.”
“So?”
She threw an incredulous glance over her shoulder. “You’ve never had a sparkwood apple? You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted a sparkwood apple.”
“She’s right,” Mauro said.
“What’s so special about these apples?” I arched an eyebrow as I scrutinized the apple in her hand. “Besides its blindingly bright color.”
“The sparkwood trees are all over Knockspur,” Eira said. “Their vibrant red leaves and apples were often mistaken for flames in the forest, hence the name of the tree. When you see it in full bloom, it looks like a great fire burning, even amidst the snow. It’s quite a sight.”
I frowned. I’d been all over the Winter Court and I’d never come across such a tree. “You’re making this up.”
“Can’t lie, remember?” She took another bite. “The trees are rare in big cities. It’s said that fae magic repels their growth.” She shot a smirk over her shoulder. “A shame, really, that you fae folk have to miss out on such sweet juiciness.”
“You’re half fae,” I said in a flat voice.
“Guess the sparkwood trees aren’t bothered by that.”
Mauro slowed, his breath coming in small puffs with each exhale.
“Why are we stopping?” I straightened, glancing around only to find we were still in the middle of a thick and unfamiliar wood, surrounded by snow-covered trees.
“I need to get my bearings.” Mauro bent his head low so he could sniff the ground. One of his ears twitched. Only then did I notice the wood was completely silent. No twigs snapping. No snow crunching. No chittering of birds or squirrels.
Not even a frosty breeze blew through the frozen forest. It was as if someone had stopped time.
Only once had I experienced such magic.
“Mauro,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “When I say go, you must run. Fast.”
“What are you—” the princess began loudly, but I clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her, ignoring her indignant wriggling against my grip.
“You feel it, too?” Mauro murmured, his voice deep and low.
Now Eira was still, her body rigid with awareness.
“Yes,” I breathed. “We can’t fight it. Our only hope is to outrun it.”
“I can’t outrun it while carrying you both,” Mauro said solemnly. “It will catch us.”
“What will?” Eira hissed in a trembling breath.
I gritted my teeth as the air grew chiller around us. “I don’t suppose either of you has a powerful arsenal of fae magic at your disposal?”
Silence met my words.
“I didn’t think so.” With a grunt, I slid off Mauro’s back.
“What are you doing?” Eira demanded.
“Mauro can outrun it and get you to safety if I remain to fight it.” I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows and drew a dagger in each hand. The princess slid off Mauro’s back as well, and I glared at her.
“Princess,” I growled.
“Hunter,” she growled back, her pale eyes flashing. She drew her own knife, much smaller than mine but still deadly.
“Get back on the stag,” I bit out.
“No. Without you, I have no chance of getting into the palace. You get on the stag.”
“You don’t even know what this creature is! It’ll kill you in seconds.”
She offered a wry smile. “Your faith in me is touching. Really.”
“I’m not kidding, Eira. You have to get out of here.”
“You two are both fools.” Mauro pawed the ground nervously.
“Get to safety,” Eira whispered, brushing her hand down the length of his nose. “I’ll call for you when we’re free.”
Mauro snorted and ducked his head. “Don’t die, Snow.” With those parting words, he took off into the forest. Seconds later, an eerie black mist pooled into the wood, obscuring our surroundings. I knew only from her labored breathing that the Snow Princess remained beside me.
“What is it? Tell me quick.” Her words came in a rush.
“A dark fae.”
“You mean the unseelie?”
I frowned. Most fae believed the dark fae—the unseelie—to be a myth, something told to children in bedtime stories to frighten them into obedience. Just like fae beasts.
The note of horror in her voice piqued my interest. Had she encountered a dark fae before? I made a mental note to interrogate her later.
I tightened my grip on my daggers as darkness flooded the forest. When it had once been bright as midday, now it was dark as midnight, with no moon to light our path. “The dark fae often inhabit abandoned woods like these. I should have been more alert.” If I hadn’t been so distracted by efforts to torment the princess, I would have been able to sense it sooner.
Now, we would likely both die.
“How do we fight it?” she asked.
“I don’t know how to kill it. I’ve never done it before. Watch out for their claws; they are poisonous. They are weakest in the eyes.”
“Does iron work on them?”
I turned to her, though I couldn’t make out her expression. “Yes. But it works on us, too. If it takes your weapon from you, it can kill you with it.”
I felt her shudder beside me as a low hiss erupted from within the darkness.
I crouched to one knee, pressing my hand against the snowy ground to anchor myself. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, trusting my remaining senses. A foul stench filled my nostrils, growing stronger with every second.
“They can see in the dark,” I warned the princess. “Our only hope is to distract it. Keep it confused.”
“What if there’s more than one?”
“They are nomadic and live in isolation. If there is another, they will fight each other before coming for us.”
“Well, that’s something.”
How the hell could she be optimistic at a time like this? I was about to snap at her when a blast of a sharp, eye-watering aroma filled my nose, making me choke on my words.
“Down!” I roared.
The princess dropped to the ground beside me just as something lunged, a deep growl rumbling around us. Keeping my eyes closed, I inhaled deeply, then slashed when the same pungent smell surrounded me. I barely nicked the creature, but it still hissed in fury. Hot breath blew against my face, and I jumped backward to avoid getting skewered by its claws. I didn’t hear the princess at all, and I prayed to every fae god I could think of that she hadn’t already been killed.
If she was harmed in my presence, the fae bond would claim me.
The creature roared, incensed by my evasion tactics. Instinct had me opening my eyes, but darkness still surrounded me. I shut them again, but my hesitation cost me. Something huge barreled into me, slamming me backward until I collided with the trunk of a tree. I groaned as I crumpled in the snow, my ribs on fire.
“Hunter, look out!” Eira shrieked.
I shoved myself backward, rolling in the snow, my shoulders bumping against roots and rocks. The dark fae crashed into the tree, and it snapped. Branches fell around me, and I scrambled to dodge the debris. Something small and hard knocked against my skull, and I staggered backward.
Eira screamed again, and instinct had me lunging toward the sound, slamming into the large form of the beast. I tackled it to the ground, dragging it in what I hoped was the opposite direction of the princess.
The foul stench assaulted my nostrils as I blindly slashed with both daggers. The creature shrieked, the sound high and shrill. It burned against my ears, but I struck again. The beast’s cry was a survival instinct meant to ward off attackers with the intensity of it. But I was undeterred. I swung and sliced, choking on the putrid smell, ignoring my instincts to flee. The creature wailed as my blade met flesh. Hot liquid gushed along my arms.
Something sharp pierced my gut, and I roared, my senses overpowered by the pain. I fell backward, and the creature pawed at me again, its claws grazing my shoulder. The acid of its poison scorched my blood. I cried out again, my voice ripping at my throat as I rolled onto my back, my body consumed by agony. Something exploded from my chest, a turmoil of anguish and fury. The ground seemed to rumble from the impact of my wound. I knew nothing but torment. My blood boiled, and fire raced along my veins, slicing me open from the inside out.
Never in my life had I known such pain.
Everything went still. At first, I thought I’d blacked out. But then the creature released a hoarse wheeze, as if it were gasping for breath.
The princess let out a furious shout, and the dark fae uttered a high-pitched squeal. More liquid gushed, drenching me completely. Utter silence filled the forest. Then something heavy collapsed at my feet. My blood still on fire, I blinked slowly as the darkness in the woods receded, allowing light to bleed through.
Clutching at the bleeding wound in my gut, I hobbled forward to inspect the dark creature that had attacked us. I had never seen one of the beasts before; my only encounter had been brief, and I’d fled the darkness before it could catch me. As I drew closer to the body, my breath stuttered in shock.
It was a man. He had pointed ears, bright red hair, and all-black eyes that stared up into nothingness. Long, black claws extended from his fingers, some of them coated with blood. My blood. Across his throat was a jagged bloody gash, no doubt where the princess had slit his throat.
Eira raised a hand to her mouth in horror. Black blood stained her neck and the left side of her face. “Blood and ice…”
“He—He looks seelie.” I swallowed down the bile that crept up my throat. “The dark fae look just like us.”