18. Answers for Me
It didn't take long to bind Blue Ridges. I put him in one of the chairs and lashed him to it with prickly ropes from the storeroom, not taking any care to be gentle. He'd be down for maybe another five minutes or so if I did nothing. And that was all I needed.
It was high time I got answers.
Tagger stayed closer to me, sniffing at the broken pottery as I made my preparations.
I set the butcher knife on one of the upright counters and the mini-crossbow on another. I plucked the bolt from his neck. It left a bloody mark. Apparently he didn't have self-healing like Corvin.
Good. That made it easier for me.
Next I checked the door. That bit of silver the fae had pushed in with her claw had fallen out now, so the lock worked again.
A little favor on our side, at least. I kicked the silver out into the water, then went back inside and secured his ropes, hoping it hurt when he woke.
This wasn't going to be pretty, but I didn't care. All that mattered was getting answers.
I crossed back in front of Blue Ridges.
Still unconscious.
I picked up the cracked pitcher, dunked it in the well, and brought it back over to him. Water streamed from the cracks. With a grunt, I flung it at him. The water crashed over his face.
He gasped, surging awake. The ropes kept his wrists and ankles bound. Though he panted, he remained groggy. "What?"
I remained silent, watching him, my expression steeled. Already my stomach twisted, but I wasn't going to back down. "You're going to answer my questions," I said coldly.
He looked up, water dripping from his face and hair. His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw me. "I knew it," he growled. "I knew you were here."
"Except you didn't find me. You and your friends aren't as good as you think."
Blue Ridges licked his bloodied lip, his gaze narrowing. "Doesn't matter. You'll be found. And then the fun will start."
"What kind of fun?"
"If you knew half of what was going to happen to you, you'd be wailing and begging for mercy."
"Oh? You aren't going to offer to help me if I let you go or don't harm you?" I folded my arms as I stepped back, examining him. Blue Ridges had more bulk than Corvin, and he moved slower. But if he got loose, I'd have to stop him fast. His hands were calloused and muscled, as were his arms.
I straightened my shoulders. No. If he got free, I'd have to kill him. Fast.
Blue Ridges spat at me. The bloody spittle struck the ground near my foot. "There is no mercy for the flesh scraps's mate."
My eyebrow raised. "Why is his mate such an important thing? And why do you call me that?"
"Why else would he be trying to protect you?" he snarled.
"It gets lonely down here, I'd imagine," I responded, voice flat. I paced, keeping my steps slow and deliberate. I'd never conducted an interrogation like this alone before, but I'd seen it done. I kept myself from blinking as I stared him dead in the eye, even though my eyes burned. "Why would it matter?"
Blue Ridges spat at me again as he struggled against the ropes. "Bite me, whore. You don't have the guts to kill me. And even if I don't get free, they'll notice when I don't return, and they'll come to the last place I was. Right here. You've courted yourself a big batch of trouble."
I picked up the knife and brandished it in front of his face. "Don't bother trying to escape," I said. "Those knots could hold a bear. And I want answers."
Blue Ridges glared at me, his strange eyes filled with hatred. "You'll pay for this in blood."
"If by blood, you mean your blood, yes, I will. If you don't cooperate with me and answer all my questions, I will make your stay here very unpleasant."
He spat at me again. This time his bloody spittle caught the edge of my boot. "You don't have it in you."
"You know, it's funny. People look at me, and they think they know me. If they notice me at all. But they never really see me, and they never guess what I'm actually capable of. You're not different in that respect. But I assure you, I can and will make you talk." To prove my point, I slid the blade across the top of his hand.
Blue Ridges yelped, then gritted his teeth as blood welled from the shallow cut.
"What difference does it make if Corvin has a mate? And why would it be forbidden when there is a disease that keeps him from having one? You all seemed very upset at the thought he might have a human here and made a lot of assumptions."
Blue Ridges shook his head.
I dragged the blade over his arm again.
He howled, struggling against the ropes and swearing at me.
"If you'd rather, I can start on your fingernails," I snarled. "Or I can go get salt water."
"What in the abyss are you?"
"I'm a woman who has had more than enough," I growled at him. "Now answer my questions! I don't give a damn if you bleed out in here. By the time your friends realize you're missing, I'll be long gone. And I don't give two fishbones whether you live."
He stared at me, his upper lip curling. Blood dripped from the cuts.
I sliced the blade over his arm again. "Answer me!"
He howled.
"Answer me, or I will start chopping off body parts. And I don't know what part I'm starting with."
"Fine, fine!" He stared at me with wide eyes, sweat pouring off his brow. "It doesn't matter anyway. You're dead."
"Amazing all the damage I can do despite being dead," I said, my voice low. I stepped closer, lifting the knife.
"Shifter fae with mates aren't as good at protecting the king's interests. Their blood is more potent when they are unmated and forced to have a single shifted form with their human form," he shouted. His breaths were ragged, his eyes white-rimmed. "If they're mated, they're distracted. Their focus is on their mates. They put their strength into protecting their families. Single, unattached shifter fae are the best enforcers and guardians because all that matters is what they are ordered."
"So this king condemns them to a life of loneliness and servitude?"
"It's necessary for the protection of the kingdom," he said, panting. "Shifter fae are worth less than regular fae anyway. They're little more than animals with quirks. Not much better than humans except when used as expendables in high-risk situations like enforcers. This is the only way shifter fae are valuable to the king."
I mulled this over. "So the disease isn't real?"
He scoffed. "The shifter fae are the disease. Do you know how many wars those horny bastards have caused? No, you wouldn't, cause you're a know-nothing human. But don't worry. The king will have you both dragged to the hunt. He'll have made accommodations to ensure you can suffer before you die. You'll die before your mate. They'll make sure of it. Losing their mate is the worst pain a shifter fae can experience."
"And there are other shifter fae like Corvin?" I studied him. He was being much more cooperative now. And he no longer seemed to be struggling. What was he planning? He didn't seem afraid of me gaining this knowledge, so clearly he intended to kill me.
"Over half the enforcers are like your waste-of-space mate, and all the shifter fae are diseased." He let out a rasping laugh, though the sound was forced. "They're dangerous, and having mates makes them unpredictable. The king keeps them isolated and mateless to maintain order. Their only calling is to do his will, and their blood is at its most powerful for alchemical combinations when unmated."
"His magic has no hold past the boundaries of his land, though," I confirmed, pacing.
"You think you can run away with your mate and find some form of happiness out there?" He laughed, his voice harsh. "Well, sure, if you can get past the hunt and the boundaries. This whole sea will be churning with predators searching for the both of you. And even if you figured out some way to escape the deep without drowning, there are still the claws in your mate's arm."
Right. Those damnable claws! "What can be done to counter the venom?"
He scoffed. "You think I know that? What do you think I am, human?" He spat at me again.
I grimaced, wrinkling my nose at him. Disgusting. I slashed the blade over his arm again.
He yelped, struggling harder as he glared at me.
"What do you know about it?" All his words rolled over me. It felt as if I struggled to take them onboard, but I couldn't stop and process them.
He snarled. "The venom is made specifically for each enforcer. No antidote either."
"And the medicine they give Corvin…it's making it worse, isn't it?" I set my jaw. The rage boiled inside me.
"Only way to keep them from finding their mates and in the right headspace. Makes them strong where it counts. You should never have come here or talked to him."
"Yeah, I'm sure you'd prefer it that way."
"You shouldn't be so smug. You aren't the first mate to get through to an enforcer. All that means is there's got to be a spectacle. An example has to be made of both of you." Blue Ridges sneered. "Which is why you won't make it if you take to open waters, you pathetic waste of flesh. At best, you'll die down here alone. Or they'll come back here and find you eventually. Do you really think the king just sent for the shifter fae to have a nice little chat?"
I paused. "What do you mean?"
"Do you really think the king will let him go? He's as good as dead now. And whether someone's found you to drag you in, he'll be drained of more blood and then dropped into the hunt. Even if he escapes that, the king will start setting off those claws until he's all but paralyzed. Then we'll find him. Best way would be if he almost escaped and survived and then we found you so we could tear you apart in front of him. Regardless of how it goes though, your beloved will be praying for death before the sun sets."
I had to warn him.
No. It was too late for that.
What was I supposed to do? My mind spun. Could I send a message? How?
Every possibility I came up with was either impossible or unusable. I dragged my hand through my hair.
Wood crunched. Something snapped.
Tagger shrieked.
I spun.
Blue Ridges had broken the chair and now charged me, teeth bared, eyes hard.
I brought the butcher knife down, but he caught me on the downswing.
His hand clamped cruelly around my wrist as he slammed me into the wall.
Light exploded in front of my eyes. I couldn't even get out a gasping breath.
He clenched his hands around my throat as the knife dropped from my fingers. "The king will flay you alive and feed you to his pets. They'll cut your flesh and grind your bones down for potions and charms, but no one will care if I break a few before I drag you there." His thumbs crushed against my windpipe as he pinned me there.
Dark spots danced before my eyes.