Chapter Four
The children needed more breaks than he’d anticipated, but none complained the way noble born younglings always seemed to. They ate whatever they were given and walked as long as their parents pushed.
Rion threw the shackle keys to Cara. “Magic can be volatile when it’s contained too long. Make sure to stand back when you remove the iron.”
“But we’re half-breeds,” she said, a question in her gaze.
“Half human,” Rion replied, “but also half Fae. You, in particular, should be wary.”
She glanced down at her shackles, studying the metal as if she could imagine the vines unfurling from beneath. “We still have a ways to go, right?” Rion nodded. “Then I’ll wait.” She pocketed the key. “What’s a few more days after a decade of wearing them?”
It was nearly dusk when they finally arrived in the small village. The half-breeds pulled up their hoods and Rion marched straight to the inn, ignoring those who stood along the streets. Most ducked away from his advancing form.
The female inside gestured him up to their prepared room and Rion laid another pile of coins on the table. “I need adequate, warm food.” He jerked his chin toward the half-breeds. “I don’t need them fainting on me.”
She nodded, counted those with Rion, then disappeared through a back door.
The slaves followed him up a narrow staircase. It wasn’t until they were in the room that Rion grimaced. He definitely wouldn’t be sleeping in the small space alongside them.
They stood in the middle of the room, huddled against one another, eyeing Rion as if he held all the answers. It was then that he realized they’d never been free to make their own decisions. This was their default. To wait for orders.
“As far as I’m concerned,” he started. “From this moment forward, you’re free.” They blinked and shuffled their feet, glancing at one another in uncomfortable silence. “Food is on its way. Light a fire if you want. The shower is down the hall. Just don’t leave this room for anything else. We don’t want to draw attention. If you’re questioned, just tell them you’re on an errand from me.”
“They’ll know if we’re lying, though,” a female said, her voice timid.
Rion sighed. “Fine, I command you, as a favor to me, to see to your needs, then to rest for the evening.”
He reached for the door, but Cara asked, “What will you be doing?”
“Sleeping,” was his only reply before Rion exited the room and went to the roof.
He ate the food he’d packed for himself and listened to the half-breeds in the room below. The innkeeper knocked on the door and delivered hot meals as promised. One tray after another filed in.
The children laughed, delighted by the assortment. The adults gasped in awe, as if they’d just been given a delicacy. They’d probably never even eaten a decent meal. Judging by the male who’d owned them, it wasn’t a far stretch of the imagination. Rion almost wished he was in Nàdair just to see the male’s face when he woke and realized two dozen of his slaves had vanished overnight.
The half-breeds grew more comfortable by the minute. Whispered conversations started followed by giggling and slight reprimands to keep their voices down.
He heard one pad toward the window and move the curtains aside to glance out. Cara, more than likely, though he wondered if she was looking at the village or for him.
The children settled down until they fell silent, their slow deep breaths filling the space. The adults followed one by one.
Rion laid back and folded his hands behind his head. They still had a long way to go, but perhaps today the half-breeds had tasted enough freedom to push them through the forbidden forest. Perhaps they’d remember instead of trying to run in fear.
He could only hope.