Chapter 4 #3
However, after a moment, I second-guess myself when she still hasn’t begun to follow me and I turn to make sure she’s not going to do something silly like run into the forest. There aren’t any settlements for at least a two-day ride, and she’ll never make it out of the Ranges with no provisions.
But she’s just standing where I left her, staring after me with a mixture of sadness and hope on her face that’s quickly replaced by the mask when she sees me watching.
‘Come on,’ I call. ‘It’s evening here and it’ll be dark soon. It’ll get cold tonight.’
She closes her eyes for a moment and seems to make a decision. She finally begins to walk down the path after me.
I wait and we walk it together toward the village.
‘I’ll need the bracelet back,’ I murmur before we get there.
It would be best if no one equates her with anything other than human from the very beginning.
She takes it off without a word and gives it to me, taking in a harsh breath when her features change back to normal, exposing her true form.
‘You’re safe,’ I tell her again.
The look she gives me is disbelieving. ‘I think I have a question. Would you answer it?’
‘Go on.’
‘I’ve been wondering, what did I do to you that would make you hate me so, Locke?
Was it just because I’m a slave? Or is it more personal perhaps?
Were you angry that your friends seemed to like me?
Is that why you continue with all this? Trying to make me believe you so that you can rip it all away again?
Or is it just that you love the feeling of it, of hurting me? ’
She taps her head. ‘I heard of masters like you in The Barrack, you know. Many times. The ones that like to play with our minds, or emotions, to break us completely. You caught me off guard once, but I’m not a fool.
I won’t let you again. You should just get the final reveal over with.
Show me my new life as a slave. You’re wasting your time with this charade. ’
She keeps walking as I stop and stare at her back.
‘Bryn,’ I whisper after her, wishing I hadn’t made so many mistakes with her, but she doesn’t stop, likely preparing herself for more cruelties from me, or others. Maybe for someone to jump out of the trees, declare her an escaped slave, and cart her to a block for her punishment on my orders.
My stomach rolls and I stride after her, catching up as the main thoroughfare of Halsford comes into view.
It’s larger now even than it was the last time I was here, over two seasons ago.
The tavern, one of the first buildings to be rebuilt after the fire, is now larger.
There are two bakeries, more than one smithy, and even the Trading Post looks bigger somehow.
I steer us in the direction of the Hall, the tallest building here, of course, a tribute to the Underhill’s love of rules and regulations these days.
‘We have to go to the Council Hall first,’ I tell her. ‘I’m not allowed to keep the amulet and they’ll…’ Want to know about you. Who you are. Where you’re from. If you’re a dangerous Dark Realmer.
But I don’t say any of that. I don’t want to scare her, and I know I can get Dane to circumvent the rules for her once I explain. He doesn’t like them either. She need not worry about the morrow once we’ve seen him.
‘…want to speak to you,’ I finish.
She shrugs. ‘Of course, my lord.’
I grimace. My lord. How I hate that moniker.
The large stone building looms in front of us, the house attached to the side of it where Dane and his family live looking much more inviting than the governing chambers. But the rules must be followed. The Hall first.
‘The others will be close by,’ I say to Bryn in case she still thinks they aren’t here. ‘They have to pretend they didn’t see you, though. They weren’t meant to travel to the Dark Realms without permission. It would be best if you didn’t mention it.’
She gives me a nod, her mask fully on her blank face. Her eyes are cast down as we walk up the stone steps and enter with her behind me. Even when I shorten my steps so she can catch up, she stays back.
As a slave would.
Inside, we find Dane sitting at the long Council members’ table with a goblet of wine, reading a pile of parchments as he often is.
When he hears the door, he looks up wearily, and then does a double take when he realizes it’s me.
‘My friend!’ he exclaims, standing and coming around the table with a wide grin to greet me.
‘We hadn’t heard from you. It’s been weeks.
When Morgan and Jak returned and you didn’t after a few days…
well, we thought the worst. Are you well?
’ He eyes my face, still bruised despite the potion I drank yesterday.
‘Do you need a healer? I could request Jak?—’
I almost laugh out loud. Likely Jak would give me some potion to make me sick to my stomach and inflame my bowels for days instead of a healing vial, if he had the chance.
But I simply put my hand up to stay Dane’s words.
‘I’m well enough, thank you. I could just use some rest. Secondly,’ I hold out the amulet and he takes it from me.
‘My thanks. You know how they begin to worry when these fucking things are out in the wild, even if they do only lead here now. I’ll put it in the lock box directly and it’ll be returned to the Underhill by one of the enforcers in the morning so they don’t come knocking at your door for it.’
‘I’d be most appreciative,’ I say with a small roll of my eyes. ‘The last thing I need at the moment is to be interrogated by Voss or Avendel because I forgot to return a bloody bauble.’
Dane chuckles, though it sounds a little forced to my ears. Now isn’t the time to get the past six months’ worth of news though.
‘I’ll give the Council my full report in the morning,’ I promise, and he nods, looking relieved that I’m not going to request that they convene tonight. ‘But the mission was a success. I believe I have information that will prove useful.’
Dane grasps my shoulder, looking even more relieved now. ‘That’s good news. There are some who grow impatient with what they see as a lack of progress. They consider Fiana to be too great a threat to the Underhill. They want her captured or dead as soon as possible.’
I raise a brow. Now isn’t the time for politics either, but it’s becoming plain to see that the Underhill is only lending its help to our cause to save the Light Realmers from the Dark because they’re afraid that Fiana, like Varrik, will find her way to the Underhill and try to destroy it.
They don’t give a fuck about humans being stolen from the Light, and they aren’t even bothering to hide it anymore.
‘I agree,’ I say.
Dane gives me a commiserating look. ‘Of course, though not for the same reasons perhaps.’
Then, he looks past me, his attention finally settling on Bryn and his eyes narrow almost imperceptibly.
‘Who is this you bring with you?’ he asks more quietly.
‘This is Bryn,’ I say, gesturing to her. ‘Bryn, this is Dane. He’s one of the leaders here.’
‘My lord,’ she greets meekly, keeping her eyes on the floor and I grimace.
Dane gives me a look and draws me off to the side a little.
‘A Dark Realmer?’ he whispers.
I nod. ‘She helped us. She saved my life. I vowed to bring her here. I’ll vouch for her, and so will Jak and Morgan. We want her to be given a place here. She deserves that and more.’
Dane glances over at her. ‘It doesn’t matter who vouches for her. She’s still a slave of the Dark Realms. You know the laws that were put in place after the fire. Newcomers from outside the Light and the Underhill must be treated with suspicion.’
‘Yes, I know the laws,’ I say in a whisper, ‘but I hoped you might be able to help. I couldn’t leave her there, Dane. Please. She helped with the mission. Without her, I’d be dead and we’d have no leads, nothing on Fiana after over a year of work.’
I can almost hear Dane’s teeth grinding. ‘Fuck! Fine. I’ll do what I can, but she’ll need to be interviewed, Locke, by an enforcer.’
‘You can’t do it?’
He shakes his head. ‘The Underhill won’t allow it. The Five ruled it so last year. One of the enforcers has to speak to her.’
I glance at Bryn. Interrogate her more like, knowing the Underhill’s fear of someone infiltrating Halsford in order to get to the Underhill.
‘It will likely be Avendel,’ he continues. ‘He’s on duty here tomorrow.’
‘Fine,’ I snarl, making Dane’s eyes widen a little and I see Bryn’s eyes dart up to me and then away again. ‘Sorry. The past days have been difficult.’
I lower my voice. ‘Can she be allowed to rest tonight and spoken to tomorrow?’
Dane glances past me and makes a sound. ‘All right, but only because I know no one will come this evening, and if I send a message to say that she’s here, I’ll be ordered to put her in a cell until Avendel gets here tomorrow.
But you keep her with you, Locke. Every moment. Don’t let her go wandering.’
I let out a sound of derision. ‘Gods, Dane, she isn’t here to destroy the village!’
‘I’m not worried for the village.’ My friend shakes his head. ‘Things have changed over the time you’ve been gone, my friend. Trust me. Keep her with you until she’s given leave to remain tomorrow.’
‘All right,’ I acquiesce, breathing a sigh of relief.
At least if she can stay with us tonight, we can ensure she has a decent meal, and let her see that she’s safe here. ‘We’ll keep her out of sight in the cottage.’
Dane gives me a thump on the shoulder, shaking his head. ‘I’m glad you’re back safe, my friend. I’ll see you both tomorrow. Early. Bryn, welcome to the Light Realm.’
As I turn to Bryn, I see her eyes are narrowed at Dane ever so slightly. Does she still think this is all a lie, that I told Dane to say that?
‘He’s part of the ruse,’ I say to her a bit sardonically and she gives me a dark look as she comes with me back outside while Dane returns to the table to continue reading his papers.
‘Where are we going, now, my lord?’ she asks.
I turn back to her. ‘Stop calling me that. Use my name.’
She says nothing, just looks at the ground.