Chapter 8 #2
'Will I need a cloak?' I ask, changing the subject completely and hoping they leave it there.
Morgan’s eyes move from me to the casement. 'I've been outside. There's not even been a frost overnight. I doubt you’ll need more than your tunic.'
'Good.’ I take a steadying breath. ‘I suppose I'll see you later, then.'
I turn to go, but before I can open the door, Morgan is barring my way.
‘Be safe, little human.’
He cups my face and leans in, his tongue flicking gently at the seam of my mouth until he gains entrance. He grasps me to him, kisses me deeply, and I grip onto his shirt with a groan, need rising quickly.
When he finally pulls away, I'm breathless and blinking hard, dazed. He appears to be as well.
I glance back at the others, who are staring, both of them looking hungry. My cheeks hot, I turn and flee the house, my heart thumping hard in my chest. I try to put it away. It's time to meet Voss, focus on the coming day.
‘Wait, Bryn. You can’t go alone.’
Right. Of course.
Jak catches up to me, looking rueful.
‘You should tell them,’ he says. ‘About the Barrack. The things that they?—’
‘That time is passed,’ I interrupt, walking quickly over the hard, dry mud. ‘Who would it serve? You tell them if you like. It’s no secret.’
He watches me from the corner of his eye and I pause in the street to face him.
‘Truly, Jak. Tell them so they know the dangers, but I don’t need more pitying looks from any of you. Do it when I’m not there. I don’t want to hear of it, nor be drawn into useless talk regarding all the bad things that were done.’
He gives a small nod. ‘All right.’
‘What time did the note say?’ I ask.
‘Eighth chime,’ he answers. ‘I'm sure I heard the Hall’s bell toll seven while we were eating, so you have time.’
I nod, but I still walk briskly toward the Hall with Jak at my side, not wanting to be late and give Voss reason to single me out.
Then we get there, at first, I see no one.
‘Must be early,’ I mutter to Jak, but then I notice Voss and about ten other fae.
All look bored. A couple of them seem angry with me already.
Lovely.
Voss stalks up to us.
'You're late, Dark Realmer,' he snarls.
'The message said to be here at eighth chime,' Jak argues. ‘It’s not that yet.’
Voss’s lip curls as he stares down at us. He waves Jak away. ‘Be gone, healer.’
‘I’ll be here when you get back tonight,’ he murmurs, squeezing my hand and ignoring Voss.
Voss notices and his eyes narrow as he watches Jak walk off, his sneer deepening.
'If I’m to be lumbered with you, I expect you to at least be on time, slave,' he mutters through clenched teeth.
I look him in the eye, remembering what Gwen told me. I’ll not let him treat me as he wills.
‘I’m a free woman,’ I tell him, ‘not a slave.’
He ignores me and whirls around to walk quickly along the side of the building toward the trees behind the Hall.
'Come,' he calls impatiently over his shoulder, and the fae follow him in silence.
I trail after them up to the crest of the hill where there's a path that runs in both directions.
'Begin,' he orders.
I glance at the rest of the group. No one moves. At least I'm not the only one here who has no idea what Voss wants us to do.
'Well?' he shouts. 'Run!'
He points down the trail.
Everyone turns and starts to jog down the way quickly.
I keep to their pace, but I stay at the rear.
I'm not sure how quick I am compared to the rest of them.
The pits may have done me a favor because not only do I still have the strength from that place, but I'm now well fed, too, so my endurance should be better.
Regardless, I've decided that it's best to be underestimated until I know more about what's expected.
I stay behind the last one in the group, a female who’s a bit slighter of build, her long light hair in a high knot on her head. Keeping my eye on all of them, I stay close though none of them look back once.
There are eleven of them all together. Seven males, and five females including me. The fae are all tall and effortlessly ethereal, of course. Though none of them are as large as Locke, and definitely nowhere near Morgan’s size.
I run down the narrow path with a steep bank on either side, being careful to stay in the middle of it so I don’t slip down the steep incline. In front of me, the fae are gaining distance, so I increase my pace.
As we get to a curve in the path, I squint at the group.
There’s a shimmer in the air, a ripple in front of them.
I don't understand what I'm seeing until it's too late, and I run straight into some invisible barrier. My forehead hits it first and I’m knocked back, my head swirling as I fall to one knee. Not completely senseless, but close.
The ward around Halsford, I realize dazedly.
I hear snickering as I stagger to my feet and I see some of the fae looking back at me as they run, taking delight in my misfortune.
‘Hard luck, human!’ one of them calls over his shoulder, and they laugh as they disappear around the next bend.
‘Oops.’
I glance behind me toward the voice, my hand pressed over my throbbing forehead.
Voss is there, that same sneer on his face. 'Forgot you can't pass the ward, slave.'
‘I’m one of the freefolk,’ I tell him again, blinking hard as my sight slips in and out of focus.
Should have brought one of those healing vials with me.
He laughs. ‘You’ll never be anything more than what you were in the Dark Realms, girl. I’d be doing you a service to remind you.’
Remembering all the nasty comments Ogdan and Sio said to me over the years, and all the things Warrior whispered in my ear, I almost laugh in his face.
Is that the best he can do? He’ll soon learn that it’ll take much more than that to break me.
'How am I supposed to get through?' I ask, gesturing to the barrier.
He looks a little uncertain now. Perhaps I’m not acting the way he thought I would.
But he straightens and snaps a finger. 'Go on, then.'
I turn and sprint, eager to catch up with the others, only to slam into the barrier again.
This time it's not as hard, but my nose still takes the brunt of it. Voss’s chortle makes me want to hit him across his smug, fae face, but I don’t let my anger get the better of me.
I stare straight ahead in front of the ward instead, waiting for him to lose interest in this little game.
A scowl alights his face in my periphery and, after a few moments where I don’t give him the satisfaction of even rubbing my nose, he waves me off. I step to the barrier and, this time, it lets me pass through.
I run a bit more quickly than before to reach the others but decide not to do my very best. For the rest of the jog, I keep my hands slightly in front of me as well, just in case.
We’re made to traverse the entire perimeter of the village and down into the next valley. At a clearing in a low ravine, there are fighting circles already laid out on the ground with stones. Here, Voss is waiting for us. He tells us to stop running.
‘How did he get here?’ one of the females beside me mutters.
I glance over at her, remembering how he appeared on the trail out of nowhere.
‘Magick, I suppose. He’s been watching us,’ I reply.
She looks over at me and her nose curls up. ‘Don’t speak to me, slave.’
I roll my eyes and return my attention to Voss, who’s yelling something about combat readiness.
‘Hurt your nose, slave?’ the male next to me mutters. ‘Looks a bit swollen.’
His friend next to him titters.
We’re given partners and I’m put in a circle with a sneering fae female with long, black hair, who looks me up and down with a nasty grin as if she expects this will be easy. She doesn't even try to fight me properly, putting a hand behind her back and laughing at me.
I enjoy wiping the look off her face when I hit her square in the mouth, giving her a little wink for good measure.
After that, she takes me a bit more seriously, and we circle each other, but I don't want anyone else here to know that I’m Kismet, so I don't let her hurt me.
I don't hurt her anymore either. I do find out, though, that this female at least doesn’t seem to be much stronger than I am.
The day continues in the same vein. Luckily, Voss doesn't single me out much.
He's more involved with ensuring the fae do what they're told.
At first glance, I thought this group to be formidable, but as the training proceeds over the morning and into the afternoon, none of them strike me particularly as warriors.
Though perhaps there’s different training for that. These fae are meant to be spies going to the Dark Realms, not defenders of the precious Underhill, after all.
One of the males, a tall one with dark curls even turns to me when none of his friends are near enough to hear and whisper asks if it’s true that I grew up in the Dark Realms. The awe in his tone makes me wonder.
Aren’t these fae supposed to be at the end of their training, meant to be entering the Dark soon?
They don’t seem at all ready to me.
But I’m not their teacher. What does a former Dark Realm slave like me know?
At the end of the combat training, it’s quite late. The sun is setting over the mountains to the west. Voss orders us to run back to Halsford via the same path. This time, the wards don’t stop me.
When we arrive at the Hall, Jak isn’t there yet, but Voss is leaning against the stone wall, using his knife to clean under his fingernails.
‘Be here at fifth chime tomorrow,’ he says to all of us.
He begins to walk past the group toward the Hall door but stops short just in front of me.
‘I know you aren’t claimed properly, slave,’ he sneers. ‘I can smell it.’
Smell it?
I let him see my disgust.
‘I’ll be letting Calder know. Tell Locke it better be done soon or you’ll be shackled in the darkest cell in my keep until you’re needed.’ He lets out a biting laugh. ‘Have to ensure Halsford is safe.’
I shiver in spite of myself.