Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Thorn
The cell felt cold and dark, but a flicker of hope sparked in my chest as I studied Echo's face. His bright blue eyes seemed earnest, imploring me to believe him. I wanted to.
"I can see you truly want change for your kingdom," I said slowly. "To make it a place of openness and inclusivity, while still remaining true to yourselves. It’s an admiral goal, if a hard one to achieve."
Echo nodded vigorously. "Yes, that's it exactly! I know in my heart the fae could never have caused this blight upon their own people. It's unthinkable, too cruel." He shook his head, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I've seen it, Thorn. The corrupted fae at the borders, the devastation the blight leaves...It's horrific."
A chill ran down my spine at his words. The blight was a plague upon the fae lands, and what Echo had seen? That was only a small fraction of it. "How do you keep it at bay?" I asked. "What prevents it from spreading unchecked?"
"The druids," Echo replied. "They are nature mages, able to purify and cleanse the land where the blight has touched. That is why the border regions are so open and bare - anything the corrupted ones could infect must be removed swiftly, before it takes deeper root and becomes harder to heal.” His gaze shuttered for a moment before he continued, “In the beginning some elves became infected, this was before we had a protocol in place, and thankfully we were able to keep them isolated otherwise I don’t think we would have been able to purify the land, no matter how hard the druids tried. And they did try to heal those that were infected, but it was no good. The corruption had rotted away whoever they used to be and when it was removed we realized that there was nothing left to save. That’s why we’ve taken to fighting from the trees by the border. Harder for the corrupted fae to find us and reach us when they do get through."
I pondered this, imagining the tremendous power and discipline it must take, the toll it surely had on those tasked with containing this sinister force. The responsibility the guards of the Veil bore was immense. One slip up and they could end up in a similar situation to the fae.
My mind raced with the implications, with what this could mean for the future of both our kinds. If the fae were not to blame, if we had a common enemy in this blight... perhaps there was a chance for understanding between us after all. A fragile hope, but a start. And perhaps, if we were able to work together the druids might have a way to restore the fae land as well.
It was a tiny pinprick of hope, but it was there.
Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor outside my cell. Echo and I both froze, our eyes locked. Without a word, he slipped back into the hidden tunnel, pulling the stone door shut behind him. The smear of blood he’d used to open it was absorbed into the rock as the box slid back into place, concealing any trace of the passageway.
I wished desperately that I could follow him, escape this wretched cell and the fate that surely awaited me if I wasn’t able to escape. But as Echo had explained, the tunnels were enchanted, only permitting passage to those of the High Lord's bloodline. If I tried to enter, I would find myself frozen in place, unable to move until the High Lord or Lady came to release me. And the chances of that with the current High Lord were about as likely as the Moon Court accepting my bond with Senara.
With a sigh, I settled myself in the center of the cell, trying to appear as if I hadn't moved. I arranged my hands in my lap, the now-dormant cuffs draped over my wrists. Without the glow of the active runes, I could only hope that the guard wouldn't look too closely and would simply assume I was still bound.
My changed eye was the real risk though. Shaking my hair forward, I tried to obscure it behind a veil of unkempt locks. The dagger Echo had given me was tucked just under my thigh, hidden from view but easily within reach for whatever happened next.
My heart pounded in my ears as I waited, muscles coiled tight with tension. I didn't know what to expect, but I did know one thing - I would do whatever it took to get out of here and find Senara. To keep her safe. No matter the cost.
The footsteps grew louder, closer. I schooled my features into a mask of defeat and despair, the very picture of a broken prisoner. The deception had to be flawless. Everything depended on it.
The cell door clanged open. "Well, well, if it isn't the great fire fae," the guard sneered as he sauntered in. "Not looking so powerful now, are we?"
I kept my eyes closed, head bowed, refusing to acknowledge his taunts. Going so far as to bite my tongue so I didn’t correct him. There were no such thing as fire fae after all. I was a member of the sun court. One of my skills happened to be fire, that was all, though I’d happily demonstrate it for him as soon as he came close enough.
"You should've heard your pretty little fae screaming earlier," he continued, cruel amusement dripping from every word. "Bet you didn't know she could make those kinds of sounds. Music to my ears."
Bile rose in my throat. I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached, fighting the urge to lunge at him. Not yet. Not until he was close enough.
"They're having another go at her right now. Thought you might want to watch, see what a real male can do to a female?"
White-hot rage seared through my veins. I pictured Senara, broken and bleeding, violated in the worst ways imaginable. Because of me. Because I hadn't protected her.
The guard took a step closer. Then another. "What's the matter, filth? Nothing to say? No more arrogance or-"
I exploded into motion. In one fluid movement, I yanked the dagger from under my thigh and surged to my feet. The guard's eyes widened in shock, but before he could even cry out, I drove the blade up under his chin with all my strength.
It punctured through his jaw and into his skull, an instant kill. He crumpled to the ground in a boneless heap, dead before he hit the floor.
I stood over his corpse, chest heaving, blood roaring in my ears. One down. But there would be more. Many more.
I didn't care. I would slaughter anyone who dared stand in my way. I had made a promise, not just to Echo, but to myself. To Senara.
And I would keep that promise...or die trying.
Without wasting another moment I was out of the cell and darted through the shadowed corridors, leaving a trail of bodies in my wake. The rage that had ignited in my cell now burned through me like wildfire, consuming any shred of mercy or restraint. They had brought this upon themselves. Occasionally I questioned one of them to make sure I was going in the right direction but that was it. They all fell to my blade.
At last, I reached the women's wing of the prison. The stench hit me first-a foul miasma of sweat, blood, and despair. Then I saw the cells, the elven women were being held there like little more than cattle waiting for slaughter, and my heart seized in my chest.
I scanned each one looking for Senara, but she was nowhere. She should be here, or at least that’s what the bond was telling me, though it was still somewhat faint. I’d thought that was just because she was injured or something, but now I was thoroughly confused.
“Go and check with the other filth. Fae and demis are below even us criminals,” one of the women near the edge of the cage murmured. She clearly realized that I was fae, not elven, probably the ears that gave it away.
I hoped I would have time to find a key to these cells as well but at that moment I could only focus on one thing.
Senara.
I followed the cryptic directions the woman had given and found another staircase heading down. If I thought the smell had been bad before it had nothing on the stench coming from the room ahead of me.
As soon as I opened the door I understood why.
The room had been converted into a cell, so the bars made up a little entryway that kept the prisoners away from the door itself.
This time the bond was strong and my gaze locked on to her form. She lay crumpled on the filthy floor, her once vibrant hair now matted with grime, her porcelain skin mottled with bruises. Rage and anguish warred within me at the sight of her, so broken and abused.
But she was not alone.
Huddled around her in a protective semicircle were a handful of demihumans - wolf woman, rabbit woman, and something I’d never even thought existed, a spider woman. Their haunted eyes met mine through the bars, filled with defiance and yet pleading all at once.
“We won’t let you take her again,” the wolf woman snarled, her long canine teeth on full display.
The spider hissed something in her ear and the wolf woman’s eyes went wide.
"Please," rasped the rabbit, her voice thin with thirst and desperation. "Help us."
I glanced at Senara's unconscious form, torn. I had to get her out of here, but I couldn't carry her and fight at the same time. Not against the numbers that surely awaited us.
I looked over the demihumans, a plan taking shape. "She’s my mate,” I said carefully, hoping that I was using words they understood. The wolf’s eyes went wide and I knew she at least now understood what Senara meant to me. “I'll free you all," I said, my voice rough with barely leashed fury, "but I need your help. Keep her safe, and I'll get you out of this palace. All of you."
Hope kindled in their eyes, bright and fierce. The spider woman nodded. "We will guard her with our lives."
I didn't hesitate. I wrapped my hands around the lock on the cell bars and let some of my rage slip forth in the form of fire, melting the metal in my hands. It was satisfying, but not enough, as the fire wanted to flame out of me even more to take revenge on our enemies. To my surprise it was the spider that used her other legs to gently scoop Senara up, holding her protectively while still leaving her hands free to fight if she needed to. As they exited the cell, the wolf gave the melted lock a glance before meeting my gaze and giving me a nod of respect. I met the rabbit’s and spider’s gazes in turn.
"Stay close and stay quiet. We're not out of this yet," I murmured to them as we began to head back up the stairs.
No, not by a long shot. But now, at least, I wasn't alone. Clutching my bloodied dagger in one hand and a sword I’d taken from the corpse of a guard I downed in the other, I led my unlikely band of allies out into the waiting shadows, toward the promise of freedom...or a final stand.