Chapter 1 #2
I approach him with slow steps, then set my rucksack on the floor and take a seat across from him.
He strikes another match and lights a lantern that’s on the table.
Warm, dancing light soon fills the seating area.
I take in Papa’s appearance and frown at the deep wrinkles that mar his face.
I could’ve sworn he didn’t look quite so old a week ago, but I suppose the added stress of living in a fae-occupied city is taking a toll on him.
He stares at me quietly, but there’s an expectant gleam in his eyes. Ever patient, he’s waiting for me to start talking, but only when I’m ready.
I draw in a deep, stabilizing breath.
“I need to leave Braemar. Tonight. I-I can’t go to the castle tomorrow. I’m sorry, Papa, but I…” My voice trails off. Should I tell him the real reason I want to flee? Would he even believe me?
He leans back in his seat and takes another puff of his pipe, and the sweet, spiced aroma of the smoke reaches me, filling me with a sense of comfort.
A sense of home. For as long as I can remember, Papa has always smoked his pipe in the evenings, using the same tobacco blend he buys from Mr. Geltrinn on market day, one that gives off hints of cloves and nutmeg.
I breathe deep of the comforting scent as my heart aches with preemptive grief.
I feel awful that I must leave Braemar, possibly to never see Papa again, but I can’t imagine staying.
I also can’t fathom asking him to come with me.
I don’t want to put him at risk. It’s better if I go alone.
This is my fate, my curse, and I don’t want to cause harm to anyone else as I try to outrun it.
“I know the fae’s attack on Braemar was frightening for you, Isabel, and, given what happened to you years ago,” he says, “I can understand that you’re still feeling shaken.
I can understand your desire to flee the city.
But we just have to get through tomorrow…
we just have to make it through Tribute Day…
and then everything will be fine. As long as you’re careful and stay off the streets and away from the fae patrols, everything will be fine. ”
Given what happened to you years ago. He’s referring to the time, three years ago, when I was briefly taken captive by orcs. A renewed shiver rushes through me at the memory.
“Papa, there’s something I need to tell you. Something you don’t know. It’s about what happened when… when the orcs were holding me prisoner.”
As the lantern light flickers across his face, he suddenly goes pale, and his eyes soften with regret.
He swallows hard. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to tell me what happened.
I think I know, and I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you.
It’s my fault. I should’ve never allowed you to venture outside the walls of Braemar to pick berries that day.
Whatever happened to you, the blame is on me. ”
“I know you think the orcs violated me. I know everyone thinks that,” I say carefully, blinking back tears, “but the orcs didn’t violate me.
They were planning on it, and they scared me half to death as they described what they wanted to do, but there was a seer traveling with them and she…
” Again, my voice trails off as my throat closes up tightly. Dark memories wash over me.
Papa leans forward. “A seer?”
“Yes, an elderly orc female who was a seer. Within earshot of the orc soldiers, she announced something about my future that caused them to… avoid touching me. It was rather startling. She grabbed my hand, then her eyes suddenly went white, and when her visage returned to normal, she told me something shocking. Something I didn’t want to believe.
Something I’ve spent years trying to forget, something I tried to pretend couldn’t be true.
But now that the Winter Court army has arrived, I fear the seer was right.
” I’m talking around the truth, and Papa knows it.
I haven’t quite revealed my reason for wanting to flee Braemar. Not yet.
“Tell me, daughter. Tell me what the seer said.”
I blink against a fresh sheen of tears. “She said I was fated to a highborn fae male named Gideon. And so, the orcs didn’t want to touch me after learning that.
I heard them whispering among themselves that if they violated me, Gideon might one day hunt them down and punish them for their sins against me.
Before they could decide whether to free me or simply hold me for ransom, the soldiers from Braemar found their camp in the forest, and you know the rest.” A tear rolls down my cheek, and I quickly wipe it away.
Papa’s visage softens further. “Oh, Isabel. I wish you’d told me.
But I can’t help but wonder if the seer was lying.
Perhaps she had a kind heart and simply wanted to protect you from the cruelty of her brethren.
Perhaps she made up the story about the highborn fae male being your mate.
After all, mating unions between humans and fae are quite rare. ”
“She wasn’t lying, Papa.” I take another deep, steadying breath, but it does little to calm my rattled senses.
“Ever since the Winter Court army came to Braemar, I’ve been hearing a fae male’s voice in my head.
And sometimes, I feel his presence, as though he’s in the room with me.
I can smell him too, and I feel the waves of winter coldness radiating off him.
Oh, Papa. I fear this means the seer was right.
And it means I must leave Braemar before Gideon finds me.
He’s here. I’m certain of it, and I must run away. ”
Papa’s eyes flare with alarm, and he straightens in his chair. He snuffs out the pipe and sets it aside with a trembling hand. “Dear gods. Are you certain? You truly hear the fae male’s voice in your head?”
“Yes, Papa. I first heard his voice during the attack. When we were hiding under the floorboards,” I say with a gesture at the braided rug that conceals the secret hiding place.
After learning of the impending attack, Papa ushered Helena and me into the compartment beneath the floorboards.
It was then that I first heard Gideon’s voice and felt his presence, a storm of winter magic and brutal fae strength.
I heard him issuing orders to the fae soldiers under his command, and I also heard him taunting some of the human soldiers during the fight, presumably just before he slaughtered them.
Several times, I experienced flashes of the bloodlust coursing through his veins, a darkness that has left me utterly shaken.
Papa scrubs a hand down his face. He remains quiet and sits very still for a long moment.
I glance at my rucksack, impatience and fear clawing at my insides. The urge to flee Braemar grows stronger.
In a few hours, it will be morning. Tribute Day. If I’m to have any hope of escape, I must sneak out of the city under the cover of darkness. I pray I’ll find a way past the fae patrols that stalk the streets, not to mention the fae sentries that are likely guarding the stone walls of the city.
“My sweet daughter,” Papa eventually says, “I am so sorry about the seer’s revelation.
I wish you had told me sooner, though I’m not sure that could’ve changed anything.
I… I will go with you. I know of several weaknesses in the wall.
I can help you escape, and then we’ll travel south and cross the sea if we must. I’ll do whatever I can to keep you hidden from this highborn fae whose voice you keep hearing. ”
My heart lurches. “Oh, Papa, I appreciate you wanting to help me. But it’s too dangerous. If the fae catch me trying to escape, I’ll likely just be taken as a slave, at least until Gideon discovers me. But you’re a man and a former soldier. The fae guards would probably kill you on the spot.”
He stands up and gives me a stern look. “I’m coming with you, Isabel, and that’s final. Now, come help me pack and then we’ll be on our way. I will not argue with you about this. You’re my beloved daughter, and I intend to keep you safe.”
His firmly spoken words nearly cause me to burst into tears.
Not because he’s being stern with me, but because he’s being so protective.
Just as I knew he would be if he caught me trying to run away.
I curse myself for waiting until the very last moment.
I should’ve run away a week ago rather than the night before Tribute Day.
He grabs my rucksack and guides me to his bedroom, clearly not trusting me to wait for him. I help him pack, then I turn my back as he quickly gets dressed.
Thankfully, I can’t hear Gideon’s voice at the moment, nor can I sense his presence or feel the coldness of winter that clings to him. But the memory of his voice echoes in my head, and my flesh prickles at the recollection of the soft caresses of his cool breath on my neck.
How strange that I know his voice and his scent, yet I have no idea what he looks like.
But I’m certain that if I encountered him in the flesh, I would recognize him immediately.
Because of the mating bond. The bond I am desperate to outrun.
Perhaps if I cross the Clarrsian Sea and put a great distance between us, it will make the bond go completely cold and perhaps even break it. I can only hope. And pray.
Once we’re ready, Papa guides me out the back door and into the frigid night.
Technically, it’s not winter yet, but the Winter Court army seemed to bring their weather with them, and it has been deathly cold since their arrival.
Snow flurries drift softly down from the sky, and though I know I should keep myself as hidden as possible, I can’t resist the urge to lift my face to allow the flurries to land on my cheeks and nose.
Papa clears his throat and makes a frantic gesture, and I quickly lower my head, letting the hood of my cloak conceal my identity.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“Keep your head down and walk with me. If we’re stopped, pretend you are mute and let me do all the talking. And if I tell you to run, you run. Understand?”
“Yes, Papa, I understand.” Fear clogs my throat.
Are we really doing this? Are we really about to sneak out of the fae-occupied city of Braemar?
In the aftermath of the battle, the city is supposed to be locked down.
No humans are permitted to leave or enter.
If a fae patrol catches us, I fear we’ll be doomed.
Papa will be killed on sight, and I’ll be taken as a slave.
As we venture closer to the towering stone wall that surrounds Braemar, I send up countless silent prayers to the gods.
Please let us escape safely.
Please don’t let Gideon find me.
Please, please, please.