Chapter 1 The Tithe #2
I glared back at him, daring him to pick me. I wanted to throw myself at him, claw at his pretty face, make him bleed. I wanted to rip his wings from his back and watch him scream in agony.
I hoped he could feel my hate. I hoped it seeped from me like my breath in the frigid air.
He smirked, as if he'd heard my thoughts, but he looked away. His gaze landed on someone else, and everything inside me froze.
Pelbie.
His hand lifted. And he touched her shoulder.
No! No, no, no.
The ground tilted beneath me. I couldn’t breathe. A hot rush of nausea clawed up my throat.
It didn’t make any sense. Why her? There were stronger, faster, sharper people in our group.
I wasn’t deluded. Pelbie couldn’t fight her way out of a dream, let alone a fae warcourt.
She was a healer’s apprentice, gentle and soft-spoken, more comfortable with poultices and pressure points than blades.
My breathing became shallow as I froze in place, not moving at all, not wanting to accept this reality.
Pelbie let go of my hand as she stepped toward the platform. The fae's mouth twisted into something resembling a grin. It was a cruel, ugly smile. As if he was amused by my shock.
He must have known. He had been watching me, hadn't he?
This was a game to him. A sick, twisted game where he decided who lived and died, who were delivered into the hands of the fae, and who didn't. He was enjoying it.
Hate and fear gripped my heart but I knew what I needed to do.
"No," I heard myself say. "I won't let you take her."
There was a stunned silence. Every single head swivelled to face me. Including the Warlord. He was no longer grinning.
"Mira." Pelbie's voice was trembling. A single tear slipped down her cheek as she shook her head. "Don't."
My palms burned with the need for revenge, with the fury that consumed every inch of my soul. The world darkened around me as I stared the fae down.
The Warlord's wings spread slightly, like a predator preparing to attack. I was going to give him what he wanted.
A challenge.
He didn't say a word. He was waiting, almost daring me to say it again. As if he weren't sure whether I would disobey him. As if it wasn't even possible.
"Take me." The words were out before I could think of the consequences. "I'm a strong fighter. I'm older. Take me instead."
It was true. I could use my knives better than most boys in the village. I could wield a sword if needed. I was twenty, past the age most were Chosen, but still within range. But mostly, I was desperate.
Warlord's eyes roamed my face, my body. I'd dressed as well as I could, but my boots were old and patched, and my clothes were hand-me-downs. My hair was well-kept, my face clear of any marks. But I knew that the Warlord wasn't looking at me that way. He wasn't even seeing me at all.
I wasn't human, after all. I was a Vessel.
"Very well." His expression hardened. His hand came up and rested on my cheek, making me stiffen. "We'll take you both."
My heart dropped like a stone.
Zydar moved closer, and his lips brushed my ear.
"Miralyte Tavora." His breath was warm on my skin. "I'll enjoy making you regret that."
Then he turned away, his wings snapping out and taking him into the sky.
"What did you do?" Pelbie grabbed my arm.
"I didn't—"
"You did something. Mira, no. You know the rules…" She was shaking her head. "You…"
"It's fine, Pelbie. Trust me." It wasn't. "We'll be back once the snow melts."
The other fae watched me curiously, too, although none were so obvious about it. I wondered how often a mortal volunteered, and how much they'd bet against me.
Pelbie and I walked to the platform without a word.
The crystal surface crunched faintly beneath our boots, already layered with fresh snow.
Snow that would quickly forget my rebellion here today, just as it had forgotten Ciradyl’s screams. We stood off to the side, waiting in silence as the fae continued their choosing .
Once they were done, the woman with the white wings raised her arms to the sky. "In the name of our glorious queen, the High Sovereign Ylvena of the Sun Court, we come to you. The Tithe is made. For our part, we claim these mortals to serve in our courts and feed our lands."
She looked at the crowd disdainfully, before she continued, "May the Mother bless these vessels. May our queen protect our borders and our realm."
I had seen this done enough times before to know what would happen next.
The crystal beneath our feet would split open. A portal would appear below us, golden light pouring through the cracks like fire under ice. The only way in was down. There was no way back up.
The Sun Court faerie stepped to the center of the platform and lifted her hands. Her eyes closed. She whispered something in the old tongue and a shimmering, golden portal yawned open at our feet. It was large and bright, and the light was almost blinding.
There was no time to adjust.
"Don't let go," I tightened my grip on her hand.
"Never."
One by one, the chosen were pushed through. I kept my chin lifted high, though my chest felt tight. My legs began to tremble.
When our turn came, we stepped into the golden glow.
It was as if the light itself swallowed us up. Every sound warped — my heartbeat, Pelbie’s breath, the crunch of snow — all stretched thin and strange like they were underwater. The air burned cold and hot at the same time. My ears popped. My skin felt inside-out.
We fell fast and without warning. My feet hit the ground before my mind caught up.
All around us, faint light shimmered beneath the crystal floor as the portal sealed itself shut. I turned and saw more of them scattered across the horizon — glowing circles of gold where other mortals were arriving.
Dozens of people, maybe more, stumbled forward in silence. They came from other villages, other places like ours, each one carrying the same dread on their faces.
We weren’t alone.
And we weren’t special. We were just one group among many.
I took a breath, trying to steady myself. The air here was warm, gentler than the wind that had clawed at my coat only moments before.
But no warmth could touch what I carried with me. And I knew, as the glow faded away behind me—
The snow would never melt.
We would never return.