Chapter 5
The Warrior
“They’re gonna kill us, aren’t they Stieg?”
I looked down at the lanky alver boy. One eye was bruised and a painful magisk collar was draped around his neck to block his mesmer magic. In truth, I did not know how to reply. Britta and Ivar Grym—the tyrants who still held the alver lands—took hostages, littles and young ones. Me.
I was not certain why they kept me alive. Perhaps it had something to do with my rank among the Night Folk army. The alvers did not seem keen to destroy any hope of alliance with the Northern clans quite yet.
I did not know what would become of us if our folk did not find us.
Still, I gripped the boy’s shoulder and gave him a slight shake. “No, Ash. They’re not going to kill you, or me, or your sister. What is it you Kryv always say?”
Kase Eriksson was a thief fated to rise as the future king if we defeated the Black Palace. The Guild of Kryv were notorious for their schemes. Ash and his sister, Hanna, were the youngest Kryv.
Ash lifted his chin. “Fight to the end. Kase always says we fight those who wish us harm, those who wish to keep us down in the dregs, until we meet the end of them or us.”
“Exactly.” I cupped a hand on the boy’s cheek. “Can I count on you to look after the youngest among us?”
Ash puffed out his skinny chest. “We’ll will see ‘em safe, Stieg. Will you tell your earth breaker king, if they find us, that I helped?”
I chuckled and hid the wince the movement brought in my ribs. “Boy, if you help protect these young ones, King Valen will make you an honorary warrior if you desire it.”
Ash’s eyes flashed with a new sort of thrill. Ever since the alver clans had aided the Night Folk in defeating our enemies two turns earlier, Ash had a sort of fascination and reverence for Valen.
I suspected it made Kase even surlier.
Down the corridor a door clanged and heavy steps shuffled over the stones.
“Go.” I nudged Ash away from the doorway. “Stay down, understand?”
The boy’s face paled, but he nodded and rushed to where the other littles were kept tucked behind a few pieces of crumbled wall.
I unfurled my fingers, stretching the joints, then curled them back, testing my fists. The Black Palace was fighting a losing battle, and they’d taken their rage out on me and a few of the older young ones.
I would not let them touch another child so long as air filled my lungs. The door creaked when it opened. I braced, waiting for an attack, but was met with a guard dragging a thrashing creature…no, he had another little in his grip.
The boy was small, couldn’t have been even six turns, with sharply pointed fae ears.
The young one was not going into this room without a fight.
He kicked and tried to bite the wrist of the guard, revealing elongated canine teeth. Was he a fae from the south? One of their strange forest fae or blood fae?
“Gods. Just—bleeding hells—get in there, you little beast.” The guard shoved the fae boy. Hard.
He landed in a heap, two paces from my boots. I lifted my glare to the guard in the door. The man only scoffed. “Pleasant evening, fae.”
Then, the door slammed closed.
I hurried and knelt beside the boy, but at my first touch, the young one scrambled back, a small hiss sliding through his teeth.
Good hells, I’d never seen a fae like him. Beyond the sharp teeth, his skin was peeling on the bridges of his cheeks, like it had grown too dry, and the boy’s eyes were a shocking shade of crimson.
He did not stop fleeing until his back struck the opposite wall.
I held up one palm. “I’m not going to harm you.”
The boy simply flashed his teeth and hugged his skinny knees against his chest. I did not think the boy was six turns; he was even younger and clearly terrified.
And he did not want to show it.
I adjusted on my knees. “What’s your name?”
For a moment the boy’s face softened, not out of trust, more confusion. As though he’d expected something crueler.
“Where did they take you from, boy? Your mother? Your father?” I wanted to know why, but I doubted a little so young would know.
The child’s brow furrowed in distress. He let his small face fall to the tops of his knees. I glanced over my shoulder. Ash stood now, watching with caution from where the littles were hidden.
“Ash,” I whispered. “Show him some of the young ones.”
“It’ll help him know he’s not alone with a big warrior. Bet he’s afraid of you. You look frightening, especially with the bruises.”
Leave it to young Ash to always say things as truth, no mincing words. “That is what I was thinking, yes.”
“Wise scheme.” The boy ducked behind the stone wall again, words muffled as he spoke to the littles.
Another breath and they stepped out, one by one.
Ash and his sister held the hands of Von, a boy likely near the age of this new fae, and Laila, my young princess who’d snuck onto the ships and stowed away when we sailed into the battle.
Ash waved his hands, gesturing to the young ones. “There’s more littles here, fae.”
The new boy lifted his head just enough to peer over his knees. At the sight of more children, the red of his gaze deepened.
“You see,” I said, voice low. “We’re like you, a little trapped right now, but it won’t be for much longer. My folk will come for us, boy. They’ll help break us all out, you as well.”
He lifted his head a little more. Those bloody eyes bounced from face to face, then locked on me at long last. “To Papa?”
His soft, boyish tone was not like any of the kingdoms I knew. Not the silky playful accent of the southern fae isles, not the low, smooth tones of the alvers. Certainly not the sharper accents of the Night Folk.
“Is that your daj? Your father?”
The boy nodded.
“We’ll get you safe, then I’ll see to it we find your daj. What clan are you, boy? Live in the peaks? Or are you forest fae?”
He tilted his head, eyeing me like I’d gone mad.
“Doesn’t understand your words, Stieg.”
“Thank you, Ash.” I scooted nearer to the fae boy. “Where is home?”
The young fae hesitated for a breath. “Ever.”
“Ever, that’s your village?”
His nose wrinkled. “I wiv in seas.”
A sea fae. Three hells, I ought to have recognized some of the features. My chest tightened. Casper, my old friend, lost to the Night Folk and mortal wars, had been part water nyk and part sea fae. Similarities were there in the point of the ears, the shade of his skin.
“Of course, Ever Seas.” I had no idea what he meant, but it seemed to brighten his features believing we’d heard of his home. “I am called Stieg. I am fae, but not sea fae. I use air.”
The boy did not seem impressed and merely stared at me.
I cleared my throat. “We won’t harm you in this room, but I will speak true, I don’t know why they’ve taken you. We’re keeping young ones behind those stones over there. That’s Ash.”
The alver boy waved stiffly.
“He and Hanna are helping me look after you littles. When they come—”
I did not have an opportunity to tell him our routine of hiding the young ones and allowing me to take the brunt of the abuse from the guards before the door opened again. Britta Grym was followed by half a dozen guards.
She sneered at me, then pinned her attention on the sea fae. “Take him.”
Two of Britta’s guards curled their hands under the boy’s arms. He cried out and returned to his thrashing and kicking. Only now tears brightened the red of his eyes.
“Don’t touch him.” I rushed for the woman, but was met with two blades trained at my throat.
Britta stepped in front of me. “Listen well, Night Folk, the only reason you still live is for bargaining purposes with your rebel king of the North. I’m told he and his mortal queen are quite fond of you. Don’t push me to alter your fate.”
“What do you want with a sea fae boy?”
“Ah, noticed he’s not from here, did you?” Britta looked to the open doorway.
I could still hear the child’s cries echoing in the corridor.
“That sea fae has a unique ability to heal. Everyone knows by now that my husband is fading. But we need him to keep the power from that wretched little whore who thinks she is some sort of queen.”
She spoke of Malin, the wife of Kase, the true queen of this land.
The Lord Magnate, Ivar, kept a relic of great power from Malin, halting her from taking her fated throne. But Ivar was dying. If he faded, it would change the tides of this battle soon enough.
“That fae boy will end this war in our favor, not those thieves,” Britta said. “Pity we need to draw his blood though. I’m not entirely heartless and don’t revel in carving up young ones.”
All gods, they were going to kill him.
I jolted forward, uncertain what I’d do should I get hands on Britta. Snap her neck? Strangle her? All of it would do. Before I had the pleasure, one of her guards slammed his fist against my jaw, knocking me to one knee.
The woman only laughed. “Until we speak again, Night Folk. Sleep well.”
The door locked and the echoes of the little sea fae’s screams rattled in my skull until I was certain the sound would remain embedded into the very marrow of my bones into the Otherworld.