Chapter 54 – Neve
Chapter 54
NEVE
M y heart thundered as I sprinted down the stone steps leading into the basin of the captured. The soon to be enslaved. Behind me, the others raced to keep up.
To find Roar.
To demand an explanation and then . . . my fists bunched up as one caged human caught my eye and pleaded for help. Bleeding skies, the Warden of the West was a veritable monster.
At the bottom of the staircase, I whirled and stared at the female miner, still ten steps from the bottom. “Where is the high lord?”
She swallowed, unnerved by how I was acting. “He never delves far into the active mines, so I expect he’s at the portal, waiting for more humans to arrive.” She joined me and gestured through the line of cages.
More humans. How many did the vampires of the Blood Court purchase at one time?
I pushed the questions from my mind. The only ones that mattered were the ones that Roar would soon answer. “Show me.”
The miner strode through the cages, illuminated by torches attached to the sides of their cages. Shockingly, the woman did not seem bothered by her own kind being locked up. I supposed that if one knew this happened, and they could do nothing about it, becoming hardened would not be so unthinkable. Perhaps her indifference was how she protected herself. After all, these humans were so close to the place she slept—where she raised her family, if she had one. A single wrong move, if she and the other miners didn’t produce enough gold, then she would become like those in the cages. Sold for their blood. To be food.
Food . . .
My breath hitched as a memory of one conversation with Roar came rushing back. He’d told me of the local merchants who wished to import more from the Autumn Court for some reason I could not recall. But practically in the same breath he’d mentioned bringing in goods from the human world too.
When I’d asked what, he’d given a single answer.
“Foodstuffs.”
The bastard! Was this what he’d meant? Food for vampires and not the fae of Guldtown?
“Neve, you must collect yourself.” Vale came up beside me. “You’re dropping the temperature, and these people aren’t properly dressed.”
I cut a glance to where he pointed at the cages, and my heart stuttered. Frost covered the bars closest to me. Inside, humans shivered and huddled together, all of them clearly baffled by how the elements from outside were accosting them when we were deep within the mountain mines.
“How?” My voice wobbled as I whispered, not wanting anyone to hear despite them being powerless. That I could already use my magic was a source of pride, but I did not have complete control, and that scared me.
“Your power is responding to your emotions,” Vale replied in a soft voice. “It’s normal for new magic users. As you become more experienced, it’ll happen less, but you have more raw power than most, so you must be careful.”
I breathed in and out, steady and slow. Should I need to call my power when faced with Lord Roar, then fine. I’d unleash it to the fullest extent. Not here, though. Not around the blameless humans.
“Better,” Vale assured me. “It’s already warmed a bit.”
I swallowed. “You remember the portal outside of Guldtown? The one you mentioned for supplies?”
He nodded.
“This isn’t it, is it?” I had to be certain.
“No. The Guldtown portal is barely ten minutes from the city wall.”
Again, anger flared. The bastard.
“This way,” the miner said, not paying attention to us as she cut hard around the final cages and led us to a circular tunnel similar to the ones we’d traveled through thus far, though flickering torches lined this one, not faelights. Just like the ones on the human cages. I wondered about that. Did Roar keep the circle of those who knew about this part of the mines small? So perhaps he did not trust a fae with the power of sunlight, a limiter, to come down here.
I found it unfathomable how one person could hide so much, twist the truth or omit it so well that no one in the wider kingdom learned of all this, but I felt certain that was what had happened. Whether through curated conversation or some magical means, Roar, and maybe even his predecessor, had spun a web of deceit that baffled the mind.
“Close now,” the human said.
“Stay quiet then,” I hissed.
“I will not say a word, my lady.” For the first time, the human’s voice trembled.
I felt bad for scaring her, and yet, I did not apologize. Later, perhaps. For now, I needed only to remain focused. The others seemed to sense that because Caelo and Anna had not said a word since we’d seen the soon-to-be slaves.
Then again, Anna might be in shock. Was this how her mother had arrived in Isila? My heart clenched and despite my seconds-old resolve to remain focused, I twisted to find my best friend at the end of our line, her gaze downcast, tears streaking down her cheeks.
I hadn’t even thought to comfort her. What a terrible friend I was.
“Anna,” I called out softly.
She looked up, sniffled.
“I’m so sorry.”
She huffed a breath. “Make him pay, Neve. Make him pay . ”
“I will.”
A large but gentle hand pressed into the small of my back. Vale’s. “We’re all with you.”
“I know.” I faced forward in time to see light flare up ahead.
“The portal is being used,” the miner breathed.
“Right now? That’s what the light was?”
“Yes.”
“Slow down then,” I ordered. “I don’t want Roar to hear us approach. And let me go in front.”
We were being quiet, but between the miner’s heavy steps and Anna’s uneven gait, there was some noise and Roar was fae. We had excellent hearing.
The miner fell back between Vale and Caelo, and I took the lead. When we reached the end of the tunnel, I held up a hand and peeked around the corner. A cavern about half the size of Frostveil’s impressive throne room opened before me. Immediately, I located a flash of long, copper red hair.
Roar, Warden of the West, and all-around arsehole, stood to the side of a portal as one by one, humans stumbled through to join a group of five. He grasped the young human woman’s hand, gave her a charming smile. She let out a laugh and the other humans, all female, tittered. They seemed to be a group of friends, and as I’d grown up with humans, I could guess that they were around my age.
Five other fae stood with Roar—four of them faerie guards donning the crimson and gold of House Lisika, and one unarmed, handsome faerie stood with Roar. The unarmed fae male wore casual clothing that had to be from the human world. The humans appeared excited to be in the mine, and content to look around. One young woman peered down a shaft that led who-knew-how-deep into the mountain. I would bet the jewelry I’d taken from Queen Revna’s trove that he had lured these lovely human females here under false pretenses.
Humans did not simply stumble through portals into Isila. They had to come through either with a fae, or soon after a fae traversed the worlds. In the second case, it was usually a curious human following a fae through.
However, in this instance, I was sure they’d been baited.
I scanned the area. Torches illuminated parts of the cavern but left the vast majority in darkness. My eyes caught on a table and the basket of bread atop it. Rage simmered inside me, hot and fluid, making my blood pound in my ears. The table of food was probably lulling any sense of fear inside them, though it should do the opposite. If a human ate fae food, it meant that they’d be forever trapped in Isila.
I waved the human miner forward and pointed to where the woman still peered down the shaft. “How many of those shafts are there? And where are they located?”
“I don’t come back here much,” she whispered. “It’s far from the active parts of the mines—a remnant of when the dwarves claimed this part of the mountain.”
“Any help is useful.” I sensed she held something back.
“That one that the woman is looking down,” she said. “And there’s another shaft in the darkness, along this wall and far, far back. Or so I’ve been told. They say it’s large and goes the deepest. Some say to an unstable system too. We miners steer clear.”
I kept that in mind and stepped out into the cavern. “You have some explaining to do, Roar.”
Fast as a snake, he twisted away from the human he’d been flirting with and found me. Emerald green eyes became as round as saucers, but Roar recovered, and his lips curled up in an oily smile.
“Neve. You escaped Avaldenn, I see.”
“E—escaped? Does that mean you’ve heard about what’s been happening in the city?”
“Not since I left, but Prince Gervais was after you. It’s why I had to leave. He threatened me.”
I believed that. Prince Gervais had called Roar duplicitous, and he certainly had not wanted me under the lord’s protection.
“Threatened to tell the king of your illegal endeavors too, I take it?” Vale stepped out of the tunnel behind me and from the corner of my eye, I saw Caelo waiting, sword in hand. Anna and the miner remained a few steps away from the opening of the tunnel. Out of Roar’s line of sight. On Caelo’s suggestion, no doubt.
“Vale.” Roar’s false pleasantness faded. “Why are you here?”
“I wouldn’t let my wife travel west without me.”
“Oh, right. Your wife.” Roar drawled as if he didn’t care at all. I suspected it was all one great farce.
“What are you doing with those humans?” I wanted to see if he’d admit it. Or if he’d talk in circles .
“Don’t play stupid, Neve. You’re too intelligent for such things.”
No games then. Good. We were so far beyond them.
“How could you?” I stalked forward, frost forming at my fingertips.
Roar caught the magic, his eyebrow raising practically to his hairline. “Your potion wore off.”
One guard pulled a sword and ushered the human females to huddle behind Roar, as if I were the dangerous one. As if I were the one who wanted to hurt them.
“Surprised at what power I wield?” I flicked my fingers above. Snow fluttered down, earning me a few ooohs and ahhs from the human women. Roar, however, smirked.
“You’ve known who I was since the moment Frode dropped me on the ground in your throne room and you saw my scar, didn’t you? You knew I was one of the Falk twins?”
For a moment, Roar didn’t answer, but it was all the response I needed. He’d known.
“Don’t try to twist the truth,” I pressed. “I found Brogan's last note. In it, he spoke of a baby with a crescent scar, right where mine is.”
This close, I caught the flicker of surprise ripple across his face before he hid it. The male was a master at hiding things.
“He spoke of something else too, Roar. An item long lost. One you told me about. One that might change the fate of this kingdom. Do you know where it is?”
“Brogan,” Roar’s voice resonated both with longing and annoyance. “The golden child. The heir. My brother— and a pain in my arse. To this day, it seems.” He shook his head. “And of course I don’t have it. My brother probably attracted attention on the road, bandying about the Scepter, and they were all killed for it.”
For the first time, I got the sense that Roar blamed his brother for many of his woes.
“It’s not your brother’s fault all your family’s secrets came to light. You shouldn’t have loaned me the book.”
“It seemed an easy enough ploy. Give a female who loves to read a library, give her all that she ever wanted, and a purpose. Tell her you need her, and most would fall in an instant.”
“Fall?”
“In love. I wished for you to love me.”
“We had a contract binding a false engagement, but you were really trying to force me into loving you!?”
“And I failed.” Roar’s green eyes narrowed. “You had to fall for the prince, the stupidest Aaberg.”
My blood thrummed. “Don’t speak about Vale that way.”
“I’ll speak of him however I want,” Roar snorted. “You and him, you make no sense. But I told you, Neve. Together, we would have been unstoppable . A Falk heir, Princess Isolde, with the lord of the wealthiest house in the kingdom? One with an army to rival the royal army. We could have reshaped Winter’s Realm! Do you have any idea how powerful the last Lisika and Falk marriage was? It unified the realm!”
My heart clenched. He’d even known which twin I was .
“ We were never a true couple, Roar. Only on paper, but never in my heart, no matter how many times you tried to force yourself on to me.” The number of times he’d tried to kiss me, to keep me close and cloistered, came back to me. I’d missed so many warning signs—taken them as acts of protectiveness for a female who held no power of her own.
Well, I was no longer that fae.
“Force himself on to you?” Vale growled. He came to stand next to me and a whine rang through the cavern as he unsheathed Skelda .
Roar laughed. “Are we to fight, then? In here?” His cloak, the red color of House Lisika, fluttered as he gesticulated to the mine cavern.
“You act as though you don’t deserve to die,” I growled, prompting the women to take a few hurried steps back. “As though you didn’t put me in so much danger. As if you didn’t keep things from me and then left me to the wolves. And as if you’re not, at this very moment, luring humans over and selling them into slavery!”
“ What?! ” one woman screamed and looked at the bait faerie. “You said we would go to a faerie ball!”
“Everyone’s got to earn a living, love,” the bait faerie replied, his accent odd, from the human world. Though I’d taken him as a full fae before, that he’d lied told me he had to be a half-blood, half human, most likely.
Still a cretin.
“Don’t eat the food.” I spoke directly to the humans. If they didn’t eat, then they could return home. That was, as long as Roar did not close the portal .
Did he have that ability? Or had this one been left open since his father’s passing?
Roar chuckled, ripping my attention back on to him, where it should have been. My eyes bulged. His soldiers had drawn their swords, but not Roar. No, he had nothing but a dagger on him. No bow and arrow, Roar’s favored weapon, and nothing else large and powerful enough to best Skelda . Nor the sword I carried—the one I’d taken from King Harald’s suite.
However, the Warden of the West didn’t need steel. Not when he possessed the deadly power of tooth and claw, each growing at a profound rate as he shifted. For the first time, I’d see Roar’s shapeshifting ability.
And as his magic changed his body and another form took shape, I realized it might also be the last time I witnessed such a thing.