Chapter 3
Relax. Smile. Act casual. I had collected three things for my mission: a hallucinogen, alcohol, and a cloak. I held the bottle of whiskey in my hands, shaking the liquid ever so slowly, making sure the drugs had time to dissolve. Gods, if I got caught, they would turn me over to the Alfar courts for sure. Even the human’s respect for my mother wouldn’t be able to save me.
I made my way into the courthouse after timing the guard’s shift change. I had exactly thirty seconds until two new guards rotated to the front entrance of the jailhouse. I descended the uneven stone steps into the damp and underlit prison. The building was one of the oldest structures in our town. The stone that created the foundation was broken and loose. I pulled the hood of the cloak over my hair.
Three guards sat at a wooden table, playing cards casually. They looked up as I approached, sitting taller than they had been. I wasn’t plain by any means, but I was not rehearsed in the laws of seduction. I didn’t know how to move my body or what to do with my face. Even when I tried, I just ended up looking like some weird chicken, strutting through the street. I smiled, trying not to overdo it.
“What do we have here?” one of the guards asked with a devilish smile.
I relaxed, trying to seem casual. “I didn’t think it fair that the whole city gets to celebrate, while the men who work so hard to keep us safe are stuck down here, unable to attend the festivities,” I said, trying to sound seductive.
“Is that so? You decided to bring the party to us,” said another guard.
“I did,” I said, placing the whiskey on the table.
The guards smiled, reaching for the bottle. One of them pulled up a chair for me to join. I took it, watching as they poured the rich golden liquid into their wooden cups. They all shot the whiskey back, then poured themselves a second helping. This was too easy, I thought.
After their third cup, one of the guards looked at me with pure lust lurking behind his eyes. He smiled, reaching for my leg. I remained still, praying the effects of the whiskey would kick in at any second. I bashfully grinned, trying to hide my discomfort.
“What other party treats did you bring us?” He asked with his heavy breath on my neck as his hand slid up my thigh.
“I can retrieve some sweet cakes for you if you’d like,” I responded, trying to avert his attention from me.
He laughed. “I can think of something better than a sweet cake,” he said, moving towards me. One of the other guards slammed another cup in front of me, breaking the guard’s attention.
“Come on now, Reese. You haven’t even offered the woman a drink,” he said, pouring the whiskey into a glass in front of me. Shit.
“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t drink,” I said, trying to seem casual.
“Well, tonight you do. Now, drink up,” he said firmly. The third guard shook his head as if to try and stay awake. It was taking effect, just not as fast as I needed it to. The handsy guard began to sway in his chair as he downed another glass of liquor. “Go on girl, drink,” he barked. I took the glass and slammed the liquid back, placing the empty cup on the table. My face soured as the warm liquid coated my insides. He smiled with delight.
“Thank you,” I said politely. He nodded with satisfaction. I watched as all three of them fought to keep their eyes open. They slurred their words as they looked at one another, trying to figure out what was happening. The first guard went down, slamming his head on the table as he passed out into a deep sleep. The second one fell out of the chair into a bucket and broom against the wall. The third looked at his comrades and then at the bottle of whiskey, connecting the dots together. He looked back at me in shock.
“You—” he muttered before falling back out of his chair to the floor.
I rushed to the bodies, searching for the keys. I had less time than I thought, now being intoxicated myself. I could already feel the drug working through my system. It would affect me a lot faster due to my size. I grabbed the keys and went into the cells. Conner was slumped against the wall of a cell in the front. He sat up as I approached, his face swollen, and his mouth covered in blood.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, reaching towards the iron bars.
“Getting you out, what do you think?” I snapped. I fumbled with the keys, trying to focus as my vision went blurry. I inserted the key into the lock, releasing the latch. I fell instantly to the ground as his arms reached for me.
“What is wrong? Are you okay?”
“I had to drug the whiskey I gave to the guards. They made me drink with them. I’ll be unconscious any moment. We need to move now.” He supported my body with his and we moved up and out of the courthouse basement into the busy streets of the celebration. I was warm and everything was spinning as I fought to keep my eyes open. My legs gave out and I fell to the ground. I felt Conner pull me up and along the street with him, searching for a safe place to wait out the effects.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Four bells. The dark alfar had been spotted.
The crowd erupted in panic, racing to gather their children and loved ones as they sought refuge. Market stands were trampled, and food and ale poured into the street. No one cared about the soiled goods. All they cared about was avoiding being captured by the dark Alfar court. Conner slid a hand under my knees and behind my back, lifting me up, just before my vision gave out completely. The last thing I remember hearing was the echoing of the bells and the screams of my townspeople.
I woke up the next morning feeling like I had been worked to death. My body was limp, and my head was spinning. I pulled myself up just in time to relieve the contents of my stomach in the hay next to me. Wiping my mouth, I looked up to see Conner smiling at me from across the barn. He handed me a cup of well water and then slid down next to me.
“Thank you for coming for me,” he said softly.
“You didn’t leave me much of a choice. You’re a stubborn bastard, you know that?”
He laughed, twirling a piece of hay in between his fingers. His smile faded as he focused on the strand of hay in his hands. “I love her, Gen. I don’t know what I am going to do,” he admitted.
My heart felt heavy for him. This was the first heartbreak in his young life, but it surely wouldn’t be his last. I reached out, taking his hand. “You’re a good man, Conner. Any woman would be lucky to have your affections. Though, I must say, you have expensive taste.”
He laughed at me, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “Tell me about it. I know you don’t understand, but I must find a way to redeem my family's name. I’ve watched, read, and studied since my father lost everything. I can be of use to the advisors if they would just give me a chance.”
“I know you could, and I believe you will make something of yourself, but realistically, it won’t be in this town. You need to get out of here. Start somewhere fresh and new where no one knows your family. They only know you and your talents. The Frey is large. You can go wherever you want,” I said.
He exhaled in defeat. “That would mean I would have to leave Danielle.”
“I want you to be happy Conner, but you won’t be happy here. Even if you stay, her father will eventually marry her off to another man. Do you really want to stay and watch that?”
He shook his head. I saw the anger wash over him.
He turned to me, trying to hold himself together. “Come on, let’s get back to the others. You look like you were just trampled by a horse.” He pulled me to my feet.
“How about I dose you with drugs and let’s see how you recover.”
He laughed, holding onto me as we made our way back to the church.
The streets were quieter than yesterday. The decorations hung in disarray as remnants of food and wine littered the streets. I quickly remembered the warning bells for the dark alfar that went off in the middle of our celebration. Sadistic bastards. They couldn’t let us be during the solstice? They just had to use the celebration to gather slaves for their disgusting court.
As children, we were told stories about what they would do to the humans that ended up in their court. The alfar would rape and torture those they found to be less ugly than the others. They would use humans to conduct experiments. Crossbreeding them with fairies, nymphs, and incubi, just to name a few. If a child was conceived, they would do experiments on it to see which magical traits passed from each parent. After they concluded their testing, the child would be disposed of to keep every race’s line pure. I shuddered at the thought as approaching hooves drew me out of my thoughts.
A well-maintained wagon drawn by two white horses pulled up along the curb of the street across from our church. Out of a wagon sprang three young girls, all dressed in white. Their hair was freshly washed and braided away from their faces. They smiled and giggled as an older man exited behind them. Disgusting, I thought.
The light alfar were scheduled to come through the town this morning. The girls were going to be offered to the alfar by the man for a few silver shillings. The young idiots were surely told of the grandeur of the light court. How they would never go hungry again, and how honorable it would be to serve the elegant light alfar. Maybe one would even be taken as a lover of a noble alfar male and have a happy ending of their own. Ha, pathetic. The only thing that awaited anyone beyond the border was indentured servitude.
Conner and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes as we made our way to the stairs of the church. My body felt heavy and weak. I fought to drag my feet along the long halls toward the commons area. Before we even reached the door, I could hear yelling and crying coming from our room. I pushed open the door to find Jordan and Evan standing in front of one another, yelling their heads off.
“Do you realize what you’ve done? How selfish are you?” yelled Jordan. The others were scattered around the edge of the room, huddled together, crying.
“She wouldn’t listen to me. She insisted on finding Gen,” said Evan.
I scanned the room, taking note of the familiar faces. One was missing. I felt my heart begin to race as my breaths became uneven and strained. I stepped towards the two boys as they turned their attention to me.
“Jordan, what’s going on?” I asked, still searching for Lilian. My hands began to shake uncontrollably.
Jordan stood tall and firm and looked towards Evan with anger. “Go on. You tell her,” Jordan said.
Evan looked like he was going to be sick, unable to even bring his eyes up to meet mine.
“Evan, where is Lilian?” I asked.
He took a step back.
“Where is Lilian?” I screamed, grabbing the collar of his jacket with both of my hands.
“Genevieve, I’m sorry. She wouldn’t come back without you. She was out in the crowds looking for you when the bells rang. I tried dragging her with me, but she refused to leave,” Evan said softly.
“So, you just left her out there all by herself?” I screamed, holding back the need to break his jaw with my fist.
“I had no choice. She wouldn’t listen. I tried, but she was so worried about you. About what would happen if you got caught, being what you are.”
I let go of his jacket, pushing him away from me. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself.
“Have you gone out and looked for her since last night?” I asked Jordan.
“Yes, but—,” Jordan stopped and shook his head.
“But what? What did you find?” I demanded.
“She was taken, Gen,” said Jordan.
My heart fell into my stomach. “No, no she couldn’t have been. How do you know for sure?” I asked.
“The Ranger family saw from the window in their attic. The dark alfar appeared out of nowhere and took her.”
“Did…did they hurt her?” I forced myself to ask.
“They said one of them touched her head and she collapsed into his arms as if she was asleep. They disappeared into the mist with her. I looked everywhere Gen, I promise you. She’s just gone.”
“So, she was taken from Ring Street?” I refocused the conversation, trying to nail down the details of her capture.
“Yes.”
“How many others were taken from town?”
“She was the only one. They moved into Zelsberg and Walsh before ending in Rilar this time. A total of eight were taken this month, including Lily.”
I walked away from Jordan, trying to figure out how I was going to get her back. If they had hurt or tortured her, I didn’t know if I could live with myself—knowing her concern for me was what had gotten her taken. I tightened my fists together as my whole body shook in fear for my sister. Feeling as if the walls were closing in around me, I flew down the hall and up the stairs into the open air of the streets. The others followed me out of the church.
“What are we going to do?” asked Kara.
“Is there a chance she could still be alive?” asked Nil.
“Of course, she’s still alive. Don’t talk like that!” snapped Stefan.
I focused on the busy streets around the church. The birds flying through the air. The horses’ hooves stomping on the loose stone. Children playing off in the distance, dragging their brightly colored streamers through the air. I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Gen, I’m so sorry. If I had just been there and not distracted, this would have never happened,” said Jordan.
I looked across the street to see the group of young women in white awaiting the light alfar. My brow tightened as my rescue plan began to take form. I took Jordan’s hand in my own and turned to face him and the others.
“I know, but now you need to take the lead with the others and keep them safe,” I said to him.
His face tensed as he searched mine for answers. “What do you mean? What are you going to do? You can’t cross the border. You’re only half-elf,” said Jordan.
“I can if I am escorted by an alfar,” I responded, slowly turning towards the three girls in white.
His eyes followed mine, stopping at the sight of them. He shook his head with vigor. “No, no, absolutely not. You cannot do this. If they find out what you are, they will kill you on sight!” Jordan snapped.
“I have no other choice. I have to get across that border and to the dark court and this is the only way.”
“You’re crazy! You won’t survive the dark court, let alone whatever else is in those woods. And how do you plan to get free of the light alfar? What, you think they’ll sympathize with you and just let you go on your merry way? They don’t care about humans, Gen. We are no better than cattle to them, that is all,” said Jordan.
Compared to the dark, the light alfar were the kinder elves. They didn’t experiment on the humans, nor did they offer them up as sacrifices to their gods, but humans were looked at as nothing more than dogs. Theycleaned the alfar’s castles and tended to their royals, and their lands. Some people liked to think of the light alfar as gods and saviors, for the border of protection.
“Come on, Gen. This is a suicide mission, and you know it,” added Evan.
“One I wouldn’t have to be taking on if it wasn’t for you!” I yelled at him.
He dropped his head in shame and took a step away from me.
I took another calming breath. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” I said.
“No, you’re right. It should be me going after her, not you,” Evan said softly.
I took a long look at the six orphans who had become my family. Each was beautiful and unique in their own way. But Lily needed me.
“If something goes wrong and I don’t make it, then at least I know I did everything I could to bring her back. If I don’t try, I’m not going to be able to live with myself,” I said.
“Please, just consider this before you do it,” said Jordan. “I know what Lilian means to you. What she means to all of us, but?—”
“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to offer my services to the light alfar and then I am going to find Lily,” I said adamantly.
Jordan took a second and then nodded.
The others looked at me with tears in their eyes, hesitant to say goodbye.
The crowds in the streets began to scatter and part as they all whispered and gawked at an oncoming convoy. I turned to see a group of light alfar riding on horseback through the town in the distance. The youngest of my family, Nil, wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me so tight I gasped for breath.
“I love you, Gen. Please don’t go,” she said.
I knelt and took her face in my hands. “I will come back for you…for all of you,” I said, looking up at my family one last time. I kissed Nil on the head and then hugged the rest of them, not knowing if this was the end. I turned from their teary faces and inhaled a deep breath before stepping off into the direct path of my only hope of finding Lily.