Chapter 4
The convoy of light alfar consisted of six males on horseback with a wagon trailing behind them. There was no mistaking an alfar, regardless of whether they were light or dark. They were magnificent creatures with flawless skin and striking features. They held themselves with grace and elegance as if their bodies had never seen a day’s work. Male or female, their bodies were tall and trim.
An alfar’s hair was always straight, not a wave in sight. If you were an alfar from the light court, you would have white, grey, or blonde hair. The dark alfar were distinguished by their black-as-night hair. The six males that approached were all striking in appearance. No emotion showed on their faces, yet their presence demanded attention.
Their bodies were lean with muscle showing through the thin linen shirts that adorned their pale skin. Each wore shades of brown leather pants with swords and daggers attached to a belt at their waist. Knee-high boots padded down the cobblestone street, barely making a sound.
The people of our small town scurried past the group, trying not to catch their attention. The alfar leader stopped by the older man with the three young girls. The man smiled joyously as he presented the girls to the alfar.
One alfar dismounted and headed towards them. They beamed with excitement. He checked them over, circling as if he was assessing farm animals. He touched their faces, checked their hands, and looked into their eyes for any signs of sickness. He appeared to be satisfied with their physical health. He took them by the arms and led them to the back of the wagon without a word. The alfar leader tossed the older man a pouch of coins in exchange for his new batch of slaves.
The alfar didn’t have to pay him anything. They could take whomever they wished and there would be nothing any of us could do about it. The money was a way of easing the tension between the races and proving to the humans they weren’t beasts like the dark alfar. No matter what price the alfar paid for you, a slave was still a slave.
The older man bowed to the passing convoy as they slowly continued forward. I clenched my fists, moving directly into the path of one of the riders. The horse halted to a stop as I stood firm, not letting it pass. The male who led the convoy turned his focus towards me from on top of his horse.
The alfar male had long blonde hair pulled back into a half ponytail with small braids intertwined throughout. He had piercing blue eyes and a face that looked as if it was made of pure marble. He was stunning and elegant. Everything I wasn’t. He looked down at me, his expression seemed to be emotionless.
“Move,” he said firmly.
I swallowed as I felt my body begin to tremble. “I wish to work for the light alfar,” I said, with all the courage I could muster.
He looked me up and down, then smirked. “When was the last time you bathed? You smell worse than my steed.” He straightened in the saddle.
“I will take whatever job you offer. Please, just give me a chance to prove myself. You can keep the two shillings. I will come willing and freely,” I begged.
“You aren’t worth two shillings by the look of you,” he said, before turning back to signal to the one who had assessed the other girls. Horse hooves clicked softly as the leader approached. His beautiful moonlight white hair trailed down his neck past his shoulders. His eyes were yellow as the sun and his face had a slight golden tint to it. Built like a soldier, his muscles bulged through his white linen shirt.
The blue-eyed male bent down to whisper to the white-haired one, quietly enough that I couldn’t make out what he was saying. The yellow-eyed alfar turned his head slowly towards me, taking note of my dirty clothes and frail form. He dismounted and approached. I trembled at his size but forced myself to stay rooted in place. He took my chin between his cold fingers and turned my face from side to side as he evaluated me.
“Open,” he said, pulling my chin down. I bared my teeth as he checked for any rot or decay. I closed my mouth as we stood in silence. “Your eyes,” he said with interest.
“They’re a common trait on my father's side,” I responded. Not actually a lie. I figured I had his eyes since my mothers were a pale brown, from what I could remember. The white-haired alfar let go of my chin and straightened in front of me.
“What talents do you have?”
“I can clean, cook, sew, tend to the fields. Whatever you need, I can do it,” I said.
His eyebrow arched and his stone-cold face cracked into a small smirk, as if he could see through my blatant lie. He took two silver shillings from his pocket and placed them in my hand. I looked down at the small coins that represented the value of my life.
“I told the other male I would come for free,” I stuttered.
He folded my fingers around the coins and held my hand for a brief moment. I had never been this close to an alfar before. His skin was cold, yet smooth as silk. He gestured toward my family across the street. “Give it to them, then get into the wagon,” he said, before turning back to mount his horse.
I ran across the street and gave Jordan the two shillings. He took my wrist before I could run back. I turned to see his face wracked with guilt and fear.
“Good luck,” Jordan whispered.
I nodded and then headed back to the wagon. The horses took off before I took a seat across from the three young girls dressed in white. They giggled and smiled at one another, not bothering to look my way.
We made five more stops, picking up other young workers from different towns and settlements before we made our way to the protective border. I peeked my head out of the wooden wagon to see the border markers coming into view. Two alfar trailed the wagon, while the other four took the lead, fanning out along the path.
There were ten of us in the wagon. The alfar had collected three additional girls like the ones from my town. They were clean and dressed in a similar fashion to one another. The other three were young men under the age of twenty. They were taken from their families against their wills. They looked nervous and afraid, unsure of what their futures held. One of the finely dressed young girls reached across the wagon and took a young boy's hand.
“Do not be afraid,” she said. “We are going to a better life where we will be protected and cared for.”
He pulled his hand away from hers and gave her a look of disgust. “Don’t be foolish. We are going to be worked to death and treated worse than animals. You’ll most likely end up under some light alfar that will only view you as a means to relieve himself every night,” the young boy spat.
The girl looked shocked as her mouth fell open in disbelief. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. They don’t treat humans like that. Not in the light court. They will be kind to us all. We are lucky to have been chosen.”
“We’ll see if you’ll be saying that a week from now after you’ve been worked to the point of exhaustion and screwed by half the court,” the boy said.
“That’s enough,” I interrupted. “Keep your opinions to yourselves, all of you.” They all looked at me with anger, but the bickering stopped.
As we approached the border, I could feel a slight humming vibrate through my bones. It was as if small shots of lightning zapped along the surface of my skin. I peeked out of the wagon but could not see a physical barrier. I watched as the alfar in the front was the first to step across the invisible fence on top of his steed. A shimmer of yellow and white light rippled as the horse split through the shield. As we approached next the male guiding our wagon laid a hand on top of our wooden carriage. A slight shimmer slid across the wood as we crossed the protective border without issue.
Immediately after we were out of The Frey, the air seemed to smell cleaner and fresher. We all peered out of the wagon at the beautiful, lush forest. Trees stretched fifty feet into the sky and their trunks were so thick around that I wondered if they had been here since the beginning of time. The late afternoon sun peeped through the dense canopies of the trees lining our path.
We continued on the dirt road for the next two hours before we finally stopped to make camp. One of the alfar warriors told us that we would reach the light alfar’s kingdom, Urial, tomorrow after breakfast, but we would stay here for the night. We helped unload the wagon of supplies and food. I watched closely as one of the alfars spun his hands around in a rhythmic motion and tents and a campfire instantly appeared. We gawked at their magic. I had never seen actual magic performed. How easy life would be if I had even a sliver of their abilities? The six young girls clapped and jumped in excitement. The alfar didn’t even acknowledge them.
The rest of us stood back, waiting for our marching orders like obedient dogs. One of the males gestured for us to take a seat around the fire. They handed us each a silver bowl with meat, potatoes, fresh vegetables, and a glass of wine. We looked at each other, unsure if it was real. The food smelled better than anything I had ever eaten.
The alfar sat across from us, eating in silence. The six girls looked at the rest of us, their expressions smug. We were still wary of the food and good treatment. I held the plate in my hand as my mouth watered. The smell of the food was torturous to my empty stomach.
“Is there something wrong with the food?” asked the yellow-eyed leader. He appeared in front of me, tall and stoic. I didn’t even remember seeing him leave from his seat across the camp. We all looked at each other, not knowing how to respond. I bowed my head, refusing to make eye contact, hoping he would just go away. He bent down slowly, stabbed a fork into one of the potatoes on my plate, and placed it in his mouth. I looked up to find his eyes locked onto my own as he chewed quietly. “Eat,” he demanded.
I took a small piece of meat and slowly placed it in my mouth. Closing my eyes, I tried to hide my satisfaction from the alfar. I swallowed the piece of meat and looked at the other three guys, nodding that it was safe. They began digging in as if they hadn’t eaten for days. I looked back at the yellow-eyed alfar. His mouth curled at the corner, and he nodded at me approvingly. I turned my attention back to my plate, watching out of the corner of my eye as he took his seat across from us.
After dinner, all ten of us were piled into one tent. The alfar stayed around the fire whispering amongst themselves. My stomach was cramped from all the food I had consumed. So, this was what it was like to go to bed with a full stomach. The others fell asleep within the first thirty minutes. I dozed in and out of a light sleep. As I felt my mind slip into my subconscious, I was greeted by the familiar images that had haunted my dreams for the past three years.
Flashes of a person, a man, that I had never laid eyes on. A dark-inked design was drawn into his skin, starting from the left side of his lower neck, and extending down to his shoulder and upper arm. I never saw the man fully, only small details of his features. His smile, his hands, and ever so often I heard the faint sound of his laugh. He was always surrounded by a darkness which kept him hidden from my sight. The dream haunted me because I didn’t know what to make of it. Lilian was the only one I told of it.
A few hours had passed when I was startled awake by rustling in the nearby bushes. I popped up, moving slowly to the opening of the tent. I peeled the fabric back and took in my surroundings, steadying my breath, and listening for the sound again. The chattering of teeth, followed by the rustling of leaves, caught my attention to the left of the camp. An alfar appeared in front of me, taking me by surprise as I fell back on my bottom.
“Get back inside and stay silent,” he demanded before closing the tent flap. I quietly woke the others, signaling for them not to talk. We crawled to the opening of the tent and listened.
“We just want one. That’s all we are asking of you. Surely you can spare one,” came a high-pitched, crackling voice.
“They aren’t for sale,” said one of the alfar.
“We didn’t say we would buy one. We will simply let the other nine live if you give us one,” said another high voice, followed by teeth chattering together.
“They’re under our protection. Now be gone,” demanded the yellow-eyed alfar. We heard more rustling coming from the outer edges of our campsite. One of the creatures clicked their tongue loudly.
“No, no, no. See, my friends and I are being generous, only demanding one from your harvest. As you can see, you are outnumbered. If you deny us what we are owed, most of you, if not all, will die, and then we will take all ten. But, if you give us what we ask for, then we will be on our way, and you can spend the rest of your evening knowing you prevented bloodshed. Is one pathetic human snack worth the price of the lives of you and your men, my lord?” The creatures chuckled.
I peeked out of the tent to see humanoid figures with sharp teeth, narrow features, and wings. They were the same height as the alfar, but leaner. Only one creature that I could recall had these features...fairies. The alfar looked at each other, debating how to handle the situation. The yellow-eyed leader looked as if he was in pain as he hung his head. The blue-eyed alfar snapped his fingers as one of the other soldiers made his way toward us. We all moved to the back of the tent, trying to get as far away from him and the creatures as possible. The girls began yelling and crying, begging not to be taken.
The alfar reached inside, taking one of the girls in white by the arm. “No, please, no! Not me, please!” she yelled, reaching for one of us to save her. I closed my eyes, trying to drown out her plea for help. I couldn’t take any chances or step out of line with the alfar. I had to get to Lily. I was her only hope. Or at least, that was what I told myself.
The girl yelled and cried as they brought her to the fairy. From beyond our tent, we could hear a chorus of chattering teeth erupt at the sight of the girl. Loud, high-pitched sounds surrounded us as if they were cheering in excitement.
“Wise choice, my lord. We will accept this gift and bid you all a good night,” said the fairy.
“Valor,” said the yellow-eyed alfar in a deep voice. “If I ever see you again, or you try to take what is ours on this road, I will personally hunt you down and eliminate your whole hive. Are we clear?”
“Mm, we shall see about that. The dark alfar finds us quite useful from time to time. They may have something to say,” said the fairy I now identified as Valor. A loud buzzing erupted around us as the swarm of fairies took off into flight. The young girl’s screams faded into the night sky.
“What are they going to do with her?” asked one of the girls in white.
“Eat her, what do you think?” said an older boy.
The girls continued to cry for their friend.
We huddled together for the rest of the night. Not one of us dared to sleep, afraid of what else lurked within the trees.
The next morning, we piled into the wagon without a word. The girls in white no longer giggled and laughed. Last night was proof that their lives weren’t worth a single drop of alfar blood. I kept my head down and my mouth shut, contemplating how I was going to get myself to the dark court to save my sister from a worse fate.