Arthur
The dark burrowed through the western corridor like a disease—an omen and a promise.
I refused to allow Reshina to be the one bringing the bait, and though she argued thoroughly about her ability to stun a few of the Underfae like last time, I dug my heels in, reminding her it wasn’t enough to stop a horde of them.
They were less likely to frenzy with me, for it was her Goddess blood they craved.
Something I knew well.
I took the small vial of her blood from her hand, a shiver running through me at the warmth of it.
The Beast awoke, rumbling something about flipping open the cork and downing it all in one go.
I shut him away—an easy feat, as he’d been more accommodating than ever since biting into Reshina’s wrist.
“Are you ready?” I asked her, rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck to the side.
“Yes,” she answered. “Piffle?”
The Changlingfae held his lantern high, chewing obnoxiously on his bottom lip. “Yes, Mistress. Though I do think this entire ploy is unnec—”
“Thank you, Piffle,” Reshina interrupted. “We’ve heard your concerns and made the decision to move forward regardless.”
“But if you’d just find a way to say—”
“Enough,” I ordered, glancing at Reshina quickly and then back down the tunnel. “Let’s begin.”
I took one of two lanterns from Piffle and started down the dank corridor.
The Underfae nested far from the entrance, unable to risk exposure to any light from the opening.
I traveled through the rock, wet and dripping from an underground reservoir of water that spread throughout the Underrealm.
A pink slime coated some of the surface and I had to catch my balance twice as I traveled on.
When the dark surrounded me and my lantern was the only beacon in the consuming abyss, I uncorked Reshina’s blood.
Instantly salivating, I swallowed hard, shaking away the deep desire for just a taste.
I added a few drops of the dark liquid to the rocks below me, backing up slowly as I did, leaving a trail for some poor, unsuspecting Underfae to find.
The clicking was distant, but clear as more than one curious creature noticed my presence in their tunnel. When the vial was empty, I inhaled deeply, corking the top and shoving it into my pocket. I blew out the light of the lantern, unspooled the rope at my waist, and waited.
Though my eyes worked better in the dark than my human ones had, I could not see as well as the Beast. But my hearing was infinitely stronger.
An Underfae crept nearby, more curious than the others behind it.
The fae stopped at the first drops of blood, clicking low before the sound of licking reached my ears.
I pressed myself back against the tunnel walls, hoping the creature would come close enough that I wouldn’t have to chase it down and carry it out of the tunnel.
As luck would have it, this Underfae was braver than its fellow faekind, its face pressed down into the rocks, tongue darting in and out of its mouth as it lapped up every last drop of Reshina’s blood.
The fae wore strips of cloth, hunched over, arms splayed wide, clicking softly and biting at the bloody rock with obsession.
And there was our kinship.
I sprang before the trail of blood ended, wrapping the rope around the creature’s arms and pressing them to its sides.
The fae gnashed its teeth, nicking my hand before I turned its body, tying a rope around its legs, and forcing its shriveled form into a ball.
I ran down the tunnel, escaping the incessant clicking and scraping of sharp nails behind me.
“Piffle!” I cried out with the first hint of light.
“Ready, sire!”
I squinted with the sudden torch flame and the fae in my arms hissed in pain. I lowered the creature into the golden basket with a woven mouth, nose, and two large black eyes. Reshina was there and ready, quickly covering the basket with a thick wool blanket.
“That was impeccable timing, Majesty. Shortest you’ve been down that corridor yet.”
I caught my breath, hauling the Piffle-Basket up onto my shoulder. The fae inside quieted, listening or stilling for the sake of survival. “Hopefully it’s the last time I need to go in there.”
“You’re bleeding,” Reshina mumbled as we trekked through the vast hall, past the statue of my father and the Underfae carved into the walls.
I adjusted the basket, feeling the weight of the creature inside shift as well. “This one got me with its teeth. But the bait worked perfectly. She went right for your blood and was distracted enough that I grabbed her easily.”
“She?”
I nodded. “I believe this one could be female. Others behind her were more cautious, but I needed to run or I’d have to shift into the Beast to fight them off.”
We had chosen an empty room near the great hall to keep the fae.
Devoid of anything but a few old pieces of furniture covered in sheets, the room was small and cut off from any bright lights.
With a single candle lit, I set the Piffle-Basket on the stone floor at the far corner of the room.
When I asked him to, Piffle changed back into a fae, leaving the creature huddled on the stone, still covered in the blanket.
“Leave us,” Reshina said, staring down at the creature.
Piffle squeaked and I grunted. “You shouldn’t be alone with—”
Her head snapped towards me. “I am a Goddess of the Veil, lest you forget.” She flicked her gaze to the door before returning to me. “Leave.”
Piffle backed out of the room, hands over his mouth, eyes wide in fear.
I stepped towards her. “I can help you.”
Her eyes softened. “You have. Now go, Arthur.”
Everything in me urged to stay. Damn her orders, this was my Underrealm. But I recognized in her the same woman I’d read about. With her countenance of steel, deep down in the heart of me, I knew she could handle whatever this task required.
“I’ll be just outside this door. If you need me.”
She resumed her gaze on the creature, watching it shaking under the blanket on the floor. “I will not.”
The truth stung as I left.
“Master, what can I do?” Piffle chewed on his lips, wringing his hands together.
I exhaled loudly, rubbing my face and leaning against the wall. “Prepare a feast, Piff. The Ravenfae Goddess readies herself to go home.”