6. Aniah
Aniah
The air in the southern part of the Eastern Realm reeked of mildew and stale rot.
There were no clouds in the sky to give us a break from the sun’s rays. We were both exhausted and rank. I think it’s been a week since I last bathed. I’d had to cut my hair up to my shoulders to make it easier to care for.
We followed the river Ryker had found, though he was still unsettled over whatever he had felt the other night.
Relief flooded me when we finally stopped just outside Castle Aurelia at a shallower section of water.
Ryker stood watch further up the bank, unable to let his guard down.
The Fae had exceptional eyesight, but not like his.
He could probably see every guard on the wall, even from this distance.
I peeled my pungent clothing off and carried it into the cool water.
A cringeworthy groan pushed past my lips as I sank, dipping my head underneath.
I’d found wild rosemary and used that to clean myself and my clothes.
The first thing I needed to do when I went into town was buy soap.
I’m not sure how we forgot to buy soap, but we did.
Even though our funds were running uncomfortably low, I deemed it a necessity.
After I bathed, I worked on my clothes for a while, scrubbing them against a boulder and dunking them again, and again and again.
When I was satisfied that several layers of grime had peeled away, I climbed out, patted dry with a blanket, and slipped on a clean, plain lavender long-sleeved dress.
Clothing was an issue. Things became pungent quickly, especially here in this climate.
But I’d managed to keep the three dresses I traveled with clean enough.
Ryker, though… he was a different story.
“All done. You’re up,” I said as I draped my wet things on a branch. He leaned against a tree, arms folded, gaze fixed across the meadow on the distant glow of lanterns and torches.
“I mean this as your friend, but you need to bathe. I’m not sure I can travel any further with you like this,” I chuckled.
He responded with a grunt, eyes distant.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
I moved in front of him so that he would have to look at me. Easier said than done with his ridiculous height towering over my shorter stature.
“Would you care to tell me what’s on your mind?”
“No,” he grunted.
I raised a brow, hands on my hips, refusing to move until he spoke to me. The last thing I needed on this journey was for him to get even quieter.
He sighed, shoving off the trunk. “I think this should be the last tip we follow. Together, that is.”
My face twisted in disbelief.
“You should go back. It isn’t safe here. I never expected you to follow me forever, Aniah. It’s just—” He sighed, smacking his palm against the bark with a growl.
“I told you I’d help you. Whether that’s here or back home.
” I reached up, grasping his shoulder. “But let’s not let our minds travel down those other paths yet.
This could be a credible tip. Let’s be patient and see what we can learn tomorrow.
Okay?” I smiled encouragingly. Pain flashed across his face as he looked at me, echoing the feelings I kept buried.
This place was much like the others. Except, of course, the risk of running into the worst of my sisters. Or the Queen. Or being found in this realm at all.
I couldn’t change my appearance much with my magic all but gone.
A travesty that occurred during the war—something I couldn’t fix.
Otherwise, the mission we set out on three years ago would have been a success from the start.
I couldn’t dwell on that right now, though.
I managed to glamour my eyes into a muddy brown instead of the bright red they normally were. Better than nothing.
It took half a day of hiding in the trees before a small caravan of traders came down the path.
Despite the warmth, I wrapped a cloak around my shoulders and pulled the hood up, slipping into the crowd at the back.
It was a decent-sized group with their carts and all the trinkets they hoped to sell.
There were at least twenty Fae among them, making it easy to blend in with their numbers.
The heavy wooden gates were already wide open, with guards standing at the entrance. They looked uninterested, letting us pass without a second glance.
The grounds bustled with activity. The last time we’d searched this area, it had been empty, so we couldn’t get close. Strangers attracted too much attention here. Today, however, beings flitted about excitedly, jingling coin purses as they admired the different baubles that adorned the wagons.
Breaking off from the group, I inched along the back of the buildings of what had to be the living quarters.
I froze—a squat, angry gnome of a woman yelled at a group of younger servant girls who were covered in filth, about their lack of intelligence and other obscene insults.
Once she turned her back, I hurried to the next building.
It didn’t take long to come full circle. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for. I guess I had hoped to find a maid alone to question, but none were alone, and I was worried even that would raise alarms in a castle this small.
Peering out from behind a building, I scanned the grounds, my gaze snagging on the main staircase that led into the castle.
If I had my magic, I’d be able to sense if my sister Cressida were inside.
If I couldn’t sense her, then she wouldn’t be able to sense me.
Something I was grateful for. Cressida’s soul darkened beyond repair from our days at the Dead Isles.
Ever since she created that blood curse—
“Are you lost? Didn’t I see you come in with the caravan?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin, whipping around until I came face-to-face with an older Fae male.
“Whoa! Sorry there, lass. Didn’t mean to frighten you.” He held his hands up in front of him.
A nervous laugh came out of me. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to trespass. Yes, I did. I just…. wanted a minute to myself. It’s rather grand here.” I’d never been the best at lying. I came up with some of the worst excuses.
He looked at me with curiosity sparking in his gaze.
“I suppose, depending on where you come from. Although it’s a much smaller castle than the King’s,” he huffed. “Would you like some tea? Just made a fresh batch.”
My gaze flicked back to the carts setting up shop. There wasn’t much time before Ryker would come looking for me. Then everything we’d worked for would unravel. He didn’t exactly blend in—with his enormous frame, height, and stark white hair.
“It’s okay, lass, no one here but me and the horses.”
He smiled. Even without my magic, my intuition for other beings was sharp, and I felt no threat from this male. The permanent creases from numerous smiles said enough, and his eyes were bright, conveying a warmth that couldn’t be faked.
“Tea would be lovely, if it’s not too much trouble.” I offered him a smile in return.
Wrinkles formed around his eyes as he turned and led me into a tiny living space connected to the stables. It was stifling under my cloak, so I slipped it off and placed it on the back of the chair he pulled out for me.
He lived simply. Just a cot in the corner, neatly made with a small wooden table and chairs, a tiny stove, and a plain wooden armoire in the corner. Unlike the majority of the Fae who lived lavishly.
He poured the tea and sat across from me.
“You came on a good day. The Queen and her Witch left yesterday for some business east of here. So it’s a little less… oppressive than usual.” I perked up at that information. “You’re not from here. Are you?” His gaze narrowed on me. I forced the hot liquid down my throat.
“No. I came with the caravan.”
His mouth tipped upward. “I mean not these parts.”
I met his gaze.
“As I said, I came with the caravan. We traveled here from Brixton.” Confidence laced my words despite the unease in my gut.
His gaze lingered on me a moment longer, calculating, before he focused back on the tea. “Interesting. Because this caravan came from Marcien.”
My throat grew dry.
“I get a sense about beings.” He took a long sip, then set his cup down with a clink. “I can read ‘em. Not with magic or anything like that. Just… intuition. I’ve been here a long time. I lost my family to a sickness hundreds of years ago when I was still a young Fae. Nearly broke me.”
“I’m so sorry…”
“That’s life. We lose those we love. It’s how we handle those deaths after that determines our future. I was ready to end mine with them. Went to a cliff near the ocean, far from here, and planned to throw myself off it onto jagged rocks below.”
He sipped his tea as the blood drained from my face, one hand gripping the cup while the other went to my throat.
“But there was this wretched beast, crying out in pain. It took me some time, but I eventually found a horse that had gotten stuck chest-deep in a mud pit. Took me two days to get the thing out on my own. And once I did, he didn’t leave my side.
Something about seeing that beast’s gratitude pulled me out of the darkness.
I knew then I couldn’t end my life. That my wife wouldn’t have wanted that.
She would've wanted me to do something good while I was still here. So I learned all I could about horses. I became known for speaking to them, I guess.”
Grief washed over me for this male’s loss though I remained wary.
“Anyway, during that time, I got really good at reading horses’ moods, whether they were lost or hurting, hungry or tired.
And that attribute transferred over to other beings.
I tend to lean toward the broken and lost.” He sat back, studying a spot on the table before continuing.
I finally picked up my tea again, blowing the steam.
“There’s this one human girl—showed up here about three years ago. They lied about how she got here—”