Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
All the villagers gathered with the setting sun. None of them paid much attention to Riona as she joined the restless crowd. She’d carefully chosen a spot away from the others and their attention. Everyone waited in anticipation for Aiden. Shuffling feet and low murmurs hummed through the crowd.
As the sun set, a heavy silence fell. Anticipation charged the air. Each person, Riona included, watched the darkness unfold, expecting to see their patron’s familiar silhouette in the sky. But only darkness greeted them. He did not come. The moon crept high and bright in the sky, but Aiden still did not appear.
With the Fae’s continued absence, the crowd’s restlessness shifted into anger. Around Riona, hopeful eyes dulled with bitterness and fell on her accusingly. She pulled herself deeper into the shadows, away from the tall bonfire in the middle of the square. Soon they would become angry if Aiden didn’t appear. They would look for someone to blame. Some of them already were, and she was an easy target. Her fingers curled around her lute tightly. Stars winked at her mockingly as the night stretched on undisturbed.
He isn’t coming.
“Where is he then?” an anonymous male voice called impatiently from the depths of the crowd. The villagers focused on the six Elders sitting on the makeshift dais near the towering bonfire.
“We’ve gathered the last of what we have for this tribute.”
“Settle yourselves. He will come,” Bowden said with a dismissive wave. He looked out above the crowd. Riona didn’t miss the worry lines forming on his brow. He was just as uneasy as the rest of them.
A woman’s voice hissed. Riona thought it was Liesel, but she couldn’t be sure. “Lies! We’ve wasted what food we have left for this cursed festival. Now we have nothing! Look what you’ve brought upon us. Nothing but empty bellies.”
Cries of agreement sounded among the villagers. The throng surged towards the Elders with raised voices and fists. Their anger was palpable. The villagers needed an outlet, and the Elders were their target.
A moon-eyed Kendrick stood and looked out at the crowd. He raised his hands and opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His eyes darted through the crowd and landed on Riona. A mirthless smile twisted his lips, and then he spoke the words that damned her.
“We did not come up with this plan on our own. One of you brought this idea to us. One of you told us that Aiden would return if we held this moonlight festival.”
The villagers turned on each other. Arguments and accusations broke out. Their cacophony made Riona want to cover her ears, but instead she backed further into the shadows. Kendrick’s eye never left her.
He pulled a false sympathetic face and then spoke again, raising his voice above the crowd. “We thought she meant to help us, but we should not have listened to her. Because who among us can really trust a Fae?” Kendrick paused, raised a hand, finger pointed directly at her, and continued, “Riona, come forward and admit your misdeeds.”
The crowd turned to where she stood. Riona swallowed. Fear surged through her body. The villagers looked ready to tear her to pieces. Her fingers were wrapped so tightly on her lute that she had almost lost feeling.
She could try to run, or she could come forward in hopes that the truth would settle them until Aiden arrived. Where was he? Doubt filled her, but she had to place her trust in the fact that Aiden would still come this evening. He was a Fae. Fae couldn’t lie. His words had to mean something. Didn’t they?
With a shaky breath, Riona moved from the shadows into the gap the villagers had formed around her. She walked forward to the dais and the crowd parted. Glittering eyes followed her movements. She tried to ignore them, but the weight of their hostility was heavy.
She stopped in front of the Elders and looked up at them. Concern for her filled Rada’s and Marwin’s eyes, but the rest stared down at her cruelly. They were willing to throw her to the wolves to save themselves, except maybe Marwin.
“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” Kendrick peered down at her.
“When I was out foraging for food to feed all of us, I came across him in the fields. I’m not in league with Aiden. I’m one of you.” The rumblings of disbelief at her statement cut her to the core. She looked at the villagers beseechingly in hopes they would believe her. “He told me that if we held a festival on the eve of the full moon and were truly penitent, he would come and settle this.”
Cold stares and grumbles met her words. She looked at the Elders helplessly, but they watched her silently, unwilling to help. Marwin frowned and made to stand, but Enid placed a hand on his shoulder. The Elder stood and walked to the edge of the dais above Riona. She looked down at her with mock pity. Trepidation flared up within Riona.
Enid never meant well. Behind the unlined, almost girlish face lurked a level of cruelty and greed that made Kendrick seem kind. The short woman smiled, and her gray eyes sparkled meanly. Riona stopped herself from flinching when the other woman rested a porcelain hand on her head. Her fingers dug into Riona’s red curls, and Enid twisted the strands until tears welled in Riona’s eyes.
“Tell us the truth, dear.” Enid’s voice was syrupy sweet.
Her nails cut into Riona’s scalp. Riona always felt that if Enid could get away with it, those same hands would wrap around her neck and squeeze until life left her body. Killing people who inconvenienced her seemed to be what Enid did best. Her first and second husbands had both died under suspicious circumstances. When she’d taken over her second husband’s spot with the Elders, no one had stopped her. They were too afraid.
“I am speaking the truth,” Riona cried out. Her proclamation was met with angry, unbelieving faces. Enid’s fingers burrowed into Riona’s hair even more roughly and began to pull painfully until Riona’s head tilted at an uncomfortable angle. The Elder’s grip was like iron.
“Stop lying, Fae blood. You’re in league with him. Tell us why you sought to ruin us by proposing this festival,” Enid spat into her face.
“No, she’s not lying. She’s—” Meg was cut off abruptly. Her heart went out to her friend for trying to help. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Dolan’s apprentice had restrained Meg. She was fighting wildly against the big man, but one of his hands was clamped over her mouth while the other pinned her against his body.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Riona let out a moan of pain when Enid clenched her hair tighter. “Stop! I tell the truth. I only wanted to help.”
“Help?” Enid laughed and let go of Riona. She kicked her hard between the shoulders, sending Riona falling. “This sniveling creature doesn’t want to help anyone but herself. She revels in our downfall.”
The villagers cried out in agreement, and Riona’s heart broke a little. No matter how hard she tried, they hated her. Riona stood up, ready to face their wrath, but instead, the sound of the gates opening, and deep masculine laughter filled the square. Everyone fell silent. Even Meg stopped fighting.
Aiden came strolling through the gates. His pace was unhurried. Each step brought him closer to the square. The villagers tensed and watched him warily. The Fae surveyed the gathering. His golden eyes roved over the crowd and stopped on Riona. His eyes darkened in anger when he saw Riona’s rumpled appearance. She shook her head, willing him to ignore her condition. He held her gaze for a moment and then focused on the Elders.
“Do you have a problem with the Fae? I came expecting a village full of repentant people, but instead I find you hurling curses down on one of mine. Perhaps I should leave you to your own devices if you look down on the Fae.” Aiden’s voice had an edge to it. “Perhaps I should burn this town to the ground if that’s how you’re going to treat those of Fae blood.” The fire was barely contained in his eyes now. Anger radiated from him in waves. Sparks flew off his fingertips, and the crowd stepped away from him in fear.
He moved to where Riona stood and surveyed her. Hands gentler than Riona could have imagined him possessing ran over her, checking for damage.
“I’m okay,” she whispered.
Aiden gave her an almost imperceptible nod and brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. Gently, his fingers tucked it behind her ear. She tried to give him an encouraging smile but worried it was more of a grimace.
“Please forgive us. We did not think you were coming. We thought that this...” Enid gritted her teeth like saying anything less than derogatory about Riona hurt, “girl was lying.”
She twisted her lips into a sickly smile. Aiden lifted a brow at the Elder. He gave one last look to Riona and turned to address the Elders.
“Clearly she wasn’t.” He held his arms wide and twirled in a circle with a smile. “Here I am. The patron you spurned. Now try to get yourself back into my good graces, and I’ll consider saving you worthless lot.”
Gasps at his cruel words rang out through the group, but no one spoke a word of admonishment. They needed him. They needed him to stop the blight and bring back the harvests. Even though the draugar were a distant threat, they needed a Fae patron for protection in case the draugar came inland. No matter how much the villagers didn’t like the Fae, they needed their patron for survival.
Riona had been forgotten in the wake of Aiden’s arrival. She returned to the shadows unnoticed now that the crowd’s attention was drawn to Aiden’s cruel words. Aiden watched her movements out of the corner of his eye with a frown. His fingers extended toward her, but he balled them into a fist so quickly she almost missed his movement. Odd.
Marwin stood up and bowed at Aiden. “We appreciate this opportunity to seek your mercy. Please accept our sincerest apologies. Each member of the village has chosen a gift of deep personal meaning for you. We have also emptied what little our stores have left to prepare a small feast in your honor.” Marwin gestured to the empty chair between the Elders in the middle of the dais.
The chair was carved with little horses meant to represent pookas in honor of Aiden’s chosen form, along with sheaves of grain to eternally remind him and the people of Loch-Gaar that he was responsible for their continued harvest. It served as a promise that never again would they seek another patron without the pooka’s blessing.
Angus must have spent every waking hour carving the chair. The carpenter was a master at intricate details and designs. Some even whispered he was Fae touched. Never to the burly redheaded man’s face though. He was an intimidating man who kept to himself.
With a swagger, Aiden moved across the dais to the chair. He gave it a non-plussed once-over and then draped himself into the chair. He looked at the Elders sitting beside him and jerked his chin in a dismissive gesture. They stood and shuffled down the platform and into the crowd.
Aiden smiled impishly and clapped his hands. “Now, let us begin. I believe you all have gifts for me?”
No one in the crowd moved. Everyone stayed silent. They all watched Aiden with trepidation.
“Well?” Aiden called out. His voice seemed to spur some of the braver villagers into motion and they moved to the edge of the dais. Their tributes were held in shaking hands. After a few moments, a line started to form.
Riona settled beside Meg and Connal. Meg and Riona shot each other a look of relief but didn’t speak. Drawing attention to herself right now wasn’t a good idea after what had almost happened, even if Aiden kept glancing in her direction as if to assure himself of her whereabouts.
Why is he acting so concerned about me?
Aiden always paid attention to her, but not like this. She got the feeling that if anyone looked at her cruelly, he would pound them into dust. He was being proprietary, and she wasn’t sure why. There was nothing between them.
Wasn’t there? A silky voice asked in her head. Riona ignored it.
“Lovely,” Aiden said in a bored tone as he tossed the copper-stamped goblet into a small growing pile of goods the villagers were offering him.
As the time stretched out, Riona’s anxiety almost overtook her. What had she been thinking with her gift choice? Everyone else was giving him tangible items. The Fae liked shiny things. She should know. She loved any kind of bauble. The shinier, the better. But a song? Maybe if she gave him her lute instead... Riona looked down at the lute in her hand. No, she could never do that. The lute was given to her by her mother. It meant too much to her.
But if it was between starving and living, maybe she should just give him her lute. It was shiny. Sort of. Meg was ahead of her. Her friend handed Aiden her tribute, a cloak of the deepest scarlet shot through with golden threading. It was a beautiful garment. The crimson color of the fabric was almost mesmerizing in its richness. In the middle of the cloak was an embroidered rose. Petal by petal, the thread spun an image that looked almost real.
Aiden looked at Meg like he was seeing her for the first time. His eyes narrowed, and then he looked at Connal, and an expression of surprise and possibly fear crossed his face. Meg stepped between Aiden and Connal, blocking him from view.
“I hope our gift is to your liking,” Meg’s voice shook when she spoke.
Aiden looked down at the cloak and turned it over in his hands. He looked back up at Meg. “The craftsmanship is impeccable. I haven’t seen work like this in a long while. Was it made by elven hands?”
“It was made by human hands with years of practice behind them. Fae aren’t the only beings that can make beautiful things.” Meg’s tone held a hint of rebuke in it.
Aiden smiled and bowed his head. “I stand corrected. Thank you for the lovely gift...” He trailed off. But his tone wasn’t questioning. No, his tone was laced with amusement and familiarity. Riona couldn’t shake the feeling that the two knew each other somehow.
“Meg. My name is Meg.” There was an edge to Meg’s voice.
“You’re new.” Aiden didn’t ask.
“Yes, after my husband died, we came to Loch-Garr to be with what family we have left.”
“Well, Loch-Garr is much richer having one as talented as you. Pity about your husband.” Aiden’s gaze fell on Connal.
Meg grabbed her son and hurried him away. Aiden watched them go, eyes glimmering in the firelight. Then it was Riona’s turn, and Aiden smiled at her in anticipation. Her friend’s byplay with the Fae had distracted her, but now she was fully cognizant of the fact that she was next. She moved forward and stood in front of Aiden.
Nothing can compare to the cloak. Your song won’t be worthy—just give him the lute and slink back to the shadows. Hand it over and go, you idiot.
“What have you brought me, little bright eyes?” Aiden murmured. He regarded her lute with interest.
“A song,” the words came out of her mouth unbidden. That hadn’t been what she was going to say at all. She looked down at the lute. With a sinking heart, she realized she couldn’t give up her last link to her mother. So a song it would be. She hoped it was enough.
“A song,” Aiden repeated with a smile on his face. He sat back in the chair and steepled his fingers. “What if I want more than one song?”
“You can have as many as you like,” Riona said. She would sing until her voice was hoarse and she couldn’t sing anymore, if that meant he would end the blight.
“No limit?”
“None.” She wasn’t sure why Aiden had suddenly grown interested in the number of songs. Likely he would grow bored after a few, but she was prepared to play all night until her fingers were raw.
Aiden stood. He ran a hand across her cheek, and Riona shivered at his touch. His fingers were like fire trailing across her skin. Her body flooded with heat. His golden eyes bore into her.
“Do you give me your promise? As many as I wish?” Aiden asked silkily.
Wait! Something wasn’t right. This was a trap somehow. Riona hesitated to speak. She looked around at the gaunt faces of the people she’d grown up with her entire life. It didn’t matter. Whatever it took to save Loch-Gaar. Whatever it took. This was her home. These were her people. The cost of saving them didn’t matter.
“Yes, I give you my word. I will sing you as many songs as you like,” Riona said without hesitation, even though a sense of foreboding gripped her.
“Finally.” The word came out of his lips almost as a sigh.
One of his hands snaked out, grabbing her wrist.
“What are you doing?” Riona cried out. She tried to escape his grasp, but his grip was like iron.
“You’re mine.”
He threw her into the air. As she sailed through the night sky, she let out a yelp but never hit the ground. Her fall was broken by a glossy black back. Suddenly she was astride a stallion. The beast turned his head and peered at her with wild golden eyes. Smoke flared from his nostrils.
She’d never seen Aiden in his animal form before. It was jarring. He was magnificent. Riona looked out at the crowd. Their wide eyes and terrified expressions mirrored her own. Strong muscles bunched underneath her, and Aiden took off running. The crowd threw themselves out of his path.
He was stealing her!
Self-preservation kept her from jumping off the pooka’s back. He was going much faster than any horse she’d ever ridden. Riona tangled her fingers through his mane, so she didn’t slide off.
He ran through the gates of the village out into the night. A feeling of freedom coursed through Riona as they pounded into the open fields. She quickly tucked away her traitorous feelings.
He galloped through the darkness and then lunged upward into the sky, going airborne. Riona gripped her legs against his body. They rose higher into the sky, to where she wasn’t sure.
“What have I gotten myself into?” she whispered.
The only response from Aiden was laughter.