7
Cole and the King wander off to have a conversation and I’m left waiting for them with the guards.
Desmond is standing in front of me, shooting daggers at me. I glare at him back, I’ve no idea what his problem is but I’m not letting him try to intimidate me.
“Lay off her Des.” I hear a voice say from next to me.
I look over my shoulder, to see Finch staring at Desmond. My brows crease as I look at him, why is he sticking up for me?
“Why should I? She killed half our men mere days ago.” Desmond seethes.
Finch takes a step closer to him.
“King’s orders.” He grunts back at him.
I watch as Fray catches a glimpse of what’s going on and walks around to my side. She’s shorter than the rest of us, reaching just under my nose.
“What are you going to do Finch, burn me?” Desmond says, shoving him.
Finch’s power must be to wield flames. Now I know how they got the fire started so quickly last night. I had only seen Finch and Fray crouched next to the wood, I hadn’t bothered to watch them actually light it.
Fire wielding is one of the more common powers but still just as useful.
“Alistair.” Fray calls out from next to me, her voice on edge.
I see the blonde man come over from where he was getting his horse ready. His hands are by his side and he flicks them slightly. My brows knot as I look at him and then back at Fray who says nothing more.
Desmond and Finch’s tension decreases and they take a step back from each other. Like nothing happened.
I whirl on Fray, my eyes wide. “What was that?”
She looks up at me, her lips forming a tight line.
“I can’t say.”
That’s all she says before she walks away, finding her own horse.
Desmond doesn’t look back at me as he retreats as well.
We get onto the horses and I’m still not trusted enough to ride on my own or have the ropes removed from my hands.
I can still feel the effects from the tonic they forced me to drink yesterday. It’s like there’s this damper on my senses and my strength. As fae, we feed off our powers, not just in the extra abilities some of us have, but our heightened senses too. We can see further and hear sounds from far away.
I feel almost stripped bare without my magic.
That’s part of what scared me yesterday, when facing the Sentirex. Yes it was creepy and not being able to look was terrifying but not having access to my abilities made me much more vulnerable. And that’s something that scares me more than I care to admit.
“How long does the tonic last?” I ask as we ride off, back towards the trees standing tall against the mountains behind.
“It should last until we make it home.” Cole replies.
“If I’m to work for you, you can’t force me to drink that again, I won’t cooperate.” I say to them, certainty tracing my voice, leaving no room for question or compromise.
“We know, it was only a precaution while we’re travelling.”
I nod my reply, knowing Cole will see it from where he sits behind me.
“You can shield, can’t you? That’s your ability.” I ask the commander.
“Yes.” He answers sternly.
“I vaguely remember it while you were kidnapping me but I was fading in and out–” I stop for a moment and take a breath. “I wasn’t sure what was real.”
Cole’s quiet for a few seconds and I start to think he’s not going to bother replying, until he lets out a sharp breath.
“I was extremely thankful for my ability at that moment, you were… not impressed.”
I smirk. “That’s an understatement.”
I feel Cole’s breath behind me and I could’ve sworn he let out a soft laugh in return. One that I doubt he’d ever let me see.
I turn my head, looking around. There’s not much here except for the dirt path and trees. The mountains are now covered as we head further into the forest.
“How far are we from your home?”
“Just over a day's ride, we’ll rest one more night before we make it.”
“What happens when I get there?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
“Xander, do you want to take this one?” Cole says and looks over at Xander who has been riding quietly for a while. I’ve quickly come to realise, that’s unusual for the King.
“You’ll find out when we get there.” He replies, face stern and looking forward.
I wonder what he’s thinking about that’s got him in such a mood.
I also wonder how much of this they’ve thought through.
I may be willing to see where this goes, but no doubt when Hidale finds out where I’ve gone, they’ll send for me.
“What are guys planning on doing about Hidale and his men?” I ask them both.
“You’ll be safe in Erador.” Is all the King says, like he can’t be bothered to share more.
“Gods, someone's in a mood.” I mutter under my breath, noting his replies are blunt and less playful than usual.
I’m still wearing the jacket that Cole gave me last night.
I’m glad for its warmth over my shoulders.
It’s getting much chillier as we head further south.
This is one of the reasons that I was glad to not be allowed to have missions down this way when I was growing up.
Then when I got older and had more freedom from the agency, I just never wanted to go anymore.
I wince slightly as I become aware that my hands and wrists are stiff and sore from being in the same position for days on end. As I shift my hands slightly, I look beneath the ropes, the red and raw rope burn is starting to form on my wrists.
I move my hands around a little bit more and try to free up some room, to not only stretch but to try and get the rope away from my skin and let it breathe.
“What are you doing?” Cole demands as he watches me fidgeting in front of him.
“I’ve been tied up with my hands in the same position for days, they’re cramping up.” I retort matter of factly, looking back at him as he rolls his eyes at me.
“Fine.” He says through gritted teeth as he drops the reins.
He reaches around me and unties the rope. Then he puts it in the bag that’s attached to the saddle.
“Thank you.” I say as I rotate my wrists and gently massage my hands and forearms.
“The rope goes back on as soon as we stop.” He says abruptly.
I sigh dramatically. “I expect nothing less.”
I then shoot him a sly smile and do an imaginary hat tip with my now free hand.
Cole just shakes his head and looks away but I swear I see the ghost of a smile on his lips.
We ride for hours on end until we come to another clearing in the forest and the King and his guards decide this is the best spot to rest.
Still on the horse, I turn my head to look around.
It’s quite sheltered, creating a circular shape in the middle, with the trees surrounding it.
As it’s not quite dusk yet, the sun is still lighting up the clearing and showing all the greenery and colours.
As well as some white flowers scattered around the forest floor.
I listen out and hear the sound of bird songs, trees whistling and the rushing of water.
My head whips towards the sound of the water and I spot a river just past the trees.
I almost let out a sigh of relief and thank the gods.
I have been dehydrated for days.
I start to get off the horse when Cole grabs my waist to stop me.
“I’m just getting water.” I say to him bluntly.
“I will take you there to have a drink and clean up your wrists, then these go straight back on.” He says as he holds up the ropes that he’s just pulled back out of the bag.
“Yes sir.” I mock and give him a solute with two fingers.
Cole ignores my comment as he jumps off the horse first and then lets me get off too.
But as soon as I touch the ground, he grabs my arm to lead me to the river.
I put my hands and wrists into the fresh water and it does wonders for my pain from the rope burn, I let out a small sigh of relief. I then wash my hands, removing Xander’s dried blood from me. My night clothes remain stained however.
“Hurry up.” Cole says bluntly.
I roll my eyes at him and take a drink before offering my hands to be tied up again. Holding them out in front of me.
I’m usually not this willing but I’m choosing to pick my battles. I don’t feel unsafe with Cole or the King, they need me alive more than dead. And cooperating is more likely to keep me from getting thrown in a dungeon once we get to Erador.
If they still try to do that, we will have a problem.
The guards have already set up the fire and have started eating their dinner. I become all too aware that I haven't eaten in days as my stomach starts rumbling. The sensation starts to bring me pain and beg me to listen.
Considering I know certainly that they need me alive, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to eat but it goes against my training and I can feel the rest of my body physically protesting at the thought.
“Never eat or drink anything the enemy offers you, no matter how hungry or dehydrated you are”.
I hear Erix’s sharp words in my head from my training days back at the Agency. I suppress a shiver at the memory of him. Letting him slip back into the alcove in my mind, where I’ve kept him since I got conscripted and temporarily left the Agency.
But are these guys the enemies really? They would be if we’re talking about the war but I’ve never considered myself to be on any side.
Maybe they’re not my enemy, maybe this partnership could actually work. Or maybe that’s the hunger talking, trying to convince me to eat.
I have never been this conflicted about a job before. I usually do any task for the right amount of money but this time it’s different. Actually working for the King of Erador, that requires trust that they haven’t fully earnt yet.
But it could be interesting.
I sit down next to the King by the fire, he's eating the dinner they packed as well. It’s just a bread roll and some soup they heated up next to the fire. Nothing fancy, especially for a King. But when you’re travelling like this, you don’t have many options.
Though I can’t say I’m not at least a little bit surprised by the casual feel of this whole journey so far. I’ve never travelled with the King of Hidale but he also doesn’t make an appearance in any aspect of the war unless he has to. He mainly resides in his castle and barks orders to his men.