Her ears began to ring as she approached, her eyes drifting to her boots as she heard the gentle sound of running water. Head dipping, she saw the floor beneath her feet was like a crystalline lake, the surface reflecting the inky cosmic sky above like a smattering of fireflies. As her feet moved, the stars danced around her boots.
Chin rising, Arii’s eyes widened as the figure began to walk away, his body shrouding in black, glittering mist as she lifted a hand.
“Wait!”
Her chest constricted, her heart stepping up in panic at the prospect of the stranger’s escape.
Who was he?
She had to know.
“Who are you?” she called, her voice echoing across the starlit void as the figure paused. Arii moved forward a step, pausing hesitantly when the stranger halted. The space between them shortened as she stopped an arm’s length away, her nose twitching to the scent of woodsmoke and pine.
Slowly, the figure turned, and she felt her breath hitch as gloved hands lifted to the edges of the hood, removing the covering.
Staring back at her, the face was her own.
“Do you not know your own heart, Ariiaya Trillia?” whispered her reflection, gloved hand spearing towards her with the swiftness of a striking snake. It smashed through her chest, punching into her ribs with a violence that stole her breath with a snap. Pain caused a supernova to burst before her eyes as Arii dropped to her knees, her own blood cascading into the inky blackness of the shadow lake. Where her blood flowed, pearlescence reacted upon the water – her life fluid turning to moonlight against the darkness.
Startled, speechless and dying – Arii’s head titled to gaze up at her hooded reflection, watching her own beating heart jerk in her hand, blood oozing down the woman’s clutched fist as her teeth flashed in a smirk.
“I don’t think you need this.”
Then, her heart slowly coated with ice, the muscle ceasing its beating as blackness clouded Arii’s vision.
“A Fury should never feel emotion.”
The heart turned crystalline.
“A Fury should never love.”
A fissure began to form down the middle.
“A Fury should never question fate.”
Then, her heart shattered completely, shimmering shards of dust slipping through parted fingers and dancing upon a silent breeze, into the night beyond as her world exploded into white light.
~~~
Her strange dream had caused her to wake and clutch her chest in a silent scream, her nails digging into the fabric of her bed clothes. When Arii had felt the violent thrum of the muscle beneath her palms – very solidly within the cage of her chest, she had sighed heavily and fallen back upon the cot – letting the sound of the sleeping recruits sooth her thunderous heart.
What in Fythnar had that been about?
She had lain awake for what felt like hours, watching the dark room slowly turn light as the morning rays reached through the windows above, all the while clutching her breast for fear her heart would punch through her chest.
~~~
Soon after Lorch and Elijah departed the training ring, the space was again occupied with bodies as the recruits entered their afternoon training.
Arii clashed wooden swords with Tikkani, welcoming the action as a distraction from her tumultuous thoughts as the clack clack clack of the colliding wood echoed about the room,.
To their right, Emerson notched an arrow in the bow he held and eyed the target on the far end of the room, letting the arrow loose. It whistled through the air and smacked into the chest of a wooden dummy. Emerson slowly lowered his bow, surveying his target as Hawke stopped by him.
“Good. Your skills with the bow are improving, Mr Alinar,” he praised, turning to survey the other recruits.
Arii was impressed with her opponent’s prowess. Tikkani was swift, her movements matching her own blow for blow, albeit Arii was still holding back her Fae strength. So far the days had been packed with training and small tasks around the castle, and Arii itched to survey the insides of the castle itself, to begin planning the best places to lie in wait for the King – and perhaps learn where his bedchambers were. She imagined the hooded guard would not accompany him into personal quarters, surely.
Had Elijah been the cause of her strange dream? She could have sworn it had been him standing in the black lake of starlight.
There was a split second where Tikkani’s eyes darted to an opening caused by Arii’s wandering thoughts, striking like a cobra and slashing the sword towards Arii’s right leg mid parry.
Crack! The wood of the training sword hit Arii’s thigh with an audible sound.
Tikkani paused, motionless, her golden eyes widening with shock. She was surprised she had gotten in a hit, perhaps having doubted her abilities up until that point.
“Hah!” A laugh broke from Arii’s lips, her mouth splitting in a grin of surprise. The sound was strange and not heard before. Heads swivelled and lifted at the foreign sound.
Even Hawke was watching now, surprise colouring his weathered face as the group watched Arii, the girl who had not smiled once since she had arrived, had not shown a glimmer of emotion.
Now her lips were wide with a grin, her dark eyes glimmering, her brows raised in surprise.
Tikkani was hesitant, obviously having expected a curse or a rebuke, but soon her own lips mirrored her opponent.
“Nice shot,” Arii said, watching Tikkani rise from her crouch, fold her arm across her stomach and sweep into a theatrical bow.
“Thank you, thank you,” Tikkani laughed, twisting to bow at their audience.
Hawke’s smile was genuine as he approached the ring. “Alright, that’s enough,” he nodded to Tikkani, then to Arii. “Perhaps you’ve found a match in the ring, King’s Saviour?” he said with a small laugh.
“Unlikely, it was a lucky shot.” Arii said, her gaze shifting from the Commander to Tikkani with humour.
“Perhaps the King’s Saviour could put her sword where her mouth is…”
The attention of the room shifted to a figure dressed in cream as she stepped into the afternoon rays of light cascading through the windows.
It was Sybell Kruel.
Hawke’s expression was guarded as the young woman, her lips pulled into a scowl, approached the ring. Following in the Princess’ wake was a maid with shoulder length burgundy hair, her posture meek, shoulders curled inward slightly.
“I’ll bet with a little training, I could wipe that cocky smile off her pretty little face,” said the Princess, her hand gesturing to the group. “Surely, how hard is it to poke each other with sticks all day?”
Poke each other with sticks, huh? Arii supposed the Princess would feel differently when one of those sticks ran her through the belly and spilled her entrails like a stuck pig.
Hawke’s voice was soft as he responded to the Princess after bowing respectfully.
“My Lady, it takes years of practice and a great amount of skill-”
Sybell cut him off. “Teach me,” she said, lifting her chin. “I wish to learn.”
Hawke lifted his hands in surrender, his voice gentle as he reasoned. The recruits all shifted behind him uneasily, all but Arii who studied the Princess with mild curiosity over the Commander’s shoulder.
“My Lady, that would be impractical. A Princess does not-”
“You refuse me? I demand to be taught.” Sybell’s hands were balled at her sides now and Arii imagined she was two breaths away from stomping her foot like a spoiled child who was used to getting her way.
How interesting that the young woman wanted to learn. She would have thought she would prefer drinking tea and gossiping in the royal wing.
“I beg your pardon, my Lady, but training is wrapping up for the day.” Hawke approached Sybell and
Arii swore the Commander began to reach for the Princess’ hand, but his own paused and dropped as if he realised what he was doing just in time. His voice was very gentle now, as if trying to please her but not wanting to be obvious. “Perhaps on the ‘morrow?”
“Sybell, do not be ridiculous!”
Lynnera’s voice came from the right. The woman stepped into sight and her expression was apologetic. “Excuse the interruption, Lord Commander,” she said, her smile hesitant.
The Commander, who was unusually speechless for a moment, shook himself and replied, “It is not a problem, not at all, my Lady.”
Hawke was quick to bow, deeper this time.
Arii noticed this with curiosity. Her nose wrinkled as a smell of perspiration added to the thick mix in the air that was not there before.
Was Commander Hawke sweating?
Ah yes, there was now a light sheen on the man’s forehead. Did the woman make him nervous? Or perhaps he fancied her? Arii added the suspicion into her mental bank.
Sybell huffed and twisted on her heel before storming from the room, golden locks flying behind her. She most certainly was used to getting her way. The handmaid trailed after her quickly without a backward glance.
Lynnera offered Commander Hawke a resigned smile, before dipping into a slow curtsey. Arii swore the two shared a longer than necessary glance, and Lynnera’s eyes held a look of longing, before the older woman went after her daughter.
Interesting indeed.
~~~
Life as a recruit was picked up quickly, and Arii felt herself sliding into a daily routine that mainly consisted of training at dawn, running the castle grounds, followed by general duties like cleaning the stalls and standing guard as carriages entered and exited the castle gates. It was monotonous, but she was slowly learning the layout of the castle grounds, and the people who inhabited it.
Swiping cheese from Quinn’s hand, Tikkani chuckled as she popped the stolen morsel into her mouth before grinning at the boy beside her. His mouth was wide, his brows narrowed, and a look of mock outrage painted his face.
“You little she-devil!” he exclaimed and punched her in the arm.
Before long the two were wrestling on the stone floor where the group sat to eat lunch, flinging insults and fists in their scramble to best each other.
Emerson looked at Arii apologetically and spoke over the grunts and curses of the flailing pair.
“Do not mind them, they often get like this.”
Emerson was still incredibly shy, but over the last few days he had begun to show a slither of confidence around her.
Arii plucked a grape from the wooden tray in the middle of their group, popping it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.
“Perhaps they should fuck and get it over with?” she observed as the two recruits in question broke apart suddenly, their faces scarlet with embarrassment. They slid as far from each other as possible, Tikkani shooting an outraged look at Arii.
“Goddess of darkness no!” she exclaimed, her voice rising as Arii saw from the corner of her eye that Quinn’s face flickered with hurt. She felt a pang of sympathy but dashed it away, refusing to become attached to the odd group. She had a job to do, and once it was done, she would not see them ever again, unless it was under her blades in her escape from the castle.
Tikkani’s cheeks remained red as she said, “No offense, Quinn, but you aren’t my type.”
Quinn waved his hand dismissively, seemingly nonplussed.
“It’s alright, you’re not my type either. I prefer my women strong and deadly. Preferably with flaming burgundy hair…” he trailed off, eyes glazing and expression becoming distant, lips curling in a grin. He sighed dreamily, and Arii knew exactly who Quinn was referring to, so she withheld comment.
Devina Devine was known throughout the Kingdom for her drop-dead beauty - pun intended. Her profession as a Fury was well known and feared yet the fiery woman was still the idol of young men’s dreams. She did not hide her identity like most others of their troupe did. She revelled in the attention she was given by men, right up until she gutted them with a knife – or her nails – whichever she fancied in the moment, grinning sardonically as their life faded from their eyes. Most of the time it was mid-lovemaking.
If you wanted to call it that of course - Devina had never loved in her life.
Feeling emotion was something that the Fates belted from the mind and bodies of all of their recruits, until all that remained were cold, unattached killing machines.
Such was the life of a Fury.
Such was her life.
“Nyx’s arse, Quinn, how many times have I told you that Devina Divine would never look at you twice! She’s a Fury assassin, a weapon-wielding bitch of death. They all are.” Tikkani shoved a small slice of cheese into her mouth and chewed.
Quinn was not deterred, his face wistful. “Gods she is as her name suggests… divine…”
Arii snorted a laugh. Tikkani was not wrong about Furies. If only she knew she was sitting next to and dining with one at that moment.
It was odd, Arii felt at ease with the three recruits. She did not trust easily, and she never had, but she felt light, almost - dare she say - happy around them. She refused to think much more on the strange feeling as her eyes danced over the group, her expression becoming closed once more.
Quinn was a typical young man, thinking with the head in his pants more often than not. The boy ogled every pretty female in the castle, and he was often found sweet-talking the castle maids. Now, he chucked a grape at Tikkani’s head and Arii was sure they were seconds away from another wrestling match.
Her dark eyes slid to the view just beyond them, the sky clear and cloudless. The air was crisp, and the sunny day was perhaps one of the few they were to experience before Winter swept the land.
They sat on a flat pad of stone, situated at the front of the castle and above the roaring waterfall. The large expanse of stone ended with a short wall to ensure no one fell to the raging white depths below. The best way Arii could describe the odd area was a sort of landing pad, perhaps used as a launch point for the dragons that once lived with the royal Fae families of old. History told that the Fae who once ruled the North rode on the back of fearsome dragons. Since the killing began, resulting in the disappearance of powerful magic wielders, the dragons too had disappeared.
Arii wondered if the goliath beasts truly were extinct.
The crashing of the waterfall rumbled on, filling the silence as a light spray of water fluttered over them, dampening the stone. In the short time she had known the recruits, it had not taken much to glean their histories.
Tikkani and Emerson were born on a farm close to Mirfield, a small establishment of fisherman and sheep farmers, west of the South Court. The people there were quiet and honest. After their mother had died giving birth to them, their father had raised the two elves until they entered their twenties. Craving new scenery other than grey skies and raging waves (and the stink of fish guts – Tikkani’s least favourite memory) the twins set off the join the Royal Guard. They enjoyed the labour to an extent, but they really did it to pursue their love of archery. Tikkani had revealed that her brother had a long-term partner who currently resided in Evergrave – a young man who was quite the opposite to Emerson, cheeky, loud mouthed and always spouting stories. Luc and Emerson were a perfect match, balancing each other completely. It was hard on Emerson – being away from his love, and when Arii enquired as to why Luc did not join them at the castle, Tikkani smiled sadly and said, “Evergrave is the safest place for people like them to be themselves. The only reason they aren’t together there now is purely because Emerson did not wish to be parted from me. They’ll see each other again soon – we have plans to visit Evergrave next spring! You should see the difference in my brother when he is with Luc. It’s vomit inducing… Gods t
hey are crazy about one another.”
Arii smiled, having knowledge of how accepting the Shifters of the East and people of the other Courts were of couples of the same sex, and could think of no better place for them to happily reside together in the future.
Quinn’s history was a little murkier. An orphan, he was raised in Amberbourne and worked for a blacksmith – using his talented hands to mould fancy steel candelabras. At night he sang at the local tavern for extra coin. He had never known his parents, having been abandoned on the blacksmith’s doorstep when he was just a babe.
Emerson was the first to speak as the group ate in silence, picking from meat, bread and cheese from a board rimmed with green and red grapes in a simple yet satisfying selection for the mid-afternoon.
“It’s almost full moon soon. I hate this time of year,” Emerson said, his voice wavering.
Arii tilted her head to him, curious. “Why?”
Tikkani was the one to reply. “Once a year, with the full moon, there is a night where the Water Nymphs of The Sapphire Depths rise to hunt.” She placed two fingers on either side of her lips, resembling fangs. “Any man not locked away during the hunt may just become their dinner. The Nymphs only seem to venture to the towns closest to the lake, lest they wither from being in the open air too long.”
Arii’s brows shot up, not having heard of this particular event before.
“The Nymphs are said to be insanely beautiful, full bosomed and irresistible to men, their preferred meal,” continued Tikkani. “They lure them in with their songs and bodies. Having said that though, if the pickings are slim and they happen across a woman, they won’t hesitate to drain her dry.”
Tikkani swallowed. “So they say, anyway…” she finished. “I have not seen one myself as the castle is normally locked up tight so that they cannot enter. We will be posted to guard duty that night as back-up should anything go wrong.”
Love, Blood & Fury Page 7