Strength

by W. J. May

  Not the kind she was looking for. Not the kind she wanted to see.

  It was like all the dregs of Tarnaq had ended up in one place. The worst-tempered, the most dangerous, all those special little horrors that made one’s skin crawl. They spent the days gambling and drinking in the village, then headed back to the settlement for an evening of entertainment.

  In the land of the Carpathians, entertainment meant blood. And given how much blood the princess could see around her, it was truly a wonder there were any of them left.

  A sudden shout echoed across the road, followed by a chorus of riotous laughter as what had started as a bar fight turned into a full-on slaughter. The instigator was quickly surrounded by a tight-knit circle, all of whom seemed intent upon doing their own bit of damage. Then a giant man stepped into the middle and ended the fight...by ripping the perpetrator in half.

  Evie froze where she stood, forgetting for a moment to breathe.

  Even a dozen yards away, she could feel the impact as both halves of the man fell to the pavement. The laughter swelled even louder. The crowd screamed out for more—

  “Let’s keep it moving.”

  She jumped a mile when a quiet voice spoke in her ear. A second later an arm appeared around her shoulder, gently yet firmly leading her away. She glanced up quickly, expecting to see Asher, and was surprised that it was Seth instead. The shifter had angled his body between her and the carnage, never breaking his stride as they continued walking up the street.

  He alone didn’t look surprised by what was happening. Instead of gawking at every silent horror, he slid right through the middle—a decidedly grim expression on his face.

  “Sorry,” she muttered, flushing with embarrassment. “I guess none of this is new to you.”

  His eyes tightened, but he kept walking. He kept her walking as well.

  “Fights like that aren’t uncommon for Carpathians,” he replied quietly. “Some people say the idea for an arena came from them.”

  Evie nodded slowly, thinking this over.

  She remembered her father telling her once that he’d been introduced to the Carpathian people in a remarkably similar way. It had been an off-handed comment, said without thought and prompted by an ungodly amount of alcohol. When she’d pressed further, he’d quickly shut down—flashing a tight smile and having the governess whisk her off to bed. But she’d always remember those quiet words. And she’d always remember the look on his face when he said them.

  “It’s hard to believe all of this happened in ten years,” she murmured, looking around at the weather-beaten taverns, the thick grooves worn in the road. “Things used to be so different.”

  Seth nodded briskly, flipping up the hood of his cloak.

  “Yeah, well...things change.” He glanced bracingly around the street, looking far older than his age. “That’s why you’re doing this, right? To change them back.”

  She gave him a nudge. “That’s why we’re doing this.”

  He glanced down with the hint of a grin. “I keep forgetting I volunteered to join your little suicide mission. Looking back, I have no earthly idea why. Perhaps the food we were eating had spoiled. Perhaps I wasn’t right in the head.”

  Unlikely as it was, she found herself grinning as well.

  “And here I thought you were being gallant,” she replied casually. “Maybe even showing off a little, though I can’t imagine why...”

  As if the implication wasn’t enough, she glanced over at Cosette—walking on the far side of the group. He followed her gaze, lingering a moment on the wisps of ivory hair escaping her cloak.

  “I can’t believe she freed me,” he said abruptly, almost forgetting to lower his voice. “In my whole life, I’ve never...I’ve never met anyone who would do that.”

  Evie glanced up, surprised he’d be so candid, then continued walking with a secret smile.

  The man might be able to tear apart a grimlock with his bare hands, but he’d met his match in the breathtaking fae. Even if he didn’t quite know it yet...

  “Which way?”

  A sharp voice cut in between them as Ellanden turned around to face the others. Behind him, the street they’d been travelling forked in two directions. Of course neither happened to be marked with a sign, and at this point choosing the wrong one might prove fatal.

  Seth stood there with the others before realizing the prince was talking to him.

  “How would I know? I’ve never been here.”

  Ellanden’s eyes flashed. “You’re supposed to be our guide—”

  “And I guided you to the settlement,” Seth interrupted. “This happens to be a Carpathian stronghold, Your Highness. I’ve never set foot inside.”

  The prince glared another moment then turned back around, muttering under his breath. “Should have left you in the arena...”

  Seth stared at the back of his head before turning dryly to the princess. “That one I find less enchanting.”

  She fought back a grin. “You’ll get no argument from me...”

  A few steps away, the boys were locked in a hushed discussion. Their heads bent together as they gestured between the two paths, but in the end Asher pulled back with a sigh.

  “Just pick one,” he commanded. “They both have equal risks, so just pick.”

  It wasn’t an easy decision.

  If they headed north, there was a chance they’d miss the dock entirely and have to backtrack the way they’d come. But to head south was to venture even deeper into the settlement.

  Freya stepped up to join them, more to conceal herself from the curious eyes of a warlock than anything else. “The north is uncertain, but we know for sure there’s a ship to the south. We should head that way.” She glanced back in spite of herself. “And we should hurry.”

  Evie wrapped her cloak tighter, feeling the eyes of the settlement’s denizens as well. The streets were so packed and chaotic they’d been able to travel relatively unnoticed thus far, but there was no telling when that luck might run out. Already, a series of empty carts was lining up at the far end of the street. It wouldn’t be long before news spread that the hunting party had been killed in the forest.

  “I agree with the witch,” she said under her breath, shivering slightly as another cart rolled past. “The sooner we find a ship the better.”

  Then we never have to think about this terrifying place again.

  Without another word, the six friends hurried down the unlit alley—moving as quickly as possible and throwing occasional glances over their backs. They had a close call when a drunken sailor stumbled blindly into Freya. They had another when a demonic merchant saw Ellanden from a doorway and invited him to come inside. Evie thought they were finally through the worst of it, when a voice called out suddenly... echoing through the night.

  “Excuse me, sweetheart. Do I know you?”

  The gang turned around to see a Carpathian soldier standing in the doorway of a tavern, a bottle of whiskey clutched in his hand. The rest of his companions were still drinking inside, but he’d set his sights on a new recreation and headed slowly towards them, his eyes locked on Cosette.

  “I must have seen you before,” he continued with a gleaming smile, tossing the remains of the bottle into the street. “I’d never forget such a pretty girl.”

  Both Ellanden and Evie reached for their bows at the same time, but stopped themselves just as quickly. The man might have been approaching them alone, but about twenty of his friends were waiting just inside. One wrong move and the entire group would pour out onto the street.

  And heaven help us if that happens...

  Cosette braced against the pavement, staring back with a warning in her eyes. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken. Must have been someone else.”

  He only smiled wider, stalking towards her like some demonic cat.

  “With that face?” he chuckled darkly. “Honey, don’t sell yourself short.”

  Ellanden made a compulsive movement, but Asher grabbed him discre
etly—calling out instead: “The girl’s spoken for and you’ve had too much to drink. Why don’t you sleep it off?”

  The soldier paused a moment, then continued walking.

  “Don’t be greedy, vampire—you have plenty to choose from. And besides,” his eyes gleamed with anticipation, “this one and me go way back. I keep telling you, I—”

  The next few seconds were a blur.

  One moment, the man was crossing the street. The next, he was pressed up against the wall with Seth’s hand over his mouth, Seth’s dagger in his stomach. There was a muffled cry and the shifter tightened his fingers, easing him slowly to the ground.

  “You don’t know her.”

  The man died a second later, splayed out in a pool of blood.

  Seven hells.

  Evie blinked in amazement.

  No sooner had she turned around than it was already over. A flash of his eyes, a flick of his wrist, and one of the famed Carpathian warriors fell to the ground at his feet.

  “What did you do?” Asher breathed in amazement, staring a moment before his eyes shot nervously across the street. “We’re not supposed to call attention—”

  “Help me move him.”

  Already, Seth was gripping the man’s shoulders—holding him halfway out of the bloody puddle. When the vampire remained frozen he made the request again, more urgently this time.

  “Asher, pick him up. We can’t leave a trail of blood.”

  There was a split second’s pause. Then, much to Evie’s surprise, it was Ellanden who stepped forward—grabbing the Carpathian’s ankles and lifting him up. Together the two men carried him around the corner, tossing him carelessly behind a barrel of trash.

  “What happened to keeping a low profile?” Asher muttered as the fae walked past.

  Ellanden shrugged, glancing at Seth over his shoulder.

  “Sometimes you need to make a little noise...”

  The shifter wiped his hands briskly, then extracted the blade. He was just pushing back to his feet when he turned around to find himself face-to-face with an angry woodland princess.

  “You didn’t need to do that.”

  He nodded quickly, avoiding her eyes. “I know—”

  She stepped in front of him, straight into his line of sight. “I can take care of myself.”

  He stared a moment, then nodded again.

  “I know.” His hands moved slowly between them, wiping the blood off the knife. When it was clean he slipped it back into its sheath, lifting his gaze to hers. “I’d like to help.”

  Her lips parted, but before she could say anything there was a fresh chorus of laughter from the tavern and the friends took off back down the road.

  The rest of the settlement passed in a kind of nightmarish blur, and it wasn’t long before the princess could smell water. Instead of listening to the demonic voices behind her, she focused on the distant sound of waves lapping against the shore. By the time they got to the beach, the camp and all its horrors were nothing more than a fading memory.

  But of course, the fates had a new set of horrors in store...

  “Is that...?” Cosette trailed off, peeking over the sandy bluff. “That can’t be—”

  “—a full battalion of Carpathian soldiers,” Ellanden finished.

  Together, the friends turned around to glare at the shifter in their midst. He held their gaze for only a moment before throwing his hands in the air.

  “Hey—if anything, this only exonerates my skills as your guide.”

  “Really?” Asher asked icily. “And how’s that?”

  There was a guilty pause.

  “...I told you they were guarding the docks.”

  Chapter 2

  Fifty yards.

  That’s all the space there was between the friends and the ship. All the space between the powder keg behind them and escape into the open sea. Just fifty yards and fifty Carpathian soldiers.

  It might as well have been a thousand.

  “What’s the plan?” Asher whispered, crouched down with the others behind the bluff. When no one answered him, he kicked the fae in the legs. “Ellanden—what’s the plan?”

  The prince sank an inch lower in the sand. “Why must you always ask me that question?”

  “Because you get offended when I don’t!”

  Evie threw her hands between them. “Guys, now’s not the time—”

  “Here’s an idea,” Ellanden hissed, “why don’t you come up with the plan. Seeing as it was your idea to steal a ship from the Carpathians in the first place.”

  “My idea?!”

  “‘Then we’ll just have to take one for ourselves’,” the fae quoted, twisting around to glare at him head-on. “Am I remembering it incorrectly?”

  “Seriously—enough!”

  The bickering came to a petulant stop under the princess’ raised hands. She let them stew in the silence for a moment before turning practically to the fae.

  “Ellanden, what’s the plan?”

  The vampire snickered wickedly as the prince tossed a handful of sand in her face.

  “You two are the worst. I knew I should never have let you start dating.”

  Evie’s eyebrows shot into her hair. “Oh, you let that happen, did you?”

  Cosette rubbed wearily at her temples, muttering under her breath. “Anytime, guys...anytime.”

  “What if I tried to set them on fire?” Freya piped up helpfully.

  The others tilted their heads, considering, but Cosette’s eyes snapped open with a glare.

  “Why is that always your idea?”

  The witch’s smile cooled dramatically. “Because it always works.”

  “It won’t work here,” Seth interrupted quietly. Unlike the others, he had no previous history or entanglements clouding his judgement and getting in the way. “They’re too spread out for you to get them all at once, and they’re armed with long-range weapons. The second they realized the flames were coming from you, they’d shoot you on sight.”

  Cosette’s lips twitched up in a smirk. “Not exactly a deal-breaker...”

  “What about that mist you created earlier?” Evie asked hopefully. “We could use it to sneak down to the water—”

  Freya shook her head. “It only really works on one person, and I doubt I could keep it up in this wind. No, I still say we go with the fire. The rest of you could just stand in front of me like human shields.”

  Not surprisingly, that wasn’t met with the best reception.

  For the next few minutes, they went back and forth—each one contributing their own crazy idea before getting shot down like the rest. There was no need to lower their voices. Carpathians might have been gifted with some unholy physical advantages, but advanced hearing wasn’t one of them. As the ocean breeze swirled around them the friends continued the increasingly hopeless discussion, until all at once Ellanden held up his hand.

  His eyes went first to Evie before coming to rest on the vampire by her side.

  “I think your girlfriend should take her clothes off.”

  Asher stared blankly back.

  “What? You want me to kill you, is that it?” he finally answered. “Feel more comfortable with some friendly fire?”

  “No, he’s right,” Seth said immediately, looking excited for the first time.

  “And you,” Asher silenced him fiercely. “It’s way too early for you to be making that joke. We don’t even know you—”

  Ellanden slid in between them, holding up a soothing hand.

  “Ash, I’m saying she should shift.”

  The vampire paused a moment before turning to his girlfriend. She stared between the three of them, lifting her gaze to the battalion of monsters just over their heads.

  “You want me to shift?” she repeated incredulously. “Instead of using some long-range weapons like the rest of you, you want me to take on the horde as a glorified dog?”

  Ellanden’s eyes sparkled with the beginnings of a new plan.

  �
�Trust me.”

  “I don’t trust you,” the princess muttered under her breath, stomping behind the fae as they made their way through the sand. “You know I don’t trust you. I tell you all the time.”

  Ellanden helped her over a piece of driftwood with a gallant smile. “Here’s a chance for us to work on that.”

  She yanked back her hand, flashing a sideways glare. “Here’s an idea: how about we just give you to the Carpathians? I’m sure you can distract them long enough for the rest of us to sneak aboard. You’ve built such a reputation for stamina—”

  “Enough of your talking, woman. Now take off your clothes.”

  The fae’s eyes sparkled as he turned around, staring graciously down the shoreline.

  Evie considered taking the opportunity to stab him with his own dagger, but relented with a sigh and began to disrobe. The shoes came first, as there was no saving them. Then with a little more force than was probably required, she whipped off her cloak and threw it at the back of his head.

  “Hang on to that, will you?”

  He reached back to grab it, then held it up in dismay.

  “Everly, I can’t wear this. It’s for a woman. It’ll ruin my whole—”

  “Would you like to spend the next few weeks on the high seas in nothing but a dress?” she demanded. “That’s what I thought. Now be careful not to lose it. Otherwise, I’m taking yours.”

  He rolled it up without further protest, stuffing it behind his quiver.

  “I like your confidence.” He answered her questioning look with a smile. “Thinking we’ll make it to the water.” The princess balked, but he waved her on with another smile. “Carry on.”

  She stared at him a long moment, then started taking off her clothes. “I’m going to regret this...”

  He turned back around with a cheerful grin. “That’s what they always say.”

  IT WAS ONE THING TO feign confidence when the friends were around each other, laughing and bickering to lighten the mood. It was quite another when they left the gang behind and ventured out on their own...straight towards the Carpathian horde.