by R. A. Rock
“Hey, there he is,” a petite woman said, walking into the castle courtyard with the Captain. She had long blonde hair in two braids and wore livery that indicated she was one of the upper servants in the castle. “The stranger with the magical blades.”
“You’re late,” he said, ignoring this woman he didn’t know and addressing the Captain. He was positively itching to get out of this place, and he knew he was being rude, but he couldn’t stand to be there one minute longer.
The Captain narrowed her eyes at him. She wore a long red cloak that matched perfectly with her curly dark brown hair. It was pulled up in a ponytail that seemed to be intended to make her look fierce. But the rioting ringlets only managed to make her look lovely and sweet.
He shoved aside the thought of how pretty she was, touching his cut lip and paying attention to his aching ribs as a reminder of what she was capable of. The Captain was a warrior. And she meant nothing to him. She would have killed him in a heartbeat if he hadn’t used the blades.
“We were to leave at dawn, not first light,” she said, a hint of irritation in her tone. She gestured with a graceful hand at the sun that had just appeared on the horizon as if she had made it do so. “I’m right on time.”
The elf who had come with her chuckled.
Finn blinked, surprised at her timing, though he probably shouldn’t have been. The way she had fought last night had been methodical, controlled, efficient, and orderly. Her appearance was neat. And from what he had seen of her soldiers, she ran her guard with an iron hand. Her soldiers were some of the most disciplined he had ever met. So it didn’t surprise him that Tessa Callahan was the sort of person who could make the sun rise on her command.
Finn felt that he ought to be intimidated but he wasn’t. He liked challenges. This Dark Court Faerie, who was so clearly in the queen’s pocket, would be no different from any other challenge he had faced in his life. All he had to do was endure her until he could get away. Then he would escape and continue his life of living on the run and scraping by.
Yes, that sounds great. I’m really looking forward to getting back to that, especially now that I’ll also have the Dark Queen trying to kill me.
“Ah, yes,” he said, pushing down his impatience. “You’re right, m’lady. Forgive me.”
He made a small bow, and when he looked up with a smile, Finn saw that the other woman was giving him come-hither eyes, while the Captain studied him—completely unimpressed by his fawning.
“I’m no lady.”
“Well, you know, it’s just a figure of speech for those of the fairer sex,” he said, backtracking when she wasn’t enchanted the way most women were when he turned on the charm.
The Captain raised her eyebrows at him.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Tessa?” the woman asked, giving him a sexy smile and swishing her skirt a little.
The Captain rolled her eyes. “Nataliana Speranza, this is Finn Noble.”
Finn studied Nat curiously.
“Not from around here?” he asked.
Nataliana’s face fell. “This is my home,” she said. “No real home for an elf, though, now is there?”
A sad look appeared in her eyes for a second. No doubt, she was referring to the fact that the disappearance of the Elves meant that she had no home anymore. It was a sad thing, which no one understood. He supposed the Severance was bad but not as bad as that. He couldn’t imagine having most of his entire race simply disappear. It was unthinkable.
He gave her a sympathetic smile. He knew what it was like to never be able to go home. After a moment, the pretty little elf shook it off.
“May the Shadows hide you,” she said, as if she didn’t really wish that for them. It was the customary farewell in Direwood Castle, though many Unseelie Fae took exception to it. Nobody but Ransetta’s most devout followers actually hoped that Shadows would hide them.
“And be sure and look me up when you get back, Finn,” Nataliana added.
She blew him a kiss and gave Tessa a hug. The Captain shook her head, an exasperated look on her face as her friend sauntered off. Nat was obviously flirting with him, but he had no interest. Since Emmy, he hadn’t been interested in any other women.
Well, except for… He glanced up at the Captain and felt the now slightly familiar zap when their eyes met.
But no. She was loyal to the Dark Queen and no doubt a cruel, terrible person.
“Uh, well, should we get on our way?” Finn asked, feeling disconcerted and not liking it.
“I suppose we should.”
The Captain climbed on her horse. Without another word to him, she clucked to her horse and moved out, her horse’s footfalls the only sound in the early morning. It didn’t escape his notice that she was leaving him to follow her.
Like a servant.
Finn felt the affront but pressed his lips together and bore the insult. He would follow her until he could run. Then he would get as far away as he could. And hide forever, he supposed. Because there was no way that the Dark Queen wouldn’t come looking for him.
But Finn set his jaw, ignoring the fear that shot through him at the thought of Ransetta pursuing him. There was nothing he could do about that. He would have to deal with it because he simply couldn’t go along with this plan to get the blades. It was wrong. He would not help the queen acquire weapons of such power. Not after what she had done to him. Not after Amelia’s death. No, he would bide his time and then he would run far, far away. So far they would never find him.
And so he followed the Captain, though he wanted nothing more than to turn his horse and spur it in the opposite direction.
Chapter 6
Once they were out of sight of the castle but not yet into the Dire Wood, the Captain reined in, and Finn rode up beside her. The early morning sky was streaked with lovely pastel colors, but Finn had no eyes for the beauty. Not this morning. Not when his life had suddenly taken such a turn for the worse.
“There’s something you need to know, Mr. Noble,” she said, her blue eyes surprising him with their loveliness. But he wasn’t in the mood for her beauty either. She was his enemy. And he was trapped with her. That was all he needed to remember.
“What’s that?” he growled at her.
“I have been the Captain of the Guard for the Dark Court for over three hundred years. I have been a soldier for longer than that.”
Finn felt wary at the hard look in her eye.
“I have fought and killed,” she said. “I have seen things that no one should have to. And I have done it all to serve my court and my monarch.”
His guts twisted to think that someone would give such time and allegiance to a queen so cruel and wicked.
“And because of the time I have spent in the Dark Court, I know the queen well,” the Captain went on. Finn sucked in a breath through his nose to calm himself at the mention of the queen and smelled the sweetness of the forest—the lovely scent in direct contrast to the foul soul of the woman they were discussing. “She wants these blades, and she will have them. It doesn’t matter if we get them or not. She will have them.”
The earnest look in her eyes made him listen. She meant what she was saying.
“If we fail and die, it will not matter. She will get them. So, it makes more sense to accomplish this quest, to bring back the blades, and to stay alive. Because she will find them no matter what we do.”
“Understood.”
“No, I don’t think you do,” the Captain said, leaning closer and getting in his face. Her voice was deadly serious. “Do not try to escape. Do not think of leading me down the wrong path. Do not think of substituting fake blades for the real ones. Because if you do, you will die—and in a much less pleasant way than having the Skransser suck your soul.”
“Is that a threat?” he asked, letting a little of the warrior show through his usually casual and relaxed exterior. He sensed her bristle at the wordless challenge.
“Definitely,” she said, every muscle
tense as if she were trying to control her instinct to strike him. After a few moments of staring each other down, she sat back on her horse, the intensity of her demeanor relaxing. “It’s also merely the truth. If we don’t accomplish this, she will kill us, and she will still get the blades.”
“Okay, I understand,” he said, impatient that she was still going on and on about this.
“I have a feeling you don’t,” she said, shaking her head as she moved her horse forward again. Finn nudged his horse along as well, keeping pace with her and keeping his annoyance in check.
“So, if we’re giving warnings...” he said, letting the sentence trail off.
The Captain gave him a look of disbelief.
“You’re going to warn me about something?”
“Not a warning exactly,” he said. “More of a communication of information.”
“What?”
“Look,” he said, his face getting serious. “I will not tolerate deception. Someone lied to me once, and a person close to me died because of it. Lying to me, Captain, is a bad idea.”
The Captain gave one nod.
“Understood.”
“I have a feeling you don’t,” he said, repeating her words in a mocking tone. The Captain shook her head and changed the subject.
“You told the queen you grew up in The Valley—near the Chasm of Severance, right?”
Finn nodded.
“That makes you practically Light Fae in your attitudes. And I’m guessing that means you haven’t had much contact with the Dark Queen.”
“I’ve had some.” Finn tensed up.
The Captain turned her head at his tone. “Ah, so you have had some experience with her ruthlessness and cruelty?”
“I have,” Finn said, staring straight ahead.
“Then hear me when I say that you do not want to jeopardize this quest. If you do, by running away…” He turned to look at her, and their eyes met for a long moment. It was as if she could read his mind and see his plans. “Or if you try anything else that will mean we don’t get the blades, then we will both die horrific deaths.”
Finn said nothing.
“Do you believe me, Mr. Noble?”
In the quiet of the morning, birds chirped softly, and there was the faint sound of a stream gurgling in the distance. How could it be so beautiful when everything was falling apart around him?
Finn didn’t want to say it. The last thing he wanted to admit to this evil Faerie was that he believed her. But how could he not? She clearly spoke the truth. Plus, he knew she was waiting for an answer. The breeze ruffled her curls, and Finn realized that there was no way out of this but through.
“I do.”
“Then you will not do anything stupid, will you?”
Finn’s heart sank as all his plans to get away from the Dark Court disappeared from his mind. The only way to escape this situation was to help the Captain of the Guard find another pair of the blades, though from what his grandfather had told him he wasn’t even sure that was possible. But whether or not they could find another pair, he had to be all in. He had to at least try. He had to give everything to accomplishing this quest. Or he would not live to regret it.
“If another pair of blades can be found in Ahlenerra, then I will help you to find them,” Finn said, keeping a straight face. “But I can’t promise not to do anything stupid.”
The Captain glanced over at him, uncomprehending irritation on her face.
“It’s just that… taking stupid risks is kind of my thing,” Finn explained with a shrug, scratching at the rough stubble on his face.
The Captain stared at him and then shook her head—no doubt in disgust—and rode on.
Finn watched her back for a while before he pressed his heels into his horse and it moved forward. He suddenly knew that his life was no longer his own. As long as he owed the Dark Queen, he would never be free.
Stars above, this quest was such a bad idea.
And Finn had no choice but to go through with it.
They rode on through the forest in silence as the sun rose gradually higher in the sky. Finn was surprised when they came upon two Fae with their arms around each other, kissing as though it would be the last time and neither of them ever wanted to come up for air. Shocked at this display, he pulled on the reins of his horse, coming to a stop, and looked at the Captain to see what she thought of this.
She had a disgusted look on her face.
“What—” he started to say, but she cut him off.
“They’re uniting. See how they’re glowing?”
“Yes. You mean, uniting as in…”
“As in merging magic.”
“As in the forbidden practice that can kill a person?”
“That’s the one,” Tessa said and began muttering almost to herself. “This is all I need. I don’t want to have to make an arrest right when we’re leaving. It will delay us another day.”
Finn ignored her comments about their journey and focused on the somewhat disturbing scene in front of him. He had never seen people merging Starlight before, and he had a sort of morbid fascination with watching it.
“Hey, stop that,” the Captain shouted.
The two broke apart for a moment, and the man gazed into the woman’s eyes.
“Where you go, I will follow,” he said, his voice deep and a little husky.
“Yes,” the woman said, breathless. “Come with me.”
They kissed passionately again.
“No, hey,” the Captain said, exasperated. “Stop.”
But she didn’t seem to be trying very hard to prevent them from doing what they were doing.
“Don’t they hear us?” he asked.
The Captain shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“Fae who are united are in such ecstasy that they don’t usually notice their surroundings. I’m surprised they even stopped for that long.” Tessa watched them disapprovingly. “Shadows and Chasm, I guess I’ll have to arrest them. There’s nothing else for it.”
“Arrest them?”
“Uniting isn’t only dangerous and forbidden,” she said with a resigned sigh. “It’s also against the law.”
Finn tilted his head and examined the couple.
“Are they getting brighter?” he asked in confusion.
“Stars above, they are,” Tessa said, grabbing his reins and kicking her horse so that it broke into a startled gallop with Finn’s horse in tow.
“What are you doing?” he yelled as they raced away.
A few seconds later, Tessa slowed the horses, and they turned back toward the couple. Without warning, there was a huge explosion of light and deafening noise. A shock wave passed through them, knocking the wind from Finn’s lungs. A tree exploded, raining chips down on them, and he ducked, protecting his head with his arms. He leaned over his horse, not sure if he would ever get his breath back.
After a minute, it was quiet.
Finn sat up. He picked up a chip that lay on his horse’s saddle. If the Captain hadn’t got them out of there as she had, he would have been in pieces like that tree.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Uniting happened,” the Captain said, shaking her head, clearly annoyed. “That’s why it’s forbidden, against the law, and generally a bad idea.”
“So the magical explosion and the shockwave?”
“That was the couple going poof,” she said, spreading her fingers and mimicking the explosion with her hands. “But now, at least I don’t have to arrest them.”
She clucked to her horse and moved off into the forest. Finn stared at her back and wondered at a person who could dismiss two lives in such a callous way. And this was the person he was stuck with for the next three months?
Lucky me.
But when he contemplated that he might have been blown to bits like that tree, he realized that he truly was lucky to be safe. And he owed it to the Captain. It didn’t sit well with him that she had saved his life and that he now owed her
a debt. She was the Dark Queen’s evil minion. She wasn’t capable of good deeds.
And yet, she had saved his life.
But probably only so that she could carry out her queen’s orders. Yes. That was it. No altruistic motivation needed.
Her brown head disappeared around a bend in the road, and he wondered what the heck he had got himself into—and whether he would survive the next three months next to this cold-hearted woman who lived only to serve the most evil Faerie in Ahlenerra.
With a sigh, he pressed his heels into the horse’s flanks, and the animal moved forward.
Only one way to find out, he supposed as he followed the Captain into the forest.
Chapter 7
“The first place we can go is…” Finn trailed off as he took another bite. He and the Captain sat around the campfire. It was the evening of the day they had left Direwood Castle together, and they were in the middle of precisely nowhere.
The Captain was an excellent shot with a bow and arrow. He had to give her that as he took a bite of one of the pheasants she had killed. The meat was greasy, hot, and filled his belly. He chewed and swallowed before going on.
“The first place we can go?” the Captain prompted.
“The first place we can go is my grandfather’s farm. He’s the one who told me the story, and he knows the most about the blades of any Fae living. But there’s something you need you to know, Captain. Something I probably should have told you before.”
“What’s that?” she asked, her eyes wary.
“I’m not sure that we can find another pair. From what my grandfather told me, they’re the only ones of their kind.”
The Captain held a tin cup of tea in her hands. She stopped with the cup midway to her mouth.
“What? And you didn’t tell the queen?”
“I needed to get out of there,” Finn said, some of his desperation showing in his tone. “I couldn’t chance telling the queen right then. She might have gotten angry and thrown me in the dungeon.”