Broken Kei

by Jen Wylie

  She glared at him, but a slight, jerky nod answered him anyway.

  His lips twisted into a frightening yet amused smirk. I am your assassin, Arowyn. I'll be fine.

  She frowned and shook her head, irritated he was making her go. As she moved away, he didn't let go of her hand until he had to.

  "Go."

  She sprang into a run, but veered east, downwind, once she was out of sight. When far enough away she couldn't hear them talking anymore, she slowed a bit, moving as quietly as she could as she circled back.

  There still only one?

  Yes, my lovely.

  She paused hearing Baelan was back. It couldn't be too bad if the assassin had retreated.

  Drawing close, she crouched, using the trees and scrub for cover. The Elves weren't talking now, other than the occasional curse or taunt. The flashing lights of runes lit the area she'd left them in and she held in her own curses. She hated rune magic.

  To be safe, she drew the dagger Prince had given her. She'd discovered one of the runes carved into it could break any runes thrown at her. After being hit by one once, she didn't ever want to go through that pain again.

  Moving closer, she finally caught sight of the fighting between branches and leaves. Baelan fought with his sword in one hand as the other tossed runes at or around his opponent.

  Grimacing as the foliage obstructed her view again, she debated moving closer.

  Kei, Garen. We've encountered an Elf. Baelan is dealing with him.

  Just one, Kei confirmed.

  Yes.

  We'll head back, Garen said. No sense in us getting too far ahead.

  I agree. Be careful, Aro, Kei added quietly.

  I will.

  "Idiot! You don't use fire in the forest!"

  Baelan's angry shout startled her out of her mental conversation.

  It must have startled the other Elf as well. The lights disappeared and moments later only silence met her searching ears.

  "You can come out now, Arowyn."

  Wincing at the assassin's stiff voice, she rose and pushed her way through the brush into the newly made clearing.

  "Rhee-En won't be impressed with this mess," she muttered.

  His stormy gaze met hers as she reached him. "We will fix it, as much as we can."

  She nodded once, before turning her gaze to the Elf sprawled out on the ground. Her eyes flicked away once she saw his blank, staring eyes. Curiosity made her look again.

  "I've never seen an Elf like him." Where every other Elf she'd met had fair skin, his was a bit darker. Most shocking was his hair, an unnatural wine color. His eyes matched.

  Bay glanced at the Elf and then shrugged. "Our creators seemed to like fair-skinned blondes, most of the originals were so. But some were different. His line. Mine." His fingers reached up to briefly touch his hair and then gesture to his eyes. "A few others."

  She looked away again and then cleared her throat. "I contacted the others. They are headed this way."

  "Good." He paused, staring at her. "You weren't supposed to come back. It wasn't safe."

  She shrugged a shoulder. "We should get the horses."

  He huffed out an irritated breath. "I will. They haven't gone far."

  As he walked away, she called out, "Thank you!"

  Turning slightly as he walked, he tipped his head. "I am to protect you, Arowyn. No thanks are needed."

  "I meant thank you for not dying," she whispered as she watched him walk away.

  Bay brought the horses back, ensured they weren't injured, and checked if the packs were secure. After handing the Elf's sword and dagger off to Bay, both beautiful Elven blades, she paced as she waited.

  Kei caught her off guard when he arrived, bounding up to her and wrapping her in his arms. Her heart pounded in her chest as she held him tight. This was her Kei.

  "Are you hurt?"

  "No." She shook her head, holding in a sigh as he pulled away from her.

  "You need to be careful, Aro."

  "I know."

  Garren arrived with Lissana and came up to butt his head against her thigh. Their worry brought a blush to her cheeks, and a bit of annoyance.

  It is more than just your life at stake now, Arowyn, the Were reminded her.

  Yes, she knew that, too.

  Let's get the Elf buried. Do you want to camp here tonight?

  "Oh, goodness no," she exclaimed.

  Kei cast her a crooked smile and despite the fact they were about to bury a body, she smiled back.

  By the time they finished and moved on a good distance to find a spot to make camp for the night, she was exhausted.

  When Terris strolled into camp with a smirk on her beautiful face, Aro ground her teeth together, attempting to keep her fury in check.

  "Where were you today?"

  The Were raised an eyebrow as she poked at the empty pots from their recently finished dinner. "Scouting ahead, as I always do," she finally replied.

  Aro set her empty plate to the side and rose from her seat by the fire. "Did you come across any trace of an Elf today?"

  "I met him." Her eyes flicked to the side as Baelan also got to his feet.

  "You didn't tell me."

  "He was a simple traveler," she countered with a wave of her hand.

  "No. He was not," Aro snapped out.

  "Perhaps the alpha did not warn her," Baelan whispered.

  "Of Elves intent on your life? He did. One young one travelling the forest was of no concern."

  "He isn't now. He's dead," she said flatly. The Were froze. "Baelan killed him after he tried to shoot us full of holes. From now on," she continued sharply, "you will tell me immediately of any Elves."

  "I suppose I can do that," Terris replied stiffly.

  "That was not a suggestion."

  The Were nodded once and then suddenly shifted and ran into the woods.

  Baelan leaned in close, his voice a sultry purr. "You just reminded me a bit of Roan. Except you rather made my heart race. You are quite stunning when giving orders, my lovely."

  Turning slowly, she glared at him, eyes flashing with the light of the fury within her.

  He leaned away and swallowed quickly.

  "Go clean the dishes."

  "Yes, that is a wonderful idea."

  Despite just wanting to go to sleep, she remembered she did have a number of people to contact first. Her goodnights to Bo and Roan, and it would be a good idea to contact Rhee-En and let him know about the Elf. Perhaps she would hint a bit at the issues she'd been having with his beta. She'd discussed the problem with both Garen and Baelan and found it to be a tricky slope since she didn't know if she could fully trust the Were. Speaking to him in person would be her best resort, but she didn't know when she would meet up with the alpha again.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  The morning brought a pain between her eyes as the birds once again sang too loudly.

  She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. Her chat with Bo had been sweet and short. Roan, of course, had a lot to say. He disagreed with their notion that the Were could not be trusted, instead pressing her first thoughts that Terris simply didn't like being pulled away to work with the new human alpha. His dismay twisted her insides, as she pointed out their thoughts and he shared his. Of course, his points sounded more valid than hers.

  Rhee-En, when she eventually contacted him, didn't seem to catch her hints Terris wasn't working well with them. His alarm when he heard they'd already faced another Elf attack brought Roan's words to mind and she was left not knowing who to believe or what to think.

  As they all set out together, Kei pulled her aside, his hand slipping into hers.

  She looked at him, her smile both hesitant and hopeful.

  "We got a bit ahead of you yesterday when you stopped." He paused a moment and then smiled. "Would you like to run?"

  A grin split her face as she squeezed his hand. "Yes."

  The answering boyish grin on his face made her heart soar. Sometimes the little t
hings in life could make everything better.

  It was the best morning she'd had in a long time.

  They did eventually split up again, but even Baelan's stupid knowing looks couldn't take away her happiness. She didn't care what he thought, or what anyone else did, either.

  To make the day even better, Terris contacted her shortly after they'd spread out again.

  Caught the scent of a few Fey. Heading east.

  Thank you, Terris.

  She sent the information out to Garen and Kei and not long after she heard from them.

  Found it, Kei said. The Were was correct, heading east. Two of them. We'll keep on it. Anything, Garen?

  No, we will circle toward you.

  When Baelan found the trail crossing their path they stopped and waited for Kei, Lissana, and Cano. They didn't have to wait long. The five of them continued on foot, leaving the horses safely behind.

  "They aren't very far ahead," Kei whispered, his eyes glowing yellow with his excitement.

  We're on their trail. Anything yet?

  Catching scent of them now, Garen replied. We'll hold back in case they make a run for it this way.

  Aro relayed the information as they quietly tracked the Fey.

  "Tracks are gone," Cano suddenly said from ahead. "They've gone to the trees."

  "They must have caught our scent," Kei grumbled as they all slowed, craning their heads to look up into the dark branches above them.

  "We aren't here to hurt you," Aro said calmly, knowing this close the Fey could easily hear them. "I'm here to heal you, like I've done these Fey with me."

  She waited, but the Fey didn't appear so they all continued slowly forward.

  It shouldn't have surprised her they attacked her and Baelan, and not the other Fey. Still, being knocked to the ground by a growling mass of teeth and claws tore her breath away and sent her heart pounding. At least she didn't scream. Baelan did, and the sound would have been amusing if she hadn't been trying to keep herself in one piece.

  She managed to avoid the snapping teeth. Not so much the tearing claws. On the ground, she tried to latch on to the Fey so she could draw out its power and protect herself, but that idea wasn't working well.

  Too many cuts later the Fey jerked away from her, pulled off by the others. She lurched forward as Kei held the Fey down and slapped her hand to its head, pulling. She still didn't know if the Fey was male or female.

  Power gone, the Fey slumped to the ground. Kei grabbed Aro's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Quickly!"

  Cano and Lissana stood, holding the other struggling Fey by her thrashing arms. Aro slapped her hand on the Fey's chest, once again pulling fury into her. Neither were very strong. Once done, she stepped back and easily let some of the excess drain away.

  "Well…" She heaved out a sigh and held in a wince. "That could have gone better." Dropping to the ground, she closed her eyes, quickly healing the gaping wounds on her arms and shoulders. "Still alive, Baelan?"

  He groaned. "That was terrible. My shirt is ruined."

  A small laugh escaped her, though he did have a point. Maybe they should have packed more clothes.

  The two Fey were both women, Mayza and her daughter Gizine. Terris, once again helpful, directed Aro to a nearby stream where they could get cleaned up and the new Fey settled.

  The most perfect part of the day though, was seeing the joy on Kei's face at having more of his people free of the fury.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Days went by with a steady rhythm of searching, eating, sleeping. They reached the wardwall, traveled up it a short distance, and then began the trek north up Rhee-En's lands. They found another Fey, and then three more, another two, and so it continued as they turned and moved south again.

  They traveled slowly. Some of the newly healed Fey required extra care, but some recovered quickly, helping those who needed it or with the search itself. By the time they reached the wardwall once more, they'd found fourteen Fey.

  She sometimes found it hard to watch them struggle with their sudden normalcy. All but one had been born since the Queen's death. None of these could read or write, or knew much of their history. Some even had trouble with more than simple language. Her heart broke for them and all they'd lost.

  Lissana told them how some Fey were wilder than others, locked into the red wild fury with little reprieve. It should have occurred to her they weren't stuck like that all the time. How would they find mates or raise children, otherwise? For most it was a cycle. If not provoked, the fury would slowly ease until their eyes turned orange, or rarely the glowing gold. The weaker the Fey, the harder it was to break from the raging red eyed fury. Strong Fey could more often, more easily, and she was told how it was said some, the strongest, never went wild at all. She wondered what happened to these Fey. She vaguely remembered someone mentioning it to her before. Would they come across them as well?

  Aro spoke with Rhee-En about beginning the part of their plan where they would begin an eastward moving Fey camp along the center of his land. On this pass, they would go by the settlement she'd been to previously, which she learned they called Ridgeside. There they would restock supplies and meet again with the alpha.

  Other than a few showers, the weather hadn't been bad. Spirits were high as the Fey reconnected with others of their kind.

  She watched Kei now, as they all sat together around the large fire. His hair had started to grow out a little, short bits sticking out every which way. He'd put on more weight, more muscle, but his face still had a hollow look to it.

  The darkness around his eyes bothered her. He smiled slightly at something another Fey said, but it didn't reach his eyes.

  She still often caught him lost in quiet thought and a few times, lost in confusion. She didn't know how many more of his memories he needed to restore, and he didn't want to talk about it. She stopped asking, hating how such questions made him angry.

  Moving to his side, she pretended to ignore his frown.

  "I'm fine."

  "I know," she answered. "I can't sit with you?"

  He blinked rapidly at her and then looked away with a grimace. "Of course you can," he finally said.

  They sat in silence for a while and she relaxed, content just to be by his side.

  "What are you thinking about?"

  Raising her eyebrows, she turned and smiled. "How I'm happy just to be here with you."

  His hand slipped over hers, fingers entwining, as a faint glow of happiness came to his eyes. "Me, too."

  They stared at each other for a long moment before he dropped his gaze and turned to watch the fire again. He didn't let go of her hand.

  "I was thinking of Furia," he said after another long silence. "What it will be like."

  "I've wondered, too. How long will it take to get there, do you think?"

  "It's not time. We need to go, but it's not time."

  She looked at him quickly. Her stomach twisted at the faraway look on his face. He wasn't really with her anymore.

  Squeezing his hand, she forced words up through her tight throat. "Whenever you're ready."

  "It's not time," he repeated softly.

  They'd hoped to reach Ridgeside by evening, but she doubted they would. After finding another Fey early in the morning, the tracking and healing of him had taken a good chunk of time from their day.

  There is rain on the way.

  She grimaced at the beta's words. Is there shelter ahead? We only have two tents. Or can we reach Ridgeside before it hits?

  Not in time, no. I will see what I can find.

  Thank you. She actually meant it. It surprised her how helpful Terris had become, though the Were still rarely spent any time with them. Perhaps that was a good thing.

  A short time later, a shadow darkened the ground before her and she cursed. She'd thought they'd have more time before the rain came. Looking up to see how dark the clouds were, and how much they would get wet, she stopped. Sunlight struck her face and still she stood, ey
es searching the bit of sky she could see through the trees. When the shadow fell on her again, she cursed louder.

  Kei.

  I saw him.

  Rot!

  Calm, Aro. It will be fine. We're doing what he wants. Just…try to not get angry.

  Her fists clenched. Too late. He hurt you! He took you from me! How can I not be angry about that?

  Aro, please.

  The pleading in his voice startled her.

  I don't want him to hurt you, he continued quietly. He might not kill you, but he can hurt you.

  Grasping at her hair, she paced and cursed and tried to keep her fury in check.

  "What is it?" Baelan, now taken to walking with her, leaving the horses with the Fey who followed them, had either seen or sensed her distress.

  "Damon," she grated out.

  The Elf glanced up, then around them. His lips pressed together. "What is your plan?"

  "Plan? I don't have a plan!" She growled in frustration. "Not get eaten."

  "I meant for everyone else. The Fey."

  "Oh, rot."

  "Yes."

  She ran a hand over her face. Sucked in a deep breath. Thought a moment before sending out a message.

  The Dragos Damon comes. Fall back. Protect the Fey.

  Baelan gave her a brief, pleased nod. Terris and Garen both sent their agreement. Kei didn't.

  I'll be there as soon as I can.

  You know that's not a good idea.

  Aro, just…trust me.

  Even though he couldn't see her, she shook her head, but didn't argue. Turning on her heel, she started walking, putting more distance between her and the following Fey.

  Baelan joined her. "What would you like me to do?"

  A grin quirked her lips. "You're not going to go back and join them are you."

  He made a face and shook his head. "You know I don't like to be far from you. Besides, I know better than to anger the dragon. Perhaps I can keep you calm, as well."

  "Perhaps," she acknowledged. "Don't get killed."