Betrayals of Spring

by L. P. Dover

  I smile, “I would be honored.”

  I am given a few moments to gather my things and begin dressing. I find all my armor and I begin placing it on my body. My bow and arrows are on the floor so I pick them up and strap them to my back. I notice the floor is hard packed soil so curiously I look around for the first time. The only light in here comes from the torches that are lit and mounted on the wall. They actually give this room a romantic appeal, and I thank the stars that I will be out of here soon. Bayleon is waiting by the door for me, but before I take another step further I sneak a glance over at Bastian. He looks at me with such longing and sadness. I never gave thought that he might have the same feelings as Bayleon. Judging by the way he looks I would say he does.

  Am I really going to do this again? Here I go with putting another’s needs before my own. When everyone finds out what I have done they will never let me live it down. My heart goes out for these men and it makes me sad that they live like this every day not knowing what real love feels like. Bayleon nods his head in understanding before walking out to leave me alone with Bastian.

  Bastian is standing there motionless, awkward and confused, and I can’t help but feel pity for him. This is the last time I’m going to do this, and I am only doing this now because he was gentle with me earlier. The sincerity in his soul was genuine and easy to see. Bastian’s eyes widen at my approach and I waste no time in crushing my lips against his before he has any time to speak. He stands frozen at first, but then returns the kiss with a passion of his own. The love in my body explodes out in waves and I know Bastian can feel it all. He lifts me off the ground and crushes me tight against his body. I don’t know how these men survive without love, but it does however give me joy to be able to share this with them. His lips are warm and soft as he embraces my lips with his own.

  When the kiss is over Bastian sets me down and I notice a sparkling tear rolling down his cheek. I wipe it away while he smiles warmly at me.

  “You didn’t have to do that, Princess.”

  I smile back. “I know, Bastian, but I wanted to.”

  He leans down and kisses me once more on the lips. “The fact that you wanted to kiss me makes it all the more special. Thank you, Princess Meliantha. I will treasure this moment for all eternity.”

  “You are most welcome,” I reply whole-heartedly.

  He walks me out of the dwelling and Bayleon is waiting for us just outside. He smiles at us and takes my arm while Bastian takes the other.

  “I’m going to escort you, too,” Bastian says with a smirk. I gasp in wonder as I peer around the Tyvar camp. My eyes were closed earlier, so I was unable to take a look at my surroundings. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a camp, but more a village of sorts. I curiously look back at the dwelling I just came from and I am amazed by the way it’s built. His home looks like it was carved out of a mound of earth. It is set inside a hill and covered with vibrant green colored mosses and grass. I noticed there are no flowers on the vines that cross over and around his dwelling. There also are not any around the territory either. I secretly call upon my magic and I send it to the baron vines that lie across Bayleon’s dwelling. Flowers begin to sprout of various colors and I silently laugh as we make our way through the village. Neither Bayleon nor Bastian has looked back so they will definitely have a surprise when they come back here.

  We’re walking through the camp and all the Tyvar fae immediately stop what they are doing and stare at us in amazement. I look several of them in the eyes and they all freeze in place, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Both Bayleon and Bastian laugh and it snaps everyone out of their stupor.

  “Carry on, everyone!” Bayleon shouts while waving his hands in the air.

  Everyone goes back to doing what they were doing until someone catches my attention and I freeze. “What the hell is she doing here?” I exclaim, nodding in the direction of the woman I see hanging all over a Tyvar fae. The woman I speak of happens to be the evil Winter bitch Breena. Why is she here?

  They both look in Breena’s direction and then down to me with somber expressions. Bayleon is the one who answers, “She was left here by the man you consider to be the dark sorcerer. He said she was a gift, but obviously he used her to get you here.”

  Well, it worked getting me here, but the dark sorcerer is going to be none too pleased when I catch up to him. When I do find him I will make sure to tell him how much of a spineless bastard he is by having everyone else do his dirty work for him. He hasn’t succeeded yet with bringing me down.

  I usually love helping people because it makes me happy, but when I look at Breena I have no desire in my soul to help her. She betrayed our people and she is the reason Kalen is gone, and for that she can rot in hell.

  “Oh, I know he used her to get me here. That’s how he works,” I express fiercely.

  The angry side of me wants to just walk right up to Breena and kill her, but the compassionate side tells me to try and save her. Unfortunately, it is too late to save her. She has already been enthralled by the Tyvar’s power of seduction. She deserves this fate though, and deep down I am glad for it. I am actually doing her a favor. Dying by the Tyvar will be way more enjoyable then dying by my hands.

  “What would you like us to do with her?” Bayleon asks.

  “I don’t care what you do with her. If she wasn’t here I was planning on killing her myself. She betrayed our courts and sided with the dark sorcerer. She is of no concern to me anymore,” I say with venom.

  Bayleon and Bastian nod their heads in understanding and we continue our way down to the fog beyond where Aki and my horse, Prince Ashe, are waiting patiently. Seeing them lifts my spirits and knowing that I will be back on my way to finding Kalen sends the adrenaline spiking through my body.

  Aki is wagging his tail excitedly while Prince Ashe is pacing back and forth. I know they must have been worried. They head straight for me and my escorts let me go so I can greet them. Aki reaches me first and I bend down to hug his neck while he licks my face. His excitement makes me laugh so he continues to bombard me.

  “Thank you for staying, Aki.” He huffs and licks me one more time before moving away so that I can greet Prince Ashe. I rub his muzzle and the sadness he feels dissipates when he senses that I am alright.

  “I’m OK, Prince Ashe. Are you ready to go?” I ask urgently.

  He bumps me with his muzzle in reply. My saddle is in place along with my satchel. I climb upon his back and look down at both brothers and smile.

  “Thank you for letting me go,” I say to both of them.

  Bastian walks up and places his hand on mine when he speaks. “I hope you have a safe journey and that you find your prince. Farewell, Princess Meliantha.” He lets go of my hand and steps back to give Bayleon the chance to say his goodbye.

  Bayleon comes forward and takes my hand. He kisses my hand gently and says, “I wish you a safe journey as well, Princess. When the time comes and you need more warriors, we will be there to fight by your side.” His face turns serious with his last words, “I promise to always be there if you need me.”

  I’m astonished by his promise because it puts him in my debt if I need help. Tears sting my eyes and I let them fall.

  “I’m going to hold you to that promise, Bayleon,” I say while laughing through the tears. I squeeze his hand one last time before letting go. I came in here thinking I was going to be a sex slave, and now I’m leaving and have acquired a powerful ally. I think the tables are starting to turn in this demented game the dark sorcerer has me playing.

  The beginnings of night have already begun and it’s time for me to be on my way. I wave to both men before Aki heads off in the direction we must go. I look back one more time to see Bayleon and Bastian waving, at least until the fog takes over and they are no longer in sight. It’s a strange feeling, but I honestly think I’m going to miss their company.

  The direction Aki leads me is the opposite way from the bridge I crossed over to enter the Tyvar territory. It is
late in the night and my eyes are feeling heavy from lack of sleep. There will be time to rest when I have Kalen back, so for now, I will push through it as hard as I can. The forest is dark with slivers of moonlight peeking through the trees making it look beautiful, yet ominous somehow. The night has cooled off, but I can still feel the humidity of the forest sticking to my skin. The forest is eerily quiet and the only sounds I hear are the clomping of Prince Ashe’s hooves on the ground below. The silence reminds me of how alone I truly am.

  I haven’t been riding long, but I think I’ve gone far enough to where I can let Ashur know that I am well. If I spoke to him earlier I’m sure he would have found a way to catch up to me. I hesitate for a few minutes because I know he’s going to demand to know where I am at. He won’t understand my reasoning for wanting to be alone.

  “Ashur?” I call out sheepishly to his mind.

  “Meliantha! Thank the stars you are all right. Where are you? Are you OK?” He speaks frantically in my mind. I knew he would be worried and it breaks my heart that he is probably been going crazy for the past few hours not knowing what was happening to me.

  “I’m fine...the Tyvar let me go,” I confess.

  “WHAT?! What happened? How did you get the Tyvar to let you go?”

  “It’s a long story and I will tell you later. Where did they take you and Finn?”

  “They took us across the bridge and blocked us from coming back across. They did something to the fog to keep us from entering. Tell me where you are and we will come to you.”

  I knew he would want to come find me, but I can’t let him or Finn risk their lives for me anymore. What was the reason for my training if I can’t defend myself without a warrior’s help? I honestly think I am strong enough to handle this journey on my own.

  “Meliantha?”

  I take a deep breath before responding.

  “I am so sorry, Ashur, but I’m going to find Kalen on my own.”

  “No, you are not!” he screams in my mind. The blast from his scream actually makes me flinch.

  “Yes, I am. I just wanted to let you know I was safe and away from the Tyvar. Go back to the Winter Court and let everyone know what’s going on. I will see you soon, my Guardian.”

  I quickly put my shields up to block him out of my mind. I hate to have to do that to him, but all I wanted was for him to know that I’m well. I honestly hope he does what I say and heads back to the Winter Court. Knowing him and Finn they will keep searching for me until they find me.

  As we are riding along, Prince Ashe slows his pace and his ears perk up in attention. Aki is sniffing around and growling towards the trees off to our left. My adrenaline instantly spikes putting me on full alert. Even with my enhanced vision it’s hard to make out every single thing moving around; however, I know my vision is clear when I see several sets of glowing red eyes staring back at me. Sweat forms over my brow and my lungs begin to constrict from being frozen in place. Please don’t let these creatures be what I think they are. I know one thing, I’m not going to wait and find out.

  “Aki, Prince Ashe, let’s go!” I yell. Even though I know both of them are tired, they move swiftly through the forest and away from the danger behind us. We ride hard for a several minutes and I am constantly taking peeks behind me to see if we’re being followed. I breathe a sigh of relief when it looks like I’m safe. I make Prince Ashe slow down because his chest is heaving in and out from breathing hard and I don’t want him to fall down from exhaustion. Aki looks fatigued as well and I know we have to stop at some point to rest. Redcaps are not the kind of fae I want to cross paths with and that is exactly who I think those red eyes belong to. Stopping for the night is out of the question because getting caught by a Redcap will most surely result in my death. They will feast in my blood just like they do with every other kill. A shiver runs through my body at the thought of what they do. A twig snaps behind me and I instantly freeze in place atop Prince Ashe. They couldn’t have caught up to me so quickly could they?

  I can’t contemplate any further because pain explodes in my head and my vision goes blurry before I even have the chance to turn around. Something hard and heavy hammered me on the head and I can feel the warm, sticky blood pouring down my neck like a faucet. Everything after that moves in slow motion as I am falling to the ground.

  I land directly on my side and the brutal force of the fall has knocked the air out of my lungs. I gasp for air trying to get in a breath when I see a pair of blood red eyes glaring and smiling at me with a mouth full of large, razor sharp teeth.

  Growling fiercely, Aki is beside me and ready to attack. He leaps at the Redcap giving me enough time to grab my bow and load an arrow. My wolf is thrown into a tree with a loud thud and his growl of pain pierces the night air. His cry tears at my heart and I want to help him, but I know I have to take this Redcap down before he kills us both. The pain in my head is throbbing and my vision is starting to fade. I grab my bow and I unsteadily get to my feet. The Redcap is rapidly advancing, so without any more thought, I let my arrow fly. It snags him right in the heart and he falls to his knees in front of me. Victory is not mine because I fall to my knees as well. The pain in my head is unbearable, my eyes begin to grow heavy, and then…darkness.

  The pain in my head has lessened, but I can’t move any part of my body. My arms and legs are strapped down and I can’t see a thing because of the thick fabric wrapped around my head. It feels like I am strapped to a wooden table of sorts. I jerk my arms and legs against the restraints but they only grow tighter cutting into my skin. My hands and feet begin to go numb making them tingle like pins and needles, and now I can no longer feel them.

  I didn’t realize how helpless it would make me feel to be strapped down. I can feel the panic begin to rise so I bite my lip to keep from crying out. I killed one of the Redcaps and now they are going to want revenge. I wonder if this is what the dark sorcerer had in mind for my demise. I’m worried about Aki because after he took that brutal hit I don’t remember much after that, or even if he’s still alive. I hope with all my heart that he is well.

  I can’t see what kind of room I am in, but from the smell and the moisture in the air I would say I’m in an underground prison. The clanking sound of a door opening gets my attention so I listen carefully to see if I can figure out what’s going on. The heavy footsteps on the floor appear to be two men who have entered the room. The footsteps come closer and I instantly freeze in place. I absolutely detest not being able to see anything. If I’m to die I want to see it coming.

  They speak in their own native dialect while they check the straps of my restraints. I curse myself silently for not learning their language when I had the chance. I never thought I would come into contact with Redcaps; so therefore, I decided not to learn their language. If I knew it, I would probably know what was about to happen to me. Dread settles in my gut, but after everything I have been through I can’t let it be the end now. I have lived through the dark sorcerer taking my power, the Tyvar’s power of seduction, and for what…to die by the Redcaps. If I can make it out of the Tyvar’s territory unscathed, then I am sure there is a way to get out of here. Hopefully.

  The table I’m on moves and the Redcaps roll me out of the room I am in. It takes a few twists and turns but then they open another door that leads to the outside. I know this because I can see light shining through the blindfold and feel the warm air across my skin. I wish I knew what was going to happen and where they are taking me. As I am being wheeled around several large, rough hands brush across my skin. It took everything I had not to flinch from the feel of their dry, scaly hands running across my skin. I hear their murmurs all around me.

  “Where are you taking me?” I finally ask. I don’t know if they will understand me, but I try anyway.

  “Ah, the lass can speak,” a gruffy voice answers. “Twas beginning to think ye were mute.”

  “I didn’t know if you would understand me,” I reply honestly.

  He huffs,
“Aye, lass. My name is Grishom, and I am to take ye to our clan leader, Shamus.”

  “Why are you taking me to your clan leader?” I ask dismally.

  Grishom is quiet for a few seconds and I’m beginning to think he’s not going to answer me until I hear his gruff voice in my ear, “Tis time to decide yer fate, little lass.”

  Decide my fate? What does that mean? I remain quiet the rest of the way until the table I am on is pushed upright to where I’m basically standing against the table. I smell the rank breath of a Redcap before me and the odor of it makes me gag. It felt hot and sticky across my face and if I had food in my stomach it would already be all over him. He laughs and takes his large, talon hands and unties the blindfold from around my head.

  I have only heard rumors of the Redcaps only having talons for hands and by the way this one feels up against my head I would say it’s true. The Redcap takes away the blindfold and I narrow my eyes against the light of the outdoors. I blink rapidly a few times to get used to the light and when I do, I am horrified at the sight before me.

  There are dozens of Redcaps surrounding me and they all look haggard and defeated. Blood is dried in splotches on their faces and their red eyes have taken on a dull sheen. Their skin is dry and cracking leaving sores in its wake, and the smell emanating from them is absolutely revolting. They all look like sturdy old men, but some of them have brighter red caps than the others. I look down at their hands and they are exactly the way I was told they would be, talons and all. Their pikestaffs measure twice as tall as them and they are all wearing heavy armor along with iron-shod boots. Even with all that armor, they were hasty enough to catch me on horseback. No wonder they are great killers, they’re swift enough to out run a fae horse.

  One of them approaches me and I assume him to be the leader, Shamus. His cap is pulsing and sending rivulets of blood trailing down his face. The metallic scent of his victim’s blood is permeating around him and the smell is horrid. It looks disgusting, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from him. He holds a dagger in his hand and holds it like he is about to strike. My heart rapidly accelerates and I begin to sweat profusely. I can feel it running down my back and dripping down from my forehead, blinding me with its saltiness. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for my fate.