Reaper: Faction 14 (The Isa Fae Collection)

by Gwen Knight

  “And on a final note…” Arik’s voice sliced through our conversation. I wondered what more he could possibly have to say. “Those who strayed beyond the wall today will return, now. There will be an escort waiting for you at the gate.”

  My heart plummeted into my stomach.

  Arik fell silent, his gaze holding the room until finally, he flickered out of sight.

  I drew a deep breath in through my nose. Today had certainly gone right to hell. I hadn’t expected him to return home so soon. How the hell had he managed to conquer Estback so quickly?

  It wasn’t until Logan’s hand came down on top of mine that I realized I’d been clutching at my arm.

  “Hey.” He wound an arm around my waist and drew me into his chest.

  I exhaled and slumped against him. When had our lives become this? One stolen moment after another?

  “Maybe…” Logan hedged.

  “What?”

  “Maybe you should just stay here with us.”

  I tensed against him. “You’re kidding, right?”

  His body moved with a sigh, then he rested his cheek against the top of my head. “No, I’m not. We’ve all stood by and allowed him to grow more powerful. Maybe it’s time we did something about this. Stand up to him. Without you, he’s powerless.”

  Bitter laughter slipped past my lips. “Except for his vast army and arsenal, all available at his every beck and call. Not to mention his ample cache of power—”

  “That you could reap from him, Keira.”

  I froze, fear tightening my chest. “What?”

  “You could take all that power back, give it back to us. And then…”

  “No!” I pushed away from him, heat flushing my cheeks. “No, you can’t say things like that! He’d kill you. He’d kill all of you.”

  “Keira.”

  “Just stop!” I hissed. “I can’t. If I ever fought back, he’d roll through here and demolish everything. You think you have it bad right now? Wait until you’re kneeling in front of me with an axe at your neck. And then he’d make me reap you, Logan. I can’t do that!”

  “All right…all right. Shh.” He drew me back against him and smoothed a hand down my back. “It was just an idea.”

  “A stupid idea,” I mumbled.

  His chest rumbled with laughter. “All right. A stupid idea. Wishful thinking, I suppose.”

  I brought my hands to my face and knuckled away any tears threatening to slip down my cheeks. The thought of standing up to Arik made me nauseous. The man was invincible, with more power than any other fae I knew. Thanks to me. I’d made the monster, and now we had to live with him.

  “I need to go. I’m in enough trouble as it is. Delaying my return will only anger Arik further.”

  Logan gave me a firm squeeze, then stepped back. “How bad will it be?”

  My father moved in our periphery, reminding me of his presence. For him, I forced a small smile. “I’ll be fine. Maybe he’ll be so distracted by Estback that he won’t think to punish me.”

  “What are the chances of that happening?” Logan drolled.

  The truth? Slim to nil, but sometimes little white lies were better. “Only one way to find out.”

  Logan shook his head, then reached for my hand. “I’ll walk you to the fence.”

  “I’ll come too,” my father said.

  I turned toward him and shook my head. Stretching up on to my tiptoes, I slipped my arms around his neck and gave him a hug. “No, Dad. You need to stay here and rest.”

  “I feel fine.”

  “Sure. Now. But you need to stay in here where it’s warm. Magic can’t cure everything.”

  “All three of us might be staying here,” Logan commented.

  I turned and found him peeking out the window, the curtains held between his fingers.

  “What? Why?”

  “Have a look.”

  I leaned toward him and gazed out the window to find a mob, armed with torches, growing on the street outside my father’s house.

  “Oh boy.” I ran a hand down my face. “Guess they’re as unhappy about Arik’s proclamation as we are.”

  “We can go out the back door,” Logan suggested. “Head for the fence through the trees. If they follow, the snow will slow them down.”

  I contemplated his request, then shook my head. “An angry mob doesn’t forgive easily. If I don’t face them, they’ll tear this place to pieces.”

  “So, what are you suggesting?” Logan asked.

  I walked back to my father and gestured toward him. “Come on. Time to say good-bye.”

  A flicker of emotion darkened his eyes, but rather than argue, he wrapped his arms around me and held tight. “I’ll miss you every day.”

  “Me too.”

  My chest grew tight and my eyes warm, but I blinked back the tears before they could fall. Then, with a long sigh, I drew my hood up over my head and faced Logan. We shared a nod, and he opened the door. Angry words welcomed us as we stepped out onto the porch and faced the mob, their bodies tight with restraint. I couldn’t blame them. The last thing I wanted to do was reap those witches and hand over their power to Arik.

  “Reaper!” one shouted as I walked down the stairs. He bent down and gathered up a fistful of snow before letting it fly in my direction.

  “It’s all right,” Logan assured me as he led me toward the main road.

  He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and guided me through the crowd. I watched the mob from beneath the thick hem of fur lining my hood, my fingers clutching at the neck of my cloak as we moved. With every step, my heart quickened. I curled into Logan’s side and lowered my head, hoping my meekness would keep from inciting a riot. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have come here today. Shouldn’t have breached the wall to visit Logan and my father. But I’d been so desperate to see them after so long. Hell, Logan was twenty-six now. If I’d waited, who knew how old he would be the next chance I had. But the mob didn’t care. To the people of the Foundry, I was anathema, and the one person they blamed above all else for their misery. Rebellion wasn’t an option, not when they were outnumbered five to one, and not when they lacked magical prowess.

  But me? I was one woman, someone they could paint a target on and lash out at.

  My breath hitched when they swelled toward us. “Logan.”

  “Don’t worry. They won’t do anything. Not with me here.”

  Fear gnawed at my gut anyway. Logan was one person, and there were so many of them. If they decided to attack…

  Something hard slammed into my shoulder. Pain bloomed through me, and I stumbled, my gaze falling to my feet where a massive rock now lay.

  “Jesus!” Logan shouted.

  Another rock, this one pinging off my knee. I staggered forward, my gaze darting to the woman who’d lobbed it at me. Someone I didn’t recognize.

  Logan snarled under his breath, then shoved me behind him.

  I cowered there with my fingers clutching at the back of his shirt. Their voices raised, some cursing my entire existence while others demanded that Logan step aside so they could have me. A shiver rolled down my spine. For the first time ever, I didn’t feel safe in my own home. These people knew me. Most had watched me grow up before Arik had taken me.

  But that meant nothing to them anymore.

  My breath caught the moment I felt Logan’s magic come to life. The air around us crackled with power, causing the snow to melt on the ground beneath our feet.

  I peeked out from behind him to find the crowd easing back, fear alight on their faces.

  “Logan,” I whispered, “it’s not worth it.”

  Not that he listened. They’d threatened me, and he was reacting.

  He lifted one of his hands, and I watched as an earthly green glow lit up his fingers, one by one. “If any one of you so much as looks her way again…” He left off the remainder of his warning, his magic threat enough. “I know you, but I won’t hesitate.”

  The mob moved as one, as though p
reparing to lunge at him.

  “You think I’m kidding?” Logan bluffed, lunging toward them first, his magic leaking from the tips of his fingers. “Everything she’s ever done has kept us alive, but you turn on her the first chance you get? Maybe she should just let Arik burn the Foundry down? Or hell, how about I let her reap every single one of you? I’m sure Arik would love that power burst.”

  “Logan!” I hissed. “That’s not helping!” We wanted to calm the mob, not further provoke them. Not to mention, I would never reap them.

  Their slitted gazes bounced between the two of us before the crowd broke apart and dispersed. Relief slowed my quickened pulse, and I leaned my head against Logan’s back.

  “Sorry,” Logan said as he turned and wound his arms around me. “I just needed to scare them off.”

  “I wish things were different,” I mumbled. “Most of the time I wish I hadn’t been born with magic. I don’t blame them for hating me. I am Arik’s pet. I’m the reason he’s grown so powerful, and I’m the reason they’re trapped here.”

  “That’s not true,” Logan snapped. “We’re trapped here because of our own stupidity. It wasn’t the fae who destroyed our own world. And now we’re paying for that mistake. You had nothing to do with any of that, and all you’ve ever done was keep us alive. You think Arik would have provided us with the Foundry or even let us live were it not for you? You’re just trying to survive.”

  I glanced at the retreating figures and watched as they returned to their hovels. “So are they.”

  “You’re more forgiving than I am,” Logan muttered.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I have to be. Otherwise, I’d have no one in this world.”

  “Well, you’ll always have me, kid.”

  “Thanks.” I tipped my head back and stared up at him.

  Logan had always had a soft face with auburn eyes that hinted at kindness. But as the years passed, a sharpness had developed, one evident in the hard lines in his face. Beneath the surface, ruthlessness lurked. The sort that had him sparking his magic in the middle of the Foundry to protect me.

  Clearing my throat, I dropped my gaze. “Let’s go. I shouldn’t keep Arik waiting any longer.”

  “Right.” Logan took the lead and continued toward the snow-covered road.

  I eyed his soft leather boots. “You don’t need to escort me, you know. I’ll be fine now. No need to trudge through all that.”

  “Ah, it’s just snow. It won’t hurt me.”

  My heart melted. “Might hurt those, though,” I said, pointing to his footwear.

  He glanced down at them and shrugged. “They’re just boots. Been needing some new ones. Come on.”

  Without another word, he hopped into the snow and started plowing a path. I stood back and watched for a moment, astounded by his nature. One moment, he was cutthroat and the next gracious. He really was all grown up now, whereas at times, I still felt like a teenager.

  Wrapping my cloak around my body, I trailed after him, careful to step where he stepped. We were both panting by the time we’d made it to the fence, but it was the sight of the guards waiting nearby that truly stole my breath. Arik hadn’t been kidding about the escort. At least they hadn’t spotted us yet.

  This was it, though.

  Squaring my shoulders, I started to move past Logan when his hand came down on my arm and drew me toward him.

  “Wait,” he whispered, “you don’t have to do this.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “No, I’m serious.” He grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around until we stood face-to-face. “We can go back to the Foundry, grab your father, and run.”

  “Run?” I blinked in surprise. “Where?”

  “Anywhere. Anywhere not here. There’s a big world out there. Other factions. Who knows, maybe witches are treated better somewhere.”

  “Logan—”

  “Listen to me,” he hissed under his breath. “I’ve heard talk. Some of the cities aren’t as cruel to humans. We could go there, seek refuge.”

  I sighed. “And then what? The moment we left, Arik would come looking, and he’d never stop. He’d find us too.” I lifted my arm and gestured toward the bracelet.

  “What if we could remove them. Would you consider it then?”

  “I’ve tried to remove it. He sealed them with magic.”

  “Every spell has a counter spell,” he argued.

  “Logan…don’t get me wrong. I love your enthusiasm, and I love that you want to protect me, but I’ve been down this road before. I’ve tried to escape. He always finds me. And if we run together, when he catches us, he’ll kill you.”

  “Let him try.” Logan’s mouth twisted. “We’ll keep moving. Keep searching for someone who can remove the bracelets. Someone has to know.”

  For a brief moment, hope expanded in my chest. The bracelets were the only thing keeping us here. With them, Arik would always find us, but if we could somehow remove them…that was a game changer. The thought of leaving this miserable place warmed my heart, and if I never set eyes on another fae in my life, I’d die happy. But like all fantasies, reality soon came crashing down.

  “How would we survive?” I asked. “Without food, without water…”

  “We could live off the land. People have done it before, you know. And if we could remove our bracelets, we’d have all our magic.”

  “If,” I repeated in a quiet voice.

  “I don’t want to send you back there,” Logan muttered.

  “You aren’t sending me anywhere. I’m going willingly.”

  His hands curled into fists at his sides, his ruthless nature once again rising.

  I rose onto my tiptoes and brushed a chaste kiss against his cheek. Just as I was about to back away, he turned and caught my mouth with his, his lips warm against mine. His arms wound around my waist and crushed me against his chest. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, but that was as far as he braved.

  The second he released me, I staggered back and lifted a hand to my tingling lips.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice gruff. “I just couldn’t watch you walk away again, not without…”

  Speechless. Utterly and completely. I stared at him, no idea how to respond. Or how to feel. He was my best friend. My only friend.

  “Well, say something, would you?”

  “I…”

  “Reaper,” came a different voice.

  Startled, I whirled around to find the two guards standing next to us. So distracted by Logan, I hadn’t heard their approach.

  “By order of Lord Arik—”

  “Yes, I know,” I snapped. I turned back to Logan, intending to say something.

  “Now,” one of the guards imposed, his fingers sealing around my injured arm.

  I cried out when he wrenched me toward the city, his fingers digging into my wound.

  “Hey!” Logan shouted.

  “No!” I hissed. “Don’t. Please.” I couldn’t bear to see them cut him down, and if he so much as laid a hand on them, they’d strike him down.

  But they’d never hurt me.

  Screw it.

  I wrenched my arm free, and before they could catch me, I threw myself at Logan. His arms closed around me instantly, his lips brushing against my ear. I heard the faintest breath, as though he was relieved I’d made an effort.

  Something had changed between us today. But was it something I wanted? Who knew when I’d see him again, if ever. After today, it seemed wise to assume Arik would impose new restrictions and order someone to repair the fence.

  “Now, Reaper,” someone grunted.

  Hands grabbed at my shoulders and pried us apart.

  Logan met my gaze, his jaw tight as though struggling to restrain himself. I shook my head, urging caution.

  “I’ll see you soon,” he told me, his words a promise.

  The guards shoved me forward. I slipped in the snow and stumbled, barely catching myself on one of their arms. At the gate, I glanced back a
t Logan once more. He stood in the field, watching me as the distance between us grew. Temptation welled within me to run back to him, to take his hand and bolt out of the Foundry. But I knew we wouldn’t stand a chance. And doing so would ensure his death.

  Instead, I gave him one final nod, then crossed through the gate and entered Osvea. The air grew warm and heavy with every step, so much so that I found my cloak too thick now that there wasn’t any snow to plow through.

  Neither of the guards spoke to me as they marched me through the market and into Arik’s courtyard. The smell of alyssum and gardenias, Arik’s personal favorites, wafted through the air. All I saw was wasted magic, to keep the snow away and warm the city. I’d heard talk about a time when the realm had gone through the seasons. But everything had changed the moment humans had arrived. The weather had turned cold, water had frozen to ice, and snow had begun to gather. A truth they refused to accept.

  The fae guards led me up the stairs and into the estate, where I knew Arik would be waiting for me. I straightened my back and prepared for the worst. Public flogging, a beating, a week of isolation. I’d suffered it all before.

  We’d made it to the main corridor when I caught the sound of footsteps marching toward us. I forced myself to swallow and lift my chin. If I was going to face down Arik, it wouldn’t be as a cowering little girl.

  Except, it was someone else who came into view. The captain of the guard, Leith. “Take her to the dungeon.”

  The guards paused, and I froze. The dungeon? Arik had never done that before. Isolation was always spent in my room.

  “Now!” Leith shouted. “Get her out of sight.”

  A strong hand closed around my upper arm and wrenched me backward, out of the corridor and toward the long staircase that winded down into darkness.

  “Wait,” I cried out. “No!”

  I’d visited the dungeons once before but never as a prisoner. Still, it’d left a telling mark. Enough to know that this was one of the worst imaginable punishments ever.

  “No!” I wrenched against the guards as they dragged me toward the stairwell.

  Finally, one grunted under his breath, then grabbed me by the shoulders and slammed me up against the wall. “Keep struggling, witch. Let’s see how far that gets you.” His breath was hot against my neck.