Warrior

by Lori Brighton

  My breath caught. We were the evil beings. The abominations. An icy chill raced down my spine. I parted my lips to deny it, but nothing would come out. We were silent for a while, each lost in our own thoughts. There were so many questions I wasn’t sure what to focus on. Surely, we weren’t evil. I mean, yes, we could be, but…

  “What do we do then?” the prince asked, startling me. “What do we do if we don’t use fairy dust?”

  I hesitated, unsure what to say. Truth was, he was right. I had no idea. “In my world we don’t use magic, we use resources. But our resources are limited so we have come up with other ways: solar, wind power.”

  He dumped the remains of his food into the fire. The flames sizzled and popped as they greedily licked up the rabbit meat. “There is nothing else to use here.”

  He seemed so sure that I almost gave up in despair. Maybe he was right. Maybe there was no other way. And then what? They live without magic? Live without healing and light? “Maybe there is, we just don’t know yet.”

  He stared hard at the tips of his scuffed black boots. “Years ago, we had sorcerers, men who knew how to harness magic from the very air. But they dwindled. There remained only one, and his power is rather pathetic.”

  What if Queen Iduna was right? What if we had our own powers deep down? What if we could harness those powers?

  He looked at me, his gaze angry, yet filled with despair. “Do you understand what might happen if we lose the fairy dust?”

  He was trying to save his people, as I was trying to save mine. I nodded. “You would have no power. You were at the mercy of Acadia once, and you don’t want that to happen again.”

  “I don’t want to be at the mercy of anyone.” He rested his head in his hands. “I want control of my own life.”

  My hands curled against my thighs as I resisted the urge to reach out to him. I understood that feeling well. We were both pawns. Pawns to the people around us. Maybe that’s why I’d always felt a connection with him. “Tell me about sorcerers.”

  He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorcerers have been around since the beginning of time. But Aesop, the most powerful sorcerer of all, didn’t belong to anyone. However, he chose Acadia, and that caused resentment.” He stretched out his legs and stared into the fire. “Not that I could blame him. We have never been a peaceful, happy people. Sorcerers had their favorites and would latch onto a certain Kingdom. Of course, these sorcerers were rewarded. They didn’t do it for free.”

  “So, the rich kingdoms got the best sorcerers.”

  He nodded.

  “But if there were still sorcerers, we might not need the fairies.”

  He looked pointedly at me, knowing where I was going with my question. “They’re gone, Shay.”

  There was something in his gaze that told me he was holding back. Something he wasn’t telling me. “Then why the hesitancy in your voice? Did you not say your family has the last?”

  “Ours is lacking, to say the least.” With a sigh, he got to his feet and paced before that fire. “There was a rumor that your last sorcerer had a child. A baby. Sixteen years ago, it disappeared.”

  I stiffened, my heart hammering madly in my chest. The other baby. The other missing baby was the sorcerer’s child. Helen had said the same thing. It couldn’t be coincidence. Out there in Earth Realm was a girl who could do magic. Shit.

  And then it hit me all at once. “You weren’t looking for me, for the queen. Were you?”

  He didn’t respond.

  I laughed, a loud, surreal sound that startled a bird from a nearby tree. “Oh my god, when you followed Bryn, you were looking for the sorcerer’s child so you could have power. So you could take over Acadia.”

  “Just enough to protect my own kingdom, Shay,” he said softly. “I had no plans to take over the entire realm.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed him. He’d lied about so much. Made it clear he’d do practically anything to win over his kingdom. At some point, would he hand me over? “Too bad you got me. Just a princess.”

  “Shay, I didn’t—”

  A twig snapped from the woods behind us. I spun around. Slowly, Mak shifted, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. Another snap. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I knew instinctively it was no wild animal.

  My dagger. I jerked my gaze toward my bag where the dagger lay hidden. Could I reach it in time? I was just about to bolt for my bag when a shadow stepped from the woods.

  “How cute,” the man chuckled. “He has a sword.”

  Too late. I had no way to protect myself, and I wasn’t sure I could trust the only man at my side. More shadows stepped from the woods, and into the campfire light. Five. Seven. No. At least ten. Ten men with wicked grins and flashing swords and daggers.

  We were surrounded.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Makaiden

  They sat at our fire and ate the fish and berries we’d spent hours gathering, saving for later. They went through our bags, taking what they wanted and discarding the rest. They made us hike downhill in the dark for three hours until Shay’s slippers had holes and she’d started to limp with pain.

  But it wasn’t their greed or lack of manners that angered me most of all. It was the way they leered at Shay. I knew by the way she trembled that she was completely aware of the danger: one woman surrounded by eleven men. I also knew by the way she glared that she refused to show her fear. Despite her bravado, I hated that they looked at her that way. Hated that she had to be afraid.

  Hours after walking downhill, we’d finally stopped to make camp.

  Shay sat pressed tightly to my side, her body warm, but tense. Damnation, she felt small. I’d never truly thought before about what it must feel like to be a woman surrounded by men, to face dangers we didn’t even think about. To have to constantly be on guard.

  It made me wonder how my sister fared, alone in that castle with my uncle, and people who might turn on her at any moment. How many times had I gone about my merry way, participating in some crusade or another, while she remained home, with no one she could truly trust? It made me feel guilty, to say the least.

  “What’s this?” Their leader held up Shay’s small dagger. They’d already searched us both, their disgusting hands pawing through our clothing and bags, over our bodies. It took everything in my power not to give into temptation and do what I wanted to do most, kill them all. Even deep within my soul, buried under years of practice and patience, the animal called to me. But to give into temptation, would mean I might harm Shay as well. I couldn’t put her in danger

  They were scum. Scavengers. Men who didn’t belong to any kingdom but took from all. Epitome of selfishness…and freedom. I admit, as a young lad I’d adored stories of Scavengers and their lack of attachment. Not today. Today they were not romantic heroes.

  He kicked Shay’s bag across the camp, the contents spilling upon the dirt. Her fingers tightened around my forearm. She was angry. More than angry. I would have found it amusing if I hadn’t been worried she’d do something stupid, like go after the man. She was fierce, those eyes flashing, her body practically humming with unspent energy. But she was also reckless.

  “You there,” the man who’d held Shay’s bag called out. “I asked you a question. What is this?”

  “Just a knife,” she muttered. “Nothing. No big deal.”

  But we could all sense the natural-world energy pulsing from the blade. One didn’t need to be a fairy or nymph to know it contained power. I knew, he knew, Shay knew, even if she couldn’t quite understand the magic.

  He grinned, his front teeth brow nubs that had rotted a long time ago, although he couldn’t have been much older than us. “You sure about that? Because it looks like more than just a knife. It looks like a troll blade.”

  My heart lurched, but I didn’t dare look at her. Did she know how valuable they were? Who had given her the weapon? And why the hell hadn’t I noticed it was made by trolls? What other secrets was s
he keeping from me?

  She shrugged. “I’m not from here. I don’t know anything about it.”

  His dubious dark eyes narrowed. He looked like a toad, sizing up a fly for his next meal. Fortunately, he dug into her bag. Unfortunately, he found the pouch of fairy dust.

  Shite.

  “Fairy’s balls,” he whispered, as he stared into the pouch. “By the gods.”

  Another Scavenger hurried toward him. “Is that what I think it is, Crimp?”

  The leader looked up at me, his eyes gleaming with greed. “Fairy dust.”

  Shay and I didn’t move. Barely breathed. Hell and damnation.

  The man released a howl of laughter and tucked the bag into his shirt. “We’re bleedin’ rich!”

  Hardly. That amount of dust would bring in a pretty pence, but it wasn’t enough to make them all rich. But I supposed to him it was a hefty sum. Fortunately, we’d used the dust earlier to heal Shay’s hand.

  “This day keeps getting better and better. What other secrets are you keeping?”

  We didn’t respond.

  “Come here, girl,” the man snapped.

  I surged to my feet, my hands curling at my sides. The troll blade he could have. I didn’t even care about the fairy dust. But Shay…Shay, he couldn’t touch. Just the thought of him harming her made my blood boil. The beast deep within fought with the human on the surface. Dark and desperate, it knotted within my belly, crying out for freedom.

  Change, attack, kill, it demanded.

  “She stays with me,” I growled.

  I didn’t miss the way his minions looked our way, sensing trouble. Some lounged by the fire. Others were going through our things. But they all tensed at my command, preparing for a battle. Ten against one. They thought it would be an easy win. And they’d be glad to be rid of me, leaving Shay defenseless.

  “Does she belong to you, now? You don’t say.” He grinned, scratching at the scruff along his chin. “I don’t think you have the power to demand anything.”

  Heat boiled in my veins. My skin felt taunt, stretched to the limit. If only I could give into temptation, and show them how much power I truly had. If only I could lose control. What a relief it would be. I knew, deep down, the beast would win at some point, and my efforts to ignore him would be futile. But tonight, tonight I had to retain control. “Then you’ll have to kill me to get to her.”

  “Don’t,” she whispered, her hand resting on my lower back, startling me from my anger. “Just let it go.”

  “My, my, my, she must be rather important for you to put up a fuss.” With renewed interest, he surged to his feet and started toward us, his heavy boots stirring dust into the air. “Look here, my dear, your very own protector.”

  The man paused in front of me, toe to toe. He was monstrous in size and his fowl breath came out with each harsh puff of air through his rotten teeth. “Move aside, boy.”

  “Move,” Shay whispered, urging me with a nudge to my back. “For god’s sake.”

  My muscles tightened, my bones became steel. I refused to move. The entire world faded and through a haze of red, only he remained. I couldn’t justify my stupidity; I only knew that I could not see her hurt. Would give my own wretched life to protect her.

  With a growl, he threw his fist forward, hitting me in the gut. The air left my body in a gasp that almost doubled me over. My muscles cramped, a lock of hair fell across my eyes as my head jerked forward, but I refused to fall to my knees, refused to leave her vulnerable. The monster within roared, clawing desperately at my insides. Slowly, I straightened, throwing my shoulders back even when my muscles screamed in protest.

  “Damn it, just move!” Shay hissed from behind me. “He’ll kill you.”

  But it was as if I was lost in another world. Caught in a world that teetered between human fragility and magic. I didn’t respond, merely continued to stare into his dark soulless eyes, wondering how a man got to the point of having no compassion, no empathy.

  “Want to play the hero?” The man’s eyes narrowed, his voice muffled, as if from afar. “We’ll find out how heroic you truly are. Hold him.”

  They came at once. Firm hands gripped my arms, my shoulders, pulling me back, pinning me in place against their unwashed bodies. I threw my fist forward, clipping one across the jaw, but it was too late. Within minutes they had me contained.

  The leader looked Shay up and down in a slow and thorough glance that made my anger boil. How much longer could I control myself? I could feel the beast crawling its way up my spine, eager to be free.

  Mine, it said.

  Shay was mine.

  “Not too bad looking, are you?” the leader said. “What say you we get rid of him and you can stay with us?”

  She glared at the man. “I prefer to work alone, thanks.”

  He grinned. “Wasn’t really an offer, my dear, more of a warning.”

  It wasn’t her looks that attracted men. It was her stubbornness, her strength. Her intelligence. I could see the gleam of interest in the man’s eyes from the moment she’d opened her mouth and called him an ass, when before he’d barely looked her way.

  His dark gaze slid to me. He flipped the dagger, the blade catching the moonlight before the hilt fell easily into his palm. “Shall we try your troll dagger? Shall we see how well it cuts human flesh?”

  “No!” Shay screamed, surging toward me. “Stop!”

  It was the excuse they needed to touch her. Three of his men grabbed Shay, jerking her back into their unwashed bodies. They chuckled as she struggled, kicking her feet, throwing her elbows. She was no match. Desperate, I tore my gaze from her. I needed to think. I couldn’t think if I was worried.

  There had to be something I could do…

  The leader stepped toward me, the point of the dagger directed at my side. The excitement in his gaze told me he enjoyed bringing others pain. It was the same look my uncle got right before he had someone beheaded.

  The man smirked. “You don’t want me to gut your love like a fish?”

  With a merry gleam in his eyes, he slid the dagger slowly across my shirt. The magical blade slid easily through the material and my skin, leaving behind the hiss of a wound. I sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. I would not cry out; it would give him too much pleasure.

  “Stop!” Shay screamed, struggling.

  The man glanced back at her. “Why should I? What will you give me…”

  His smile fell, his hand lowered.

  Something was wrong. I could feel it in the very air around us. What ghosts were out there? And something most definitely was out there. My skin prickled with unease. The world went still.

  Crimp’s attention swept the camp. “What was that?”

  “What’s what, Crimp?” one of the men holding Shay asked.

  Crimp’s gaze skipped over the shadows, searching, searching. “I thought I heard something.”

  I turned my head, listening, scanning the dark woods. The snap of a twig gave it away. Whatever it was. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Shay’s face had gone pale, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared in the same direction as Crimp. It was as if everything and everyone around her had disappeared. What held her enthralled?

  A sudden growl interrupted the silence.

  “A wolf?” the man holding Shay whispered as he released her. “Nymph’s balls.”

  The men let me go, their frantic gazes upon the dark woods surrounding us. Another growl. From the left or right, I wasn’t sure. More than one. They hunted in packs. How many?

  With trembling fingers, the scavengers reached for their weapons. A pair of yellow eyes pierced the darkness. Slowly, the animal stepped from the trees and into the clearing. Great, gray beast that morphed from the shadows. The men stumbled back, leaving Shay standing in the middle of the clearing, alone, unprotected.

  “Shay,” I said softly, resisting the urge to lunge at her. I’d never be able to get to her in time, and any movement would only stir the an
imal into action. “Back up toward me. Now.”

  But she didn’t seem to hear nor notice me. Her gaze remained pinned unblinkingly to the animal. The largest wolf I’d ever seen stepped closer; his yellow gaze on the men surrounding us. His low growl vibrated the very air.

  Frantic, I searched the clearing for a weapon. But I knew there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t reach her in time. I was helpless. The animal stepped closer to Shay. The cold terror that crippled me was like nothing I’d ever experienced.

  “Raise the bow,” the leader called out. “Kill it!”

  “No!” Shay screamed, coming to life and throwing herself in front of the wolf. “Don’t!”

  By the gods, what was she doing? Sweat broke out across my body. I started to shift toward her. If I could create a diversion, draw the wolf my way, she’d be able to escape. “Shay, move toward the fire.”

  She turned her back to the dog and held her arms wide, as if protecting the beast like it was her child. The anxious look upon her face gave me pause. What did she know that I didn’t? Because I was missing something.

  “Don’t hurt him!”

  She was trying to protect the animal. The wolf stepped closer to her, even nudged her shoulder with his massive muzzle, as if asking for permission. While she was an easy target and he could have torn her limbs from her body, he merely stood there, piercing yellow eyes not on Shay, but on the men around us. The true threat.

  The men kept their swords and bows to the ready. One cry, one flinch, and the wolf would attack, and Shay would be caught in the middle. Slowly, she turned, facing the beast.

  “Go,” she whispered, speaking to the animal. “Hurry!”

  The wolf hesitated, lifting his right paw in indecision.

  “Go,” she urged.

  The animal turned and raced toward the darkness, the ground shaking with the thunder of his paws. Silence settled around us. I swore for five minutes we barely breathed. No one said a word. Shay merely stood there, watching the dark forest where the animal had disappeared, as if to make sure he was truly safe. I watched her, trying to understand why, how, she could control the animal.