Blood

by Michelle Connor

  "For Danu's sake," she said under her breath.

  This was maybe my worst idea yet.

  She backtracked. The blackness cloaked her tracks. Her first night away from home, and she was lost. An owl hooted in the distance, and something rustled in the undergrowth. She wheeled around. Two eyes glowed silver. Red unsheathed her bone dagger and hovered her other hand over her iron blade's wooden pommel. She retreated, slipped, and dropped onto the moist earth. Agony spread across her backside, and she blinked back tears. A rabbit hopped out of the bush, its nose twitching.

  Laughter blanketed the night.

  Brownie's bollocks.

  Hands squelching in the mud, she scrambled to her feet and slipped.

  "Need help there, Sis?" Brogue leaned over her, held out his hand, and grinned.

  "Please." Her slick hand slapped his, and he pulled her up. "How long were you hidden over there?"

  "Long enough." He wiped his filthy palm on a clean patch of her cloak. "We're camped at a stream a brownie's throw away." He chuckled. "I heard you bumbling about in the dark, and thought I'd better come and rescue you from the scary rabbit."

  "Remember, you're a heavy sleeper. You never know what you might wake up beside."

  "Don't be like that. I was just being helpful." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, turned her around, and led her through the creaking and groaning trees. "Besides, if you're nice, I might even let you share my shelter."

  "I'd rather bunk with non-snoring Aelfric."

  "Harsh."

  She bumped her shoulder against his. "But the truth."

  "Keep talking like that, and I'll send you home instead of letting you join us."

  She jumped several times while clapping. "You're the best warrior the fae has ever had."

  Brogue coughed into his fist. "And?"

  "Don't push it."

  Chapter Three

  While a blackbird's song welcomed the new day, dawn painted the forest with golden brushstrokes. Red used the toe of her boot to stamp out the campfire's dying embers. Smoke and ash choked the air. She coughed and covered her mouth with a cupped palm. Awareness prickled her neck. Someone stared at her. She tensed. After a heartbeat that seemed like a hundred, she glanced over her shoulder. Fabien glared back. He stood across the clearing, partially obscuring Aelfric with his massive frame. His smile flashed tallow-yellow incisors. The grin pulled at the scars covering his face. Red held her breath and his lingering gaze. A shiver crawled down her spine and made her skin itch. She wanted to turn away, but it could be dangerous for her health and reputation to flinch first.

  I'm not prey. Even if he treats me as such.

  Aelfric tapped Fabien on the shoulder, and Red could have kissed her brother for trying to grab the other warrior's attention. Fabien glowered a good moment longer, while the other warriors dismantled their temporary stick-and-moss shelters, before he offered his back.

  Red's eyes narrowed. Aelfric and Fabien stood rigid as they spoke, their arguing words about her incomprehensible. She stumped towards them. Aelfric looked up and shook his head. She changed direction, approaching her other brother, hands clenched in fists by her sides.

  Brogue leaned against a tree stump, wiping a skull-white, blood-spotted rag along the length of one of his bone daggers. He'd used the weapon to kill their breakfast. He was the group's best hunter, and her full belly appreciated him for the tasty rabbit, scraps of the tawny creature still stuck between her teeth. If they left hunting to her, they'd have to survive on berries and plants. She was a gatherer.

  Red plopped down next to Brogue, her buttocks crunching dry leaves, and hugged her legs to her chest. She laid a cheek on her knees. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

  Brogue had better hearing. He raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

  "Aelfric and Fabien."

  "You."

  "Obviously. What about me?" She plucked on a thread hanging from her trousers and wound it around her pinky.

  Brogue sheathed his blade, swivelled his head to the side, and closed his eyes. "Fabien believes we should send you home. He's spouting the same old phooka shit about you being a woman and not good enough to be a warrior." He chuckled and opened his eyes which sparkled with mirth. "Aelfric replied that you're a better fighter than more than half the men here and could kick Fabien's wrinkled arse on your worst day."

  She shook her head. "Danu, save me from stupid brothers. Does he have pixie dust for a brain?"

  "What? It's the truth."

  "It might be, but now Fabien will have something to prove."

  "I'd not worry about it. By mid-morning we should reach our destination. Then we'll all have to watch our backs, and Fabien will have better things to do. We might fight beside The Slaugh, but to them, one piece of fae flesh is as good as the next." Brogue lifted his cap from his head, dried blood flaking off the fabric, and scratched his mop of charcoal-coloured hair.

  "Some might say the same of us," she muttered.

  Her stomach turned, regret making her queasy. The redcaps had earned their ferocious reputation as the queen's foot soldiers, and Red had helped by sending many trespassers to their deaths with her iron blade. The metal was poisonous to the fae, and if her father gave her a choice, she'd only wield her bone weapons, if she used any at all. At least bone gave her enemies a fighting chance. It's all she'd want if they reversed roles.

  "Time to go!" Aelfric shouted from the other side of the clearing.

  Still shaken, Red got to her feet and retrieved her bag. She hung back from the others as they set off to the North. She had no clue what would await her there, but anything had to be better than a life drenched in blood.

  * * *

  Chapter Four

  Magic dwelled in the heart of their land. Sometimes a tree was only a tree. Other times it was more. The ancient yew Red stood before pulsed with an enchantment, its bark sparkling as if a constellation of stars lived within the wood.

  She tilted her head back and squinted. Reaching towards the sky, a canopy of leaves shone gold like Danu herself had crowned the gnarled tree trunk as royalty.

  "What is it?" she whispered as if speaking too loud would be an affront to the magic.

  "A portal to Redwood," Aelfric said, his tone as soft. "One of the few cities left in Underhill, and the base of the latest uprising."

  "So, why are we just standing here?"

  "We need a Seelie Sidhe to open the portal." He glanced at her, his eyebrows raised, the skin at the corner of his mouth twitching. "We're waiting on the Lord of the Wild Hunt to arrive with The Slaugh. He'll activate it."

  She opened her mouth, but something displaced the air against her neck. She spun around. Fabien stood mid-motion, an iron sword brandished in a two-handed grip, sunlight glinting off the metal. Red gasped. Except for the pulse fluttering in the warrior's neck, there was a terrible stillness to him.

  "You tried to stab me in the back?" she yelled. "What kind of craven are you?" Adrenaline-filled blood coursed through her limbs. She unsheathed her iron dagger and leapt at the other warrior, her arm arching downwards.

  "Red!" yelled her brothers.

  Fabien deflected her attack, and their weapons clashed. "That all you got?" he said between clenched teeth. "You're a disgrace. Your father should have let the kelpie drown you as a baby when your real mother left you to die in the forest."

  Aelfric muttered a curse, and bile filled Red's mouth.

  Tension vibrated down her spine. Snarling, she pressed her dagger against Fabien's. "What in the boggarts' hell are you talking about?"

  Fabien laughed, planted a foot against her abdomen, and pushed her away. She stumbled. A grin split the warrior's face as he rushed in, his weapon slashing through the air. Righting herself, she tossed out a tingling hand. Vines exploded from the ground, snaked around Fabien's ankles, and toppled him. His face smashed against the hard-packed soil, and his bellowing filled the air.

  Red took a pace forward. Her hand tightened around the iron dagg
er's wooden grip, frost licking along the blade. "Once you're dead, I'll soak my cap in your blood." She took another stride.

  Something crashed into her side and sent her flying across the clearing. She thudded onto the mud, her back and skull smashing into the ground. Air exploded from her lungs. The world spun. Unable to get up, she turned her head to the side, her breathing ragged.

  A moss-green hound, teeth bared, stared at her with ruby-coloured eyes.

  Danu, help us. A cù-sìth.

  Flapping wings and screeches lanced the air. Gooseflesh broke out as cold sweat covered her skin. A mass of undulating shadows floated above the beast. Her mind couldn't understand its form. Here and there, a bird-like face, claws, and leathery wings became visible.

  The stench of blood and decay burned Red's nose hairs. She wanted to scream, and never stop or huddle somewhere safe. Now she knew why most feared The Slaugh greater than death itself.

  The air around the cù-sìth shimmered a dazzling electrical-white. Several breaths later, a mountain of a cloaked figure stood in place of the huge hound. He shivered, shaking off his shift before stalking towards Red, a hood casting his features in shadow. The Slaugh faithfully followed in his wake. She chuckled, even as an icy finger of fear shivered down her spine, and pain rippled across the back of her head.

  "Sorry about that," the shapeshifter said, his voice a midnight whisper which burrowed into her soul, stealing her breath. "I couldn't have you spilling blood before the hunt. I might not have been able to keep The Slaugh in check if that had happened." He cocked his head while holding his hand out towards her. "What's a Sidhe doing with the redcaps?"

  I'm a Sidhe?

  Though she had understood she was different since reaching the height of her father's waist, someone, at last, speaking words of truth made her heart ache as if Fabien's dagger pierced her chest.

  "They're my family," she said, her voice choked.

  While her brothers hovered in the background, casting her worried looks, she wrapped her fingers around the cloaked figure's hand. The Lord of The Wild Hunt dragged her to her feet. She forced her eyes away from her brothers and to the fallen leaves scattered across the ground. The Lord released his grip.

  The air was too thin. Red took a shallow breath and struggled for the next.

  Where did I come from?

  Her brothers surrounded her in warmth and sandwiched her between them; their arms draped over her shoulders as The Wild Hunt's Lord walked away.

  "Too right. We're family," said Brogue.

  "How else could you annoy me so much," muttered Aelfric. "Now, watch." He pointed towards the other side of the clearing.

  The forest sizzled with energy. The Lord of the Wild Hunt faced the magical yew tree and chanted under his breath. Runes, glaring with radiance, slowly emerged. He stepped closer, waving glowing hands over the runes. The air was still, but his dark cloak billowed.

  Something chimed across the clearing. Red's ears popped. A golden door materialised at the base of the tree trunk, and like a flower facing the sun, she couldn't turn away. The entranceway called to her, tugging on her soul. She gravitated towards it.

  Brogue snagged her sleeve, a grimace slashed across his face. "Hold on there. Not so fast." Tightening his grip, he yanked her back several feet.

  She shook her head, trying to rattle sense into her cotton-filled mind. "What was that?"

  "The call of our true home," Brogue said. "I had the same reaction the first time I travelled through the portal. The good news is, it gets easier to resist."

  "That's because you're both weak-minded," said Aelfric, stepping beside them.

  Brogue punched his arm. "Don't listen to him, Sis. He was just as bad."

  One by one, the other warriors stepped through the doorway.

  Red tried to act nonchalant, but wrapped her arms around herself. "So, my birth mother left me for dead as a baby?"

  "Damn, you had to ask." Brogue scrubbed his palm across his chin. "I don't know for sure. We were young when Father came home with you, not even old enough to receive our first blades. You were this squalling bundle of pale flesh, wrapped in a rose-pink blanket, splattered in crimson." His lips curled in a smile, he draped an arm around her tense shoulders and pulled her into his side. "It's how you got your name. You know us redcaps and our fetish for blood."

  "Father told us little," said Aelfric, turning to look at her with his forehead crinkled. "Just to never mention it again, but we've heard the rumours. It's hard to keep something like that quiet when gossip spreads around the castle faster than weeds."

  Red shifted on her feet. "And what do the rumours say?"

  "You sure you want to know?" Brogue let go, blinked his eyes closed, and exhaled. "Sometimes staying in the dark can be a blessing."

  "Yes," she said with conviction.

  "Okay." Brogue's shoulders slumped. "Father had just left the Summer Court and was traipsing through Blackvine Forest. Through a break in the trees, he saw a woman leave behind something on a log next to the bank. He thought it was an offering to the kelpie who called the river its home. But–"

  "I've got this next part, brother." Aelfric traded sides. "As he turned away, the kelpie emerged from the water, and your wailing halted his steps."

  Red's eyes opened wide. "What happened next?"

  "Simple. Father vanquished the beast, anointing you in its blood, and brought you home." Aelfric bumped her with his shoulder. "See. You were always meant to be ours. It was kismet."

  Tears stung her eyes, and her heart bloomed with love. "Thank you."

  As the last of the other warriors vanished, Red followed her brothers through the golden door, stepping into the shimmering portal. The temperature plummeted, cold biting into her skin. She shivered while magic cloaked her in a bubble made from the night, zooming her past unrecognisable constellations–jewels set in the inky darkness.

  Between one breath and the next, the portal spat her out into a twilight landscape. Two moons hung above the horizon, casting their silvery glow over a field of redcap warriors surrounded by giant-sized trees. Nausea assaulted Red's stomach, and bile filled her mouth. She swayed, the world tilting. Fingers wrapped around her upper-arms, holding her upright.

  "Easy there," whispered The Lord of The Wild Hunt. "It'll pass in a moment."

  She stared at the shadows inside The Lord's cloak where she thought his eyes should be. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome." He released his grip, stepped back, and walked away.

  Red rubbed her arms where the warmth from his touch lingered. She'd not seen his face, but still will-o'-the-wisps fluttered in her stomach, and her heart pounded in her chest. Adjusting the bag slung over her shoulder, she chewed on her lower lip.

  "So, sister!" shouted Aelfric. "Did your first portal travel freak you out? Do you need a change of trousers?"

  Laughter filled the cool air.

  Red's cheeks warmed. "Maybe next time I'll put poisonous snakes in your bed instead of nettles."

  Brogue slapped her on the back. She staggered. He always forgot his strength was more significant than hers.

  "I'll help you get payback," he said. "But first, Sis, we have a day's walk ahead of us, so it'll have to wait. I want to sleep in a comfy bed tonight."

  * * *

  Chapter Five

  The glow from the twin moons speared through the treetops, bathed the forest in a silver shroud, and draped the ground in long silhouettes. Red shivered and cinched her cloak tighter around her shoulders. Time moved differently in Underhill. The night was never-ending. Although only several hours had passed since her group had come through the portal, she wished for the warmth of Terra's sun.

  She stepped around a scarlet plant covered in needle-like thorns. An enticing scent filled the air, somewhere between sweet peas and lilies. The strange plant's stalks twist-bent towards her, and its leaves trembled. The plant reminded her of the Venus flytraps they had back on Terra, but she was the fly. She shuddered and picked up
the pace. Her brothers had warned her the flora in Underhill could be as deadly as a redcap.

  "How much longer?" she said at her brothers' backs.

  "Heartbeats less than the last time you asked," said Aelfric, his tone amused and indulgent.

  "Knucklehead," Red grumbled under her breath.

  "What was that?"

  "Nothing."

  Magic infused the air, permeated the land, and prickled across her skin. Its strength overwhelmed enough to choke on. She'd read some of the histories of her kind in a large tome in her father's library. When Man still walked the earth, to prevent more of the human's pollution from seeping through the portals, the fae had closed most of the established pathways between Terra and Underhill. Instead of protecting the land as they hoped, the magic had become concentrated, twisting the flora and fauna into something new. Now, only small pockets of land were livable.

  The stench of decay coated Red's tongue and burned her eyes. She curled her lip, the scar across her cheek tightening. To her left, a thick, neon-orange vine wormed across the ground, dragging in its wake a half-eaten carcass. It pulled the dead animal, which resembled a raccoon with porcupine-like spikes on its back, into the underbrush and disappeared from sight.

  Gooseflesh broke out across her skin, a deadly stillness had overtaken the forest. Red halted, swallowing her nerves. She dropped her bag to the forest floor to free her hands and scanned her surroundings for something amiss.

  Awareness prickled down her spine as the temperature plummeted. For a heartbeat, there was nothing...then she felt a disturbance in the air, and something danced across her peripheral vision.

  She whirled around, pulse roaring in her ears. Fog skirted around moss-covered tree trunks, crept across overgrown roots and fallen leaves, cloaking the forest in a thick grey haze. It was unnatural. Adrenaline flooded Red's body and pumped through her veins. Shouts of alarm battered against her eardrums, loud in the otherwise ominously hushed clearing.