by Everly Frost
Quickly calling the next bird, I hurry to the first fallen woman, repeating the process for the nine women until I’m covered in sweat. Halfway through the process, I abandon decorum and peel my armor to my waist, allowing the sallow air to cool my skin. I’m still well covered in a tight waist-length undergarment that covers my breasts completely. My armor is great for absorbing light and flexible for fighting in, but it’s designed for quick aerial battles, not this kind of extended exertion.
While I work, the Fell picks up his fallen pelt and then his halberd, pulling on the pelt and securing it across his back with disconcerting ease despite his bound hands, before he grips his weapon firmly between his palms. He takes up position leaning against the tree where he first took a swipe at me.
Every time I lift another fallen woman across my shoulders, he offers to help.
After the fifth one, I’m certain he’s doing it to annoy me. He watches my reaction every time, observing my shifts from surprise to irritation.
I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions, so over the years, I’ve learned to feel nothing. This Fell is drawing every emotion out of me. Including emotions I don’t like. He called me ‘beautiful’ and his genuine expression told me he meant it. Now his gaze follows me even though he remains right where he is and my heartbeat reacts in unwanted ways.
Half an hour later, when the final woman is safely strapped to her bird, my heart is racing for another reason. I’ve used up too much time.
Maybe I should have accepted his help…
The minute I slide from the bird’s back and whistle for her to rise into the air, the Fell strides over to me. The way he grips his weapon despite his chains is incredibly disconcerting. He may as well not be bound.
I take a quick step away from him to keep my distance, but it’s a reflexive, learned behavior. There are only two people I allow to come near me, both of whom I trust with my life: Evander and the Queen herself. I even keep my distance from Evander’s father.
“We need to go,” the Fell says.
Before I assume his concern is for my people, he continues. “Others are coming.” His gaze flicks back toward the gloom beyond the nearby trees. “We can’t be here when they arrive.”
Tension sizzles off him, the first real tension I’ve sensed from him. Something about the Fell who are coming is putting him seriously on edge.
I’m not afraid of whatever Fell creatures are on their way, but currently, my goals align with his.
I give him a single nod and quickly whistle for Treble, who immediately dives from the clouds above us. The moment he lands, he expands his right wing and tips it to the ground.
“Leave your weapon behind,” I order the Fell before I run lightly up Treble’s wing and settle onto his back. “Come on.”
The Fell shakes his head. “This weapon will save your life.”
My life? I scowl at him. He is so full of riddles. Bringing a weapon like that seems like the worst thing he could do, but I don’t have time to argue. I can always make him leave it outside the palace when we land.
He eyes Treble’s wing before he presses his lips together, uncertainty passing across his face in a moment of brief hesitation. He’s definitely psyching himself up right now. I hope it’s not because he’s afraid of heights.
I arch my eyebrow at him, impatient to be on our way.
He doesn’t run like I did, taking careful steps up Treble’s wing, his focus on Treble’s face.
Treble curves his neck and gives me a perplexed look at the Fell’s tiptoeing. It’s like watching a dragon trying to creep over eggshells.
“You won’t break his wing,” I say to the Fell.
“Are you certain?” he asks. “I’m heavier than you.”
He seems genuinely worried and I’m surprised by his concern for my thunderbird’s welfare.
So is Treble, who can understand everything we say. His luminescent eyes blink softly before he nudges the Fell’s back in a gesture that I’m certain is meant to be reassuring but seems to alarm the giant man, who hunches his shoulders over as if he could make himself lighter that way.
“I’m certain.” Without thinking about it, I reach down for his bound hands, wrap my fingers around his wrists, and tug him toward me. “You said we have to hurry…”
My voice dies in my throat as white light grows between the back of his hand and my palm, spilling out between my fingers.
What the stars? Is that what happened when he curled his fingers into my hair?
His eyes meet mine. Despite the glow between us, he doesn’t seem surprised. “You need to control your power,” he says calmly, as if he were my damn mentor. “You’ve let your light shine many times now.”
I jolt back to my seat, dropping his hand to break the contact. He’s wrong that I was controlling my power just now. I don’t seem to have any say over what happens when his skin touches mine. I’m certainly not looking forward to what will happen when he’s pressed against my back while we’re in the air. I quickly pull my armor back up over my arms to reduce the chances of skin-on-skin contact.
Despite my sudden withdrawal, he retains his balance, climbing the rest of the way and sliding in behind me. His presence at my back is like an enormous shadow dropping over me.
I twist so I can keep an eye on him. With careful movements, he folds his arms up in front of his chest, clutching the halberd between his chest and my back.
I eye the weapon from the corner of my eye. If the damn thing slips downward, it’s sharp enough to cut through my armor and slice open my back.
His voice sounds at my ear as he finally settles against me. “I won’t let my weapon hurt you.”
I find myself relaxing before I remind myself what he is.
I snap at him. “That wasn’t your attitude earlier.”
I sense a satisfied smile in his voice. “You’re strong enough to fight me, Starlight. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t hurt you.”
I have no idea how to respond to what sounds like a cautious compliment. Scowling into space, I lean forward and whisper to Treble, “Rise, Treble. Take us safely home—and quickly. The other thunderbirds need to follow us.”
It’s only as I resume my upright position that I realize the Fell has politely drawn himself back from me. It takes me a second to picture how close my backside must have been pressing against his groin when I leaned forward. Assuming Fell are anatomically the same as fae, my position would have been provocative to say the least.
A blush burns across my cheeks and I’m glad he can’t see it. Most fae are free with their bodies—even the Queen shares her bed with multiple partners—but the first time I had sex when I was fifteen I passed out, and not in a good way. The physical act was like having all of the air sucked out of me and being left with nothing. I woke up alone and never tried it again. After that, I threw myself into training and once I became the Queen’s champion, I had an excuse to remove myself from the revelry that other fae frequently indulge in.
I quell my embarrassment as the Fell settles against me again. The cool air eases the burn in my cheeks as we rise into the air.
Treble’s wings crack and sizzle. I’m used to the sound—find it comforting—but the Fell flinches, edging closer to me, his muscles tensing as we leave the ground.
I’m honestly not sure that he won’t be electrocuted, so I shout into the wind. “Stay close to me. My power will protect you.”
I think.
I can’t afford for him to die.
“Why don’t you use a saddle?” he shouts.
“I don’t like it,” I murmur, not sure if he can hear me, but I’m done with shouting.
He lowers his voice to a soft rumble in my ear. “Just as well.”
As Treble soars into the air, the fog shifts farther to our right. The Fell was right about expecting company, but whoever’s coming isn’t close enough to be a problem for us before we’re already sailing across the glittering border and up toward the clouds while the other ten thun
derbirds stay close around us.
I check their riders carefully, watching for any sign that my friends slip off, satisfied that they all appear secure.
Without my facemask and hood on, the wind rushes through my hair, whipping it around my face. The Fell slowly relaxes behind me, the warm wooden weapon nestles against my back, and a few moments later, his fingers curl into my hair, catching the heavy length of it and coiling it at the base of my neck so it doesn’t slap me. I choose to believe that the glow growing at the edges of my vision is caused by Treble’s lightning and not the contact between the Fell and me.
He remains silent for the first few minutes, but I sense when he tenses again.
“What is that?” he asks, his lips close to my ear as he curls forward. He can’t point now that his hands are tangled in my hair as well as gripping his weapon.
I don’t have to look to know what he’s talking about.
We just flew past the burn site where my family died.
The dark scar and burned outpost are impossible to miss.
I can’t keep the anger from my voice. “That’s where your people killed my family.”
He’s silent and it’s impossible to look back to see his expression.
Finally, his voice rumbles in my ear, as angry as mine. “Then it’s also where your people betrayed my father.”
His hand tugs on my hair, curling tighter and once again I’m reminded of what he is. How vulnerable I am to him right now.
The light around us increases with my sudden fear. I can’t spend an hour riding with him like this while he’s carrying a weapon at my back. He could double-cross me as soon as we reach the palace parapets where the birds land. It wouldn’t take much for him to kill me, jump to safety, and fight his way inside. He could be lying about carrying the antidote.
He could be lying about all of it.
He could be here to assassinate the Queen and I’m taking him right to her.
With lightning-quick movements, I grab his hands behind my head and grip the halberd at the same time. I tuck my knees to my chest, twist, and slide around to face him while holding on to his hands so he doesn’t rip my hair out.
He blinks at me in surprise, his hands and weapon now pressing against my left breast, while his fingers remain tangled in my hair.
I need truths from him or I have to kill him, even if it means killing Evander.
“Who was your father?” I demand.
He presses his lips together. Such perfect lips. So fae-like. Too fae-like.
I persist. “What is your name and why are you here?”
He narrows his eyes at me and shakes his head.
“Tell me or I’ll tip you into the fields!” I threaten, my blood pounding.
My threat simply washes over him. He doesn’t budge.
I gasp against the wind as Treble’s lightning flickers across the Fell’s strong features, casting him into shadow and then light. “Was your father a Bright One?”
Now he startles. “What in the name of the dark stars makes you think that?”
“You don’t look like other Fell.”
He laughs, a harsh sound. “How would you know what humans look like? You don’t bother to look beneath our masks when you kill us.”
“You all look like this?”
He leans forward, his dark eyes glittering. “Some human women are more beautiful than Bright Ones.”
He’s lying. He must be. “If that’s true, why do you hide your faces and bodies inside the skin of animals?”
His jaw drops. “You really don’t know?”
I give a sharp shake of my head. My right hand finds my hip where my dagger rests. I’m not afraid to resort to the use of force to make him speak.
His lips twist. I read deeply controlled anger in every angle of his jaw and shoulders. He watches my movements, knows I’m considering using my weapon. A hint of disappointment appears in his eyes, as if he hoped for more from me.
“The ones who hide their faces are sick,” he says. “They’re dying. They say goodbye to their families and then they come to the border to face your blades. The Ebon Rot kills them slowly. Your swords are fast.”
“Ebon Rot?”
“It’s an illness that disfigures and causes excruciating pain. It slowly sucks our lives away.”
I can’t tear my gaze away from his. “No.” I shake my head in denial. “Your people come to attack us…”
“With rusty knives?” His gaze pierces me. “Weapons they can barely hold up, they’re so weak?”
I search his eyes, looking for a lie. “They really come to die?”
“The Ebon Rot sets in at around forty years of age. It first appeared fifteen years ago after the final battle between our people. Now nobody escapes it.” His lips suddenly twist. “Well, nobody except our King. Somehow he’s still alive.”
He shrugs, but it’s anything but casual. “I have fifteen years before the Rot takes me. I plan on doing something useful with the time I have left.”
Sitting back on my heels, I feel sick. I never looked at the Fell I killed. I was told never to look at them. I can’t even remember who told me that. Can’t remember who told me never to touch the Fell, never look at them, that their darkness would corrupt me.
This Fell… this human… touches me and I…
Glow.
He says nothing. His expression is clear, the dew on his chest evaporated, the pelt he wears tucked neatly around him so it doesn’t flap in the wind.
“I’ll make you a promise, Starlight,” he says, his gaze a heavy weight on me. “There are some things I can’t tell you. But what I do tell you will be the truth.”
“Why would you promise me anything?” I ask, a bitter taste filling my mouth. All those Fell I killed… I thought of them as nothing better than mud beneath my feet. They were sick and dying. They wanted my sword. “I kill your people. I would have killed you. Why would you tell me any truths?”
He shakes his head, but it’s a slow movement and his voice is barely a murmur. “Too many reasons.”
“Pick one.”
His voice lowers to a sigh on the wind. “You give them a quick and clean death.”
“How do you know? You said they come alone.”
His lips press together in a quiet line. “Stories filter back. Sometimes family members follow them. They speak of a single female who rides a blue bird. They say you don’t fly with the others and when you kill, your sword is efficient. Not all Bright Ones are so merciful.”
I spiral through surprise to indignation. “The Border Guards don’t torture—”
“Not anymore.” He gives me an acknowledging nod, his gaze switching to Evander’s bird. “Not since your brother took over.”
I can’t shake off my bitterness. “So you’ll tell me the truth because I kill your people quickly.”
“Not only that…” He shifts closer to me, daring to slide his legs beside mine. A fierce crease appears in his forehead. “Before he died, my father told me—”
A sharp whistle breaks through our conversation.
The Fell’s focus snaps to a point behind me.
I twist as the sky above the mountain range lights up like a rainbow. Thunder rumbles across the sky. More thunderbirds!
They soar toward us and I recognize the bird speeding ahead of the others. I know every thunderbird in Bright. This one’s wingspan is not as wide as some, but she’s fast and nimble. Her feathers are white with burnished orange tips like flames. She was chosen to be part of the Queen’s Night Guard because of her speed.
Her rider’s hair is as indigo as her armor, tightly braided across her head, the dark blue color making her very pale blue eyes appear bright in comparison as she soars toward us. She is Mia of the Dusk, the Captain of the Night Guard.
I can’t call her my friend. I wish I could, but two years ago she challenged me for the position as Queen’s champion and she lost. Since then, our relationship has been strained.
I slip to the s
ide to face her, both of my legs hanging over one side of Treble’s body. The Fell releases my hair, edging away from me and gripping his weapon. Whatever he was going to tell me is lost now.
“Commander Lucidia,” Mia cries as her bird sweeps around to draw parallel with us. “The Queen needs you!”
My heart kicks inside my chest. I’m not normally away from the Queen for this long. Not as late as dawn. Her Night Guard surrounds her to keep her safe while she sleeps. Her Day Guard watches over her during the daylight hours. Like the Border Guard, each group has its own captain, but I command all of them.
A quick glance tells me that most of the Night Guards have flown out to find me.
“What’s wrong?” I shout.
“She needs your starlight—” Mia’s eyes widen as her gaze sweeps across the Fell, her focus quickly darting to the riders lying across their birds. As a Dusk Fae, she can easily speak with her thunderbird using her mind. I can’t hear the command she gives it, but the bird suddenly arcs around while the other thunderbirds and riders from the Night Guard soar around us, each one positioning itself beside a wounded fae.
“What happened here?” Mia demands, her gaze landing on the Fell again. I sense her confusion as well as her interest. Like me, she hasn’t immediately identified him as a Fell. If she had, she would have leaped across the space between us and tried to kill him already.
The only clue about his real identity is his pelt. Fae never kill animals for food or to use their skins.
But Mia’s focus isn’t on his clothing.
Her gaze follows his face down to his broad shoulders, chiseled chest, narrow waist, and muscular thighs. Her head tilts, her expression a mix of bewilderment and fascination. Fae don’t hide their interest in others. It’s only after they commit to another fae at the Spring Pairing that they remain faithful and devoted to one fae for the rest of their lives. Until then… everyone is fair game.
I glance at the Fell, wishing I knew his name, only to find that he’s glaring back at Mia as if she’s the last thing he would ever touch—not that it’s dissuading her. Mia is used to playing games to get what she wants.