by Dyan Chick
"Do you usually have that many nests?" I asked.
"No."
"Why do you think it changed?" I could see a touch of fear on Cormac's expression. It was gone in an instant, but it was there. It was an expression I hoped I never saw again.
"This time, there's more of them than we've ever seen before. And this time, there's you. We've never seen them go after a specific Fae before, at least not that we could tell. I don't know if that means there's something about you or if that means there's something changing about the Under," Cormac said.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I considered Cormac's words. I didn't feel like there was anything about me that might cause such a disturbance, but then again, I didn't even know I was Fae until two days ago. I was quiet as I rode alongside Cormac, letting my thoughts swim in my mind. I didn't know anything about myself anymore. I had no past and no future. It was like living in limbo and the confidence and excitement I'd felt at the beginning of the ride faded.
Would I have to keep feeling this disconnected for the rest of my existence or would I find answers some day? I wished there was a way to figure out why I'd been placed in the human world and where I came from. But whoever hid me there clearly didn't want me out. Though, I supposed I wasn't limited to human time constraints anymore. Would it take me a century to find out where I came from? Longer? Would I feel this out of place still after a few years of living in this realm?
"Cassia?"
Cormac's voice broke my reverie. "Yes?"
He glanced at me and one corner of his lips pulled up into a smirk. "Think you can keep up?"
He didn't give me time to answer before he took off on his horse leaving a cloud of dust behind him.
I laughed and tightened my grip on the reins. "Let's go get him, Starlight."
Leaning in close, I picked up speed, following the dust cloud. My mind cleared as the wind rushed past me. My hair whipped around me, but I ignored it, concentrating on my ride. Starlight seemed to work with me, understanding what I wanted without any commands. Even though she'd been riding with me for such a short time, we learned to trust one another.
I could see Cormac now and I pushed Starlight harder. We were so close. Then, suddenly, she slowed and reared, throwing me from the saddle. I landed hard on the ground, knocking the wind from my lungs.
Grateful that I didn't smack my head on the hard dirt, I rolled away quickly so I wouldn't get trampled by a frightened horse. In the confusion, Starlight had kicked up so much dust, I couldn't see where she was. Somewhere nearby, she whinnied.
"Starlight, where are you, girl?" I called, extending my arms in front of me. "It's alright, girl."
I tried to keep my voice calm and soothing. Something startled her and I didn't want to add to her anxiety.
Instead of hearing the gentle neigh of my mare, a screeching cry sounded. I tensed and turned toward the noise slowly. In the dissipating dust I could now make out the shape of three of the bat creatures. They’d found me.
Chapter Twenty-One
Fear shot through me, making me feel like my insides were on fire and pulsing with a strange vibration. The beast's back was to me and now that the dust settled, I saw it had Cormac pinned to the ground.
Inside, that familiar feeling clawed at me as if trying to tear my skin open. Whatever it was inside me, it seemed to show up in these moments and when I fought against it, bad things happened. When I let my guard down, and let the thing out, it triggered something. Some kind of magic I didn't understand or know how to control.
Cormac was in danger and I had to save him. It was time to give in to the monster inside. I dropped my guard as I rushed toward him, willing whatever it was to come out. Help him, I thought. Help him.
As I approached the creature, it turned toward me. Nostrils flaring, it bared its teeth, letting out a low growl.
"Run, Cassia," Cormac shouted.
"Leave him alone," I said through gritted teeth. The fear inside bubbled over until it resembled anger. I was furious that these creatures were hunting me, I was overwhelmed at finding out I wasn't human, I was terrified of spending the rest of an eternal life alone.
Cormac, and the other Fae princes had been the only shining beacon of hope in the most confusing time of my life. I couldn't let anything bad happen to him. Especially knowing that I was the cause of the monster finding us.
I grabbed hold of a threat from the clawing, writhing beast inside me, and I pulled it taught. A moment later, the now familiar blinding white light radiated out from me and I flinched as I squinted against the intensity of it.
I needed to find Cormac. I needed to get him away to safety or needed to end the beast's life. Or both. One way or another, I was getting out of there with Cormac alive.
I need to see, I thought. I need to see. Squinting into the light, I forced myself to keep my eyes open to search for my fallen friend. The light was still glowing too bright, but I found I was able to fight against it and looked around without the pain I’d had in the past. Pushing ahead, I looked around for my fallen prince.
Cormac was on the ground ahead of me, the beast still over him. Wishing I had a weapon, I squared my shoulders and ran forward. If nothing else, maybe I could muster enough strength to drag Cormac away while the beast was distracted.
As I drew nearer, I realized the claws of the creature were digging into Cormac's leg, pinning him to the ground. If I moved Cormac without dispatching the beast first, I would damage his leg even more.
Something glinted in the light, catching my eye. I turned to see Cormac's sword lying on the ground next to him, just out of his reach. He'd been so close to finishing the creature. If he just had that in his hand, I knew he could stop this whole thing. I ran for it, pausing next to Cormac. I could hear his ragged breathing and I took a step closer to him, kneeling down with his sword in my hand. He was too weak to fight. I'd have to finish the creature myself.
"I'm going to get you out of here."
"No, Cassia, run," Cormac said, his words strained.
Ignoring him, I picked up the sword with two hands half dragging it, half carrying it toward the creature.
The beast's nostrils flared again and it snapped its jaws in my direction. Clearly, he could smell me, but couldn't see me. And that gave me an advantage.
Without thinking about what I was about to do, I angled the sword up and shoved it into the monster's throat. Warm blood spurted out covering me in foul smelling warm, wet goo. I let go of the sword and turned away from the creature and threw up on the ground. Behind me, the beast made a sickening gurgling sound. Still retching, I glanced behind me just in time to see the monster stagger and fall in a heap on its side.
I turned away again, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. It was covered in blood, making my stomach flip again. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. After I collected myself, I turned back and saw the creature lying on its side, its claws still in Cormac's injured leg. I wasn't done yet.
Hands shaking and holding back bile in my throat, I approached Cormac just as the white light was fading.
I knelt down next to his leg and Cormac propped himself up on his elbows. His face was pale. "You are full of surprises."
"This is going to hurt," I said.
"Just do it," he said, tensing his jaw.
As gently as I could, I pried the claws of the dead beast out of Cormac's thigh.
Cormac grunted and I watched his hands ball into fists; his forearms and biceps flexing in tight knots of muscle against the pain.
Just as I removed the final claw, Ethan and Dane crouched down beside me.
"What happened?" Ethan asked, his hand already hovering above Cormac's injury.
"Why did you to ride off like that?" asked Dane. "You're the one who set the bloody stay together rule."
"I suppose that's why I set the rules," Cormac said in a hiss. "When I break them, bad things happen."
While Ethan worked his magic on Cormac's leg, I knelt ne
ar his head. I brushed his dark hair off his forehead away from his eyes then leaned in closer to him, keeping my eyes locked on his.
Cormac winced.
"Stay still and it'll go faster," Ethan said.
I glanced over at Ethan and watched in amazement as his skin regrew in front of my eyes. Cormac made a hissing sound and I turned back to him.
"I'm sorry," I said. Guilt surged through me because I knew Cormac wouldn’t have ridden off recklessly like that if not for me. He was trying to cheer me up and keep my mind preoccupied. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been as distracted as he was and he would've seen the creature.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," Cormac said. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm not the one who was attacked this time," I said.
"That should get you through for now," Ethan said. "I want to do another round when we stop for the night. Cormac grunted as he pushed himself up to standing. He offered his hands to me and pulled me up.
I wanted to ask him how he was feeling and tell him that he shouldn't be concerned about me while he was trying to recover, I had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate me babying him.
Cormac placed two fingers at his lips and whistled. Both his horse and mine came running to join us. As Cormac walked toward his horse, I noticed he was limping, favoring his injured leg.
Ethan offered his interlaced fingers for me to climb on Starlight’s saddle. Wordlessly, I accepted the support and hopped back up on my horse. Apparently, the princes were interested in no discussion about what just happened.
Ethan rode ahead, taking the point position while I rode alongside Cormac.
"Are you all right to be riding?" I asked.
Cormac looked at me and shook his head. "You should be more worried about yourself than me."
"I'm not the one who had monster claws in my leg," I said.
"Yes, but you should have run like I told you to," Cormac said.
"You can't be angry at me. I saved your life," I said.
"I would've taken care of it on my own. I don't want anything bad happening to you."
"Is this because of that protection thing?" I asked. "Or because you don't like that a girl saved you?"
Cormac chuckled. "Spoken like a human."
"You told me yourself I'm not human, but you won't explain anything to me so that I can understand what it means to be Fae," I said.
"You're right," he said. "And it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re female or even that I placed you under my protection. Maybe I just don't like the idea of you getting hurt."
I was surprised by his response and I opened my mouth, intent on saying something clever, and closed it again, speechless.
Cormac clicked his tongue and rode ahead of me, joining Ethan. I stayed behind the two of them in stunned silence for several minutes. The road was wide enough that I could join them, but I wasn't sure what I'd say. In the short time I'd spent with all of these males, I’d grown rather fond of each of them. Before I could talk myself into riding up to join the other two, Dane sped up until he was matching my pace.
"It was really brave, what you did back there. It shows you're a true Fae. In our realm, everyone learns to fight. Male and female," Dane said.
"Except me. I got lucky. Don't tell Cormac. But I was never taught to fight. I was just as likely to drop the sword on the ground as I was to get it through the creature's throat," I said.
"That might be true, but this isn't the first monster you killed," Dane said. "We might've wounded the beast that attacked you at your wedding, but you delivered the final blow. Never forget that," he said.
I had forgotten. In all the chaos and excitement, I still saw myself as someone who was incapable of fighting back. Yet, in times of crisis, I reacted on instinct. Then there was the magic, that part of me that I was finally starting to let out. "Dane, what is the light that I create? That's magic, right?"
"Yes, it's magic. Though, I've never seen anything exactly like it. I have a theory that it happens as a defensive reaction. It's not a fully formed use of magic, but I think it's your magic trying to break through in its untrained, raw form. I saw something similar, once, when I was training some new fighters at the Academy."
"New fighters at where?" I asked.
"Don't look so shocked," he said. "I'm not all tough guy and brawn, I have a brain too."
"That's not what I meant," I said. "I just didn't picture you as a teacher."
"We all have our secrets, Cassia," Dane said. "I hope to one day learn some of yours."
I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned away from Dane as my imagination kicked in and for a moment, I saw a flash of Dane and me tangled in the sheets. A bead of sweat slid down my back and I hoped nobody could see inside my head. Being around these three males was starting to make me feel like an animal in heat. I'd never felt any desires like this with any of my childhood friends and I certainly never felt anything like this toward Aaron in our brief encounters. There was just something about them that made me feel so alive in ways I never knew I could feel.
Ethan and Cormac turned off of the main road onto a path that looked like it had been forged by the wheels of a cart through tall, yellow grass. We weren't within view of the farmhouse we were heading to, but I knew we had to be close since we were leaving the road behind us. I blew out a relieved breath. The sooner I could get behind a closed door and get some space from the princes, the better. I wasn't sure I could be trusted with them much longer without saying something I shouldn't.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Finally, we reached the farmhouse. My legs were stiff as I dismounted with Dane's help. After taking a moment to brush the red-brown dust from my clothes, I twisted my hair into a knot at the back of my head to get it out of my way. Everything hurt. My thighs burned and my arms were sore from the day of riding.
Cormac limped up to the house and opened the door. Nobody came out to greet us.
"Didn't you say your friend lived here?" I asked.
"He does, but he's at the market in the Summer Court this time of year. We'll clean up after ourselves, if that's what you’re worried about," Cormac said.
"I'm not worried about that," I said. "It just seems rude to enter someone's house when they aren't home."
"Not big on hospitality in the mortal realm, are they?" Dane asked. "We help our neighbors here."
I frowned. In theory, we had to offer hospitality to our neighbors in the mortal realm, but I'd never traveled enough to test it out. "I'm not sure. I never traveled much before coming here."
"Really?" Ethan asked. "You're such a natural on the horse I thought for sure you'd had experience with days of riding."
"I rode as often as I could," I said. "But never for travel. Only for leisure."
Ethan lifted an eyebrow. "With your fast healing ability, I thought you might be Spring Court, but it seems I may be mistaken. Perhaps you're more at home in the Autumn Court."
I shrugged. "Maybe I have talents from different courts."
"That's very unusual, but I suppose we won't know until we see some more magic from you," Ethan said.
I liked the idea of learning how to use magic. Especially if there was something that could protect me better from the Sodalis than the white light I was able to conjure. "Maybe someone can teach me?" I glanced over at Dane and smiled sweetly.
"Don't look at me. I taught combat. Ethan or Cormac would be much better suited to helping a new Fae with magic," Dane said.
I followed the males into the farmhouse. It was dark inside as all the windows were covered with shutters. Cormac lit an oil lamp which cast a warm glow over the tiny space. Despite the cloths covering all the furniture, I thought I could make out a sitting area arranged in front of a wood burning stove and a dining table with four chairs. The kitchen was out in the open, right behind the table. A staircase leading up completed the space. It was even smaller than Nikolai's house.
Ethan busied himself in front of the wood stove while C
ormac and Dane removed the sheets from the furniture. I looked around, wondering what I could help with.
Someone grunted and I turned toward the sound just in time to see Ethan grabbing at his shoulder. In the flickering firelight from the newly built fire, I noticed there was a pool of blood on his tunic. How had I not noticed that before?
I walked over to him and touched his upper arm gently. "What happened?"
He looked at my hand, then his eyes traveled to the injury on his shoulder. "It's nothing."
I pursed my lips, not believing him, and tugged at the fabric. Claw marks slashed down his shoulder. They were still open wounds, but they weren't bleeding anymore. He must have been scratched during the fight. I was so focused on Cormac I didn't pay attention to where Ethan and Dane were. My stomach tightened. I should have taken better care of them. I felt like I let them down. "Why isn't it healing?"
"It's not as bad as it looks," he said, carefully removing my hand from his arm.
"But you usually heal so quickly." My brow furrowed in worry. Was something different? If he couldn't heal this, what did that mean?
"It'll heal after I get some rest. I used most of my magic to help Cormac heal. Our magic isn't unlimited. It takes a lot of energy to heal. That's why you are so tired afterward. But like I said, it's not so bad. You won't even notice it by morning." He smiled.
"You three are close, aren't you?" I asked.
"We grew up together," he said.
"But you're from different courts and you're all royalty. How is that possible?" I asked.
"You keep getting us confused with the way things work in the human world," Ethan said. "Here, most noble children are trained at the Royal Academy. The three of us were often trained together since we are all the heirs to our respective courts."
"You don't fight over land?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Why would we? Besides, if we did, the queen would get involved. And none of us want that. As long as we can govern ourselves without incident, the queen lets us do what we want."