“Whoever you are, let me go.” My demand went unheeded by this horned stranger.
“You look like a tough girl; I fear for my life if you were to be set loose. You might scratch my horns.” I saw past his charade. He was a thief, conman, and a swindler. This trap was set for me. He saw me coming. If it was meant for another creature, he would have chosen to do a net, not a single knotted noose to snatch one leg and hoist the body into the air. He would never be able to keep his prey still.
“I promise not to hurt you and your poor ego if you let me go.” The blood in my body was rushing to my head, and the ache would eventually turn into me passing out.
The Fae picked at dirt between his fingers, then threw a knife—my knife—at where the rope hung over the limb of the tree. It sliced with precision and I fell hard. My grunt was not ladylike nor was the string of curses I released onto the thief.
“My name is Emrys, not Cad or Thief-man as you cursed with many other beautiful words.” He bowed one hand behind his back like some nobleman, a smirk on his face.
“You’re trouble,” I added, reaching for my weapon belt. It was gone. My eyes narrowed at the thief, who pulled his hand out from behind his back with my belt and the other knife dangling.
How the hell did he swipe that from me so quickly?
“A little mischief never hurt anyone, did it? Besides when you point fingers at someone, remember you have three pointing back at you.” He leaned up against the tree and tossed the belt my way. This was all for show. He was playing games for the sake of playing them. If he really wanted to mug me or hurt me, he would have done it by now.
“What is a fine lady from the palace doing out before dawn in the woods?” he mused, crossing his leather-clad legs and black boots over one another, his posture relaxed against the tree.
“Looking for my friend.”
“And your friend likes raw fish?” He pointed toward the fish on the ground, dirty from falling out of my hands when I was hoisted up the tree.
“Indeed. Now I’ll take my fish and be on my way.” I stomped over to the fish and snatched it before he could pull some other inconvenient trick out of thin air.
“It was nice meeting you, Sapphira. If you ever find yourself in need of a skilled spider, you can find me at the market.” He lifted two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute and strolled off. I wouldn’t need that prick for anything. I already had a sort of jerk friend on my roster, I didn’t need another.
Did he say my name? I shifted quickly to find the Fae and demand how he knew my name but didn’t find him. Instead of mulling over something I couldn’t do anything about, I grabbed my stuff and started walking.
After an hour of calling out for Desmire, I placed the fish on top of a boulder. At least some creature would get use out of it. Maybe my opportunity with Desmire yesterday was a once-in-a-lifetime magical afternoon with a dragon. I doubt many Fae had been saved by a dragon or watched unicorns. Shrugging off the disappointment that I might never see Desmire again, I walked back to the palace and was met by Najen when I strolled onto the fighting courtyard stones.
“Do I need to have watchdogs on you all the time?” I knew he wasn’t really mad at me.
“I don’t know. All that attention might go to my head.” I winked and walked over to where small hatchets were lined on a shelf.
“You weren’t causing mischief?” It was his job to watch me in Rune’s stead, so I cooled my taunting smile and shook my head.
“No, I took some fish down the woods to feed a creature I met yesterday. That was it.” I didn’t mention my run-in with Emrys.
“A creature. Only you, Sapphira.” Najen shook his head.
“Can you teach me to throw these?” I asked, my fingers running over the smooth wood of the hatchet. I’d seen Tor do it once on our journey, and it looked like fun. When I had tried it, it bounced off the tree and clattered to the ground very anticlimactically.
He nodded and picked up three hatchets, then told me to stand near some of the wooden targets.
I listened to his instructions and tried hard to make sure I held the handle right and put just enough force into the throw. I sent a prayer to any higher being in the world that the blade would stick into the wood but it didn’t. After five tries, I had the movement locked down, and I managed to get the axe stuck at the bottom of the target a few times.
“Rune will be happy to know you’re improving so fast,” Najen commented, observing the blades embedded in the wood.
Rune would only care because it meant he was closer to being reunited with his mate.
Chapter Thirty
Dris and I had been reading through books for days, without much new information. I was up-to-date on Fae history, having heard about wars with past kings, Verin, and invading Fae from across the seas. Tor’s family was kind and strong. He and Nyx’s marriage would make a powerful alliance between the two kingdoms.
The more I read about Verin, the more I thought he was behind the apocalypse and the Fae losing their magic. I remember Tor saying something in his stories that the Fae believed he released something unto the world and that’s when everything fell apart.
I wished the Fae had photographs like I’d seen in the human world. Then I would know what he looked like. Stories mentioned his black hair peeking out from his ebony armor in battles. His army was always bound in head-to-toe armor of black and red, and they’d sweep over battlefields like a smoke of fire and death.
The evil Fae hadn’t been seen or heard from him since the Fae lost their magic. An eerie silence had remained in the badlands where his palace was located. Fae were edgy at first, but after a while, whispers of his death began.
