It didn’t make any sense. She supposed it must be quite frustrating for him, being forced to hang around and wait for the silly princess to sleep, but it wasn’t as if she had asked for his help. If Raxx had been so keen to pursue his commander and Lori that he couldn’t afford to camp up for a few hours, then maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to offer Faye his assistance.
The nagging feeling in Faye’s gut grew. Something wasn’t right about this. Though Raxx was hardly a conversationalist, she felt they had made some small progress towards a tentative friendship. She could have sworn he’d even been mildly flirtatious with her on occasion. Maybe Raxx was annoyed she hadn’t wanted to ‘share her tent’ for anything other than sleeping. If so, the demon had better prepare for a long, silent trip. If there was one thing Faye had little time for, it was delicate male egos.
The princess stroked her fingers through Gaia’s mane, lost in thought. For the thousandth time she worried that she was not safe with Raxx. Did he really have her best intentions at heart? He seemed like a decent sort, but what did Faye know about people? She and her sisters were severely lacking in any real-life experience. A bitter wind broke the princess from her thoughts. She pulled Gaia to a halt and tucked her hood down from her face whilst she surveyed the landscape. The woods were thinning out; they must be getting close to the cliff’s edge.
“This way,”Raxx’s voice spoke to her, so close she could have almost sworn he had whispered in her ear. He sounded strange; echoing as if he were far away, yet she was somehow still able to hear him. Faye’s body jolted with surprise, startling the horse beneath her.
“Don’t do that,” she grumbled, her voice loud in the deserted woodland. Despite her annoyance, Faye obediently gathered her reins into her hands and kicked Gaia forward. Faye and her mare walked on a few strides in silence before the princess sucked in a breath, preparing to speak. The words lingered on her tongue and she felt suddenly foolish to be contemplating speaking to no one. Was Raxx nearby? She had no idea.
“Where are you?” she asked. “I can’t see you to follow you and I don’t know where I’m going.”
“I won’t let you wander aimlessly in the wrong direction, princess.”Raxx’s tone was almost arrogant and it nipped at Faye’s last nerve.
“Won’t you? How do I know you’re not leading me to my doom, hm?” she snapped.
“You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not giving me much to work with, demon,” Faye muttered beneath her breath.
“I’ve given you plenty, not that I was obliged to. You’re the one slowing my progress, so I think a little bit of gratitude wouldn’t go amiss.”
“Gratitude?” Faye spluttered, anger roiling in her belly.
“I didn’t have to help you. I could have just shackled you and carted you off to Banesteppe for my king to interrogate. Please, princess, do not misinterpret our working together as a mutually beneficial arrangement. I’m doing you a favour.”
“Fuck you, I never asked for your favour!”
The snow had grown thinner here and the ground more solid. Gritting her teeth, Faye kicked Gaia firmly, pushing her forwards into a fast gallop. She leant forwards, balancing her weight in the stirrups as the mare stormed ahead into the wilderness, leaving the invisible demon behind.
With the frosty winter air pelting her face and having to concentrate on guiding Gaia around obstacles in the snow, Faye left her troubles behind – literally and figuratively. She didn’t need the demon. He had pointed her in the right direction, had provided her with some useful information and had been foolish enough to let her load their supplies onto the back of the horse. Faye grinned – she could do this without him. She started this journey on her own, she could finish it the same way.
Spurred on by lofty, romanticised thoughts of independence, Faye rode Gaia harder. The mare kicked her hind legs out from underneath her in an elated buck as Faye allowed her to stretch into an even faster gallop and the princess whooped with excitement. Their enjoyment didn’t last long.
Raxx appeared in the snow, a few feet in front of them, arms crossed over his chest with a face like thunder. Those large, menacing wings snapped open, spooking the horse.
Gaia’s hooves slid from underneath her and the mare let out a terrified squeal. She threw her head back and Faye lost contact with the reins. She screamed. Somehow, the strength in the mare’s legs prevailed and Gaia fought against her own momentum to right herself. She span, nearly throwing Faye out of the saddle, and turned to face the demon.
“What do you think you’re—” Faye spluttered, throwing her hood down off her head.
“You were going to gallop straight past the turning.” Raxx’s tone was eerily calm, despite the rage Faye could feel boiling in her veins. His dark eyes were cold and emotionless.
“You could have killed me!” she screeched.
“And yet you’re still alive. Fancy that,” Raxx replied. He folded his wings tightly behind his back once more and stalked a wide circle around them. Gaia twitched and turned, keeping the demon in her sights at all times.
“What is wrong with you?” Faye sighed, plumes of hot breath swirling through the icy morning air. “You’ve been weird – or should I sayweirder– this morning. Have I done something to upset you?” Despite her anger, Faye felt hot tears looming at the back of her throat. She swallowed them down, determined not to give in.
Raxx’s eyes flickered to her and almost seemed to soften. It was brief, barely lasting a split second, but Faye had seen it.
“Sorry.”
Faye’s head whipped up in surprise.
“Pardon?”
“I said I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind. More so since I’ve met you, which I didn’t believe was possible.” Raxx pinched the bridge of his nose. “So many loose ends…”
“I have a lot on my mind too, Raxx. My sister is out here all alone, remember? We’ve never been this far from home. I’m cold, tired, hungry and apparently now I’ve upset my travelling companion.” Faye sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. As the adrenaline faded, her teeth began to chatter. Gaia snorted and paced on the spot nervously.
