He watches me, his eyes wide with something I can’t quite place… shock, awe, fear? It’s hard to tell, but he’s definitely looking at me like he’s never seen someone like me before.
“Put it in your bag,” he says, his voice soft but insistent as he kicks at the bag lying near me.
I don’t argue. I can’t. Not against a fae. Not against a creature that could kill me with no effort at all. I do as he says, slippingthe dagger into the bag at my side, then putting it on my back. The weight feels strangely significant.
When I finish, the fae doesn’t waste any time. He reaches for me, lifting me effortlessly with one arm off the ground. I scream, kicking my legs out, panic surging through me like wildfire, but he’s too strong, and before I can make sense of anything, I’m thrown over his shoulder, my world flipping upside down.
“Stop!” I shout, my voice rising in pitch as I try to wriggle free, but it’s useless. His grip is unyielding, my body pressed tightly against his. I can’t even drag in a breath before he begins walking, carrying me toward the boundary.
Into the fae lands.
A place no human should ever go.
A place that means death for my kind.
“Please,” I beg, desperation clawing at my throat as I plea for mercy.
He doesn’t even slow, just steps through the barrier.
5
Sylvian
My heart beats wildly,each thud echoing in the stillness of the woods. I’d fully expected to find yet another dead body at the altar. Not a living human with a dagger gifted from the goddess Varua herself. I couldn’t believe my luck. We’ve finally found her! The woman of prophecy! The one Varua said we had to find! I want to shout into the trees, to let the world know about the momentous occasion unfolding right here, right now.
Yet beneath my excitement, there’s a flicker of disbelief. A whisper that this can’t actually be happening. I’d given up hope. We all had. I keep thinking that at any moment I’m going to wake up, devastated that none of this was real.
Yet, this feels real. Everything about this.It’s more logical that I’ve really found her than that I’ve completely lost my mind.Isn’t it?
Something in my chest feels lighter, almost buoyant. Every single day it’s pained me to look at my people and fail them, over and over again. They’ve suffered so much, and for so long I’ve felt powerless to help. But today, when I return, I won’tbe coming back empty-handed. The thought of finally bringing hope back to my court fills me with something approaching pure joy.
I will be the fae king to return the chosen one to my people. To all the fae.
Only... she’s squirming. And seems to be… angry? Only, that can’t be. I can’t fathom why she’d be upset. I’ve done her a favor, haven’t I? I’ve plucked her out of her miserable human life and brought her to the fae realm. She’s in the company of the King of the Earth Fae. She has an opportunity that any human should give thanks to Varua for.Doesn’t she understand that?
Stealing a glance over my shoulder at the small human, I feel her struggle against me. She kicks and flails like a wild creature. A mix of confusion and irritation swells within me.Is her brain broken? Did she take one too many blows to the head? Or are all humans this dumb?
I mean, I’ve done her a favor. She has to see that.
Still, she has a rather large and painful-looking bruise on her face, and she’s a tiny thing, with marks on her wrists and ankles from the chains. Maybe this is more than her tiny, human brain can handle.
I sigh, shifting her a bit higher on my back, feeling her fingers claw at my shoulders, digging into my skin with surprising ferocity. It’s confusing.Is she perhaps unclear about how much better I’ve made her life by taking her with me?Perhaps itissome sort of brain damage.
“Would you stop?” I ask, my tone more exasperated than gentle as I try to make sense of her actions. “You’re making it harder for me to carry you.”
She only kicks more in response, her voice trembling as she shoots back, “Release me. At once!” It’s clear she’s trying to reach the dagger in the bag on her back, but I know it’s out of her reach.
Still, it’s amusing that she might have tried to stab me.This little creature is strange.
I can’t help but feel a flicker of amusement at her defiance, though it’s wrapped tightly in ire. The human sounds like a toddler throwing a tantrum, and I can’t help but feel my patience waning. I stop walking, the weight of her struggles growing more irritating by the second.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. She should be excited. She should be happy. I need to see what’s wrong with this human.I take a deep breath and carefully lift her off my back, then set her on the ground in front of me, letting her stand on her own two feet.
A strange feeling washes over me as I study her. It’s the same feeling I had when I first saw her chained at the altar, still alive, the goddess’s dagger left near her. It was the jarring realization that this little human was about to change our lives forever.
This human… she’s a cute little thing. Not remarkably beautiful like all fae women, but interesting to look at. She has wide blue eyes, darker than any fae eyes, a small nose, and full lips that curve into a pout of displeasure. Her cheeks are slightly rounded, which gives her a young, innocent look. Her hair is brown, but not glamoured to shimmer and shine like the fae women do, and it’s a color no fae woman would choose. She’s remarkably tiny too, like the gods got halfway through building her and then just tossed her into being.
I take a step closer to her, tempted to poke her, just to see what she’d do, my curiosity getting the better of me.
