“Blood summoner,” she drawls, lips lifting. “This world is not forgiving. We are a desert territory, with that entrance leading to nowhere. Villages are far and few between. Should you decide to do what I know you’re thinking—” she side-eyes me and I pretend to be innocent, “you wouldn’t go anywhere. It’d be a wasteland.” She kicks at the black rocks, mind elsewhere. “You would still be trapped, just not by the court and bond, but by the vastness of sand, with no shelter or water to speak of. It's not worth it.”
Keeping my face neutral, I store that information away for later. Anything is better than being stuck here as a captive, regardless iftrue. I would gladly fight against the elements than waste another day here, connected to the prince who wishes to make my life as miserable as possible. And that’s before Zelos decides to use me.
Why is Kaden taking so long to hand me over anyway? Isn’t that why he claimed me? Force me to do his father’s bidding? Tying my soul to him, he keeps me imprisoned, a tool ready to be sharpened.
Either way, I can’t fully trust Fee. Her loyalty is to Kaden. Everything she says has to be taken with a grain of salt.
The princess sits forward, elbows digging into her knees. “And because you’re now trapped in the middle, you should know something. Kaden and Fenrir have history. A long one.”
“I caught that,” I mutter, glancing around at the gardens once more, trying to commit the layout to memory. No guards. Is that normal? Or does the princess not need them? “Kaden hates him, that’s obvious.”
She snorts. “There’s a good reason for that, blood summoner.”
“Going to tell me what?”
She smirks, but it’s tense. Fee isn’t the one to mince words, usually sharing her distain and making others deal with it. But now, she’s holding back. What could this history be that even she won’t speak of it?
“That’s for my brother to share.”
Hands flinging out, I explode. “Then is there anything youcanshare? Maybe anything useful?” I’m a foreigner in a land no outsider has been in for centuries. Up until a few nights ago, I was confined to a dungeon.
Any information, anything I can use to escape, to understand, would be beneficial.
“Well, Dark Fae are hunted for our blood.” I inhale sharply, glancing up at the princess. I didn’t exactly expect her to be forthcoming.
Turning, I wait she looks at the flowers, avoiding my gaze. I heard the rumors growing up—that Dark Fae has special blood, but nothing to suggest being hunted.
“Why?”
“We can heal any cut, any injury with just a few drops of blood. Humans have wanted it for years.”
“Is that why the Humans have continued to fight you, even after the end of the Great War?” Why there are still battles even though the war has been over for centuries?
She nods. “Humans want anything that will give them power. If Dark Fae are selfish, then only Humans can match us in their greed. They steal our people, draining them, to use for their Human aliments. It’s a hot commodity.”
My stomach twists, contents sloshing. “Do the other Fae lands offer anything that would cause Humans to seek them out?” This is the first I’ve heard of it—the Witch Covens didn’t trade with Dark Fae and kept our borders closed to them. The other kingdoms ignored us. Information was limited.
Sighing, Fee crosses her arms, nodding. “Every Fae offers something of value. The Woodland Fae’s blood will heal barren grounds, allowing crops to grow even in the worst conditions. The Sierrian Fae’s breath can change the wind’s direction, helpful for sea faring.” At my curious brows, she shrugs. “All Fae have something that connects to our lands. Kaden is the only one who actually has magic, who controls shadows.”
He’s a rarity then. Like me.
“Is that why Fenrir mentioned him being their weapon?”
Fee’s hands clasp her dress, wrinkling the silk. Her red nails pierce the fabric as she looks off, emotions rolling off of her in violent waves. “My father made Kaden into a weapon. When his curse manifested, the only way to keep him here, was to leash his beast and sell him as a sort of protector to the rest of the Fae world. Otherwise, he’d be sent away to rot.
“We’ve been the first defense against the Humans going after the rest of the Fae for centuries. We hold the line. Do you think we want to be warriors?” She snorts delicately, voice cracking. “No, we’ve had little choice. And because of that, Kaden is the face of ourranks. He’s been put into a role, molded for it, with very little thought as to whathewants.”
There’s a stabbing pain, of sympathy, pity, for the heir. To be forced into being a warrior, a monster, instead of allowed to thrive, hits me harder than it should.
I was forced into a role as a monster that the children were afraid of in the Blackwoods Coven. Unfortunately, I can relate to feeling trapped, stuck into an image that doesn’t feel right. Forced into a role that you don’t want.
Standing, I dust off my dress, my heels digging into the sharp lava rocks. “Anything else I should be aware of? Do we have talking candles? Perhaps vicious clocks ready to devour me?”
Fee snorts, dusting the red sand from her arm, following my lead.
“No clocks. But whenever you go anywhere, take one of us with you.” At my confused look, she pats her chest. “Me, Reid. Kaden, even Uncle. Don’t take a guard, unless it’s Zeke.”
My lips pucker in thought.Odd. “And why not a guard? The captain seems to have more important responsibilities than escorting me around the palace. And I’m sure, as royals, you all have better things to do.”
