Page 3

Six months later…

AMELIA

I bolt upward in bed, pulled from sleep with an abruptness that leaves me disoriented and gasping for air.

My heart clenches with terror and I instinctively shield my face, expecting to find my bad-tempered husband looming over me.

When the blow I’m anticipating never lands, I peek between my fingers and glance around the room.

He’s not here. I’m alone. I’m alone in the tiny room I’m renting at the boarding house in Glenville, a remote mountain town that’s far from my home city of Sorsston. I arrived here just hours ago after several days of arduous travel on foot.

I lower my hands and exhale a long breath.

Safe. I’m safe. Well, as safe as I can be while on the run from the husband who would likely kill me if he ever found me. At the very least, he would drag me home and make me pay for leaving him. I pray he never finds me, and I vow that I’ll do whatever I must to remain hidden.

Though I could’ve sworn I heard something when I awoke, a strange noise or perhaps an unusual vibration, I tell myself it was only a dream that drew me from my slumber, even though I can’t remember any details.

I’m about to lie back down when shouts and screams ring out in the distance. I freeze and listen carefully as a slight tremor rattles the boarding house, and more cries rend the night, this time a bit closer.

The panic I initially felt upon waking returns.

No no no, please no.

It sounds like the town of Glenville is under attack. A sickening sense of remembrance falls over me. Just six months ago, only weeks before my ill-fated marriage to Lord Nevel, Sorsston was captured by the fae. I survived that attack, but will I survive this one?

I throw the covers off myself and rush to the window.

At first, I can’t make out the enemy in the darkness.

It could be a fae army, or it could be marauding orcs or even a human foe.

Glenville isn’t a large town, and it wouldn’t take a massive force to conquer it.

But I’d mistakenly believed I would be safe here in this little settlement deep in the Warrlish Mountains.

A distant building goes up in flames, followed by another and another. Dozens of people rush through the streets in the firelight, though it’s still difficult to discern whether they’re all human or… other.

My question is soon answered when a massive, winged form swoops through the sky very close to the window. With a gasp, I yank the curtains shut and take two steps back. My heart gallops in my chest.

Fae. We’re under attack by the fae.

Most fae don’t have wings, but the highborn ones do, and the larger fae armies always have a good number of winged, highborn fae in their ranks. It’s a terrible fact I learned when Sorsston was conquered by the Summer Court army.

Voices boom in the hallway, and footsteps pound right outside my door. The other tenants are waking up. I swallow hard and try to decide the best course of action. Should I hide in my tiny, rented room until the battle ends? Or should I make a run for it and try to escape Glenville?

In Sorsston, prior to marriage, I’d worked as a servant in the castle. During the attack on my home city, I’d holed up in a storage room with the other servants, and though it was a frightening experience, I survived unscathed.

The weeks following the capture of Sorsston, however, were equally terrifying, if not more so.

I’d remained in the castle, forced to serve the fae who’d conquered the city, forced to watch as many of my fellow servants were killed or taken as slaves.

Some simply disappeared, while others were used and violated in ways that make my blood run cold.

Somehow, I’d been lucky. It’s weird because I can’t recall exactly what happened, but I have vague memories of an encounter with a highborn fae in the castle.

The highborn fae rescued me from some danger, the details of which I can’t recollect, then dropped me off at my parents’ house and gave me a bag of silver coins.

Try as I might, I can never piece the memories together or make them feel entirely solid.

But most fae are cruel, conniving, and violent. I can’t count on a rare, kind fae to shield me from danger during this attack and probable occupation. The fae are known to inhabit and rule over the cities and towns they conquer. Indefinitely.

If I don’t escape now, I might never get the chance.

I take another look out the window, and my stomach drops to the floor.

More buildings are ablaze, and the increasing glow allows me to glimpse additional highborn fae in the skies.

I watch as a huge fae male swoops down, picks up a human by his ankle, then bolts skyward only to release the man seconds later.

I cover my mouth as the man plummets to his death. How cruel. How horrid.

Escape. It’s my only option.

I can’t remain in Glenville. I don’t want to find myself at the mercy of the fae. Not again. Plus, I didn’t survive Lord Nevel only to become a captive again.

I just want to be free.

I just want to live somewhere in peace.

Surely that’s not too much to ask of the gods.

The boarding house shakes again, and I spin around and remove my nightdress and don a sensible outfit that will allow for rapid travel.

I’d stolen some of Lord Nevel’s clothes and dressed as a man when I escaped, and that’s the outfit I select now.

After I’m dressed, I pack my things. It doesn’t take long. I don’t have much to my name.

I tie my hair back and tuck it beneath a hat, then face the door as I try to summon courage.

I survived the fae attack on Sorsston, and I survived that monster of a husband that my father arranged for me to marry.

Surely I can rush into the streets and slip into the forest. I can find another remote town where I might seek refuge, and I can start over again.

I have a decent bit of money left—ironically, the silver given to me by the highborn fae whose face I can’t quite remember—and I can find another mountain town, one even more secluded than Glenville where I might make a life for myself.

As I exit my room, a pale-faced man runs toward me. I step out of his path and he hurries down the staircase. I say a quick prayer to the gods, pleading for a safe escape, and I follow the man.

The main floor of the boarding house is deserted. Chairs are toppled over in the large dining room, and dishes and random items are scattered on the floor. There’s no sign of the elderly couple who own the establishment.

I rush to the door and peek outside only to wish I hadn’t. Oh gods. There are so many broken, lifeless bodies on the ground. But I don’t glimpse any fae soldiers on the street directly outside the boarding house, so I emerge and immediately head around the side of the building.

The forest isn’t far, and it’s easy to see the outline of the trees in the dark because of the multicolored, ussha-blessed glow that covers the plant life.

Ussha is the lifeforce of the fae that powers their magic, and it recently started spreading from their four main courts into human and orc lands.

It’s beautiful, seductively so, but it’s also a reminder of the danger that’s encroaching on human and orc territories.

The fae recently began migrating beyond the Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter courts, following the spread of ussha across the realm.

They’ve already established numerous settlements in human and orc territories, and they’ve been quick to conquer plenty of human and orc towns and cities.

Usually they don’t strike unless provoked, however, and I can’t help but wonder why they’re bothering to attack a town as small as Glenville.

Does Glenville even have a militia that could’ve threatened one of the nearby fae settlements? Or are the fae truly attacking us without cause this time?

Perhaps I should’ve inquired more about the recent happenings in the town before I boarded here for the night. But I’d been so exhausted and tired of sleeping on the forest floor that I was unable to resist the promise of a hot meal, a bath, and a soft bed.

I continue heading for the forest, thankful this area of town isn’t under heavy attack at present. The bodies in the street all appear to have been dropped from high above, and I avert my eyes from the gruesome sight as I continue my escape. Please let me make it.

Where will I go?

I try not to think about how difficult it will be to navigate the mountainous terrain without a map.

I’d found myself in Glenville by sheer luck, having come across the town after several days of travel through the forest. Only once did I venture on the main road, when I’d had no choice but to use a sky bridge for quicker travel between two great, towering mountains.

Somehow, I’d managed not to encounter any dangerous fae creatures during my journey to Glenville, but the ussha glow appears brighter than ever, making me worry that the horrible beasts from the four fae courts might reach this area of the human lands soon, if they haven’t already—creatures I’ve only heard stories about, like venomous, six-legged manggas, two-headed vemma birds, and dire wolves, just to name a few.

Of course, the most dangerous creatures of all are the fae themselves.

Just as I’m about to reach the tree line, I glance over my shoulder at the town.

So many buildings are ablaze, and with each breath, my lungs burn.

The screams are louder than ever, and the massive highborn fae keep swooping down to grab townsfolk before flying high and dropping them to their deaths.

A group of people rush into the forest, and I press myself against the nearest building as multiple fae soldiers give chase. Blood-curdling screams ring out seconds later.

The forest is so close. I just need to bolt across the small clearing and find a place to hide in the semi-darkness.

Though I find the ussha glow beautiful, I know it’ll make hiding in the forest difficult. I’ll have to find a hollow tree trunk or perhaps some thick shrubbery where I can hunker down until the battle is over. Then once the coast is clear, I’ll run.

I’ll run and I won’t look back.

A massive highborn fae soldier exits a building to my right while dragging a flailing human male behind him.

Disbelief swirls through me. I know this fae soldier.

He’s one of the highborn fae who occupied the castle in Sorsston for a while.

He’s also the largest of his kind I’ve ever seen.

He has enormous, bat-like wings, and long, dark hair.

Like all the other soldiers, he’s wearing a black, form-fitting leather-like ensemble that accentuates the muscles beneath his clothing.

I know from the attack on Sorsston that the material of his clothing is impervious to human weapons.

His name… what’s his name? I rack my brain for the answer. I’d spent weeks serving him and his comrades meals in the castle. During that time, I’d overheard them talking about their conquests in the human and orc lands, and I’d learned quite a few of their names and titles.

At last, the identity of the huge, highborn fae soldier hits me, and the realization is like a blow to the chest.

General Dalgaard.

This highborn fae is the godsdamned general of the Summer Court army.

The human man keeps trying to stab the general with a small knife, but his efforts are futile. He can’t manage to penetrate the general’s clothing.

I cover a gasp and go still as I continue to observe the scene.

“Please!” the human man cries as he finally drops the knife. “Please let me go. I didn’t have anything to do with the attack on that nearby fae settlement, I swear it!”

General Dalgaard growls, and his visage fills with rage.

“Doesn’t matter,” he says with another growl.

“A contingent of soldiers from this pitiful human town killed twelve of my people in that unprovoked attack. You will pay . This whole town will pay. Blood for blood .” He lifts the human man up by his neck and displays a malicious grin.

Sickness curls in my stomach as I watch the human man while he thrashes around, kicking his legs as his face turns red and finally purple. Eventually, he stops moving and his head slumps to the side.

Dead. He’s dead.

The general’s black wings flare as he tosses the man aside, and it’s then that I notice his wings have sharp, pointed tips on the bottoms and tops. Gods. Not only is he the largest fae male I’ve ever seen, but he’s the most lethal looking.

Highborn fae can summon and vanish their wings at will, and though I’d known many of the fae occupying Sorsston could summon wings, I never saw them do it inside the walls of the castle. This is my first time glimpsing General Dalgaard’s impressive wings, and my mouth goes dry.

The general’s wings dip down, and he appears ready to bolt into the sky, but he pauses when a human man wearing armor runs out of the same building, holding a sword high as he charges toward General Dalgaard.

Armor and a sword? Well, perhaps Glenville does have a militia.

I can’t help but wonder if this brave yet utterly foolish human man was among those who attacked the nearby fae settlement in question.

I glance at the forest again. I should make a run for it right now. While the fearsome general is distracted by the charging human man.

Except… I can’t quite make my feet move.

I’m not proud to admit it, but I’m scared. I’m trembling and on the verge of shock. I’m terrified the general will chase me down and slaughter me next if he takes notice of me. Maybe I should wait until he vacates the area, then I can finally make a run for the forest.

General Dalgaard turns to face the charging human. Before the man can take another step, the general swoops his left wing outward across his opponent’s throat. Blood spurts, and the man falls to the ground.

Oh gods. The general really is a brutal, deadly creature.

I gasp and I’m about to take a step back, only for the winged fae male to glance my way just as a harsh gust of wind blows my hat off. His eyes flare when he notices me. Cold fear grips my heart, and my legs go weak.

Run. I need to run.

Why won’t my legs work?

A whimper escapes me. This is it. I’m dead. In seconds, he’s going to kill me. He’ll probably slice my throat with his deadly wings, or maybe he’ll choke me to death. I don’t want to die, but if he’s going to kill me, I pray he makes it quick. I pray he doesn’t resort to torture.

General Dalgaard takes a step forward, and the interest lighting his eyes turns to… dark lust. I’ve been around enough fae to know that look when I see it, and it startles me to my core.

Somehow, I snap out of my fear-induced trance and force my legs to move.

I push off the building and run for the forest.

A deep, vicious growl sounds behind me.