Page 11 of Fae Tithe (The Cursed Courts #1)
L ate into the following morning, on the fourth day since Eleanor had been taken from Portson, the Seelie Stallions finally slowed their frantic pace. The carriage completely stopped after it passed through the massive gates of the sandstone outer wall of Solas.
“What’s happening?” Eleanor asked as the captain unbolted the inside of the door.
“All carriages, carts, wagons get searched,” he explained as he stepped down. “Come out, or we will be waiting here all day.”
The chain had not been removed since her bathhouse escape.
It glinted in the sun, pulling taut as the distance between the pair grew.
Eleanor set her jaw, irritation flaring at being ordered around.
Her eyes squinted as she stood in the doorway of the compartment, the bright sunshine a stark contrast to the inside.
Eleanor leapt, her scuffed shoes landing neatly on the cobblestones.
She watched as humans on horses were immediately waved through.
“They are not being searched though?” she pointed out.
The captain scoffed, eyebrow quirked. “Not much danger, are they? Broken down geldings ridden by a pair of humans. Humans are everywhere. If the Solas Guard stopped to search every single one that came in and out, no one would ever get anywhere.”
Eleanor scowled at the captain as she tried to think of a retort, but none came.
She instead distracted herself by taking in the city sights in her moment of respite from the stuffy carriage.
There was more Fae in Solas then she could have imagined.
After spotting more than a dozen, she observed that being tall, lean, and beautiful was a common trait amongst their kind.
It also did not escape her notice that all the Fae she saw were men.
Each one was surrounded by faerie and human servants rushing to meet their every whim.
Terraced whitewashed apartments lined the noisy streets.
Peddlers and stallholders advertised their wares by shouting in Seeliespeak.
It was too much for Eleanor. The sound invaded her mind, and she pressed her hands over her ears.
The smells were also overwhelming, a mix of ornate perfumes worn by the Fae, food vendors with their pastries, and unwashed bodies of the travellers.
The mingled scents made her want to vomit.
She looked up to the sky, breathing deeply in and out, trying to repress her thundering heart rate.
Eleanor’s eyes caught a sight she had only previously seen in the illustrations of her schoolbooks, a famous site throughout all Seelieland.
The Golden Spire of the Seelie Court Palace pierced the blue sky.
A bleed of white clouds spattered around it from the wound it caused from its point.
The Golden Spire makes the sky bleed. Eleanor’s heart rate slowed, and her breath evened.
The captain cleared his throat, and the sharp cough made her head snap back to him. “Miss Neycur, time to go.”
After being showered with questions all morning, the captain had finally given Eleanor some more clarity on their destination. He had explained to her what he knew: that she would be housed, fed, and educated at the Tithe Manor until she was chosen by a Fae Lord.
I could run.
Her legs braced, ready to sprint. Then, she remembered the crack of Miss Taylor’s neck and the dagger pointed at Marina’s quivering throat.
The silver on her wrist tightened, as though it sensed her intention.
She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the roaring of blood in her ears.
She could not run, even if she wanted to.
“Miss Neycur?” Captain Sylus tugged at the chain again.
Eleanor swallowed, taking a step, and then another, jumping into the carriage.
She recited a fact as she sat on the plush seat, fists clenched in her skinny lap.
It was not something commonly known but she knew it to be true.
If I can’t get out of here, once mum finds out I’m gone, she’ll come for me.
The panic renewed as the Seelie Stallions took off at a fast trot through the city streets.
She tucked her head between her grazed knees as her empty stomach clenched.
She could hear it all: the clop of the hoofbeats on the cobbles, the shift of her bag across the carpeted floor, and even the clink of the chain as it shifted through the air.
Then suddenly, the repeating pattern of sounds ceased, and she sat upright, chest rising and falling.
“What’s happening?” she squeaked, eyes on the captain.
“They’re letting us onto the grounds.”
Eleanor gazed out of the window as the carriage moved through an open gate hinged to a tall, iron-barred fence.
They moved down the black gravelled pathway into the emerald and red gardens, hedges lined with roses the colour of blood.
She spotted ornate, granite fountains carved into the shape of Fae men.
The horses stopped parallel to the entryway of a grand, crimson building.
Eleanor strained to see the top through the small compartment window, but she could see how tall the building stretched into the sky.
Captain Sylus stood, gathering her saddlebags from the floor.
Eleanor watched as he flicked his hand at the door and it flew open.
The Fae wrapped one loop of the chain around his wrist and tugged her too her feet.
“Come on, let’s get this done,” he ordered.
Eleanor, exhaustion dogging her steps, allowed herself to be pulled and did her final jump down from the compartment.
The sound of snickering caught her attention, and she turned her face up to the driver’s seat of the carriage.
Deon smirked down at her and Mathias looked impassive, seemingly bored at the entire situation.
She scowled back at the pair and, unable to think of anything better to do, she stuck her middle and index finger up at them, a gesture that was widely used as an insult across Seelieland.
She did not wait for a response and turned on her heel to face Tithe Manor.
Her eyes raked over the grandeur of the building, its tall rectangle window frames set with stained glass, images of Fae and Dragons glinting in the light.
Her ears caught the noise of running water, before her attention was drawn to the sound of armoured boots on stone.
Two Manor Guards, clad in red linens and gold polished armour, descended the steps. They came to a stop in front of the chained pair. Eleanor’s gaze met their faces. One Fae sniffed and wrinkled his nose at her stench.
“That’s their fault,” she blurted out, shame flushing her cheeks. “They wouldn’t let me wash or change my clothes.”
Captain Sylus scoffed. “That’s—”
The Manor Guard, who had not wrinkled his nose, took one step forward. He stooped slightly, and Eleanor recoiled at his proximity. She felt the burn of his startling blue eyes as they scrutinised her. After what felt like an eternity, he straightened up, turning to Captain Sylus.
“They were supposed to be brought here in good condition. No injuries and certainly no chains. The human girls are guests of the manor, and the sight of chains are considered distasteful amongst the Seelie Court. What would they think if they saw this?” the Manor Guard chastised.
Eleanor’s eyebrows flew up in surprise at the scolding. She turned her face from one Fae to the other. “Does that mean you’ll take this off?” She held up her wrist. “It hurts,” she whimpered, tugging her lips down for extra effect.
The Manor Guards face softened at her pout before rounding back to the captain. “Remove that.” He nodded down at chain on Sylus’ wrist.
“Are you sure? She’s a runner.”
“I’m sure. Take the chain off. Now ,” the Manor Guard replied forcefully.
Captain Sylus shrugged, turned his wrist, and tapped his manacle three times.
It sprang open and fell to the gravel at his feet.
He then took Eleanor’s wrist, repeating the movement.
The moment she heard the clink of the second manacle fall to the ground, Eleanor spun on her heel and took off through the garden.
Blood thumped into her ears as her shoes pounded from the gravel path onto the springy grass.
Eleanor’s excitement spiked as her gaze met the black iron-barred fence.
Thorny brambles grew over it, kissed by sickly sweet roses.
I may get shredded to pieces, but I can get over that. She nodded and spurred her burning legs onwards, the muscles weak from lack of use over the past four days.
Eleanor stole a glance over her shoulder, surprise spreading through her as she realised that no one was following her. She shot her gaze straight ahead until three strides from the fence, she slammed into an invisible barrier.
Pain erupted from her forehead as she fell back onto her rear.
Eleanor’s head spun as she tried to blink away her double vision.
Her ears rang. She did not hear anyone approach, but the two Manor Guards hovered above her with matching amused expressions on their faces.
They yanked her to her feet, supporting her back through the garden and into the manor, her senses fully returning as she was brought into small bedroom coloured in red and gold.
“What happened?” she asked, rubbing the bump on her forehead, gritting her teeth at the ache.
“It’s warded,” the blue-eyed Guard replied, shepherding her to the velvet armchair in the corner of the room and seating her there. “Don’t do that again, it’s pointless and you’ll just hurt yourself. You are completely secure here, no way out until a Fae Lord takes you home.”
Eleanor glanced around the room. “Where’s the other one? The guard you were with.”
“He’s gone to inform the Governess of your arrival.”
The Governess? Who the Faedamn is that?
She leant back in the chair, eyes closed and an aching thud behind them. Sleep tugged at her exhausted mind, days of terror and scattered sleep pulling at her heavy limbs as she finally slept.