Page 20 of Fae Tithe (The Cursed Courts #1)

“Will El be there?” Lance asked as he shadowed Helena through the bustling crowds. “She might be out with her friends for Equinox?”

“She knew we were coming. She would have waited for us,” Helena shouted over the festival noise.

Helena grinned and dipped her head in greeting as a mother and father, together with their daughters, exited the gate. The human couple returned the gesture with bobbed heads and smiles.

“Enjoy the festival!” the Merman called after them with a wave.

When Helena and Lance entered the grounds of the school, it echoed with nothing but their crunching footfalls on the gravel. Helena walked right through the gardens, without being accosted by the gatekeeper for a change.

Helena knocked on the handsome wooden door. She waited a decent amount of time on the veranda with Lance. A line eventually formed between her eyebrows. She knocked again, much louder this time. Her heart hammering as she found her patience dwindling.

“That’s strange,” Helena commented before jiggling the ornate door handle. Her frown deepened, and she glanced at Lance. “That family just left, but it’s locked.”

“Tides-damn, that’s odd. We can try around the back, perhaps, maybe knock on a window?” Lance offered, glancing around the face of the building.

“Let’s try that,” Helena agreed and took a step back.

Just then, the Headmistress herself unlocked the door and opened it a sliver. Her wrinkled face peeked around, and her eyes widened as they met Helena’s face. “Mrs Neycur!” she exclaimed, shock lacing her gravelly voice. “I was not informed you were here.”

“There is no one to inform you.” Helena swept her hand out to the garden to the gates where the gatekeeper normally lurked.

The Headmistress cracked the door open a little more and tutted. “Out getting drunk at the festival, no doubt.”

Helena cleared her throat. “Anyway, you knew I was coming. I told you I would be visiting today when I dropped El off. Can you get her for me please?”

“She’s not here. Miss Neycur went out with friends,” the Headmistress replied, a quiver in her voice. The prim old woman made a move to shut the door in Helena’s face. Helena quickly stepped forward and placed her booted foot in the entranceway, jamming it open. “Mrs Neycur—”

“She wouldn’t do that,” Helena growled.

“The students, once there is a festival and we let them out for the day, they just do as they please,” the Headmistress explained with narrowed eyes.

“El was excited for us to come. She would have waited.” Helena shifted her weight and pushed with her shoulder, hard, cracking the door open a fraction. She turned to Lance. “Help me with this.” The Merman joined her, pushing the door the rest of the way open.

The old woman relinquished her hold on the door handle inside, her jaw dropping. “Mrs Neycur!” she protested as Helena shoved the rest of the way through, Lance on her heels.

The Merman scowled down at the Headmistress. “Where is she?”

She did not meet his eyes, turning away from them.

Helena side-stepped, blocking her escape, and glared up at her. “Take me to her room. Now!” Helena commanded.

The Headmistress’s throat bobbed. “This way.” She gestured up the staircase with a wrinkled hand.

Helena turned towards the stairs, repeating in her head: You draw a Circle around the ones you love and keep them safe, no matter what.

Helena followed the Headmistress, shadowed by Lance, as they made their way up to the student’s bedrooms. Blood pounded in her ears as they approached the door the elderly woman pointed to.

She threw open the door, striding in, Lance a step behind her.

Helena’s eyes raked the bedroom. There were two beds in the room, on opposite ends.

One was obviously occupied. The bed was made, with trinkets placed on the dark wood side table, and a fountain pen and papers littered the desk.

The other side was stripped bare, void of any signs that a teenage girl slept and lived there.

Helena wrenched open all the drawers and the cupboard on the bare side of the bedroom, finding nothing there.

All of Eleanor’s possessions had vanished.

“Where is she?” Lance repeated with a growl, stepping back out of the room.

Gone, gone, gone, drummed in Helena’s head. She felt sick and lightheaded all at once.

Then, rage.

It flooded Helena from head to toe, like the tide rising when the moon was at its roundest.

She strode out of the half-empty bedroom and into the hallway landing, where Lance had already cornered the quivering woman.

Without hesitation, she roughly shoved the Headmistress against the floral wallpaper, the older woman’s head cracking against it. Helena grabbed her throat and squeezed the wrinkled neck with a strength fuelled by fury.

“Where is my daughter?” Helena snarled, pinning the Headmistress beneath her hand.

“Mrs Neycur!” she gasped. “This is—”

“Where is she?” Helena squeezed tighter for a moment, a scowl marring her face, letting the Headmistress know she was more than capable of choking the life out of her if needed.

“She asked you where Eleanor is.” Lance put a strong hand on Helena’s trembling shoulder, offering his support.

“She must have run away,” the Headmistress choked out.

Lance snorted. “Ridiculous.”

“Let me be clear, in case it wasn’t obvious. I am far more concerned about my daughter’s wellbeing than yours. That means you should tell me the truth.” Helena growled as she squeezed tight again, her ragged breath fuelled by rage.

“Tithe!” she sputtered out.

“What?” Helena asked, easing her grip slightly.

“The Portson Fae Guard, they took her, for the Tithe.” The Headmistress grasped Helena’s wrist. “Please, I can’t breathe.”

Helena released her iron grip from the woman’s throat. “What did they take her for? Where did they take her?”

“To serve a Fae Lord, to the Tithe Manor, in Solas—” she replied, rubbing her red welted neck, eyes shining with fear.

“Serve? Solas? How could you let them take her there?” Helena spat, heart pounding in her chest.

“W-we cannot refuse the Seelie Court,” she stuttered. “It is an honour to be chosen.”

“Honour? Chosen? They stole her! She is a child! How dare you?”

The Headmistress shrunk against the wallpaper, palms up in surrender. “Well, I—”

Helena flung her hand up dismissively. “Lance?” She turned to him. “I’m going to get my daughter back.”

“I’ll go with you,” he muttered, glaring past Helena at the Headmistress. “Is there anything you would like me to do about her?”

She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking. When did they take Eleanor? How would she get her daughter back? What did the Headmistress mean by serve? Spiteful rage twitched her fingers, wanting to make the Headmistress pay for what she had done, but Helena knew it would achieve nothing.

“No. I won’t waste any more time on her,” she hissed. “Let’s go.”

“Are you sure we should just take off to Solas without supplies?” Lance asked, rubbing soothing circles on her back. He jingled the coins in his pocket with his spare hand. “I’ll get some rations for the road.”

Helena nodded back. Wasting no more time, she charged down the stairs, Lance a stride behind her. She ran into the school’s garden and burst into the street. Adrenaline pricked her veins, heightening her senses. Everything was so bright and loud.

“I’m going to get horses, fast ones,” Helena shouted over the crowd.

“I’ll get everything else.” Lance gave a firm nod.

“Sounds like a plan. After that, go back to Rose. Tell her what happened. I will meet you there soon.”

Lance squeezed Rose’s shoulder gently. He had informed of her what had happened to Eleanor. Her face crumpled in devastation, tears silvering.

“We’ll get her back. I promise,” the Merman comforted. For the love of the sea, I will make sure we get her back.

“The fucking Fae,” Rose sobbed. “The things they do to people, and no one cares.”

“I care, Red. They won’t get away with this.”

His gut twisted in despair as she wept. She had pressed her face into the fluffy hair of her sons, clutching the twins to her chest. Lance reassured the trio as they openly sobbed together, making the Merman’s heart break even further than he ever thought possible.

Helena finally approached the stall. Lance felt a flutter of relief in his chest when his eyes brushed over her.

She was leading two tacked up, well-muscled geldings.

Lance slung their supply bag over his shoulder.

It held food rations for the road – cheese, flat bread, and dried fruit, enough for the week-long ride to Solas.

Lance had also made sure to include a tinder box and flint, so they could have a fire in the evenings to sleep by.

“I will need to take the coin we made so today. These two and their gear cost me all I was carrying. The bastard who sold them to me knew I was desperate,” Helena growled.

Lance watched as Rose emptied their money tin, handing over every Seel and Sel. It was probably more than the women would make for the rest of the year. He made a mental note to make sure to bring them plenty of food from the sea when they returned, so he could fill their pantries.

“Bring her home, Len, please…” Rose sobbed as she clutched her sons on either side of her.

“Sell everything you can. Head back to the island. I will see you there. With El,” she promised with a strong nod.

A single tear slid down Helena’s cheek. Lance stepped towards her, reached out, and ran his thumb over her skin to wipe it away. Helena tucked half of the small fortune into the money belt woven into her riding leggings. She then handed the other half over to Lance for safe-keeping.

“I will bring the Circle back together. We will all be together again, soon,” she affirmed.

The Merman brushed his fingertips across her wrist. “Len. Take a breath. We will get El back. Everything will be—”

“Lance. Get on the horse. We can talk about it later,” Helena bit out.

She turned and pulled herself onto the slightly shorter, brown gelding. Lance passed her the ration bag. He then, after a few attempts, mounted the taller piebald horse.

“Ready?” Helena asked.

“Ready,” Lance replied.