Page 18 of The Crown of the Last Fae Queen (The Heartless and the Wicked #4)
NINE – KOLFINNA
Kolfinna was given a tent to stay in for the night which was guarded by half a dozen fae and elves, so she didn’t even try to escape like last time.
In the morning, she was hauled back on top of Astrid’s dreki and the whole army began their travel once more.
It took them another day to reach their destination, Kibv, a city with a fortress at the forefront, and four towers on each corner of the walled city.
It was completely overrun by fae, elves, and strange creatures—drekis, three eyed birds, and black horses with glowing red eyes.
When they landed in the city square, dozens of fae came over to assist in moving cargo and resources.
Kolfinna dismounted from the dreki and watched in fascination at the vast array of fae and elves moving about in the city—the majority of them were soldiers, but there were women around who were clearly not warriors , along with small children. She did notice that there wasn’t a single human.
“How long ago did you capture this place?” she asked Astrid, who handed the reins of her dreki to a young fae warrior.
She glanced over her at her, blinking. “A month ago.”
“And the humans?”
“We allowed them to flee.”
“But … why?”
“Why what?” Astrid placed a hand on her hip. “Did you want us to kill them all? We definitely could have, but it’s better to let them escape and tell tales of our horror than to have them waste away in our prisons or to kill them.”
Kolfinna could only nod, her stomach clenching queasily. “I see.”
The town was beautiful; cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, the smell of woodsmoke pervading the air, partially-frozen empty clay pots that likely contained blooming flowers in the springtime, and the sun gleaming off the glossy shingles of the jam-packed houses.
Fae children with bright green, blue, and purple eyes raced down the streets chasing a ball, their laughter peeling above the noises of the drekis huffing and scarfing down dead chickens and deer.
“Did you enjoy your ride?” Rakel came to stand beside Kolfinna, so quiet she hadn’t heard her approach.
The elf warrior was dressed in her usual black leathers, her long, braided white hair swishing with the gentle breeze.
Her red eyes flicked over to Kolfinna. “You’ll be staying in the West Tower for the remainder of your time here. ”
Kolfinna glanced over at the towers on each point of the walled city. The towers were mostly windowless, and she wondered for a moment if they were meant to house prisoners.
Rakel seemed to read her mind, because she said, “We were supposed to give you another room closer to Commander Alfaer in the fortress, but since you’ve been uncooperative, you’ll be in one of those towers.
Don’t worry, we’ve already rune-proofed the whole place so you can’t leave.
You’ll have another prisoner to keep you company, and even an old friend.
” She grinned down at her, and an uneasiness washed over Kolfinna.
“An old friend?”
“I won’t spoil the fun. You’ll meet her soon enough.
” Rakel raked her gaze over Kolfinna’s torn, blood-stained, grimy dress, and crinkled her nose.
“First things first, you need a bath, and a change of clothes. We can’t have our princess looking as though she hasn’t bathed in weeks and just barely escaped a bar fight. ”
Kolfinna frowned, running her fingers over the silk material of the once-shimmering, once-beautiful dress. “I told you it would be better for me to wear something like what you’re wearing.”
“And I’ve told you already that you’re not a soldier.” She waved her hand and began walking toward one of the towers. “Both of you, come along now.”
Astrid gently wound her arm through Kolfinna’s and trailed behind Rakel.
Kolfinna was almost positive the warm gesture was more to keep her from fleeing than anything else, but she kept her lips sealed on that truth, and bitterly followed behind the elf woman, her gaze drifting to the houses and the fae surrounding them.
“You’re the princess of our empire,” Rakel said, shifting her metal staff from one hand to the other. “So try not to embarrass Commander Alfaer or the queen while you stay here.”
Kolfinna scowled. “I don’t even want to be here.”
“I’m aware.”
“Do you plan to ever let me go?” She combed her fingers through her windswept hair. “Or will I be killed once my usefulness is used up?”
Astrid slowed in her steps. “Why would you think Commander Alfaer would … kill you?” A hint of horror laced her words. “He is not that cruel?—”
“He is that cruel,” Rakel said, stopping and turning to stare at them both. “But it is not his decision to make. Queen Aesileif will decide what to do with you.”
Astrid’s mouth dropped open while Kolfinna shivered, her thin dress barely staving off the chill clinging to the air.
She pursed her lips and stared down at the uneven cobbled road as they continued their trek once more.
More unease and dread pulled at her chest. She hadn’t doubted Vidar’s intention of wanting to get to know her as his daughter, but what if the queen didn’t share his sentiment?
She was known to be frigid, wasn’t she? Cold, unfeeling, and heartless—the queen of the fae had a horrible, murderous reputation.
“What is the queen like?” Kolfinna asked once they reached the tower and entered through the gates of it. Hundreds of glowing runes were etched into the double doors, so crammed together that the surface, from afar, appeared simply golden.
Rakel climbed up the spiraling staircase. Sconces lined the bricked walls, casting orange light across the dim tower. “She is … intense.”
“Intense?” That wasn’t the word Kolfinna had expected her to say. She climbed up the spiraling, rutted steps of the tower behind Rakel, making sure not to step on the dirtied hem of her dress.
“Yes.” Rakel didn’t turn to look at her, just continued going up, her staff clanking against the stone steps.
When neither woman elaborated, Kolfinna urged, “What do you mean?”
“She is powerful,” Astrid said carefully.
Her hold on Kolfinna’s arm loosened and she frowned, seeming to be lost in thought for a moment.
“I have only met her a handful of times, but you can tell almost immediately that she is extremely mighty. It’s an honor to fight alongside her and be in her ranks.
When I was younger, I always wanted to be a part of the Queen’s Guard. ”
Kolfinna opened her mouth to ask more about the Queen’s Guard—the very idea didn’t exist in Rosain, since kings were the rulers here, rather than their queens—but Rakel spoke next, and her words cut through whatever thoughts she had.
“If you think Commander Alfaer is cruel, terrifying, and unapproachable,” Rakel said, turning around to finally face them once they reached the top level of the staircase, “then you will find that Queen Aesileif is ten times worse than her husband.”
Kolfinna paled. It was suffocating being around Vidar as he was, and the queen was supposedly worse ?
“You don’t mean worse ,” Astrid said with a reluctant pause. “You mean, simply more , correct?”
Rakel parted her lips, fastened them shut, and gave a tightlipped smile. “Of course. I did not mean to imply our queen is bad in any way.”
Astrid nodded with a relieved smile. “I thought so.”
“Yes …” The elf motioned to the short hallway that led to a single door. “Your new room, Your Highness.”
Astrid released Kolfinna, gesturing her forward. She hesitantly approached the door, glancing carefully at the elf and the fae, both of whom were staring at her expectantly. What was behind these doors? Rakel had mentioned a prisoner and an old friend—who had she been referring to?
Without wasting another breath, Kolfinna stopped in front of the door and twisted the doorknob, only to be met with resistance. Her eyebrows pulled together and she tried again. “It’s locked?” she said.
“Ah, sorry about that. Here’s the key.” Rakel strode forward, a giant, gleaming gold key with runes scribbled all over it in her hand. She slid it into the doorknob, turned, and shoved the door open.
“How could you forget the key?” Kolfinna couldn’t help but grumble with a frown.
Rakel flashed her a grin. “We’ll just say it was a reminder for you to realize that all these doors are locked with rune magic.”
“Uh-huh.” Kolfinna hid her surprise at the rune-marked keys—she hadn’t even thought to do something like that with her rune magic—and pushed her way through. “It sounds to me like you simply forgot.”
The inside of the tower room was semi-circular and fairly simple, but actually more extravagant than the military dorm she had shared with Herja and Inkeri.
There was a barred window that glowed gold from the runes, two beds on either side of the room, a plush rug that staved off the chill from the ice-like stone floors, and even a door that led elsewhere.
Everything was polished, immaculate, and pristine—it looked nothing like a prison cell.
Sitting on one of those beds, with a book in both hands, was a frail older human woman with reddish-brown hair streaked with gray, sad brown eyes, and hunched shoulders. When they entered the room, she lowered the worn leather-bound book onto her lap.
“Oh,” Kolfinna said, giving the woman an awkward nod. This definitely wasn’t an “old friend” of hers, so she assumed she was a prisoner. “Hello?”
“Ah. Hello,” the woman said, her voice barely a whisper.
Rakel stood at the entrance while Astrid hung in the hallway.
“Two princesses locked away in a tower,” Rakel cooed with a short laugh.
“We used to have children’s stories about this kind of situation, didn’t we?
” She glanced over at Astrid, who shrugged.
She waved a dark hand toward the woman. “Kolfinna, this is Princess Aslaug. She’s been locked here for a long, long time, and going by what she’s told us, the humans planned to let her rot here. ”