Page 11

Chapter

Eleven

Snap!

I jolt awake and look around, only seeing leaves from the bush. Everything is lit bright, so it’s clearly morning, but I have no idea what made that noise.

Harek’s arm around me tightens and he makes a soft shushing sound. His warm breath makes my ear tingle.

Crunch.

Something or someone is close, and they keep breaking twigs or branches.

I inch my hand toward my sword. Harek’s hand is in the way. He doesn’t budge when I nudge him, so I elbow him.

He starts to mutter something, but I shush him. Then I grab my sword.

The etchings glow faintly in the shadows. I let go, and it stops.

I stare in disbelief. What could that mean?

“What—?”

“Shh.” Harek whispers in my ear. His breath is a warm tickle.

It annoys me that I like it.

More footsteps, snaps. A little snarl.

My breath hitches.

Harek’s arm tightens around me, a warning to stay still. I’m not sure what he thinks I’m going to do. Something just snarled . I just want it to go away.

I’m really starting to look forward to the fae city—not that there’s any guarantee it will be any less dangerous for me, a halfling. Everyone there will not only hate me, but be more powerful too. Even so, maybe, just maybe, I can find my place there.

Crunch!

I stiffen, hold my breath. Hopefully whatever is out there can’t sense us. Whether it’s a wild animal or another fae, I won’t be able to relax until it leaves. And even then, there’s a good chance I’ll still be on edge. How could I not be? Literally everything has changed overnight.

Grief over Mother washes through me. I give it a moment, but then I have to push it aside because whatever is nearby is coming closer. The snarling grows louder with each breaking twig.

“Stay here.” Harek speaks so softly, I barely hear him.

I start to object, but he’s gone before I can say a word. On one hand, I don’t want to leave him alone to deal with whatever—or whoever—is out there, but on the other hand there isn’t much I can do. I have zero experience with my father’s sword. Grief makes my extremities simultaneously feel like rubber and heavy weights. I’m totally useless.

Part of me wants to stay here and cry all day until the pain finally leaves. But I can’t. Not only will the pain linger indefinitely, but Gunnar and Vog are sure to be after me.

I’m nothing more than property to them. I will not live under that oppression for another day, and that might mean fighting for my freedom. I’ll die before becoming Vog’s bride. A shudder runs through me at the thought of that. Death is by far the better option, but ideally I can escape. Get away unseen.

The footsteps outside stop. There’s a moment of quiet, followed by a snarl.

“What do you want?” Harek says, his voice deep and commanding.

“Passing through. You?” The other voice is much higher, almost squeaky.

Maybe I can help against that guy. I need to do something for my friend, even if it isn’t much—something is better than nothing. It takes all my effort, but I pick up the sword and make my way out of our little sleeping nest. My legs feel twice as heavy as normal.

I haven’t been trained in any form of fighting. Gunnar only taught my brothers to be protectors, and now I see why. My sisters and I are nothing more than someone to marry off so he can get money. We either care for the animals, the house, or the smaller kids. Now that I’m gone, he’ll probably put a servant on manure duty.

If nothing else, I do have this sword. My palm might not grow bright enough to be seen in the daylight, so while helpful in the dark, it might do nothing when the sun is up. At least with the weapon I can look opposing. My right palm glows faintly brighter with each step.

The fae standing in front of Harek is even taller than him but skinny like an imp in the stories Mother told me as a child. Gunnar never liked her telling fae stories, so he wouldn’t allow her to tell my siblings. Or maybe she told only me because I’m part of that world. She knew she needed to prepare me for something she didn’t fully understand.

Now I have to look at everything from my life in a new light. She believed in this so much she gave Harek’s family this sword to give me. That means she knew Gunnar wasn’t safe with this secret, but she trusted my best friend and his parents. It reaffirms what I already knew.

I slink around the bush covering me and march toward Harek, holding the sword as if I have all the confidence in the world. I push my shoulders back and stand tall, keeping a tense expression on my face—all things I learned from my horrible stepfather. Apparently he isn’t completely useless.

The fae’s eyes widen and he gives me a double take. His skin takes on a greenish hue, and his teeth sharpen.

My heart rate spikes. Hopefully he can’t detect that—I think only vampires and werewolves can pick up on those subtleties, but what do I really know? I knit my eyebrows together, giving the impression that this green skin-and-bones giant doesn’t bother me.

Harek whips toward me, his eyes full of a similar surprise. He didn’t really expect me to stay hidden in our nest while he faces off with this creature?

The fae takes a step back, his gaze glued to my sword. “What do you want?”

Its etchings glow so brightly my eyes almost ache looking at it. I turn my attention to the impish fae. “Me? You’re the one bothering us .” I take a few steps closer, holding the sword even tighter. “I’m not afraid to use this.”

He nods, licking his lips. “I don’t mean any harm.” His voice gets even higher. “The two of us were just having a discussion.”

I glance at Harek. “There isn’t a problem here?”

My friend stares at me for a beat too long before shaking his head. “I think he was just leaving.”

The imp-like creature races away without a word.

“What was that?” I lower my sword and lean on it, my legs turning to jelly.

“You didn’t think I could handle him?”

“Did you expect I’d cower in the nest and do nothing?”

We stare each other down before he relents. “No, I shouldn’t have expected that.”

“What was he? Some kind of imp?”

“Basically.” Harek nods toward our sleeping area. “Let’s gather our things and get moving.”

Now that I know we’re safe, a yawn escapes. “I thought we were going to sleep through the day?”

“It sounds like things aren’t normal right now. I think we might be better off traveling in the light than sleeping in shifts. I know what I said earlier, but this is better.”

“You and that imp were discussing the state of the fae?”

“I didn’t have to. We’ve seen more fae in the last day than I’ve seen in the past year.” His expression turns grave. “Something is going on, but I don’t know what. I was hoping that guy would have some insight, but you scared him off.”

I laugh.

“It isn’t funny.”

“Actually, it kind of is.”

He cocks a brow. “How?”

“I’m just a halfling. Half as threatening as a regular fae.” I sigh. “Probably even less, and nobody’s going to want me. Look at how all the fae flee from me—I don’t fit in anywhere, and I never will. I’m more of an outcast now than ever before.”

He hesitates.

“What?”

“You—”

A shot rings out through the air. Then another.

Harek leaps forward and knocks me to the ground. My sword skitters away.

More shots.

My breath hitches, but I manage to scramble toward the weapon.

Harek hurries my way. “We better get back to the nest now.”

“Do fae use guns?”

“Rarely. Magic is better. Come on .”

“Why is it better?”

He throws me an exasperated glance before pulling me toward the nest. “I can tell you later.”

“Fine.” I yank myself free of his grasp and start toward the nest.

Voices sound. There are at least several of them. I recognize one.

Gunnar.

I freeze in my tracks.

Harek looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

“That’s Gunnar,” I whisper.

“All the more reason to hide.” He reaches for me again.

“He isn’t going to stop until he finds me.”

“Exactly. Hiding is your best option. Let him move on.”

“I need to stand up to him. Look at the way all the fae have run from us. He’s only human.”

Harek’s mouth falls open. “Have you lost your mind? We’re outnumbered! He isn’t going to follow us into a fae city. We just need to get you to the nearest one.”

“If he can’t get in, how are you supposed to?”

“Because I’ll be with you.” He gives me a look that’s part desperation and part demanding. “Let’s go .”

I glance between him and rapidly approaching voices. “I thought the fae overlords banned guns.”

“They did. Rich people like your stepfather secretly pay the blacksmiths.” Harek reaches for me like he’s about to drag me toward safety. He misses as I lean away from his grasp. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear his eyes flash a copper color. “They have guns, and Gunnar is unpredictable. That makes them more dangerous than fae.”

That’s a good point, and as much as I’d like to see if I can use my orange glow against him, I don’t have any idea how to use it. I can’t even control when it brightens and dims. So far it’s been more of a warning than a defense. It has to be why my mother wanted me to have the sword, which I don’t know how to use.

Another shot rings out. Gunnar shouts my name. They’re close.

Neither my palm nor my sword glow now. It must mean neither will help me against the humans. My stomach sinks.

Harek grabs my arm and pulls me toward the nest.

I don’t fight him this time. Even if Gunnar and his friends saw the glow, they likely wouldn’t care. He would also rather me dead than a runaway.