Page 8

Chapter Eight

W ithin moments, Val had packed up their camp, scattered the coals of the fire, and turned to Harm.

He’d eased into the remains of his shirt and shrugged on his coat. An odd juxtaposition of bloody tatters and stuffy propriety. Such a strange human.

Using the root, Harm pushed to his feet, swaying for a moment before he steadied. After those injuries, he needed sleep, not a long nighttime hike. The healing potion she’d given him would work best while he was resting.

But she didn’t dare stay here. She’d just have to push the human a little farther and hope they could get far enough before he collapsed entirely.

He took a step, then braced himself with one hand on the root as he stared at his pack at his feet. Amazingly, it hadn’t been smashed in the struggle.

Val sighed. The human was too weak to carry his pack himself. Not to mention, the straps would dig into those gashes across his chest. If she wanted to make any progress tonight, she’d have to carry his pack for him.

She reached for the pack before he could, though she looked up at him, meeting his gaze, rather than picking it up. “If you trust me to carry it for you, I’ll put it in my pocket.”

Harm’s jaw worked for a moment before he nodded, something in his eyes both hopeful and wary. Once this pack was in her pocket, he would have no way to guarantee he would get it back. She had the power to withhold it from him.

Val picked up the pack, her muscles tight at the heavy weight of it. Harm might not have the warrior’s physique of her fellow mercenaries in the Wild Hunt, but he was tall and sturdy to have carried this around with so little complaint. He had the build to become a formidable warrior with the right training.

She stuffed the corner of his pack into her pocket. The opening to her pocket didn’t seem to get larger, and his pack didn’t seem to get smaller, yet somehow she was able to stuff it inside.

Harm was still looking at her, his mouth opening as if he was preparing to thank her. As if he thought this was a kindness.

Val turned her back and stalked into the darkness before he could get the words out. She didn’t want to hear them and experience more of that uncomfortable itchiness filling her chest. “Come. We’ve already lingered here too long. More rifts are bound to open and let loose more monsters. ”

“Rifts?” Harm trudged after her, not trotting to catch up like he had before.

Daisy leapt to her feet, bounding into the forest ahead of them as if she wasn’t the least bit tired.

“Rips in the barrier between the Fae Realm and the Realm of Monsters.” Val shoved a branch aside. “They form when evil deeds are committed. Such as hatred in a marriage.”

“Like whatever is going on between King Oberon and Queen Titania.” Harm was already breathing hard. The human couldn’t take much more tonight.

“Yes. They are infamous for causing rifts. I suspect the whole Court of Revels will be crawling with monsters tonight.” Val searched the darkness around them, making sure they weren’t about to be attacked. “If you can make it, I’d like to get across the border into the Court of Knowledge before we stop for the rest of the night. We’ll be safer there.”

“Isn’t the Court of Knowledge the one Queen Mab said you should avoid?” Harm stumbled over a root, though he caught himself on a nearby tree.

“Yes.” Val swallowed down the rising irritation. She wasn’t sure if it was with Harm, with the king and queen of the Court of Knowledge, or with this mission as a whole. “King Theseus and Queen Hippolyta of the Court of Knowledge are the rare fae monarchs who are actually good. And I don’t just mean good as in competent rulers, though they are certainly that. But genuinely good . Because of that, their court has taken a stand against the trade in humans. ”

“I see.” There was a note to Harm’s voice that she didn’t like, his quiet afterwards far too contemplative.

Val halted and half-turned toward him. He walked for two more steps, nearly running into her before he seemed to realize she had stopped. He halted only a step away from her.

She waited until he met her gaze before she spoke. “Yes, the Court of Knowledge would be the place to go if you ever get free of your new master. But until then, even a fae monarch can’t loosen this cord or break the bargain your father made. They might still do all they can for you, but they could make my life difficult, which would eventually make yours more difficult. So don’t think you’re going to find help there anytime soon.”

Harm nodded, his gaze dropping from hers. His shoulders slumped still further as he hunched over his injured arm.

“Still, it will be a safer court to give you time to recuperate.” And train him as much as she dared.

As tonight had shown, he needed some skills. She would never get him safely through the Harvest Court and into the Court of Stone if he wasn’t somewhat competent enough to save his own skin once in a while. If that also gave him the skills to rescue himself once her part in this was all over, then so be it. That wasn’t her problem. Getting him alive and mostly well to his destination was.

Val spun and set out into the forest once again, Harm stumbling after her.

They hiked for several hours, the forest growing darker around them. They were deep in the Tanglewood now. That enchanted forest separating the Court of Knowledge from the Court of Revels held secrets even King Theseus of the Court of Knowledge didn’t fully understand.

At least the Tanglewood seemed somewhat benevolent tonight. Their path had been fairly smooth, not riddled with roots and dropped branches. Nor had they encountered any more monsters.

Then again, the Tanglewood tended to favor the innocent, and Harm was nothing if not innocent.

A tug on the cord halted her steady march, and Val turned to Harm.

He had fallen to his knees, his face even paler than before, his blue eyes glassy. Blood soaked the bandages and the shreds of his shirt. The man was well and truly done in.

Val strode back to him, bent, and pulled his good arm over her shoulder. He gave a moan as she hauled him back to his feet. “Just a little farther.”

His head hung, but he gave something that might have been a nod. He had a core of stubbornness to him, she would give him that.

She wasn’t sure if they’d crossed into the Court of Knowledge or not. Since both courts were Summer Courts, there wasn’t a change in temperature, and within the depths of the Tanglewood, there was no distinct border. They might be in the Court of Knowledge. Or they might not. It was even possible that they had been walking in circles all night if the Tanglewood had decided to be particularly mischievous.

Val halted and rested a hand on the trunk of a huge tree. She didn’t normally attempt this since she was a courtless mercenary. But with Harm’s weight sagging against her, she had to try. “I know I’m not a part of your court. Nor do I have a claim here in this realm. But for his sake, please show us a safe place to camp.”

“Who you talking to?” Harm’s voice slurred as his head tipped into hers as if he was too weak to hold it up.

“Not you. Shh.” Val kept her hand on the tree. For a long moment, nothing seemed to happen.

Then a particularly clear section of forest opened before her, though the forest didn’t seem to move or anything like that. It even seemed brighter ahead.

Daisy’s mouth flopped open with a grin as she bounded down the trail before them.

Always trust a companion animal. They had better instincts than she did.

Val followed Daisy, hauling Harm along with her. Little red flowers lined the mossy path while bigger yellow flowers grew in waving stalks on either side.

After only a few minutes of walking, the path ended at a large boulder, which rested alongside a massive tree. Other trees clustered in a dense grove, creating what seemed to be a safe haven in the forest. A few yards away, a creek meandered between the trees, clear and clean.

It was about the most painting perfect campsite she’d ever seen. Suspiciously so. Was this the forest’s benevolence or a malicious trap?

Daisy sniffed around the boulder, her tail still wagging vigorously. She, at least, didn’t seem alarmed by the place.

Harm all but hung from his arm over her shoulders. He wasn’t making it much farther.

This would have to do. If it was a trap, she’d deal with it.

She lowered Harm to sit with his back to one of the trees. He slouched there, somewhat tilted to one side, as if he didn’t have the energy to move even to make himself more comfortable.

Val set up the tent and both bedrolls as quickly as she could. Once done, she hauled Harm into the tent and onto his bedroll. He was only half-conscious, and he likely wouldn’t even remember any of this in the morning. Sighing, she removed his boots and tucked him into the bedroll as best she could.

Trusting Daisy to wake her if there was trouble, Val crawled into her own bedroll, though it took a while before she managed to fall asleep.

Harm peeled his eyes open, his eyelids scratchy. His mouth felt strangely gummy, his tongue so dry it stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Blinking to clear his vision, he found he was staring at the underside of the brown canvas tent. He was bundled in the bedroll, his boots at the end of the bed, though he still wore his coat and bloody shirt.

How long had he been asleep? He had no memories of crawling into the tent and only vague recollections of stumbling through the forest after the monster attack.

He pressed a hand to his chest, then held up his arm. His wounds mildly ached, but not nearly as much as they should.

Sitting up, Harm peeled the bloody shirt and bandages away from his chest, the fabric stiff with dried blood, and peered at his wounds. Strangely, the gashes had closed, new pink skin already showing.

How long had he been asleep? That healing potion must have been strong stuff to have healed him this much in a single night. If it was a single night.

Without so much as a knock or a warning, the front flap of the tent flipped aside, revealing Val crouched there, peering at him.

Harm gave something of a yelp, reaching for the blanket though he managed to stop himself before he pulled it to his chin. “Knock before you enter! What if I’d been dressing?”

“Oh, stop squealing like a blushing maiden.” She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t even know if you were awake.”

“You’d squawk if I burst in on you.” Harm flapped his good hand at her.

“You wouldn’t dare. I’d stab you.” She patted the knife at her belt.

“So just because you have the power to enforce your boundaries makes them the only ones worth considering?” Harm started to cross his arms, but the movement tugged at his still healing wounds. He dropped his arms to his sides instead.

Val opened her mouth, then hesitated, her eyes going distant for a moment. Perhaps she was thinking of Queen Titania and her grabby hands for her jaw hardened.

Then her gaze sharpened, and she gestured at him again. “And how much of all your proper layers and protestations have to do with your actual morality and how much is merely a performance?”

Like her, Harm opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat. A performance. Just like Queen Titania’s and King Oberon’s performance of being warriors. How many of his own actions were done for the appearance of virtue rather than actual virtue?

Instead of continuing this discussion, Harm eased his feet out of his bedroll. “How long was I asleep?”

“The rest of the night and all morning.” Val gestured toward the brightness outside of the tent. “It’s early afternoon now.”

At least he hadn’t slept a week or something like that.

Val’s expression returned to that impassive, no-nonsense one, her tone brisk. “Now, let’s have a look at your wounds.”

And…there it was again. Harm sighed, but he didn’t protest as he peeled off the bloody remnants of his shirt.

As soon as he dropped the fabric to the side, Val grabbed his injured arm and set to work unwrapping the bandages.

Harm tugged the bandages off his chest as best he could with one hand. No way was he going to let Val do that.

She let the last of the bandages drop, then inspected his arm. The bites were now pink patches of new skin, healing but not yet fully healed. The gashes across his chest and the slice across his leg looked the same. Still sore, but he wasn’t in danger of bleeding more.

She dropped his arm and gave a sharp nod. “Get dressed. We’ll start your training after you eat.”

“Training?” Harm rested his injured arm on a knee, his whole body still feeling strangely weak and weighed down. Likely the blood loss and the exhaustion of completing several weeks of healing overnight.

“Yes, training.” Val gestured from his arm to his chest. “You clearly need it.”

“I have some training with a sword.” Harm couldn’t help the defensive note in his voice. “Last night was an off night for me. I’ve never fought a monster with a knife before.”

“If you have a good foundation of training, that will make my job easier.” Val eyed him, as if she seriously doubted it.

Not that he could blame her. He’d made a poor showing the night before.

But he couldn’t keep delaying. His family was in danger.

“How long will training take?” Harm ran a thumb over one of the new patches of skin on his arm. “I need to get home as soon as possible.”

“You’ll never get to the Court of Stone, much less escape, without training.” Val speared him with a far-too-frank look in her dark brown eyes. “If you want to see your family again, you will take the time now to train. ”

Harm clenched and unclenched his fingers, hating how right she was. He hadn’t even managed to fend off one monster wolf. How could he possibly survive long enough to find his way home, even if he managed to escape? He’d only made it this far because of Val.

“Fine. I’ll train.” Harm reached toward his ankle, where the knife was still hidden underneath his stocking, even though Val must have removed his boots. “Should I…”

“No!” Val shook her head. “If you have an iron knife, I don’t want to see it, remember? I’ll lend you a knife for training, when we get up to it. But that will be a while. You aren’t ready to be trusted with pointy objects.”

He would have protested, but even shifting his injured leg reminded him of how hopeless he was.

“Now hurry and dress.” Val leaned back on her heels and let the flap fall closed again, her voice coming through the canvas. “Daylight is wasting.”

Harm cast about, then sighed. “My pack is in your pocket.”

He couldn’t see her, but he could almost imagine he heard her huff a sigh of her own. A few moments later, her hand appeared, shoving his pack past the tent flap. At least she had enough patience that she hadn’t tossed the pack and broken the precious pottery.

Harm took the pack, waited for the flap to fall closed and stay closed, and dug through it for his only other set of clothes. He quickly changed into his white shirt and gray breeches, though he left the black coat where it was. Once done, he stuffed his bloody clothes into the pack. As much as he wanted to simply discard the rags, he had so few things that he couldn’t afford to lose anything. Nor did it seem safe to leave things with his blood simply lying around, even if the forest would probably eat it.

Once that was done, he crawled out of the tent, leaving his pack beside his bedroll.

As he straightened, Val took in his loose shirt and breeches, then gave a nod as if she approved. She faced the length of the clearing in the forest just outside of their sheltered nook among the trees. “Today, we’re going to take it easy and work on your reflexes. You’ll be throwing a rope for Daisy.”

At the sound of her name, Daisy raised her head from where she sprawled in a patch of sunlight.

Harm had been braced to do something more physical. But throwing a rope for a dog didn’t sound so bad. He played fetch with Gijs’s puppy Vlek back home.

Val reached into her pocket and pulled out a thick rope of about an inch and a half in diameter. The rope was three feet long and had four large knots tied in it at regular intervals.

At the sight of the rope, Daisy sprang to her feet and bolted into a sprint, heading straight for Val, her mouth open as she reached for the rope with her gleaming teeth.

At the very last moment before being bowled over, Val sidestepped the dog, almost casually lifting the rope out of the dog’s reach as Daisy sprang. Daisy’s teeth snapped on air only inches away from the rope before she landed, immediately spinning back toward Val, her eyes fixed on the rope .

Before Daisy could spring again, Val pointed at the ground with her free hand. “Sit.”

Eyes still pinned on the rope, Daisy plunked her butt onto the ground, though her whole body remained tense.

Val whipped the rope forward, throwing it all the way across the clearing.

Even before the rope left Val’s hand, Daisy had already sprung to her feet. She raced after the rope, running low to the ground, her ears pinned to her skull. She sprinted so fast that she skidded past the rope as she tried to stop. Once she snagged the rope, Daisy whipped it back and forth like she had the rodent she’d killed. The knots of the rope thumped into the dog’s sides, but she didn’t seem to feel any pain at the whacks.

“Here, take this.” Val held out a second rope.

Harm took the rope, gripping it just before the knot on the end and bracing himself.

Daisy raced back toward them, the first rope in her mouth. As her eyes latched on the rope in Harm’s hand, she dropped her rope and leapt for Harm, her jump so high that her flashing teeth were nearly level with his face.

Harm stumbled backward, trying to lift his arm fast enough, aware of the teeth far too close to his face.

Daisy’s jaw snapped onto the rope, the claws on her front paws scratching the front of Harm’s legs, and she landed on the ground. She ripped the rope right out of his grip and swung it viciously, as if she felt the need to kill it.

The knotted end slammed into Harm’s shin, and he hopped backward yet again, grimacing. That was sure to bruise. As if Harm’s body wasn’t battered enough as it was.

“Grab the other rope.” Val pointed to where it lay a few feet away.

Harm hobbled to it, but even as he reached for it, Daisy abruptly went from killing the other rope to diving for the one Harm was reaching for. He tried to snatch it from the ground, but Daisy was already there, her teeth knocking into his hand as she snagged the rope. Her teeth didn’t draw blood, of course. She’d been going for the rope and only got him by accident. But he was probably going to get yet another bruise out of the deal.

“You need to be faster than that.” Val waved at the rope Daisy had abandoned.

Hand and leg throbbing, Harm rushed back the way he’d come and snatched the rope off the ground. Even as he turned, Daisy was already rushing toward him, her mouth open, her eyes almost crazed as she focused solely on the rope.

Out of sheer panic, Harm threw the rope. It wasn’t a good throw, only going a few yards, but Daisy skidded before she could run into him and tore off after it.

Val sighed. “You need to make her sit before you throw the next rope. She’ll lose all her training if you indulge her and just throw it.”

Gritting his teeth, Harm rushed to grab the rope Daisy had left. She was already sprinting back. He had only seconds.

He snagged the rope and straightened even as Daisy leapt for him. He jumped backward, and this time he managed to lift the rope out of Daisy’s reach.

When she landed, she immediately jumped again, and Harm had to whip the rope high out of her reach yet again.

“Sit.” Harm tried to make his voice sound calm and commanding instead of panicked and out of breath. And he’d thought an afternoon playing with a dog sounded easy. “Sit, Daisy.”

She stared at the rope, her tail wagging, her mouth open.

“Sit.” Harm didn’t dare look away from the dog.

Finally, Daisy seemed to get the idea, and she more or less lowered her butt to the ground, though her haunches where still tensed to spring.

Good enough. Harm threw the rope, this time flinging it nearly all the way across the clearing, buying himself a moment to snag the second rope from where Daisy had left it and sprint back to Val’s side by the time Daisy returned.

If this was what Val considered taking it easy with training, Harm could only imagine how hard the actual training would be.