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As I dressed that next morning, I pulled on my warm velvet leggings with the matching waistcoat and then pulled out my new rabbit fur coat that Ellien had gifted me with. It was a chilly morning, and the coat was beautiful and warm, especially when paired with the matching boots and hat. Most of my things at home were handed down by my older brothers. It wasn’t really cold enough for the furs, but there was a bit of a chill in the air, and Ellien had sent for me to come down to the courtyard to meet Prince Bracca, so I wanted to look nice.

I was nervous, in case this mysterious prince had questions for me, or was unhappy that I was there inside Solarian territory. I knew Lord Ellien had been nervous about his visit for some reason as well.

There was a loud knock on my door and one of Ellien’s servants came in and bowed to me.

“Killian Honeywood,” he said. The servants had annoyingly taken to calling me by my full name if they called me at all, as I didn’t have a title.

“Lord Ellien has need of you,” he said. “He bids you to come to the courtyard right away to attend him. The prince is about to arrive.”

“Yes. I’m coming.”

“He wants you to bring your sword.”

My sword? Why on earth did Lord Ellien want me to bring my sword with me to meet the royal prince? Surely Lord Ellien didn’t expect trouble. Bracca the Bloodstained was his name, though, (which was just a terrible name, I thought). Was that why Ellien had been so nervous and on edge about his arrival?

I glanced out the window on my way out of the room and saw dark clouds literally hanging over Solaria, which seemed oddly appropriate. Perhaps that was the reason I’d felt so much unease, and even the air itself had felt heavy and oppressive. And now Ellien had called for me and my sword.

I hurried down to the courtyard where Lord Ellien said he would be. He was pacing around the yard, looking agitated. When I came over to him, he took my hand in his.

“I’ve become fond of you over the past few days,” he told me. “If I were to need your help, for anything while the prince is here…I was wondering…would you give it to me?”

“Of course, my lord, but why are you saying this? Is there something wrong?” I asked, feeling confused as to how I was a part of this. “Do you think the prince will be upset by my presence here? Perhaps I should go back inside. Out of sight, out of mind, they say.”

That’s when he gave me an odd look and shook his head. “No, no. I just want to make sure you’ll help me in case Prince Bracca tries to go back on my agreement with him. You have to stay here.”

I had to? I began to get a feeling that something much greater than I knew was going on, and I was the only one unaware of what it was. Everyone else in the courtyard seemed to be giving me sidelong looks. In fact, I seemed to be the center of attention.

“What kind of an agreement did you have with him? I don’t understand.”

Ellien shook his head and refused to discuss it any further, yet he seemed to be afraid of this Prince Bracca in some way.

I already knew the Dark Fairies could be a savage people, and I wasn’t anxious to meet their prince. All we could do was wait for Bracca to arrive and hope he wasn’t here because of something unpleasant. But I’d heard that you should never, ever put your faith in Fairies. Could that be true?

I watched Ellien pacing up and down nervously in front of the gate, in a state of agitation. He stopped and held out his hand to me, and I rushed over to take it.

“Don’t worry, Ellien,” I said. “It’ll be all right. I have my sword, and I’ll defend you if I have to. I won’t let this fucking prince hurt you.”

He stopped his pacing and took my hand in his. His eyes, as bright as jewels, flashed over at me. “My dearest mortal boy. How kind you are. Plain, but very sweet. Perhaps if I had known…”

It seemed an odd thing to say, and the remark about me being plain stung a little, though I knew I wasn’t anything special, though I supposed most mortals would be considered plain next to a Fairy. It wasn’t like it was the first time I’d heard it.

I wasn’t ugly, but there was just nothing remarkable about me at all. My skin was smooth and only unusual in the fact that unlike my brothers, I had no freckles or moles or any tiny imperfections anywhere. My features were completely average and devoid of anything that might serve as a distinguishing feature. At a glance I could have passed for anyone or no one in particular. Light brown hair, light brown eyes, slightly tanned skin—not one thing about me stood out—except for my skill with a sword. It was my one claim to fame, in my opinion. I squeezed his hand in reply, not knowing what else to do.

Suddenly behind us, I heard a loud cry from near the front gate and a tearing sound, like someone ripping paper. No, not paper, now that I could see through the shifting morning mists. It was a rip in the very fabric of the air itself. The torn edges literally parted, and I could see ice and snow-covered forests beyond. What kind of infernal magic was this?

I rushed toward it, followed by a few of Ellien’s most loyal guards—though fewer than I would have liked—and as I got to the spot, I gaped at the scene before me and drew my sword. I watched in fascination and terror as tall, handsome Dark Fairies began stepping through the gap, one by one, until there were twelve of them standing in the courtyard.

What kind of powerful spell was this? How did they simply materialize out of thin air in such a way? It was terrifying—so impossible and wrong and frightening that I stared at them in disbelief. I had never seen any magic like this before—I’d never even heard of anything like it—and I feared the Solarians had no defense against it either if these Dark Fairies had come with bad intentions.

The soldiers were all tall and extremely fit, dressed in black and bristling with weapons. They looked fierce and unyielding in their dark leather and furs. Their hats were trimmed in midnight-colored mink, and their long, fur-lined capes swept the ground, the hems crusted with snow. Their long swords were at their sides, and their gloved hands rested on the hilts. Their faces were frozen and stiff. One of them took out a curved horn and put it to his mouth. It sang out as clear and thin as winter birdsong.

We watched in stunned surprise as a young, powerful looking and terribly handsome man stepped through to face us. For a moment he stood poised in the opening, giving us a grim and dangerous look and holding his huge sword. Snowflakes whirled around him against a backdrop of dark night and frozen snow and ice. I heard the gasp of the Solarian soldiers and the name, “Prince Bracca” murmured by all them who were assembled.

I’d never seen a Fairy prince before, so I regarded this one in awe. Even here among the others, who were all handsome creatures, I could see the prince was something special. He was taller than the rest and quite muscular. His face should have been too bold to be so handsome, full as it was of strong angles and planes, but his beauty was undeniable. He had silver spurs on his heels that looked wickedly sharp, and he wore a hooded, fur cape that obscured his face a bit. His enormous, beautiful sword was held at the ready.

His gaze swept the crowd and apparently finding no threat, he pushed back his hood and looked at all of us. I noticed that his cheekbones were high and sharp, and his hair fell unbound in black, looping curls all the way to his waist. His green eyes were as dark and deep as a bottomless pool, and he had a fierce, intense gaze. There was a flash of red in those eyes as he glanced around at us. He radiated a sense of absolute dominance and power, and he also looked vaguely familiar—something about his eyes—but I dismissed the notion almost as soon as it came. Surely, I would have remembered if I’d ever met this man before.

As his eyes snapped around the circle that we had formed to observe him, they landed on me. He looked me up and down for far too long, and I could have sworn he had a look of satisfaction on his handsome face. His gaze shifted as I stood there with the soldiers and fell on Ellien. The prince took a bold step toward Ellien, passing me and carelessly knocking into me with his broad shoulder, as I tried to step in front of him to block his path. Ellien flinched as Bracca easily shoved me aside and came forward. He looked cowed by the man, and he beckoned for me to come stand beside him. The prince glanced over at me as I quickly stepped around him, and his eyes swept me up and down again.

“I am Prince Bracca, son of King Larek,” the prince said without preamble. “You have incurred a debt of honor with my people, and I have come to collect your payment. You’ve offered me a fair trade and an alternate way of paying your debt, I believe.”

“Yes, I have, sire. And you have accepted my offer.”

The prince nodded. “Yes. Even though your soldiers killed our loyal captain without provocation, and according to the laws of the Fae, you are expected to repay that debt with your own life. Lucky for you, you have something I want even more, so I’m willing to bargain. I see you have it ready for me.”

“Yes. I-I do,” Ellien declared.

Trade? What trade? And what captain, for that matter? I didn’t understand what they were talking about, and I turned to Ellien in confusion, but he ignored my questioning gaze.

Then it came to me. One the first night I arrived in Solaria, Ellien had and I had drunk wine and he’d spoken to me of the Dark Fairy captain who had been accidentally killed right here in this same courtyard. He’d never said it had been Prince Bracca’s man, but that must be who they were talking about.

I began to go over everything I knew about the incident in my head, which really wasn’t much. A small contingent of Dark Fairy soldiers had suddenly ridden through the city gates of Solaria, unannounced and bristling with weapons one night about a month ago. They said they were seeking refuge from a group of ogres they’d encountered on the road. They had fought with the ogres, and one of their men had been injured and was in need of a physician.

But they had arrived so suddenly, as cold, distant and beautiful as the constellations, riding through the city gates without permission that they had badly frightened the Solarian guards.

The Fairy tribes were stubbornly insular and highly suspicious of all other tribes, so their reaction wasn’t all that unusual, though it was a bit extreme. The gate guards had immediately become suspicious and picked a fight with the newcomers, and though for all intents and purposes Fairies were immortal, they could still be killed in a violent encounter, and the death of one of them was considered to be a truly serious matter.

Lord Ellien had told me the Dark Fairies had been immediately surrounded by Ellien’s guards when they burst into the courtyard, despite their protests that they were only seeking refuge. Their captain, incensed at being stopped and confronted by lowly city guards, whom he had considered far beneath him, pulled his sword and attacked them. Though the other dark Fairy soldiers with him kept loudly insisting they needed help for their wounded man, the Solarian guards didn’t trust their intentions. The captain had attacked with his sword from the back of the huge stag he rode, injuring several city guards. The other guards angrily pulled the captain down, and as he fell, he tragically broke his neck and died there in the Solarian courtyard.

King Ellien, hastily summoned to the scene, had tried to question the remaining Dark Fairy soldiers, but they had grown increasingly belligerent and agitated. One word led to another, and though the others had eventually managed to fight their way out of the courtyard, they had vowed revenge, as they took their dead captain and rode away.

The next day a message was received from Prince Bracca. It was short but not at all sweet. He was demanding fair and equal compensation for the loss of his officer, according to Fae laws, or he said he would consider it a declaration of war and treat it accordingly. The message threw everyone into a panic. Prince Bracca was a formidable, frightening man with powerful magic and a fierce army at his command. Solaria and its lord were certainly no match for him.

I glanced over at Ellien and saw him wringing his hands. Bracca looked down at him with absolutely no pity in his face.

“I would, however, still like to hear your explanation for what happened. So I can tell his family.”

Ellien shifted his feet uneasily and straightened his posture. He stretched out his hand with his palm upward in supplication. “Your Royal Highness. Your captain rode in with the others unannounced. We had no idea of his intentions. And we didn’t kill him. Or not exactly. He was pulled down from his horse and landed at an odd angle. It was an accident, I assure you.”

Bracca’s lips twisted with contempt. “And yet I have witnesses who say his ‘accident’ was a result of your soldiers’ aggression. Or are you calling my witnesses liars?”

“No, of course not, Your Highness, but the situation was confusing. Your men were heavily armed and seemed threatening. My guards were afraid.”

Bracca simply stared at Ellien, long enough that it must have made him nervous. It started him babbling excuses. “We regret his tragic death, of course. Very much so. It wasn’t intentional in the least. You have to believe me. We want to make recompense, and we went to great trouble to get the one you said you wanted.”

“Very well,” Prince Bracca said. “The law is clear. You owe me a life for a life. If not your own, then there must be another one offered in trade.”

Though I still didn’t understand much of what they were talking about, I squeezed Ellien’s shoulder for courage. I could see that this Bracca was a man who only valued strength. Poor Lord Ellien had to try to control his fear, but instead he stepped backward and cowered, refusing to meet Bracca’s gaze. Bracca’s lip curled mockingly as he stared at Ellien, so I stepped over to face him instead.

“Lord Ellien has told you what happened. Are you pretending not to understand? The Solarians said they had no intention of hurting your captain. Therefore, they probably struggle to see why they must pay some terrible price when it won’t bring your man back anyway. They’re offering this trade you mentioned as fair compensation. What part of that is unclear to you?”

People gasped all around me, and Bracca tilted his head to the side and gave me a look like he had no idea why I was even speaking. Then one corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk, and he very deliberately turned his back on me to speak in his language to one of his soldiers, his hand still firmly on his sword.

But I persisted, shoving in front of him again. “Pray tell me why you’re so angry. Why won’t you explain yourself?”

Looking down at me again, Bracca spoke in a low, menacing tone, “Explain myself to you? Why are you involving yourself in my business, mortal boy?”

“My name is Killian Honeywood,” I said, before he could say another word. “And I’m definitely not a boy, although it’s true I am mortal. I’m the son of Sir John Honeywood of Scolley Hall in Kent.”

“I know who you are.”

“Y-you do?”

He glared at me, and a frisson of unease swept down my back, but I’d been taught never to back down. My father would have beaten me bloody if I had. I persevered out of force of habit.

“Tell me how you know me,” I said.

“Don’t make demands of me. Why are you even still talking?” he snarled at me, his voice filled with malice. It made me take a step back. “Stop your smart mouth or I’ll stop it for you.”

I should have backed off then, and I definitely would have if I hadn’t heard my father’s voice in the back of my head. Only cowards back down. Are you a coward, boy?

“No!” I cried out. “I have things to say.”

“Oh, do you?” He replied, leaning in dangerously, and finally, some small sense of self-preservation made me take a nervous step backward.

Ellien shrugged, glancing over at me. “Your Highness, he’s very young.”

“No, I’m not. I’ll be twenty-one soon.”

Bracca rolled his eyes. “Why is he even here for this? It’s not necessary.”

“I was afraid something might go wrong with our trade.”

“How did you meet him anyway?”

“At the tournaments held by his father.”

He sneered. “Tournaments…mortal foolishness.”

I ignored the tone of disdain and spoke up again. “Yes, tournaments. Are you hard of hearing?”

Everyone assembled looked at me as if I’d lost my mind for speaking to him that way and perhaps, I had. I was afraid of him, but he wasn’t my prince after all, and he was being a terrible bully. I’d had enough of bullies like my brothers and their friends and even my father to do me a lifetime. Besides, there was something about the prince that irritated me badly. Still, he was powerful and a Dark Fairy. Perhaps I should apologize.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“Oh, I think you did.”

I halfway expected him to tear my head off, but all Bracca did was smirk at me again as if he could read my thoughts. “What? Are you reconsidering your words now, boy?”

I fidgeted a little nervously. “I’m sure I meant no offense by them.”

“Then say so. Apologize,” Bracca replied in a soft growl, his gaze steady on my face.

“I didn’t mean to be insulting. I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.”

Was that all I was going to get in reply? Apparently so, because Ellien rushed to fill in the silence. “You aren’t reconsidering your trade, are you, sir? Killian is well worth consideration, He’s a knight in training—and already a champion.”

Was Ellien bringing me up as his trade? No, it couldn’t be. I stared at him in dawning horror.

Bracca raised one eyebrow. “A champion? Pray tell me, a champion of what?”

“I believe he means in the tournaments. I’ve won many events,” I said, interrupting. If this discussion was about me, then I had things to say. “But what’s this all about?”

“Which events have you won?” Bracca asked and I had the strangest feeling he was playing with me like a cat with a mouse he just caught.

“Mostly in sparring, because I’m not really a knight yet, but I love jousting and all types of fighting , and I’m very good with a sword. Perhaps you just don’t understand how noblemen do things. Perhaps you and I could fight, and we could wager on my freedom as the outcome.”

That earned me a raised eyebrow, along with a look of something bordering on anger, but I kept going. “If I am to be the trade, as I’m coming to understand,” I glared over at Ellien. “Then it would be the honorable, chivalrous thing to do—to allow me to win my freedom with my sword.”

“Honorable? Chivalrous? The mortal ‘knights’ I’ve encountered are anything but that. They’re criminals, who roam about the countryside, spoiling for a fight and accosting private citizens going about their lawful business.”

My mouth fell open in shock. “That’s absolutely not true.”

He leaned in closer. “It absolutely is. Are you calling me a liar?”

“No, of course not. But-but you’re wrong. Knights aren’t criminals at all. They put on mock fight s as sport. Sometimes, it’s in honor of coronations , marriages, and births—anything the nobles want to celebrate. Even recent conquests or treaties. Other times tournaments are held for no particular reason at all, but simply for entertainment.”

“Entertainment?” he asked in a sneering voice.

“Yes. Or challenges. Sometimes war games.”

“Pray tell me, what does a boy like you know about war?”

“Perhaps nothing yet, but I hope to. One day. Tournaments are popular and people love to watch them. There is the joust, which is a duel with lances between two knights. It’s very exciting. And then there’s the melee that involves groups of fighters.And of course—the pas d'armes .”

“Ah, yes. I happen to be personally familiar with that last one.”

“You are? Then you know that a group of knights will stake out a well-traveled spot, like a bridge or city gate, and let it be known that any other knights who wish to pass must first fight or be disgraced. If they choose not to fight, they must hand over their spurs as a sign of their cowardice. It’s a good way for knights to keep their military skills sharp, and to win fame, honor, and prizes. There certainly is nothing criminal about it.”

“Yes, I imagine it’s also a good way for the ‘knightly’ thieves to steal the property of others. Like you and your friends did with me.”

My jaw dropped with shock. “What? Me? And my friends? Why, what do you mean?”

“I mean you and your friends are brigands and outlaws who steal from passersby. Along with your knights and squires, who are even more obnoxious than other mortals, which I do admit is quite an accomplishment. In reality, you’re little more than highwaymen and robbers, harassing unsuspecting travelers and assaulting them with unprovoked aggression. There’s little of good sense and absolutely no honor in any of this. You and your friends stopped me and my father at a bridge to steal two pounds from us along with my spurs. Such disrespect and dishonor should be answered for. And you’re going to answer for it.”

I was shocked at what he said, because I remembered the occasion well. But that man—the one who had pulled me up on his horse—had not been this prince. Or had it?

“My God, were you—were you in disguise?”

“Yes. I’m sure you remember.”

“B-but I explained it to you, and I told you we weren’t thieves.”

“As you proceeded to steal from me.”

“I’m not a thief!”

Perhaps in my righteous outrage and defense of myself and my friends, I was a bit too impassioned in my reply. He made it even worse by smiling at me mockingly.

He waved a hand over my mouth and suddenly I couldn’t speak. I glared at him in outrage as he grinned down at me.

“Oh, did you have something you wanted to say? Why stop now? Cat got your tongue?”

Coughing and sputtering, I tried to catch my breath. At that point I would have been wise to shut up, but no one had ever accused me of being smart.

“Wait,” I managed to get out now that he’d released me. “Are you calling me a thief?”

“Yes, I believe I am. Now go ahead. Tell me which part of what I said is untrue. Make a liar of yourself as well as a thief.”

“That’s not fair. I’m not a liar and I’m not a thief!” I said hotly, pulling back my fist to strike him. “Take that back or I’ll…I’ll…”

He grinned down at me. “What will you do, boy?”

I swung at him then and all the onlookers gasped. His men took a step forward, but he caught my fist in his hand in an iron grip I couldn’t break. Then he waved his men away and laughed in my face, pushing me backward.

I was still furious and though I knew he might kill me for what I was doing, I couldn’t seem to stop. “What’s the matter?” I shouted at him. “Because you lost your spurs to us, did you then begin making up lies about us? But you’re angry at us?”

He moved so fast it was like a blur. He twisted my hand that was holding my sword around behind my back, squeezing it until my sword dropped to the ground. Then he pulled me up close so that the lean, hard line of his body was pressed against mine. It occurred to me then that I might have said a bit too much. Maybe I was a little too sharp in my reply. He stared down at me intently for a few moments, and I couldn’t seem to look away from that fierce gaze.

“I’ve killed men for much less. Tell me you’re sorry and beg my forgiveness. Do it quickly.”

“I-I…”

Bracca’s green eyes were flashing at me. He had been playing at first, but I’d said too much and with a mercurial change of mind, now he was giving me what sounded like my last chance to take my words back before he killed me. I had a feeling I’d made a serious mistake in arguing with this man. He bared his teeth at me as he saw me realize it, and I saw his sharp incisors. I nearly swooned.

He shook me hard, and I stammered at him. “I-I’m sorry. I apologize.”

He let go of me so suddenly I almost fell on my ass. I recovered and backed away, grabbing up my sword. I looked over to see Ellien staring at me, like he thought I must be crazy. Perhaps I was. As for the prince, he nodded, as if satisfied.

“Better,” he said. “Now be a good boy. No more talking.”

At that point I should have stayed quiet. I absolutely should have, and I knew it. But again, I felt the need to defend my honor and my pride.

“I don’t deserve such rude treatment, Your Highness. I was merely explaining things to you. Answering your questions. Explaining to you about tournament games…”

“Be quiet!” he shouted, his voice ringing out around the courtyard. He thrust his hand toward my face, and I flinched away, thinking he meant to strike me, but instead, he made that pass over my mouth again. Suddenly, I found I could no longer speak or even move my lips. Even worse, I couldn’t produce a single sound from my throat. I grabbed it and gave him a shocked, furious and alarmed glare.

He smirked at me in such a way that I felt a chill run quickly down my spine.

Rather than defend me, Ellien held out a hand in supplication. “Please, Your Highness. Take the trade and go. I don’t want any bloodshed here.”

“There will be no bloodshed. The ‘trade’ has been accepted.”

“It-it has? I mean, yes, good. I thank you, Your Highness.”

“Make the formal declaration then.”

“I will.” I noticed Lord Ellien’s voice trembling, and I turned to look at him in horror and reproach. I tried to catch his eye and grabbed for his arm, shaking my head back and forth. Did he realize what he was doing? I wasn’t sure myself, but I hoped he wasn’t about to trade my life away. They’d been talking in circles as far as I could tell, but that was the Fae for you. I hoped he wasn’t just going to hand me over to this barbarian. It was intolerable. He had to stand up for me. They’d been talking about my life in exchange for the captain’s life.

I pulled on Ellien’s arm again, but he brushed me off like I was an irritating insect. “In return for the life of your soldier, I offer you this trade. Freely offered.”

“Freely accepted. But let me be clear about the terms. I will claim this life today and take the boy with me.”

Was he saying he was about to murder me because Ellien had offered me in some intricate, twisted Fae trade? I tried to shout at them both to tell them how stupid and incomprehensible this was, and that’s when I started choking as I couldn’t get a sound out. They both turned to look at me. What was happening right in front of me was frightening and tense, but at the moment, I had bigger problems.

My tongue had seemed to swell inside my mouth until it closed off my throat and I couldn’t breathe at all. I admit I might have overreacted just a bit. I thought I could feel the muscles of my throat tightening more and more until I felt like I was choking to death, and I had to get someone’s attention. I might have been dying, and I had to get help.

I bent over, clawing at my neck, trying to cough, holding out my hand blindly for help, and they both stopped talking to look over at me.

“What in the name of Eris are you doing?” Prince Bracca asked.

I pointed wildly at my throat, and he rolled his eyes and sighed. He waved his hand over my face, and suddenly the spell lifted. and I could breathe again.

“Oh, thank goodness,” I said, drawing in a huge breath when I could speak again. “I was choking. I thought I was going to die! I thought you were trying to kill me.” I could feel my face burning, so I hurried to explain again. “I-I’m sorry, but I really couldn’t breathe. Perhaps I panicked a little.”

He smirked and my hand went to my sword, angry at the Fairy’s superior attitude and ready to defend myself if he tried to harm me again. He faced me unflinchingly and even smiled more broadly. “I hadn’t realized you were slightly mad.”

The remark only made me more furious. Ellien then did something most extraordinary. He turned and took my arm with an incredibly strong grip, shoving me toward the prince and saying the words that sealed my fate. “He’s yours. Take him before he makes you change your mind. In recompense for the life of your captain, I offer you the life of Killian Honeywood.”

I gasped in horror as Bracca carefully watched my face.

“What?” I shouted. “What did you just say?”

“If you like, my men can hold him down for you so you can kill him. Do whatever you want with him, but just please leave us in peace.”

I was too shocked to speak. Each of Ellien’s words had struck my chest like sharp daggers, and I gasped aloud in surprise and stumbled backward, drawing my sword again. Gods, I would kill this treacherous Fairy! My men can hold him down for you so you can kill him? Had Ellien truly just said that?

I admit I had been ridiculously slow to fully understand—that the “recompense” they’d been discussing was me all along—I was the trade for the Fairy captain’s life. Rage burst inside me at Ellien’s treachery. How could I have been so naive and stupid and so easily played for a fool? My anger multiplied, magnified, built and repeated until I could no longer contain it. I lunged for Ellien, raising my sword and intending to strike him dead myself, no matter what the cost, but the impossibly strong Bracca grabbed me around the waist with one arm and hauled me back against him.

“Stop it! The bargain has been made. It’s over. That’s enough!”

He let me go, and I staggered away, nearly falling, my sword still drawn and my eyes wide and disbelieving. I could feel the blood draining from my face while my heart was beating almost out of my chest. I looked around wildly, but I could see I had no chance of making it out of this courtyard alive. I vowed that I would take as many of them with me as I could.

I had never dreamed that Ellien, who had seemed so friendly, would betray me by offering me up as some kind of sacrificial lamb to repay a debt that he owed. It must have been his plan all along. He had lured me here into the Liminal, somehow glamouring the trail so I would come into his territory unknowingly. By using me, he could save his own life and the lives of his people.

And that must have been his reason for giving me Fairy food and inviting me to stay with him day after day. Maybe he had even drugged me to give him time to get word to Bracca. That must have been it. That was why he’d been so welcoming to me. The Fae didn’t consider mortal lives worth as much as their own. I gave the faithless Fairy a shocked, contemptuous glare. I had been prepared to try and defend the creature. I had even been a bit attracted to him—but that was all burned to ashes now. Now that I knew how little he thought of me. How could he do such a thing? I was stunned by the heartlessness of his betrayal.

Bracca stepped toward me, and I looked up at him, almost in a daze, with tears standing in my eyes. I found myself staring boldly up into his face. He might decide to slash off my head for it, but he could only kill me once, and my heart already felt cold and dead from the treachery of those around me. I’d meet my death as bravely as I could and never give Bracca or those assembled here the satisfaction of seeing me beg. Furiously, I raised my sword as he came closer, and I took a fighting stance.

I started shouting. “I-I won’t go easy. You’re in for a fight, damn you! All of you! And I’ll take a few of you with me.” I turned to glance over my shoulder at the worthless Solarian lord. “Maybe I’ll start with him.”

I whirled around and pulled my sword above my head, ready to strike him dead. but another sword met mine with a loud clang. Bracca shouted, “Lower your damn sword and calm down. Now!”

Instead, I leaped back and raised it over my head in both hands again, intending once more to bring it down on Ellien’s scrawny neck. One of Bracca’s soldiers attacked me from behind, hitting me with something hard that didn’t cut me, but dulled my senses and caused me to fall to my knees and drop my sword. But I still wasn’t done. My fingers tremblingly closed around the hilt of my sword again, but a booted foot smashed down on the blade, knocking it from my hand and slamming it to the ground. The point of a sword pressed into my throat, and I gulped as it dug a little into my flesh.

I glared up at Bracca defiantly. So this was it. He would kill me now. My life was over.

But I was the son of a knight and not a slave to grovel for my life. If he wanted to kill me, then do it. Bracca’s eyes flashed at me as I raised my chin in hot, bitter fury and stared up into his face again with defiance. He tilted his head and smiled, showing me his sharp incisors, and I remembered that Dark Fairies and demons were closely related. I made a growling noise low in my throat and waited for him to kill me. But the blow never came.

“Stand up and stop all this.” He waited, staring down, as he waited for me to do his bidding. “Calm yourself. Do it now or I’ll do it for you. And hand me that sword.”

I snarled at him. “Never! I won’t do it.”

“I said, give it to me. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Furiously, I huffed out a long breath and then picked it up and threw it at him—well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say I tossed it over at his feet. Angry and out of control as I was, I still didn’t feel quite brave enough to throw it at him. Maybe I was holding out some hope he would let me live. Then I turned on the man I had been beginning to think of as a friend, and I spat down at his feet.

“Fuck you, Ellien, you faithless dog! You whoreson bastard!”

I pulled a dagger from a strap I carried at my side and jumped on top of Ellien, taking him to his back and fully intending to bury it deep in his heart. But Bracca picked me up again as if I were the child he’d called me earlier and shook me hard, until the knife dropped from my nerveless fingers. His strength was incredible.

“Enough, damn it. This is over.” He turned to Ellien. “I accept your trade. And I’ll take him with me.”

There was a loud sigh of relief from everyone watching, and the prince glanced down at me. Bracca’s incredible power reminded me of what he was, but I was too far gone to care. I was much too angry to be truly frightened and refused to control my temper like he’d told me to. My cheeks burned, so I stared defiantly at him. Truthfully, I thought he would kill me anyway. Without warning, he dropped me on the ground, knocking the breath from my lungs. I thudded down hard with no chance to catch myself and I just lay there on my back, feeling stunned, expecting to feel his blade in my throat at any second.

He knelt down beside me and lifted my head by my hair. “What would you do if you managed to get away from us, boy? Where would you go? Your father took Ellien’s gold for your purchase. Don’t you understand? You were bought and paid for. Your own family sold you to us. If you were to manage to escape and go home, he’d only bring you back.”

He spoke in a voice that was dark and yet remarkably conversational, considering that if what he said was true, he had just taken a torch to my life and burned down everything I thought I knew.

“No! I don’t believe you!” I yelled at him, but at the same time, I knew that what he said was probably true. My father had been the one who told us to go on the hunting trip that fateful morning, which had been unusual. Normally, he would have had plenty of work for us to do. My brothers had led me to that trail in the forest and sent me on ahead once we spotted the wild boar. They had melted back into the woods and disappeared quickly even though they were supposed to be right behind me, and I called for them again and again and blew my hunting horn repeatedly for help. Utter betrayal hit me hard.

I was stunned, but I vowed to myself never to show it.

“I hate you all. You’re lying,” I gasped, even though I believed his awful words. I was fighting to keep my voice strong and unwavering. I couldn’t let anyone see how much it hurt.

“Lord Ellien is a treacherous dog. It was he who lured me to those woods with his damned Fairy magic.” I felt like I was dying, and tears of hurt and anger kept filling my eyes, no matter how often I dashed them away. I tried to fight against the feelings that were trying to consume me. Had my family really found me so worthless that they would sell me to the Fairies? This had to be some nightmare that held me in thrall, and I’d wake up soon.

Bracca tilted his head to the side to regard me carefully. I had no idea what he might be thinking.

Ellien spoke up. “Your father was given a good price for you.”

“But why? I don’t understand. What have I ever done to you?”

“It wasn’t personal,” Ellien said with a shrug. “I needed you for the trade.”

“But why me ? I don’t understand. I’m nobody important.”

“What does it matter why? I’ll take you now,” Bracca said, “and this business is at an end.”

I gasped and got to my feet, swaying only a little, my knees going weak. A chill shot down my spine. Take me? Take me where? I had expected the prince to kill me and leave me in cold blood at his feet. I could then at least be buried here, near where I lived, and not far from where I was born. My spirit might not have to roam for all eternity, searching for my home. I never imagined this Fairy prince would take me with him, away from everyone and everything I’d ever known, only to kill me at his leisure. Maybe even to torture me.

“I curse you all!” I said, with one last glare over at Ellien. “I curse everyone in this realm! If the dead can return, I’ll come back for all of you. I swear it! I will!”

Ellien gave me a last horrified look, but I turned my back on him with an expression of disdain and contempt.

“Did he just hiss at you?” Bracca said to Ellien, sounding amused. “A nice touch. And he cursed us all too. I admit I’m impressed.” He grabbed my shoulder and turned me to face him “Anything else to say, boy, before we go? Get it all out.”

“Yes. Now that you mention it. Ellien has more gold,” I said, pointing at the Fairy lord. “More than just those bags over there. There’s plenty of it in his storerooms, along with jewels. I’ve seen it. He’s hiding it from you, and you should take every penny of it. He’s not going to even try to stop you, because he’s a cowardly dog, and besides, what do I get from all this? My life and that of your soldier should have more value.”

Bracca tipped up the corners of his mouth.

“Should it? Very well then, I agree,” he said, still looking amused. He barked out the order to his men to take all the gold, as Ellien shivered and fell to his knees on the ground. Bracca shrugged and spoke to him almost kindly. “The boy thinks you owe him for his life, and I think he has a point, since you did trick him to get him here.”

Ellien looked up at Bracca in outrage. “You told me to!”

Bracca smiled and shrugged. “A minor consideration. My captain’s life has to be considered as well. And since both the captain belonged to me, and this boy belongs to me now,” he gave me an arch look. “…so does the gold.”

Ellien wisely kept his mouth shut, while Bracca held out his hand to me, palm up. “Come along, boy. I’m growing bored with all this. We need to be going.”

I snatched my hand back away from him. “What you told Ellien is a damned lie. I belong to no one but myself.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, boy,” he said, in a voice that sounded bored with all of this. “And you’d be wise to start governing your tongue before you lose the use of it permanently.”

Horrified, because I knew he would do it, I continued to stand there, thinking about taking up my sword again, wondering if the Fairies would take their revenge out on my family if I did. I wondered if I even cared. If not for my stepmother and my little brother, I think I would have tried a fight to the death.

Bracca reached up, hooked the brim of the hat I wore with one finger and tossed it to the ground. “You may as well leave behind this cheap fur hat Lord Ellien gave you,” he said. “Take off that coat too. And the ugly boots. I don’t allow anyone to wear the fur of the creatures under my protection in my father’s kingdom.”

What? Rabbits were under his protection but not minks? As usual, these Fairies were impossible to comprehend.

At my confused glance, he lifted one shoulder. “The snow creatures are in my domain. Besides, do you really want anything this Woodland Fairy gave you? Go on, take all of it off.”

I turned to look at Ellien, still scowling behind me. I took off the offending items and threw them at him, striking him with them as he tried to dodge out of the way. “Give these to the next fool who believes your lies. If you can find one. Better yet, give them to my father and tell him this is all that’s left of his son. Tell him how I died for his greed. Tell him I’ll haunt him too. Every night. Rattling chains up and down the halls.”

He cowered away from me, giving me a shocked look. He even looked a little scared, and it made me feel glad, though I think he was more afraid of Bracca than he was of me—even dead me. I had no idea how I’d found the courage to say all that to him anyway. But after all, I could only be murdered once. Like Bracca said, I might as well get it all out.

I bent over Ellien as he cowered on the ground and said, “I won’t try to kill you again, in case your stupid soldiers avenge themselves on my family but remember what I said about coming back here and walking your halls and the ramparts of your city walls, moaning and wailing. I will. And if you harm my family, I’ll do it every night. I’ll haunt you and this entire city until your dying days. I’ll give you and your people no rest. No respite. Look for me in the dark shadows of your bedchamber at night, because I’m coming.”

He looked up at me in horror. The curse of a dying man was considered to be a very serious thing, even if I wasn’t dying just yet. I laughed again—a little maniacally, I knew, just for show. But I wasn’t entirely acting either. It had hit me as I was threatening him that I really was about to die, and I wasn’t anywhere near ready for that. I was feeling crazy and out of control. I meant every word of my threat to haunt everyone concerned if I could, and I fully intended to do it. It would be the first matter I’d take up with the angel of death when I saw him.

“Enough of all that,” Bracca said, as if he was sensing my dark thoughts. He took my arm and pulled me along with him.

I gave up then and let him take me. He had come to take me as his recompense, as his sacrifice—as whatever he wanted me to be for whatever twisted Fairy reason he had. And I could see now that my rabbit fur had indeed looked cheap and tawdry next to the rich minks of Bracca’s Fairies, anyway.

I didn’t fight Bracca as he led me toward that strange rip in the fabric of the air that he’d first appeared through. I knew it was useless. I went along with him and looked back long enough to shake my fist one last time at Ellien. He blanched with fear, and I threw back my head and laughed. My theatrics didn’t last long, though. Bracca yanked on my arm, and I was pulled through the rip and into the coldest, blackest night I had ever experienced. And I prayed to a God I had mostly ignored all my life that He would have mercy on my soul.