Page 31

A va froze.

They’d found her. Deidamia’s army had found her. Just when she thought she was getting close. Almost to safety. The small bit of hope she had been clinging to fell away as she scrambled to come up with a plan.

Two other figures emerged from the trees, too dark in the waning crescent moon for her to see them clearly but she heard them as they discussed her fate.

“Well, this is a nice surprise,” said a smooth male voice as he stalked toward Ava and her captor.

No. She wouldn’t be a prisoner again. Wouldn’t be laid out and tortured on The Scourge’s table again. She’d rather die. There would be no missed chances of escape like when she was at the camp. She was going to fight back now .

Ava turned and slammed her head against the face of the woman beside her. The woman released her with a surprised gasp, and she sprinted into the woods. She barely made it ten yards before the tall man grabbed her around her waist and lifted her off the ground as if she weighed nothing .

“No!” she screamed as she tried to wrench herself from his grasp. “Let me go! Get off me!”

She managed to get her dagger and tried stabbing him, but she missed.

“Stop,” he urged as she continued to kick and tried to get away.

She reached down again and thrust her dagger toward his leg, this time finding purchase in his thigh.

“Fuck!” he shouted, but still didn’t let her go.

Quicker than she was able to make sense of, he adjusted his grip and had her arms pinned at her sides, carrying her as she still struggled against his hold.

“I’m not going back!” she screamed. “I’m not going back!” She repeated it over and over, screaming and snarling like a feral animal.

“Don’t let her go, Raine,” said the woman.

“I’m not, but she fucking stabbed me and now my pants are ripped,” said Raine.

“You’re fine,” replied the woman.

“Bring her to the general,” said an older sounding man as he approached. “See what he wants to do with her.”

The general? That terrifying general Or’thir who appeared in the woods the day she arrived through the portal? Panic taking over again, she tried kicking at her captor whose name she had learned was Raine, but it was no use and he kept a tight hold of her.

She tried looking at the three soldiers, but it was still too dark in the thick woods and she couldn’t see their faces. Couldn’t tell who they were.

“Stop struggling,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt you but if you try anything again, I’m going to be pissed.”

Underneath the authority in his voice, there was something else.

Something… almost kind and even a little humorous.

There was no aggression or malice, and it made her pause.

She to ok a breath and stopped, the fight leaving her as exhaustion took its place.

If this really was a group of daemon soldiers, she’d have to wait for a better chance to escape.

They were obviously much stronger than she was.

Though now she wasn’t quite sure they were part of Deidamia’s group.

“Get the rope, Jorrar,” said the woman.

Jorrar approached as Raine held her tight, binding her wrists in front of her.

“Let me go,” she insisted, trying to hide her trembling.

“Just following orders, human,” said Raine who held her tightly while the other finished binding her hands.

Jorrar placed a piece of cloth in her mouth and secured it at the back of her head.

“I’m going to let go of you, but don’t try anything,” commanded Raine.

He let her go and held onto a long rope attached to her wrists, leading her into the woods, while the woman and Jorrar flanked her.

Their short trek ended as they came upon an open field with rolling hills and the same mountains in the distance, even closer than they were before. The sun started to peek over the horizon, and she was now able to get a look at her captors as they led her to a small camp.

A fire of mostly coals and cinders still glowed in the middle of their site, surrounded by a few small logs being used as seats.

Four tents were neatly set up around the fire and they appeared to have been carefully placed so as not to disturb the terrain.

As if they cared for the flora around them, not wanting to harm the grasses and flowers growing in the field.

The opposite of the brutal army camp where she had been staying before.

It wasn’t the daemons.

She watched them with suspicion as Raine led her to the center of their camp.

He was tall, lean and stunningly handsome, with a beautifully sculpted face and perfectly symmetrical features.

His hair was so blonde it was almost white and cascaded down his back, his pointed ears peeking out, and he had cunning blue-gray eyes filled with mischief.

He was dressed in leather armor thick enough to halt blades but allowing for better movement than the cumbersome metal armor the daemon army wore.

Fae. They were fae. Though they weren’t part of Deidamia’s army, they still might be dangerous, and she didn’t know what they wanted with her. Why they grabbed her and brought her to their camp.

The woman to her left had olive skin, the same pointed ears and captivating upturned eyes of brown. Her long black hair was woven into intricate braids down her back, and she had multiple daggers strapped to her. She wore a forest green cloak over the same leather armor as her companion.

The one to her right, Jorrar, was older than the other two but just as handsome. With smooth ebony skin, peppered with a few small scars and graying hair at his temples, he donned the same armor and cloak as the woman and had the same pointed ears.

Are all the fae this good-looking? She wondered.

They reached the center of camp as the woman spoke.

“Cas, we found something interesting you might want to get a look at,” she said looking over Ava with suspicion.

Ava stood, waiting, surrounded by the three warriors as the flaps of a tent opened and a large fae stepped out.

His presence was imposing, lacking any semblance of kindness on his face.

While his expression wasn’t mean, he was stoic, giving nothing away.

He wore the same armor and green cloak, and an emblem was stamped into the leather at his shoulder.

A tree.

Her eyes widened when she recognized it as the same one from the book. The book which was still in Deidamia’s hands. The Elderoak, Luna had called it. Were they from her kingdom?

They had called him the general. Realization washed over her as she recalled what Remy had said.

This had to be the general of the Earth Kingdom’s armies, The Bear.

This was a group of fae from Monterre. Racking her brain for more information, she remembered Remy said the earth fae were welcoming but protective.

She had to be careful but figure out how to win them over without telling them her secrets.

He walked toward her with the grace and brutality of a trained warrior who had seen many battles.

His chestnut brown hair matched the color of his beard, and flowed below his shoulders, adorned with several small braids, his pointed ears barely peeking through.

He had a scar that began near his chiseled jawline that trailed down the side of his neck and disappeared under his collar.

Though he wore armor, it was obvious that he was rippling with muscle as he stopped and crossed his arms; a general assessing the threat before him.

Despite the suspicion in his bright golden eyes, he was devastatingly handsome, and Ava shifted beneath his scrutiny.

“Percy found her sneaking near our camp, Casimir,” said Raine, still holding the rope. “She killed the helwraith we were tracking. And fucking stabbed me.”

Ava glanced at Raine’s leg. Blood dripped down his thigh, though he wasn’t acting like he was in much pain. She didn’t feel bad about it.

Casimir’s eyes widened at his companion’s statement and bored into hers as she met his stare.

Ava wanted to blurt out she wasn’t sneaking; she was only trying to get somewhere safe. She didn’t want to be here with yet another group of people she knew nothing about. That they scared her and she fought back, thinking they were part of the enemy army.

But she remained gagged and didn’t attempt to speak .

Casimir grunted and looked to the older male awaiting his assessment.

“It looks like we found the human woman,” Jorrar stated.

The warrior spoke, a gruff yet smooth low voice. “Obviously.”

Ava kept her face neutral and said nothing. If they wanted her to speak, they could remove the gag. Casimir walked forward and stopped a mere foot from her. Though she was tall, he still towered over her five-foot nine frame, causing her to look up to meet his eyes.

Fuck, he’s huge, she thought.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” he asked.

She shrugged and glared at him, sick of being treated like a prisoner. She didn’t want to condemn herself by giving him any information. Remembering what her mother had said in Deidamia’s camp, she used her anger, channeled it. She didn’t want these fae to see her as weak.

Casimir turned away and stalked back toward his tent. “Start packing. We leave in an hour. The king will know what to do with her.”

Assuming the king was in the capital, they must be taking her to Mosshaven.

Could she be so lucky to run into a group who wanted to take her to the place she was supposed to go?

She couldn’t blurt out she was some long lost fae.

They’d never buy it. She would remain quiet, observe their dynamics and hope they didn’t want to kill her.

Raine told her to sit down and not to move as the other three packed up camp.

They had one horse with them, a stocky gray mare who was being used to carry the rolled-up tents and other supplies.

Looking at the horse, she was relieved she didn’t have to ride it.

Her nervousness around horses was something she didn’t want them to see.

She sat on one of the logs next to the embers, watching the group with suspicion and a slight bit of fear .

The woman caught her staring and smirked at her. “Are you scared, darling? You should be.” She winked, before turning back to the horse, securing the last of their supplies.

“Stop taunting her, Quinn,” said Jorrar, who seemed to have a hint of warmth in his eyes.

She had now learned all their names. The woman was Quinn, the older one Jorrar and the brute was Casimir, their leader and the one they called The Bear, though she saw no signs of his ursine companion. Raine was the gorgeous blonde one she had stabbed in her panic to get away.

Once the packing was complete, Casimir said, “Keep her in the middle, Raine. Quinn and Jorrar you flank the sides and I’ll lead. Let’s get going.”

Casimir led the way of their small party, heading toward the expansive green mountains in the distance, Raine walking next to him. Ava followed a few feet behind them flanked by Quinn who was still carrying her weapons and satchel, and Jorrar who had the lead for their horse.

She was still gagged and though she had dozens of questions stirring in her mind, she said nothing. At least no one was torturing her.