by E. Menozzi
“Impossible,” he said. “Tell me where they’re keeping Godda.”
My head snapped up, and I met his gaze before I could control my reaction. “What did you say?”
“You heard me, girl. Tell me where they’re keeping my wife.”
“Godda.” I blinked. “Your wife?”
“Are you really this daft? Yes. My wife. Godda. Where is she?” He sank into a throne-like chair and drummed his fingers on the arm.
“But that would make you…”
“Lord Edric Sauvage, master of these lands, entrusted by the king of England to keep the peace. Yes, I am.” He signaled to one of his men. “Now you, girl, will answer me. Tell me where they’re keeping my wife.”
“But Lord Edric is dead. You can’t be…”
“Of course I’m dead, you ridiculous girl.” He set his goblet on the arm of his chair and waved his fingers back and forth through the solid metal. Then he flicked his wrist and his hand became solid again as he lifted the goblet in the air.
“Impossible.” Maybe he was a magician. There was no way I was standing here talking to a ghost.
“And yet, here I am. And here you are. Now, we can do this the easy way, where you tell me what I want to know. Or we can do this the hard way.” He motioned to his men, who took a step toward me. “Which will it be?”
“I told you, I don’t know where your wife is.” I wanted to believe this man was delusional, but he did resemble the paintings I’d seen of my uncle’s dead ancestor. Perhaps this man was an actor playing a part in a reenactment for the festival. If so, he was doing a spectacular job staying in character.
“Either you are the most skillful liar I’ve ever met, or you are completely naive.” He stood and walked toward me, circling me once before continuing. “I don’t think you’re that talented of a liar, but you’ve clearly been marked by a Fae, so I suspect you’re not as naive as you’re acting. Shall we do this the hard way, then?”
Marked by a Fae? What did that mean? I wanted to ask, but I feared what reaction that would bring. Perhaps if I played along, he’d let me go.
He waved an arm, and the two men, who I assumed were guards of some sort, walked toward me.
One pinned my arms behind my back and the other wrapped his hand around my hair and pulled, exposing my throat. He held a knife against my skin and pressed the point under my chin. I pulled away from the knife, only to find myself pressed against the man behind me. Lurching away, I nicked my skin on the knifepoint. A trickle of warm blood dripped down my neck, ending the idea that I’d been plunged into a festival drama.
“Now, let’s try again,” said the man who thought he was my uncle’s ancestor. He stood over me and stared down at me.
Fear coursed through my veins. “I don’t know anything,” I said. “I swear it.” My body began to shake. Tears filled my eyes. I’d never see my family again. I tried to breathe and recall everything I’d learned about Edric and Godda.
Edric nodded at the man holding the knife to my throat. The knife point moved from my chin to slice at the shoulder of my gown. The fabric split and fell away to expose my shoulder. I grabbed for the fabric, only to find the knife returned to my throat. I froze, and a whimper escaped my lips.
“Sharp, isn’t it?” Edric asked. He ran his hand over my exposed shoulder and down my bare arm. “The one who marked you has good taste. But my Godda was more beautiful. And I want her back. I know the Fae have her. Tell me where she is.”
“Godda’s dead,” I said.
“Is she, now?” He frowned. “We both know that can’t be true. If she were, then she would be here, with me. I’ve searched the Underworld. She’s not there.” He gripped my earlobe and squeezed it. “I’ll ask again. Where is she?” He tugged my head closer to the blade, and I pulled against him, trying to inch away.
“I don’t know.” Tears escaped from the corners of my eyes and slid down my cheeks.
“Your tears won’t sway me, girl. I won’t stop until she has been returned to me, if I have to find and kill every single one of her kin.” He nodded at the man holding the knife.
“Master,” said a voice from the back of the room. The guard holding the knife hesitated.
“You’re interrupting me,” Edric said. “This better be worth it.”
“One of the prisoners has successfully defeated the beasts. We have a new champion,” the voice said.
“Bring him here,” Edric said. He waved his hand at the guard with the knife, and the man released my hair and stepped back. I let my head drop forward and kept my eyes down as I listened to the footsteps approach.
“Master,” a voice behind me said. “The new champion.”
I watched Edric from beneath my brow. He sat forward on his throne and placed his elbows on his knees.
“Well, isn’t this interesting.” He stalked toward the man they’d brought forth who stood to my right and a little behind me. I couldn’t see him without turning my head. So, I kept my head down and tried to catch a glimpse from the corner of my eye.
Edric’s feet disappeared from view as he slowly circled the man.
“Yes,” he said. “This is very interesting.” He returned to his throne, paused for a moment, then pivoted to face us.
Extending his arms out to his sides, he addressed his men. “Hunters, it appears we have a distinguished guest for our festivities this evening.” Directing his attention to the man they’d brought in, he continued, “How kind of you to join us, and how convenient that you’ve earned the honor of becoming our Solstice Champion.” He dropped his arms and took a few steps forward before continuing. “You will be our honored guest for our solstice celebration this evening.”
He nodded to the guard holding my arms behind me. “Take them back and get them cleaned up and dressed. The festivities will begin in an hour.”
“Yes, Master.” The guard released my arms and grabbed the back of my neck with one hand.
Edric’s attention returned to the champion. “The girl will join you this evening at our celebration.” Then he spoke again to the guard holding me. “Leave them in the same cell and bring her the clothing and supplies they’ll need. Let her tend to the champion.”
“Yes, Master,” he said. He gripped my upper arm and led me away. When I turned, I finally got a chance to look at the man they were calling the champion. I forced myself not to react at the sight of Liam standing in front of me. Deep gashes covered his body. Some still oozed blood. Dirt and blood matted his clothes and hair. But underneath the filth, it was Liam, and my heart lurched. I wanted to run to him, but I held myself still. He didn’t look at me before he turned to follow one of the other guards. Clutching my shoulder strap to keep my dress from sliding to the floor, I fell into step behind him.
The long walk down the center aisle and down to the cells below gave me more than enough time to catalog the injuries covering his back. He looked like he’d been left in a cage with wild animals. No matter what he said, I wasn’t letting him out of my sight again. We’d get out of here together, or not at all.
They tossed Evelyn into the cell after me and slammed the door behind us. A guard passed a stack of clothing through the bars and set it on the floor. I waited until we were alone before I lunged for her.
“Are you okay?” I tilted her face up until I could look in her eyes.
“Am I okay? Look at you,” she said. She pulled back so she could look me over. “You’re a mess. What did they do to you? Are you hurt?” She leaned toward me and placed a hand on my cheek. I winced.
“I’m fine. Or, I will be,” I said. I touched the spot of blood under her chin. “He kept you and sent the others back to the cells?”
“That man is insane, Liam. He thinks he’s Lord Edric! Can you believe it? I told him Edric is dead, and he tried to tell me he was a ghost. He did this magic trick where he made it look like his fingers could pass through a solid object.” She s
hook her head.
I frowned. “He’s not a ghost, Eve.” I’d been hoping to avoid this conversation. But, since we were both still here, I was going to have to do some explaining.
“I know! But what is going on? And where are we?” She paced to the bars of the cell, glancing back and forth down the empty hall.
I shook my head and dove in. “What I mean is, he’s not just a ghost. Ghosts can’t take physical form. He’s a spirit. And not just any spirit. He really is the spirit of Lord Edric.”
She spun around and stared at me. “Are you teasing me?” When I didn’t respond, she continued. “You’re joking, right? You don’t believe him, do you?”
I walked over to her, taking her hands in mine. “I know this sounds crazy to you. You don’t have to believe me. But you must know that he’s dangerous. We need to find a way out of here.”
She narrowed her eyes. “It does sound crazy. But I agree with you about the fact that we need to get out of here.” She leaned back and looked down the corridor again. Then she turned to face me. “Do you have a plan?”
“Not yet. I’ll tell you what I know and maybe we can come up with one together.” I knew I had to tell her something to prepare her for whatever Edric had in store for us, but I couldn’t tell her everything without putting her life in more danger even than it already was. I’d have to choose my words carefully.
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Edric’s spirit returns around each solstice. He leads a band of other spirits who are seeking revenge, or just interested in causing trouble. The locals call it the Wild Hunt. They captured you, and they’re holding us prisoner. I’m fairly certain that Edric is up to something, inviting us to his party.”
“Are you trying to tell me that all those men out there are spirits? All of them?” She looked at me like I was trying to convince her the sky was orange. I couldn’t blame her. “They’re solid. One of them held a knife to my throat. They dragged you down that corridor.”
These were spirits at the peak of their strength. To the untrained eye, they would easily pass for human. It would be easier to just let her continue to believe whatever she’d decided to believe.
I sighed. “Yes, but that’s not what’s important. What’s important is getting out of here.”
“What about the woman? The one I gave my bracelet to? The one you said was your relative. Wasn’t she supposed to help get us out of here?”
“She’s my aunt, and she’s a captive. Like us.” Even though I could really use her help right now, I hoped Sorcha had managed to escape with the other prisoners.
“So, she’s real. The rest of them are just ghosts.”
“They’re real. They’re spirits, not ghosts. Spirits of real people.” And Sorcha was Fae, but if I could keep her from learning about us, then maybe the Fae would have no reason to kill her, assuming we managed to escape whatever Edric had planned.
Evelyn covered her face with her hands. I wrapped my arms around her and held her against my chest. “Please, believe me, Eve.” She leaned against me, and I tilted her face up so I could look her in the eyes. “We’re both in a lot of danger right now and we don’t have much time. I promise you, I’m telling you the truth.”
She frowned. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” She pulled away and reached for the bowl of water and the cloth they’d left for her to use. I watched her, trying to think of what I could do to get her to believe me.
“What did he say to you?” I asked as I peeled off my shirt. Most of the gashes had started to heal already, but I was still covered in dried blood. The fabric ripped away from partially healed wounds, causing them to start bleeding again.
“He wanted me to tell him where we’re keeping his wife, Godda.” She pulled a stool over and motioned for me to sit on it.
“What did you tell him?”
“What was I supposed to say? She’s dead.” She dipped the cloth into the bowl, submerging it to absorb the liquid.
“You said that? You said she’s dead?”
Evelyn glanced up at me. “She is, isn’t she?”
“No one knows.”
She scowled as she wrung out the rag. “What do you mean? She lived centuries ago. She must be dead by now.”
“What did he say when you said that?”
“He said he’d searched the Underworld and she wasn’t there, so she couldn’t be dead. He kept insisting I knew where she was and was lying to him. That’s when he said that thing about me being marked by a Fae. What do you think he meant by that? Fae? Like a faerie? He thinks I’ve been marked by a faerie?” She snorted. “I think I’d know if I’d ever seen a faerie, let alone been marked by one, whatever that means.”
My mind replayed what Edric had said when they’d brought me to him. He’d looked between me and Evelyn and said, Interesting. My stomach sank. What had I done? Was it possible that I’d marked her in some way? I searched her body as she moved around me.
“Liam?” she asked. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
“No, no.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her down onto my lap. “You didn’t hurt me.” I pushed her hair back from her face and leaned in to kiss her lips.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, resting her forehead against mine. “Now, let’s figure out how to get out of here.”
She dipped the cloth into the water and squeezed some of the moisture from it before bringing it to my face. Very gently, she wiped away the blood, dabbing around the cuts and bruises.
“What happened to you?” she asked as she worked. “Did they beat you? What did they mean when they said you’d defeated all the beasts?”
I sighed. “They threw me in a dungeon and left me to defend myself against the current residents.”
“Animals?” She stared at me with her mouth open.
“A few,” I said.
“They left you to fight off animals? With what? Your bare hands?”
I shrugged.
“No wonder you look like that. I need soap. And some antibacterial ointment. You could be infected.” She started to get up, but I pulled her back down.
“It’s okay. They’re not infected.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Let’s just work on getting out of here. Then you can clean them with as much soap as you’d like.” I raised an eyebrow and grinned at her.
She swatted at me with the damp rag. I dodged it, kicking the bowl in the process. Water sloshed up the sides but didn’t spill. “Enough messing around,” she said, dipping the rag drop back into the water and wringing it out. “We may not have much time.”
“All right.” I took the bowl and the rag from her. “Let me finish this. You go see what they left us for clothes. Maybe it will give us an idea about what’s in store for us tonight.”
She kissed my forehead and stood. I knew how much danger we were in. If Edric knew Evelyn and I were somehow connected, he could use that against us. And I wasn’t entirely sure that being Edric’s “honored guest” was a good thing. I hoped Sorcha had escaped with the others, as promised. We needed to figure out a way to stay alive and stall him, in the hope that help was already on the way.
I watched her walk to the bars of the cell and bend to retrieve the clothes. She was beautiful. If Edric forced me to reveal myself in front of her, I’d lose her forever. Our laws were clear about what happened to humans who discovered us. Fiona would kill her to protect our kind, and I would be powerless to stop her.
“Looks like they left a gown for me and some pants and a shirt for you.”
I splashed the water onto my face to clear my head, then rinsed the blood from my hair. She held the folded bundle of clothes out to me. I took them from her and handed her the bowl.
“Party clothes,” I said.
“Why is he doing this?” She turned her back to me and faced the wall as she pulled the white gown over her head and stepped in
to the emerald-green one they’d left for her to wear. She pulled the straps up over her shoulders but left the back open.
“Remember I told you that he thinks my family has something that he wants?” She held her hair up, and I reached for the zipper on her dress. I let my knuckles run over her spine as I pulled the zipper closed. I leaned down and kissed her bare neck.
“He thinks you have Godda?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“But Godda disappeared. That’s what the legends say.”
I nodded and stripped out of my jeans. “Precisely. She went missing. She never returned. But he’s convinced she’s not dead. Probably because, as he told you, he can’t find her spirit.”
“But how could she still be alive? She’d be close to a thousand years old by now.” She wasn’t wrong, but that was well within the possible life span for Fae, even for those who chose to reproduce. Not that I could explain that to her.
“She’s not.” Or at least, we were all fairly certain that she wasn’t. She really had just disappeared. Of course, all this happened long before I was born. I pulled on the clean wool trousers and slipped the black shirt over my shoulders.
“Why would your family know anything about Godda, anyway?”
“We’re related.”
“You’re related to Godda?”
I nodded.
“So I was right. She was just a woman and not a Faerie Queen. Did you tell my uncle this?”
That wasn’t the conclusion I’d expected her to come to, but it was better than the reality. “No. We didn’t really discuss it.” At least it was easy to tell the truth to answer her question.
“Is that why you’re working for him?”
“Partly. I became interested in history because of my family. And it’s my interest in history, especially my family’s history, that earned me the job with your uncle.” No lies, but definitely not the entire truth.
“So, this spirit of Edric thinks you’re going to be able to tell him where Godda is because you’re related?” She reached for the front of my shirt and began buttoning it.
