I heard voices coming from inside the house. They started pleasant but quickly escalated into a heated argument. Absorbed by the muffled bickering, I cried out in fright when the unmistakable brush of a feline body rubbed my leg. I moved my foot to hide her behind my cloak. She gave a disagreeable meow but seemed to understand my instruction to stay out of sight.
“Are you out of your damn mind!?”
The fur door was flung aside. Out scurried a second man, who froze, mouth agape, when he laid eyes on me. Husky and as tall as my stranger, he had sweet walnut-colored eyes under thick brows, a full curly brown beard, and dark hair visible beneath a tan cap. He wore a pair of brown woolen trousers tucked into the top of his black boots with a long-sleeved tan tunic. The leather belt tied under his round tummy held a variety of different-sized wooden spoons. A small button nose and plump rosy cheeks made him appear as if smiling came easy, but currently he couldn’t rid himself of the astonishment of seeing me in the cavern.
My stranger followed behind him. His cloak had disappeared, revealing many scars marring his shoulders and arms. He gave a small chuckle as he sat on the ground by the fire, casually leaning his back against the seating log.
The chubby man rubbed his fingers into his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. “What do you expect me to do about it?”
“She followed me.” My stranger shrugged, giving a devious smirk.
“She followed you?” the new man repeated incredulously. “Right.” He turned to me with a sigh, clearly trying to swallow a horrid situation. “Good morning.” He smiled pleasantly.
“Good morning,” I cautiously replied.
“My name is Bromly Keene.” He dipped his head to meet my downcast gaze. “And your . . . escort? . . . whom you followed”—he rolled his eyes at my stranger—“I’m sure hasn’t introduced himself to you. This is my brother, Darric Ursygh.”
Darric Ursygh.
I looked at him, pleased to finally have the name of my rescuer, but the ability to form coherent words eluded me. I started to tremble from a combination of nerves and exhaustion and clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering.
Darric inquisitively tilted his head to the side. “Generally, introductions call for reciprocation.”
“Don’t make this worse by being you!” Bromly snapped. “What he means is, what’s your name?”
“Ay—” I slammed my mouth shut. I had not considered the possibility of anyone asking personal information. Ayleth was the Divine Princess of Alamantia. Everyone knew that, even nomadic peasants. The name was mine and mine alone, an appellation that could not be given to another Atheran child until after my death. Ambrosia warned me I would have to forget the Rose Court. Could I really pretend to be someone else? Take on a completely different identity? But I wasn’t Ayleth anymore. Ayleth was the girl I’d left behind in silk dresses, jewels, and a corset, inside stone walls. She didn’t belong here. “Uh . . .” I stammered.
“Ay-uh?” Bromly repeated, confused.
The new name left his mouth and settled in my brain in the final instant before I would be considered mentally incompetent. “Aya.” The alias rolled off my tongue with ease. It felt right. Simple and pretty. “My name is Aya.”
The cat leaned into my leg, purring wildly.
“Aya. Okay. Lovely. And where are you from, Aya?”
“Um . . .” My mind went blank. What should I say? How was I supposed to act? What were the five provinces of Brisleia? Where did it make sense for me to live?
“Amusing,” Darric said. “She wasn’t nearly so speechless before.”
Bromly let out a frustrated breath. “You see, Aya, we don’t kindly greet visitors.”
“In other words, you are not welcome here,” Darric interjected.
Bromly glowered at his brother.
I was having trouble making sense of the change in my stranger. The man who had been reluctant to leave me behind in the final stages of our journey. The one who had saved me from falling to my death and led me by the hand to this cavern.
“I didn’t intend to disturb you. I tried to stop earlier, but he—” Darric glared at me with such malice that my voice locked itself in my throat. The wisteria forest had captured my heart. It was miles away, but even that might not be far enough from these mysterious men. “There was an isolated forest before—”
“Clearly there were many places you could have chosen to stop following me,” Darric interrupted. “Yet, here you are.” His stare intensified. The message was clear: stop talking or face the consequences.
“Yes, she is here,” Bromly reluctantly acknowledged. “And she knows we’re here too.”
“That’s a problem all its own,” Darric added.
“Agreed. Yet, I have to wonder why this problem ever occurred in the first place.” Bromly frowned at Darric. “Are you hungry, Aya? I made breakfast.”
“Bromly,” Darric began, “don’t feed her.”
Ignoring my stranger, Bromly plucked a wooden bowl from the seating log, detached a spoon from his belt, and ladled a large helping of creamy soup into the dish. After handing it to me, he sat by the fire and proceeded to make a bowl of his own. “Please.” He gestured for me to join them.
I wobbled on stiff ankles, cradling the dish against my belly until the heat became unbearable. I dropped onto the last empty log and nestled the bowl in my lap.
Without my dress to hide behind, the cat darted out of the cavern and dived into the brush.
“And she has a damn cat.” Darric pointed at the feline.
“She’s not my cat. I don’t know where she came from. Or why she’s been following me.” I turned the soup over with my spoon, watching the steam rise.
“You can’t be serious?” Darric said in a tone that questioned my sanity.
Bromly gave a discreet chortle that rounded his rosy cheeks. He spooned stew into his mouth as if he was ready to enjoy the morning’s entertainment.
“Then you won’t mind me disposing of her for you.” Darric pulled the hunting knife from his boot.
“No!” I squealed, horrified, then quickly recoiled. “I mean, yes, I mind.”
He brandished the weapon and shoved the blade back into his boot. The longer I sat near him, the more menacing he seemed.
“I’d rather you leave her alone.” I couldn’t help but glance at the piles of fur stacked behind me.
I spooned the first bite of soup into my mouth, trying to ignore the penetrating stare of steely blue eyes. Despite not having eaten for days, I wasn’t hungry, but not wanting to be rude, I let the warm liquid slide down my throat. A sharp pain hit my stomach with the second unnecessary bite, and the nausea grew evermore severe.
“All right, now that we’ve decided to keep the cat . . .” Bromly finished the last of his soup and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “What village are you from? If you’re lost, we can help you get back. Darric knows the landscape.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Darric stated dryly, transferring his gaze to my soup bowl.
“It doesn’t matter where I’m from. I can’t go back, and I have no intention of ever doing so.” And I did not want to disappear back into the hellacious woods with Darric.
Intrigued, Bromly set his bowl down and rubbed his hands on his knees. “So, you decided to follow a heavily armed nomad?” He pointed at his brother. “How the hell does he seem like a friendly travel companion?”
I forced a small grin at Bromly’s sarcasm.
“Well, this is just fascinating.” He smacked his hands on his thighs and beamed at Darric.
“I know what you’re insinuating,” Darric growled.
The cat stuck her head out from the brush and gave an angry hiss, then quickly went back into hiding.
Darric gripped the hilt of his sword to taunt the feline. “And the cat is enough reason to make me take her back to that cave tonight.”
Bromly’s face filled with trepidation. “Which cave?”
“That cat is beautiful,”
I argued, though I had not liked her either upon our first meeting.
“All the more reason to skin her,” Darric threatened.
“Every thieves’ cave is over thirty miles from here,” Bromly said. “You mean to tell me you kept up with his endless trekking? He doesn’t stop.”
“It was annoying,” Darric groused.
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not so easily dismissed.”
“Clearly,” he stated, a poisoned edge to his voice.
Bromly tossed a stick in the fire. “You’ll have to stay here with us for now.”
“No,” Darric argued simply.
“Hey, Darric.” A third man folded the fur door closed behind him. “You’re alive. An’ in one piece. Goooood.” He rubbed his eyes. “If ya two are gonna yell at each other this early, do me a favor an’ go outside. My sleepin’ time is important.”
This third inhabitant was the tallest of the three but much thinner, almost frail when compared to the toned appearance of my stranger and the brawn of Bromly’s frame. He had pointed features, and his nose tapered into a sharp end. Rust-orange hair covered his head, and he didn’t seem to care that a brown leaf was caught in the strands. He wore a faded green tunic and oversized gray wool pants, but he lacked shoes, and the same orange fur that grew on his head sprouted from his bare feet.
I tightened my grip on the soup bowl, the increasing male presence making me apprehensive.
The redhead gave a sleepy yawn and stretched his arms out to resemble a scarecrow, with each finger extending like a twig. His bulbous emerald eyes landed on Darric’s haversack.
“Pork!” he enthused, running to the satchel. He dug in with both hands and shoved two fistfuls of dried meat into his mouth. Bits flew from his noisy chops and sizzled on the edge of the fire.
Disgusted, Darric kicked him away from the pack and casually tossed the bag behind his resting log.
“Flint?” Bromly drawled.
“Yeah?” The man’s cheeks bulged as he looked up and finally noticed the female addition sitting by the fire. He gaped, revealing a mound of brown mash. “Whoa . . .” A cascade of chewed pork fell from his mouth, and he quickly closed his lips and swallowed. “You’re a girl.”
“You’re observant.” Darric sighed, exasperated.
The redhead slid onto my log and scooted so close that his thigh brushed my leg. He extended a hand that glistened with a wet layer of saliva. “I’m Flint Keene. Nice to meet ya.”
I stared at his moist skin. “Aya,” I said, trying not to wrinkle my nose.
“Ya came with Darric?” He flashed a smile, baring every tooth in his wide mouth. “Are ya from Burge?”
“Darric is trying to claim that she followed him here,” Bromly provided, amused.
Flint let out a derisive laugh. “Yeah, right.” He picked a pork shard out of his tooth and flicked it into the flames.
The smell of burning meat hit my nose, and the nausea ripped through my core like a knife. The bowl fell from my grasp as I doubled over, clutching my stomach and groaning in sheer agony. The soup burned as it rose back up my throat. I tried to stop it, but the pressure increased, and I vomited onto the ground. Flint jumped back to avoid the onslaught.
My entire body went limp from the bewildering pain. I fell from my seat, and hard muscular arms encased me when Darric caught my trembling body inches before it hit the stone. I sank into his chest.
A bombardment of swearing erupted from Bromly. “Darric, which cave?”
“The one on the west ridge, south of the city.” My stranger’s serene voice echoed in my head, so beautiful when he wasn’t angry.
“Why didn’t you tell me the second you got here?” Bromly shrieked in alarm. “Why did you let me feed her? You know what they do to people. Aya! Aya! Can you hear me?”
I wanted to respond, but I couldn’t. The cavern spun as I convulsed.
“I’m aware of what they do to people,” Darric said. “I was hoping this would happen before we reached the Hovel.”
“Why? She could die!” Bromly yelled.
“It’s the easiest way to handle this.”
Bromly’s soft hands wrapped around my shoulders. He started to shake me, trying to bring me back to the surface. I flapped around like a rag doll. “Aya, did they make you drink anything? Aya! Answer me! Damn it, Darric! How could you do this?”
Their voices faded. I could no longer comprehend my surroundings, and the darkness took me.
The Senate ordered the Onyx Guard to take every Dreamer to Medial Alexandria. Most Fae were too young to understand the consequences. They blurted their secret in public or told their families, who became terrified and turned them over to the Senate. Others risked everything to hide their damaged child, defying the law. The Onyx Guard always found them. They could sense them. They knew them when they saw them, though it was not public knowledge how the dark-cloaked Sights detected the Fae.
I started dreaming the day I turned thirteen, but I was not so sure anymore that was factual. Maybe I’d always suppressed the reality. I did not want to be a Fae any more than I wanted to be Divine.
The darkness transitioned into the dreaming abyss. Flowers grew around my bare feet: wisteria. They sprouted in the wrong direction, gravity acting backwards so the dangling pink and purple petals pointed skywards. I breathed in the intoxicating smell, and a chill made me wrap my arms around myself.
The entity that had tried to kill me crept back into the shadows.
My last memories awake were of an inconceivable place with three men whose intentions remained unknown. I pressed my fingers into my temples. Wake up, Ayleth. Wake. Up. Now.
The plush fur I lay on tangled between my legs and wrapped around my waist, making me hot. Soft. I smashed my face into it. The strong scent of musk, mold, and burning leaves, followed by a floral undertone, filled my nose. A sleeve of rabbit fur covered the down pillow. I sank deeper into the lumpy, uncomfortable mattress and pulled the sheet over my head. It was the wrong time to be dreaming. Why couldn’t I be like the rest of the world and see only blackness when I slept? Experience the peaceful meditation of a blank mind?
I rubbed my hands over my face; the mark of the Divine still lay hidden beneath my skin.
“This changes everythin’.” I recognized Flint Keene’s voice coming from somewhere nearby.
“There is no guarantee the girl will be coherent,” answered Darric Ursygh, “if she wakes up at all. I need you to think rationally. Her brain could be severely damaged after a poisoning of this magnitude.”
“Whadda ya suggestin’? Killin’ her?” Flint asked in alarm.
“We have disposed of people before,” Darric said calmly. He could have been talking about something as simple as breakfast instead of murder.
A hard slam sounded against a wooden surface. “No, you changed the rules. You brought someone here. Ya can’t do this to me. How could ya live with yourself?” Flint asked, his tone accusatory.
“You are already too emotionally involved.”
“Ya promised me. Ya gave me your word. I deserve to be happy, like Bromly. You made the decision to drag us out here. To hell with the rules now. Next trip to Burge, Hazel should return with us,” Flint insisted. “Bromly, wouldn’t ya love to have Hazel here with ya? Ya could marry an’ be with her all the time.”
“I gave you my word predicated on the girl’s healthy survival. Don’t drag Bromly and Hazel into this,” Darric rebuked.
“You can’t control their lives too.” Flint’s grating voice shook me further out of the sleepy haze. “Answer the question, Bromly!”
“Why would I want Hazel here?” Bromly Keene said, his voice quieter than the others’. “She has a fine life in Burge. Her mother needs her. I would never ask her to give that up to live isolated in a pig sty in the mountains. She deserves more.”
Pig sty?
“Ya risk losin’ her,” said Flint. “Every time we go back, ya risk that she’s married someone else. Gone forever. Sick of waitin’ fo
r ya.”
“I would rather she marry a good man she loved in my absence, one who could provide for her amply, than risk her safety by bringing her to a place where she could be hurt, or worse,” Bromly explained.
“Darric put those ideas in your head. He’s gonna ruin your chances. He changes anythin’ he wants, when he wants.”
“The girl is a temporary situation.” Darric’s composure remained unaffected by Flint’s belligerent tone. “You would do well to remember that.”
“Aya! Her name is Aya!” Flint snapped.
Aya?
“You don’t know what you are getting yourself into. This girl is a calamity,” Darric continued, “and you are too blinded by your own ambition.”
“I am not!” Flint yelled, and my eyes flew open to see a dark room. “I say she stays. Bromly wants her here too.”
“Don’t put me in the middle of all this,” Bromly interjected. “If you two are making stupid pacts about some girl, then I want nothing to do with any of it.”
“Even if I allow her to stay—”
“She’s stayin’!” Flint interrupted, his shout followed by a metallic slam.
“And what plan have you devised to ensure this doesn’t go awry? Seduction?” Darric’s voice dripped sarcasm.
“Uh . . .” Flint’s confidence flattened. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“By all means, take your time,” Darric taunted.
“Darric, Flint has a genuine argument. You brought an outsider to the Hovel—”
“I did not bring her here on purpose—”
“Yes, we’ve heard you every time you’ve said it, though the evidence is to the contrary,” Bromly countered. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter what events led to this. She’s here, and we all need to come to an agreement on how to handle the situation. I hate to admit it, but I agree with Flint this time. Even if his motives are absurd.”
Darric let out a long groan.
Soft paws pressed into my back, followed by a gentle tug on a strand of my hair. The cat pulled harder until the ringlet broke.
I flipped over, and she jumped to the ground. In her mouth, she held the stem of a flower with a small cerulean bud crushed at the end. She dropped the bloom and commenced licking her paw.
Dreams of the Fae: Transcendence Page 12
