Pawn (Fae Games Book 1)

by Karen Lynch

  I was a strong swimmer, and within seconds, I saw something white below me. I pushed through the water, ignoring my body’s demand for oxygen.

  Something brushed against my fingers. The kelpie’s mane. I grabbed for it and pulled myself toward the creature. Through the gloom, I could see Trey struggling to break free of her hold on his arm.

  I pulled back my free hand and punched the kelpie in the face. It wasn’t enough to harm her, but it startled her into releasing Trey. She whirled toward the new threat, but her mane was wrapped around my hand, so I moved with her.

  She screamed, twisting and turning agilely in the water. When that didn’t loosen me, she sped through the water. It was too dark beneath the surface to see where we were going, but soon that didn’t matter. My lungs burned, and I began to see white spots in my vision. I was going to die down here.

  I gripped the flowing white mane with my free hand, and my fingers touched something hard and smooth about half the size of my pinkie. I didn’t know what it was, but instinct told me it was important. I grabbed it and yanked as hard as my failing strength would allow.

  The kelpie stopped dead in the water. I wasted no time releasing her mane and kicking for the surface. My chest hurt, my vision was going dark, and my limbs felt like lead.

  I broke the surface, gasping for air. Water filled my nose and mouth, and I coughed violently. Freezing air burned my lungs, but it felt glorious because I was alive.

  I looked around for the boats, but I couldn’t even see their lights in the choppy water. The kelpie couldn’t have taken me that far from them.

  My eyes adjusted to the dark, and I could make out a large, shadowy shape ahead of me. Land. I had no idea where I was, but I needed to get out of the water before the kelpie decided to come after me again.

  I swam slowly, my energy sapped and my limbs almost numb from the cold. It felt like a lifetime passed before my feet were able to touch the bottom, and I crawled onto a small stretch of sandy beach.

  I lay face down in the sand panting for a few minutes before I pushed up onto my hands and knees. It was a supreme effort to stand, but I needed to assess my situation. Fighting off lightheadedness, I squinted at the blurry lights and mourned the loss of my glasses that were somewhere at the bottom of the East River.

  I tried to make out the lights. Was that the Bronx? If so, then where the heck was I?

  I racked my muddled brain until the answer came to me. I was on North Brother Island.

  North Brother Island was an abandoned island that used to house a hospital early in the last century. Now, it was nothing more than a wild bird sanctuary. There had been some talk a few years ago about the Agency using it as a holding facility, but that had fallen through. The island was strictly off-limits to the public, and no one ever came out here. Good for the birds. Not so good for me.

  A gust of wind hit me just as I felt a few fat raindrops. I shivered violently, and my teeth chattered so hard they hurt. Someone was bound to come looking for me, but that could take hours, maybe all night. It was already below freezing, and I was soaking wet. If I didn’t find shelter soon, I’d die of exposure before rescue came.

  There were buildings on the island, but they were little more than ruins. I had no flashlight, and I’d probably fall through a rotting floor or down some shaft. That didn’t leave me with many options, but I’d read enough to know a little about surviving in the wilderness. I couldn’t start a fire, but I could make a shelter, of sorts.

  I stumbled in the dark without even the moon to light the way. I’d almost made it to the trees when a weak ninny floated to me on the wind. It had to be the kelpie foal crying for its mother. Great. I’d escaped the mare, only to end up on the same island as her young. If I was lucky, I’d freeze to death before she tore me apart.

  I entered the trees where a thick carpet of dry leaves and pine needles crunched beneath my feet. I bent to pile up the leaves into a nest and realized I was clutching something in my numb right hand. I pried my fingers apart, but it was too dark to see anything. I didn’t need to see the oblong stone to know it had come from the kelpie’s mane. Whatever it was, it had saved me, so I held onto it for dear life.

  I managed to make a pile of leaves and debris without letting go of the stone. Then I lay down and burrowed inside my crude shelter. It protected me from the wind, but it was impossible to get warm in my wet clothes. I curled into a ball, shivering. It was going to be a long, cold night, and I prayed I would still be alive at the end of it.

  Sleep pulled at me, no matter how hard I tried to stay awake. I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open. Several times, I thought I heard a motor, but then it was gone and I wasn’t sure if I’d dreamed it or not.

  I thought I must be hallucinating when something soft and warm lay down beside me. It neighed plaintively, the sound of a child crying for its mother, before it laid its head down. I curled against its back with my numb hands tucked between us and tried not to think of what would happen if its mother came back and found me with her foal. For whatever reason, the foal had sought me out, and I wasn’t going to refuse this gift that might just save my life.

  “Thank you, little one,” I murmured as blessed heat began to seep into my chilled body. I closed my eyes and slept.

  * * *

  Something jostled me awake at dawn. I opened my eyes as the foal stood and left our warm nest. Movement nearby drew my eye, and my breath caught when I saw the white kelpie standing a dozen feet away.

  The mare watched me until her foal reached her side. I barely dared to breathe, waiting for the attack that never came. She sniffed and nudged her foal with her muzzle as if checking that her child was okay. Then she walked away into the trees with the foal trailing after her.

  I sat up, grimacing as my body protested from the night spent on the hard ground in wet clothes. My jeans and top were still damp and stunk of salt water and decayed leaves, and it felt like half the forest floor was stuck to my hair. But I had survived the night, and that was all that mattered.

  My legs wobbled when I stood, and I had to brace my hand against a tree to stay on my feet. Through the trees, I saw the beach and water, and I could hear the distant sounds of the city waking up. It was a comforting sound that made me feel less alone despite my situation.

  Pushing away from the tree, I took a step toward the beach. I cried out as sharp pain shot through the soles of my feet. I lifted one foot to inspect it, and I was shocked to see the bottom of my sock caked with dirt and dried blood. I must have cut my feet last night, and they had been too numb to feel the pain.

  I eased myself to the ground again and carefully removed my socks to check the damage. There were a few cuts on each foot, but thankfully, I couldn’t find anything embedded in my feet. This island might have been deserted a long time ago, but that didn’t mean there weren’t old nails or glass fragments lying around. The last thing I needed was an infection on top of everything else.

  I made a face as I donned my filthy socks again. They weren’t much, but they were better than going barefoot. With any luck, I wouldn’t be here much longer.

  The sound of a boat had me pushing up off the ground and hobbling toward the beach. I couldn’t see the boat, so it must be on the other side of the island. Lightness filled my chest. They had to be searching for me. If I stayed out here in the open, someone would find me.

  A minute later, I heard the sound of an approaching helicopter. I yelled and waved my hands when a white and blue chopper appeared over the tops of the trees. At first, I didn’t think they’d spotted me, until they came around and hovered above me. My throat tightened as the emotion I’d held back threatened to overwhelm me.

  I managed to get my emotions under control by the time a speedboat came into view. I did a double take and nearly tripped over my feet when the boat got close enough for me to see its occupants. Kerr stood behind the wheel, and beside him were Lukas and Iian.

  The helicopter moved away as Kerr took the boat as close to t
he beach as he could. Lukas and Iian jumped out, and I could only gape as they sloshed through the water toward me.

  “I can’t decide if you have incredibly bad or incredibly good luck,” Lukas teased when he reached me.

  “What? Why…are you here?” I croaked, reeling more from the identity of my rescuers than from being rescued.

  Lukas gave me a smile that would have turned my insides to goo under different circumstances. “Prince Vaerik owes you a debt of gratitude, and he always repays his debts.”

  “Tell him he didn’t have to repay me for that, but I’m thankful he did,” I said hoarsely. I took a step toward Lukas, and my legs suddenly decided they could no longer hold my weight.

  Lukas caught me before I face-planted in the sand and swept me up into his arms. My brain short-circuited for a few seconds, and I wasn’t sure if it was from exhaustion or from the warm, hard chest I was pressed against.

  “I can walk,” I protested weakly, though we both knew I was lying.

  He didn’t respond as he carried me to the boat. Iian jumped on board, and Lukas passed me into the other faerie’s arms. I expected Iian to set me down on one of the seats, but he handed me back to Lukas once he was aboard. Lukas sat with me cradled on his lap as Kerr took us out into deeper water.

  I shivered when the wind hit me, and Iian pulled off his coat to cover me with it. Murmuring my thanks, I rested my head wearily against Lukas’s shoulder. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this safe.

  Over the wind and the engine, I heard Kerr mention my name and realized he was talking into the radio. That was when I noticed the Harbor Patrol boats on the river.

  “Are they looking for me?” I asked Lukas.

  “Yes, but I believe they are on a recovery mission, not a rescue.”

  I lifted my head as shock rippled through me. “They think I’m dead?”

  “They did. Kerr is letting them know we have you.”

  My mouth opened, but no words came out. Everyone thought I was dead. I couldn’t blame them when I’d jumped in the water after a kelpie. But the idea that they were out here looking for my body sent a shudder through me. I burrowed under Iian’s coat for warmth, and Lukas wrapped his arms more tightly around me.

  “How did you find me?” I asked when I could speak again.

  “You can thank Faolin for that. He monitors Agency communications, and he heard a report this morning about the three bounty hunters who went in the river last night and two were presumed dead. You were listed as one of the missing hunters.”

  Faolin was the reason I had been rescued? I wasn’t sure my brain could take any more shocks today. “So, you decided to look for me even though you thought I was dead?”

  “Only the body of a male hunter had been recovered, and Conlan said we shouldn’t write you off so easily.” Lukas chuckled. “As always, his instincts were right.”

  I frowned, realizing for the first time that Conlan wasn’t here. “Where is Conlan?”

  “He and Faolin are in the helicopter that located you.”

  Neither of us spoke for several minutes until he said, “Do you want to tell me how you went from being drowned by a kelpie to alive on that island?”

  I recounted the events of last night. I explained how I’d gotten away from the kelpie and described the object I’d plucked from her mane. He didn’t say anything until after I’d finished my story.

  “Do you still have the stone?” He sounded curious.

  “I…” I patted my pockets and looked up at him in dismay. “I remember holding it when I went to sleep, but it’s gone. What was it?”

  He was quiet for a moment. “If I were to guess, I’d say it was a goddess stone.”

  “I’ve never heard of that.”

  “I’m not surprised. It’s a Fae legend. According to lore, the stones come from Aedhna’s throne and were gifted by her to creatures that had won her favor. Kelpies are said to be among her favorite creations.”

  “Wow.” Aedhna was the Fae deity who had created Faerie and every creature in it. The idea that I had actually held something touched by her hand gave me goose bumps. “What does it do?”

  “No one knows. The stone can only be worn by one who has won the favor of Aedhna, and to my knowledge no Court faerie has ever been goddess-blessed.”

  “Goddess-blessed,” I repeated softly. “If you want to go back and look for it, I can show you where I slept. It might still be there.”

  Lukas started as if my words surprised him. “That’s a generous offer, but it won’t be there. The stone goes with its rightful owner.”

  “The kelpie.” I remembered how she’d watched me this morning. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why didn’t she attack me when she found me with her foal?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “She might have perceived it as you comforting the foal while she was gone. Or the foal’s lack of fear of you made her believe you weren’t a threat.”

  “Or you do have incredibly good luck,” said Iian. I looked up to find him smirking at me, and I realized it was the first time he’d ever spoken around me.

  Talking had worn me out, and I closed my eyes to rest for a few minutes. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted into the back seat of an SUV and settled once again on Lukas’s lap.

  “Are you taking me home?” I asked through a yawn.

  “You need to see a doctor,” he said firmly. “We’re taking you to the hospital.”

  I looked at the empty space beside him. “You don’t have to keep carrying me. I can sit on my own.”

  “Your feet are injured, and you can’t put weight on them until they’ve been treated by a doctor.”

  I slumped against him, too tired to argue.

  Before I knew it, I was in the emergency room at the hospital. I expected a wait, but Lukas spoke to someone and I was seen to immediately. A chipper male nurse cleaned and dressed my feet and joked that I’d be back on them in no time. Then the doctor informed me I had to stay overnight because of my “harrowing ordeal.” I needed to get home to Finch, who had to be freaking out by now, but no amount of arguing on my part could convince them to let me leave.

  A nurse wheeled me to a room where I used the phone to call Violet, who took a good five minutes to calm down when she heard my voice. Like everyone else, she’d believed I had drowned in the river. Once she was talking sensibly again, I asked her to go to my apartment and check on Finch before she came to the hospital. She said not to worry, that she’d take care of everything.

  I hadn’t seen Lukas or his men since I was admitted into the ER, but I didn’t expect them to hang around here. They’d gone above and beyond, and they could consider their prince’s debt repaid and then some.

  “Can I take a shower?” I asked the nurse who brought me to my room.

  She took in my grimy appearance and pointed to the adjoining bathroom. “You can shower in there. Do you need help?”

  “I think I can manage.”

  She provided me with towels and a clean gown before leaving. I dropped my filthy clothes on the bathroom floor and stepped gingerly beneath the hot spray, moaning at the sheer pleasure of it. I would have stayed in there for an hour, but my feet hurt too much and I was bone tired.

  Quickly, I shampooed my tangled hair and soaped down my body before rinsing off and getting out. It felt amazing to be clean. All I needed was some food and a warm bed, and I’d be as good as new.

  I towel-dried my hair, but I had no brush to get the tangles out. I tried to comb my fingers through it and had to laugh at the futile effort. Without conditioner and a good detangling comb, my hair was impossible to manage.

  My laughter died when my fingertips touched something small and hard attached to a lock of hair at the back of my head. I twisted and pulled back my hair to see it in the mirror, but I already knew what it was. I stared at the smooth stone less than an inch long that was almost hidden in my thick hair. But instead of being white, it was now the exact shade of red as
my hair.

  Chapter 13

  I sniffled and reached for a tissue to blow my nose. Immediately, Violet was at my side.

  “Are you too cold? Do you need another blanket,” she asked like I was nearly at death’s door.

  “I have two blankets already. Sit down, and stop worrying. It’s just a little head cold.”

  Violet frowned. After she’d shown up at the hospital yesterday and had nearly strangled me with her hugs, she’d appointed herself as my personal nursemaid. The nurses had to force her to leave when visiting hours were over, but she was back again first thing this morning to take me home when I was discharged.

  “You nearly died,” she reminded me for the umpteenth time. “I think I have the right to be a little worried about you.”

  Finch, who sat on the back of the couch next to my head, whistled in agreement.

  “Sorry.” Being sick always made me grumpy, and I’d never liked being fussed over. I was taking my bad mood out on her when all she was doing was being a good friend.

  The doorbell rang, and Finch ran to his tree house as Violet went to answer the door. People had been calling or stopping by all day to hear my tale of survival and to bring me cards and food. I’d always thought you only brought food when someone died, but apparently almost dying was a food occasion, too. I had more casseroles and desserts than I could eat in a month, and I’d already sent a bunch of them down to Mrs. Russo.

  Guilt washed over me when I thought of the family of Jeff Burry, the hunter who had died. They were also receiving food gifts, but instead of get-well cards, theirs were sympathy cards.

  As footsteps approached, I glanced up at an unusually subdued Trey. His eyes were tired, and he was paler than normal.

  “Hey, Jesse,” he said with a small smile. “You look good.”