by E. Molloy
"Yes, sir."
"And you are not one of them."
"No, sir."
"What a shame. You've been such pleasant company so far."
"Thank you, sir."
"One parting favor, if I may request."
She hesitated, then slowly replied, "Yes, sir?"
"Allow me the pleasure of your company, tomorrow?"
Her gentle features scrunched slightly, and she accidentally raised her eyes to his with a curious expression. Immediately, she lowered them again. She was blushing, and her soft voice replied, "My duties don't leave me much time to-"
Niko interrupted. "You spend so much time waiting, I thought I would give you something interesting to wait for," he grinned.
The girl nodded quickly, her timid smile resting beneath reddened cheeks. Niko bowed his head a little in a gesture of thanks, though she couldn't see it with her eyes turned to the floor. Without another word, he entered the room, and the girl closed the door behind him. A click in the door as she locked it behind him, and he was to be stuck here until summoned. Hopefully, it would be in a timely fashion. His smile disappeared the moment he was alone, returning to a more somber expression as he observed his surroundings.
The room was well decorated, red satin sheets with matching drapes and rugs that covered the entire floor. He had no luggage, and had traveled here with almost nothing. From his pocket, he retrieved a small hunk of metal shaped like a pyramid and hollow at the bottom. Niko moved toward the large domed window and set the thing on a table beneath it where the sunlight fell. He moved it along the table slowly until the sun hit it just right and the tip began to glow. Just above the pyramid, in an ethereal purple aura, symbols and faces appeared and faded quickly. He watched with serious expression, and then closed his eyes with a sigh. Turning the pyramid, the color changed from purple to yellow, and the symbols and faces stopped, replaced now by a map of the castle and surrounding city projected on the table in front of him. Many points on the map were marked with numbers and others with symbols and scrawled notes in his native language.
A knock on the door, far sooner than he'd expected, broke him from his daze. He snatched the trinket from off the table and the images disappeared as soon as it left the light. Tucking it back into his pocket, he stood from his seat. "You may enter," he replied.
He heard the click of the door unlocking, and a young man appeared. He didn't enter, and kept his eyes to the floor. "Sorry if I disturbed you. I was sent to find out if you want for anything?"
"I'm quite fine, thank you."
The boy nodded. "The King sends his regrets that he will not have time to grant an audience today," he said, speaking rehearsed words. "He has offered a companion to be sent to your room, to make the time pass faster. And I am to attend to any other needs you have. Food or drink, mostly."
"Companion?" he asked, never having had that kind of offer before.
"Yes, sir," the boy said, cheeks reddening. "She will be here shortly. In the meantime, is there anything else you require?"
Niko waved a hand dismissively. "I don't need company, thank you."
The boy spoke quieter. "The King sends her as a gift, and would be insulted if you refused her." It was obvious that these were his own words, spoken quietly in warning. It was also obvious by his nervousness at the matter that the King likely wouldn't respond well to the kid taking no for an answer in this matter.
"Then let him be insulted," Niko replied, watching the kid's features closely. "I prefer solitude to whores."
"But, I..."
"However, I have changed my mind about wanting for anything," Niko interrupted, then walked toward the boy. He produced from his pocket a small black satin pouch. Loosening the ties at the top, he removed five gold coins from the bag. Holding them up in front of the boy, the young man's eyes glowed at the sight of them. He stared as Niko gave his orders. "Have a tailor sent to my room within the hour. I will also require wine, a deep red if you have it. If not, send someone into town to procure it. I will need two goblets of silver, one with a sapphire embedded into it and the other with an amethyst. All of this within the hour."
The boy took the coins, unable to resist touching them before moving to hand them back. His eyes shot down to the ground. "I...cannot leave the castle grounds, sir."
"Then find someone who can."
The boy hesitated, and then nodded. "I will return with what remains of y..."
"No. Send the goblets and wine with the tailor. Assure him he will be well compensated when he arrives. You are not to knock on this door again until the King is ready to see me. Is that understood?"
The boy hesitated, as though he were afraid to argue and afraid not to. "How will you eat?" he asked finally. This reply told him that the boy didn't expect for him to be called upon for at least a day. Niko wasn't content to be locked in a room and forgotten, however.
"I will starve, and your King will be to blame for locking me in this tower without food. Unless he calls on me before I am famished, in which case it shouldn't be a concern."
The boy stopped breathing, and then swallowed hard. "I'm...I'm sorry sir, I can't do that."
Niko smiled. "Oh, but you can. You were sent to see if I want anything, and this is what I want. If it's not within your power to give, ensure that someone else does, since I can't leave this room to do so myself. Since that isn't your fault, the amount that remains after the transactions are done is yours to keep, as a token of my gratitude.
The boy paused again, and then raised his eyes to Niko. A genuine look of confusion was on his face. "I cannot take off from my duties," he said, feeling trapped. And rightfully so. It should have been easy for him to say yes to this, but it wasn't. And the more he declined, the reasons he gave, told him what he was looking for.
"Ah, and I thought you would say that. Therein lays the catch, my young friend. If you decide not to do as I've asked you to do, then you are already shirking your duties. As I am an honored guest in this castle, and you just a servant, it is your duty to attend to my needs and wishes as I see fit. And, I see it fit for you to fulfill that list. Should you refuse, then you are not doing your duties in that sense either, and your king will surely hear about the impression I've gotten of his country by means of a lowly servant denying my simple requests."
The words hung heavy in the silence as the boy realized he was trapped. Niko waved his hand as if to shoo the boy, "So, you had best get to it before I think of more tasks for you to attend to."
The boy's face was red, and he was very obviously clenching his teeth together. Niko thought he saw a tear forming, as well, and this told him all he needed to know. The boy didn't just need this job, he was this job. He was no servant, paid to stay and keep the peace. If he was, he would have taken the offer gladly, maybe even enjoyed some time away from work. Instead, he clenched his fist tight around the coin, nodded silently, and walked away. A tear fell from his cheek to the floor as he removed himself, not even remembering to close and lock the door behind him.
Niko's smile faded as he looked out into the open hallway, considering a look around. Instead, he closed the door, resigned to speak with the king before stirring up trouble. His distaste for this country was growing thicker with each person he met. He was sure that the King would not make matters any better. In fact, at this point he was counting on it.
Chapter 17
The wolf lay beaten, bloody on the forest ground. In truth, he'd known from the beginning it was a fight he would lose, but his betrayal would serve as enough of a distraction for the fae to hopefully give the two kids time to escape. He'd managed to put enough distance between them to at least get them out of sight for a while. The thought had occurred to him that he would probably die doing this, but in this he had to choose his enemies. While the witch that had called on him made grand promises, he had never seen her as a threat. Her tasks were simply a means to an end, a cure for his boredom, and a way to have some fun and sometimes get something out of it. What
he smelled on Daveth and Lillian, he had smelled it from the start, made him realize that this was the time where he would have to choose his enemies carefully. He was afraid of the fairies, he always had been, but there was one thing in this forest he feared more, and his two newest companions reeked of her. Whether they realized it or not, she had been messing with their lives, and he for one was not going to stand in the way of whatever she had planned. He had made that mistake once before.
The male fae was worse off than Ragen was, his body forming roots from every pore as he lay on the ground. The roots dug into the ground, but he wasn't dead. No, in fact he seemed to be healing slowly as he merged with the earth. The main reason Ragen had worked with this pair for so long was because of their incredible ability to never want to die, even when they'd bled their last drop of weird-colored blood. Ironic, he thought now, that he would die by their hands.
The female, on the other hand, was in prime condition. Any injuries she'd sustained had healed incredibly quickly, and Ragen was starting to get the feeling that the male had been giving his life-force to fix her up. It made sense, anyway. Better one grievously injured fighter and one untouched than two mostly injured ones. Or maybe he was just projecting his theories, trying to distract himself from his inevitable doom as the woman stood over him, leaf-green foot pressing against his neck as he bled from hundreds of tiny cuts all over his body. His dark fur was matted down with blood, and in the darkness he looked almost like he was covered in oil.
Her voice an annoying screech against his overly sensitive ears, the fae hissed. "I knew you were a stupid dog, but this is just incredible," she insulted.
Despite the pressure on his throat, he forced out a chuckle and reply. "I'm flattered that you think I'm incredible, daisy."
The pressure on his throat tightened, and he felt as though his eyes would jump from his skull. Unable to breathe, his long dark tongue flapped as he tried to cough, as though it could somehow grab up air and force it into his lungs. No such luck, though. She hissed again, although calmer this time. "You know you're going to die here, right?"
He tried to speak, but without air, it was proving difficult. Just a forced cough escaped before she continued, voice growing lower and more threatening, as if she even needed to -try- to be scary. He didn't know what she was capable of, not fully, but from what he'd seen in the past years, he knew he didn't want to know. "But first, you're going to tell me why," she smiled, lifting her foot from his throat. Ragen tried to inhale, but he choked against even that. A coughing fit, and then strained words came out, "You're even dumber than I thought...if you haven't figured it out yet."
She didn't seem offended by the insult, but her eyes narrowed curiously. A fae's biggest weakness was their curiosity, though he knew that wouldn't be enough to kill her, or to save him. Just keep her talking, buy the kids some time, and accept your death like an honorable man. When she didn't reply, he knew she wanted him to go on, and the threat of her foot looming near his head kept him talking. "I've a nose for these things, you know," he chuckled, straining to get to his feet. His legs wavered beneath him, and he crumbled to the ground again. "Kill me if you want, but you won't be able to kill those kids. Whatever brought them here is bigger than us, and bigger than the one who you take orders from."
"You took orders from her, too," the fae snapped, and he heard in her voice a hint of jealousy. Was she hurt that he'd broken their alliance like this? He didn't really think the fae had feelings.
"I did," he sighed, "And I was ready to again. You ever see something in someone, and you just know they're part of something bigger than you?"
She huffed. "Absolutely not."
Chuckling, he replied, "Of course not. You stick around your lake, luring in prey and sucking them dry. Tell me, fairy, why don't you leave your lake?"
She considered whether or not to respond, and then seemed to consider her answer. It was likely she'd never been asked before. Ragen knew, but he'd wondered if the fairies ever figured it out. What drove them there in the first place, a remote place with very few humans to pester, far from civilization where they waited for fun instead of finding it on their own.
After a moment, she replied cautiously. "I don't have any reason to."
"Do you have reason not to?"
She scowled, irritated with what she could clearly see was some sort of game he was playing. "We came here because there were humans, settling on the lake, and we hoped to have fun."
"So, where are these humans?"
She paused, thinking it over now. Her expression said she was confused, distraught, suddenly realizing that she'd forgotten an entire chunk of her life and the reason behind it. "We probably killed them. We own the lake," she said, but he could tell she wasn't convinced. Talking with her was like arguing with a ten-year old.
"And nothing stronger than you has ever come to your home, broken your rules, pissed on your ground?"
"Nothing stronger than me, no," she said, growing irritated again.
Ragen laughed, a dry chuckle distorted by small coughs and intermittent choking which eventually turned into full on coughing fit, blood spurting from his mouth.
"Get to the point, wolf. This game is getting boring."
He caught his breath again, but made no attempt to get up. Everything was getting dizzy, and he didn't know if it was their magic or his own lack of blood, but it wasn't good either way. He spoke slowly and quietly, so quietly that she had to kneel down and lean in to hear him. "I used to think these woods were mine, a long time before you two came here," he started, then decided to spare the rest of the story. It would be wasted on ears like hers. "Until I pissed off the person who owned them. I won't make the same mistake twice."
The fae laughed a musical high pitched flittering sound. "You think she still lives! The witch who planted the trees? Tell me doggy, did you hope to get into her good graces by touting around some pathetic humans through my forest? I'll let you in on a secret. The witch is dead, has been for centuries, and she's not going to come save you this time."
Ragen growled, but released the tension into another hollow chuckle. "You really are dumb. I'm trying to warn you, not save my own hide," he snapped. "She's never been a fan of mine, so I'm not so dumb to think she'll be my hero. But she's marked that kid, touched him or something. I can smell it all over him. You'd be smart to walk away from this. We both know you won't win a territory battle in this one."
Ragen smiled, and closed his eyes. He was feeling at peace with all of this, somehow, now. "You think what you're going to do to me is bad? You think I should be scared, and that is cute. I'm not afraid of you. I probably should be, but at least with you, I know what to expect. Cruelty. And death. You said it yourself. If I pissed her off," he huffed a little, and then looked up to the fae with warning in his eyes. "Again? Heh. No thanks."
The fae laughed again. "Well, she sounds charming. I can't wait to show her what a wonderful addition we've been to her forest," she said, tongue in cheek.
Ragen chuckled as well. "We've made a good team so far. I never liked you much, but...well…I’ll die happy knowing your end is near."
"Saying your final goodbyes before I take what little life you have left?" she said, reveling in the power she thought he was giving to her.
"Consider it a farewell from the forest. If you go after those kids, you won't have a chance for goodbyes."
"Bored," she snapped irritably, and all at once pain seared through every inch of his body. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and his eyes went wide. Long brown spikes of hardened earth had risen from the ground beneath him, impaling him in six different places. With his last thoughts, Ragen recalled just how much he hated magic.
High tent peaks toppled as the temporary homes were disassembled. Women and men and children, dressed in tattered garments dirty with dust and mud, removed the poles from the ground that held up the large tarps that they called home each night. One of the young women hummed quietly to herself, and a man across
the way bobbed his head in beat with the familiar tune. A few feet away, a little girl danced clumsily, twirling about like a princess in her ill-fitting poorly-stitched dress that looked like a large bag with holes ripped in it and the sides mostly sewn together.
A young boy, no older than nine or ten, sharpened a blade on a stone. He was very focused on his task, but the girl swooped past him in a twirl of joy and innocence, and he couldn't help but look her way with a grin and a chuckle. He stopped in the middle of his task, motioning for her to come over to him. The girl excitedly jumped to the opportunity, breaking her dance to rush over to him and climb onto his lap. Even in his young age, the boy was built as though he had done nothing but labor since he could walk.
Pulling her in to settle her on his lap, he asked, "Do you know what that song is about?" He was aware that her dancing about would likely get in the way of the adults pulling down camp, and hoped to keep her distracted for a little bit. His task could wait.
The little girl shook her head, big eyes looking up to him expectantly like a hungry puppy silently begging for a treat. "It's about our home, this forest, and the witch who owns it. They say she planted a thousand trees. Whenever someone she loved died, she would grow a tree for them, so she would never be alone."
"Where is she now?" she asked, eyes filled with a hope and fantastical ideas of the witch of the forest.
"She still lives here, in these woods, with her family."
"Does that mean we're her family, too?"
He shook his head. "No, we're just visitors here. She's gracious enough to let us stay, as long as we don't cut down the trees."
She scrunched up her face at him, as if something didn't add up. "If she lets us stay, why do we always have to move around? Can't she just let us use a part of her forest, since it's so big?"
He looked off into the woods. Even with the rising sun, the shadow of the trees was immense and dark. He seemed to dwell on the idea longer than she wanted to wait, and the girl tapped at his chest to urge an answer. His smile had faltered, but now returned full force as he turned his eyes away from the ominous darkness and down to her. He continued telling the tale, as he'd been told it, and countless before him had passed it down.
