by Dyan Chick
When the song ended, my heart sank. I wasn't ready for it to be over and I wasn't ready to let go of Cormac's hands. We stood there for a moment, my hands locked in his, both of us breathing heavily from exertion as the floor cleared around us.
"Your grace," Nikolai called.
Cormac dropped my hands abruptly and turned to face our host.
"If you allow me, I'll show you the way to my estate."
The interruption left me wondering what may have come to pass between us had we been given just a few more minutes. While I wanted to be upset about Nikolai's timing, I couldn't help but smile as I followed him and the princes.
Chapter Nineteen
The term estate wasn't quite accurate to describe Nikolai's house. At least not by human realm standards. It was a comfortable home with four bedrooms, a dining space, living room with a modest fireplace, and a good sized kitchen. He even had two bathrooms so guests didn't need to share with their host.
Compared to Cormac's home, there was nothing impressive about Nikolai's. Though, I'd seen families crammed into one room shacks the size of a horse stable who would gladly live in a place like this. To some, this would be luxurious. Nikolai was proud of his home, taking us from room to room and showing all of the things he had updated and improved. He pointed out the polished wood floors throughout the home, the tapestries on the walls, and the sparkling stone he'd used to trim his fireplace.
All of the furniture in the home was well loved and well worn. In a way, it was refreshing to see things that actually got use. Aside from my bedroom growing up, my family had seemed almost afraid to use the furniture in most of our living areas. They were obsessed with keeping it in pristine quality so we could show off the wealth we didn't have when people came to visit.
Finally, we arrived at the guest bedrooms. I could see the sun shining through the open windows of the first room and realized it had been a full day and night since I'd last slept. Focusing on the joy of getting some rest, I lost track of what Nikolai and Cormac were discussing and made myself rejoin the conversation.
"And if you prefer," Nikolai said. "You're welcome to use my room as well."
"That won't be necessary, these accommodations are more than adequate," Cormac said.
"Your house is lovely," I added when I noticed Nikolai's slightly crestfallen face at Cormac's comment. "Your family is very lucky to live here."
Nikolai inclined his head. "Thank you, lady. You are too kind."
His eyes swept over the four of us and then he pointed to the bathroom down the hall. "There are fresh towels and everything you should need in there."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Nikolai," Cormac said.
"If there's anything you need at all don't hesitate to knock on my door," Nikolai said.
As he walked away, I wondered where the blue dressed servants were. The party had lots of servants present to help with all the details whereas none of them appeared in Nikolai's home. I wondered if that meant he didn't have any of his own or if he’d given them the time off. Either option actually made me like him better.
"Cassia, which room would you prefer?" Ethan asked. "The rest of us can share the other."
"You want her to sleep alone with the monsters after her?" Dane asked. "I for one, would feel better if I were in there with her."
"I'm sure you would, Dane," said Ethan.
"She'll be fine," Cormac said. "There were so many people tonight filling the air with their scent that the beasts won't be able to track her for hours."
"I'll be fine." I turned to Dane. "Thank you for your concern."
I turned and selected the door nearest me, opening it just wide enough for me to slide through before closing it behind me. I didn't want to hear any other objections and I didn't want anything between me and some rest.
Despite my hesitation about joining in the festivities for someone else's wedding, it had been a thrilling and exciting evening. I couldn't remember the last time I truly had fun. Right now, I was tired and could use some time to clear my head.
I unlaced the trousers I was wearing and let them drop to the floor in a puddle before stepping out of them. Then, I pulled the tunic up over my head and tossed it aside. As I walked toward the large comfortable looking bed I unpinned my hair until it hung loose down my back.
I didn't have any night clothes to wear so I slipped in between the sheets in my sheer undergarments and settled into the soft pillows. I wondered if I should be worried about the Sodalis or even about our host. In the human realm, I never would have felt safe sleeping in a stranger's house. But there was something comforting about knowing that the three princes were in the room across the hall.
Somehow, I knew Cormac's words were correct. I had felt safe while I was at that wedding and I wasn't sure why. But even for someone who didn't understand hunting, his theory made sense. The sheer amount of guests at the party dancing and moving and sweating had to send a very mixed scent to a predator in the area. Pinpointing specific scents would be difficult.
I snuggled down under the fluffy quilt, letting my eyelids grow heavy. Tomorrow, I knew we would begin the long process of tracking and hunting the monsters. But tonight, I got to sleep in a warm bed and I didn't want to waste a second of it because I knew once we were on the road, finding a good place to sleep might be more difficult.
Something woke me, sending an uncomfortable prickle down my spine. I kept my eyes closed and listened for a second, almost afraid to open them. My first fear was that the monsters had found me and that when I opened my eyes I'd be staring at the fanged mouth of one of those horrid creatures.
I took a deep breath and realized the air smelled fresh like citrus and cedar. The monsters smelled like death.
Feeling a little braver, I opened one eye then the other and let out a sigh of relief as I realized the presence I was sensing in my room wasn't a monster. At least I hoped he wasn't a monster. I supposed that despite the bond and the safety I felt around the princes, I didn't really know any of them yet. And Cormac with his brooding temperaments and drinking and tough guy exterior, could be hiding something for all I knew.
I scooted back against the pillows pushing myself up to sitting as I calmly waited for Cormac to explain why he was on the end of my bed lounging in a position that gave me the sense he'd been there a while.
"You were talking in your sleep," he said.
"I don't talk in my sleep," I said.
"You were. I've been sitting here for hours," he said.
"Hours?" I asked. Then I realized I was wearing next to nothing and I grabbed the covers and pulled them up over my chest. "Why?"
"As I said, you were talking in your sleep."
"That's generally not a reason to come in and stare at someone while they're sleeping," I said. "It's creepy, and weird."
Cormac smirked. "Well, you did say my name a few times."
"You're making that up."
He shoved himself up from the bed and stood, raising his arms above his head to stretch. He made a good show of twisting and turning, pulling his tunic tight around him, showing off all of his sculpted form. "If you say so." He dropped his arms to his side and leisurely walked toward the bedroom door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Breakfast is ready. You might want to put some clothes on or I won't be responsible for what Dane does to you."
"Wait," I called after Cormac. He stopped with the door open behind him and then turned to look at me.
"What did you mean when you said I'm under your protection?" I asked.
Cormac closed the door and took a few steps forward, pausing before he reached me. "Everything we do and say here has meaning. I'm sure you've heard that the Fae can't tell a lie. That's not entirely true, but it's close. We don't lie because we don't need to lie. We know that words have power. When I said that you were under my protection, that doesn't mean right now or until I get bored. It means that I promise to look out for you no matter what."
"Why? You don't even know me."
/>
"I'm not sure," he said. "And that's not like me. I always think before I speak. I've never been one to let my emotions get the better of me. But for some reason, you seem to bring that out of me."
"I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing," I said.
"Neither can I." He turned and he left, closing the door behind him.
I was sure Cormac was getting tired of my questions; they probably all were. I really wanted to ask them about the magic that I unleashed, but the way that everyone had reacted made me think it might be a better idea to leave it alone. It wasn't the first time I had done it. It seemed to come out when I was afraid and feeling cornered. I wondered why I hadn't let it out when I was attacked by the beasts. I certainly felt cornered and afraid in those situations. But something about angry men coming after me was even more terrifying than a monster.
I slid off the bed and scowled at the pants I had left in a wrinkled pile on the floor. I probably should've hung them over a chair. I stepped into the pants and pulled them up, grateful that Cormac's maids had found me something suitable to wear. I wondered why he had them at his house. The trousers were far too small for any of the males to wear. Did he have a sister that I didn't know about? Or perhaps they belonged to a love interest who had spent time at his home. I knew that was an answer to a question I wasn't going to get out of Cormac.
I used my fingers to brush out my hair as I walked down the stairs toward the living spaces. Cormac, Ethan, and Dane were seated around a table with Nikolai.
All four males rose to greet me when they saw me and inclined their heads toward me followed by a chorus of, "Good morning."
I managed a weak curtsy. "Good morning."
Dane was the first on his feet in front of an empty chair and pulled it out for me. I took the seat and he shoved me and a little harder than he probably should've. "Thank you."
As soon as he resumed his seat, the other men sat and they all stared at me.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked the room in general, hoping to break the silence.
"Excellent, thank you," Nikolai said, not giving the others a chance to speak. "And you, my lady?"
"It was like sleeping on a cloud. Your home is a wonderful place," I said.
Bowls of food were passed to me and I quickly filled a plate as the others watched me in silence. I wondered what kind of conversation I'd interrupted. "Did we sleep through most of the day?" I asked.
"We've got about four hours of sunlight," Cormac said. "We'll have enough light to ride for a while before we stop."
I took a bite of a yellow fruit and had another piece on my fork before I even swallowed. It was juicy and much sweeter than the fruit I'd eaten at my old home. "What is this called?" I asked, lifting up the fruit.
"It's a peach," Nikolai said. "We grow them in our orchards. I'll send some with you when you leave."
"It's delicious," I said, eating my next bite.
"It's my favorite," Nikolai said. "What's your favorite food, your grace?"
I turned to look at Cormac. He looked displeased to be asked such a trivial question. "Anything with cinnamon."
"Not me, give me a big piece of meat," Dane said.
The males continued to talk about food while I ate my breakfast, smiling and nodding along to their conversation. Nikolai was gifted at small talk. I could see why he was the mayor of the small town. He made you feel at ease, comfortable. By the time he steered into childhood memories of skinned knees and climbing trees, everyone had finished their breakfast.
"Nikolai, thank you for your hospitality. When we return, I would very much like to have you and your family over for dinner at my estate," Cormac said.
Nikolai's eyes widened and the color momentarily drained from his face. He looked like someone had just handed him the very thing he always dreamed of. I'd seen that look before, on my father's face every time something happened to give him a step closer to climbing the social ladder. I hadn't initially pegged Nikolai for a social climber, but I supposed they had to exist here just the same as they did in the human realm.
Nikolai clapped his hands and nodded eagerly. "Thank you, your grace. That would be an honor for me and my family."
Cormac stood, and Ethan and Dane followed. Ethan walked around the table to my chair and helped me from my seat. The formality was rather interesting considering the casual way they'd all interacted with me on our first few days together. I wondered if it was something they were interested in doing and had just forgotten their manners, or if this was all a show for Nikolai. I supposed I would find out as soon as we were on the road together.
I turned to Nikolai and curtsied once again, feeling like I probably should say something in the form of a goodbye. "Thank you for your hospitality, kind sir."
Nikolai's eyes shone bright and excited. Hosting the princes had probably been the highlight of his night. When he told the story of his daughter's wedding, I had a feeling the fact that three princes turned up would be the most often retold part of the tale.
Chapter Twenty
It turned out, that the stolen hours spent riding my horse starting at a young age were worth their weight in gold. I was an experienced rider, so I could keep up with the princes, but I knew had it been my sister, Rose, in this position, she would've given up after the first hour in the saddle.
We continued down the road, passing sparsely dotted villages and the occasional farmland. I wondered if this was how everything looked here, miles between your nearest neighbor and town so small they made the one I grew up in look like a city.
I'd never actually been to a city, but I'd heard stories of cobblestone streets, buildings taller than three or four stories, and the possibility to buy anything you could dream of. I also heard they were crowded, smelly, and dangerous. Perhaps it was good we hadn't come across any cities, though my curiosity hummed in the background.
There was a constant internal vibration begging me to see as much as I could and experience as much as I could. I wanted to see everything, taste everything, and smell everything. It was as if I had just been born and everything was fresh and new and unfamiliar. It should have scared me, but I found it just made me more curious and more excited, driving the anticipation of what would be beyond the next hilltop as we rode along.
After riding in single file in silence for hours, loneliness tightened in my chest. I wondered if this was the way they always rode or if the addition of me in their party had silenced the princes. They seemed to know each other so well, yet they each came from a different court.
Cormac was upfront, with me behind him followed by Dane and Ethan. The road was wide enough and we hadn't seen any other travelers for a while so I pulled on the reins and picked up pace enough so that I could ride alongside Cormac.
He looked over at me as I settled into pace next to him. "Everything all right?"
"It's a long ride to complete in silence," I said. "Is this how you always travel?"
"When you're tracking animals, it's usually best to remain quiet so you don't let them know you're on to them," he said.
"Those monsters didn't seem to have any problem coming out with lots of noise around. Maybe they like noise," I said with a shrug.
Cormac turned again and lifted an eyebrow as he studied me for a moment. "That's an interesting observation. It's possible the creatures are attracted to noise, but they didn't attack the night of the wedding."
I slumped a bit in my saddle, the moment of smugness leaching out of me. "That's true."
"Where are we going anyway?" I asked.
"We got word that a few of the Sodalis made a home in the woods outside of Twin Falls. It seemed as good a place as any to begin," Cormac said.
"What is Twin Falls?" I asked.
"It's both a town and a place in the woods. A pair of twin waterfalls drew settlers to the area and they named their town after them."
"How much farther?" I asked, trying not to come across as tired and ready to get off the horse. I was still holding up
okay for now, but I knew it wouldn't be long before I would tire. Plus, the sun was dangerously low to setting and I wasn't thrilled with the idea of being out overnight.
"You see that hill?" Cormac asked.
I nodded even though he couldn't see me.
"Just beyond the hill there's a farmhouse owned by a friend of mine. We'll stay there for the night and ride into Twin Falls first thing in the morning. We don't want to be trying to hunt the creatures at night."
Normally, when it came to hunting, my stomach would turn at the thought. But these beasts were vicious and evil creatures. I wasn't even sure they had a thought beyond maiming. Then I realized, so far in all my encounters, they'd been after only me. "Are these monsters always like this? Do they always attack or do they normally behave differently?"
"They are different than other animals, if that's what you're asking," Cormac said. "Most of the creatures we hunt ignore us unless we cause a threat. The creatures from the Under are not like that."
"What's the Under like? What makes the animals there so different?" I asked.
"It's a vicious world full of more dark creatures than you could ever imagine and they all have one goal. They destroy. They kill and then they reclaim any land they can. We think that if we let them out on their own, they would destroy our world until it was as broken and desolate as their own."
I shuddered and my skin felt like it was crawling. I couldn't imagine a world full of monsters like the Sodalis and I couldn't even picture a monster that was worse. "What happens after you kill them all?"
"They'll keep coming unless we seal the tear," he said. "It's usually nearby a nest. So far, we've found four nests and no tear. I'm hoping we'll find it here."
