A Kingdom of Lies (Realm of Fey #2)

CHAPTER 17

There was no room for complaints as I lowered myself into the muddied bath. By the time it was my turn to bathe, the water was almost black with grime, a concoction of blood and ash swirling in the lukewarm liquid. It was a relief, nonetheless, lowering my aching limbs into the belly of water. It was no wonder Althea had taken so long when she’d gone first. Gyah had to go in and check on her, only to find her curled in a ball crying over her actions that day.

Whilst it was Gyah’s turn to wash her despair away, it left me to console Althea, whose silence spoke volumes of her desire to be left alone. Thankfully, the time Althea had without the iron cuff allowed her healing to accelerate. She no longer looked to be in pain, besides the mental war she currently fought.

I slipped beneath the water, still catching the faint scent of lavender blended within the less pleasant smells that left my body to join the gore of my friends. Only when my head was submerged and the sounds of Finstock were muted did I truly feel relaxed, even with the constricting iron cuff still locked around my neck.

I lay like that for as long as my lungs allowed, entirely submerged, as I willed the lapping of water to soak off the blood, ash and unpleasant grime that had clung to me since leaving Wychwood, convincing myself that if I stayed here then the worries of the world beyond would not matter. But then I remembered Briar’s threat of Erix, which urged me back out.

It was stone cold by the time I was finished. The iron kept me separated from my power, returning my body to human state. Only the heat from the many melted candles provided me comfort in the empty room, and even their effort was pathetic. With winter devouring Durmain beyond Finstock’s walls, everything was tirelessly cold.

I dressed quickly, back into the dark clothes that I had worn upon my arrival. We had comforts as Duncan’s prisoners, but not luxuries, and a set of clean clothing was not an option.

As I entered back into the adjoining room Althea and Gyah immediately stopped whispering.

“Have I interrupted something?” I asked, too exhausted to care for niceties.

Althea looked to Gyah and shook her head slightly, stifling whatever comment was about to come out.

“You can tell him,” Gyah encouraged, lips pulled thin.

Althea stood, hands folded before her. The skin around her eyes was red and swollen, pale lashes clumped together from all her crying, yet she still presented herself with the air of command, back straight and red eyes full of authority. “There is no saying what Erix will do when he reaches us, and I cannot afford the risk of waiting and finding out. It will be the perfect distraction for us to escape, and we did not discuss it with you because we know your stance. That is if Duncan doesn’t agree to your petition for us to leave before.”

“He will,” I said, almost confident of the fact.

“You seem sure,” Gyah muttered quietly. “Then again you do seem to be fraternising with the enemy.”

“That,” Althea said quickly, flashing Gyah a telling look, “has nothing to do with it. Robin was right, Duncan is different. We need the Hunter to trust him, and that goes for what me and Gyah were discussing. It would not be a wise decision to be involving you if it could affect your treatment once we are gone.”

It was a lonely feeling, knowing your only friends had plans to leave you. Even though the plan had never involved them in the first place, I had grown accustomed to their closeness.

“If I can help, I will.”

“Next time he comes to visit I recommend you’re not here.” Gyah’s knuckles clicked as she stretched them out before her.

“There are not exactly many options for me to go,” I replied. “Doors are locked unless he opens them. Finstock is crawling with Hunters who would stop you even if you made it past him. I’ve tried to convince Duncan to leave, but he is a fool thinking he can stand against Erix.”

“Everything will be fine.” Althea paced towards me, resting a hand upon my shoulder and squeezing. “The moment we reach my mother’s army, I will tell them about the Below. We will follow you.”

“And if Duncan doesn’t agree to free you?”

“Well, Briar seemed to make it within this place without another even sparing much of a glance – that or the Hunters didn’t care. If there is a way in, there is a way out.”

I looked down to my feet, an unwanted sadness twisting in my gut.

“The easy way out is never the smartest.” Althea’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “There is no telling what will happen when Erix reveals himself. There is a chance he would arrive late and my people have already been and gone. But I doubt that. I know his determination, even when not fuelled by his controlled state. If Doran gets word that Briar failed, he will pull all the stops to make sure Erix finishes the job.”

“You must not focus on that,” I insisted. “Only getting out of here, one way or the other. Tell me what I need to do, and I will try.”

This was my fault. Althea being forced to kill Briar, for both of their captures. It was all my fault. There must be a chance for me to put it right. Althea looked to Gyah, sharing a moment of tense silence as though they spoke through their minds.

“Just stay out of the way,” Gyah finally said, taking over from Althea who seemed to shrink back into the shadows of the darkened room. “And stay alive. Play innocent. Because when we leave, and you are left to face Erix alone, you will need Duncan on your side. He has proven his desire to keep you breathing. Let us not ruin what already balances on a taut, frayed piece of string.”

As we expected, chaos arrived to Finstock. We’d been taking turns sleeping, when the only sound was the gentle whistle of wind that caressed the fortress walls. I would’ve even described it as peaceful, until that all shattered.

The door slammed open, wood crashing into the stone wall.

Heavy footsteps followed.

Before I could sit up, uncaring hands snatched me from bed and dragged me to the floor. In the noise of rushed, urgent shouts, I could hear Gyah’s angered cries. But I couldn’t hear Althea, although I imagined she’d never show her panic with screams and shouts.

Hunters surrounded us, sharing commands which I couldn’t make out.

“What are you doing?” I said, heart a lump in my throat, trying to elbow my way free. But the more I struggled, the more hands took hold of me.

And no one replied. I was helpless to do anything but let them take me, my feet dragging across the floor.

Focus . I remembered the night I had first been taken by Hunters. Pressing my panic down, I tried to study the details of what was happening. If no one would tell me, then I would have to piece the puzzle together myself.

It was dawn outside the window, another day lost. I looked down the corridor beyond the room, the sky beyond a pale plum colour with wisps of thin clouds. I was tired, but nothing was new there; the sleep I had been snatched from must have only been a couple of hours at most.

What was different to my first abduction was these Hunters were not calm or smug. Something panicked them. Their hold on me was harsh and rushed, their movements quickened by something that I had not yet figured out.

We were out in the open, the courtyard a mess of Hunters running across the straw-covered ground towards the rising stone platforms around the fortress’s edge. They held large hunting bows almost the same height as them. Swords dangled from hips. Cloaks billowed out behind them.

I looked up at the shrill cry that split the sky. Large, fearless creatures cut through the sky, dancing through the air with precision. For a moment I thought the gryvern had found us, but it was birds that I saw. Hawks – large bodied and sharp-beaked. There was a storm cloud of them, circling Finstock from above.

We were dragged towards a familiar wheeled cage. Its iron bars caught the morning rays as it waited in the heart of the courtyard for us. Duncan stood beside it, his voice booming over the crowd as he shouted commands with haste. The expression on his face, grooved lines across his forehead and neck tense, encouraged my panic to take hold again.

He noticed our arrival, waving us forward as though the Hunters didn’t pull us along fast enough. Another Hunter I didn’t recognise stood close beside him.

This one was tall, but not as towering as Duncan. Pale, ginger curls cut close around a youthful but handsome face. Bright azure eyes were framed by his serious expression. But it was the hawk resting upon his shoulder that entranced me, how it chirped in his ear, whispering secrets of the skies.

Duncan knew this man in a different way to the Hunters who dragged and manhandled us now. I hadn’t seen Duncan having conversations with anyone, usually barking commands or asserting his dominance as their general. But with this amber-haired man, they spoke as equals, Duncan even going so far as to listen intently before formulating a response.

“What’s happening?” I called, trying to pull out of the many hands that held me. It was wasted effort.

Duncan spared me a glance, flicking his stare between the man he spoke with and me. “It would seem we have a few unannounced guests on their way.”

Was it Erix, or the Cedarfall army? Whatever the answer, Duncan seemed spooked.

“Get them in the cage,” he shouted at the men and woman holding us. “We leave Finstock immediately.”

Gyah continuously shouted about the horrors she would unleash upon the men and women who touched her. It was a surprise they did not let her go just from the pure, haunting terror she promised them.

“Erix?” I said the name in question to Duncan as I passed him.

He ignored me, as if answers were not something I deserved.

Perhaps it was the company, or the person who stood as his shadow, but the usual smile was not upon his face. This version of Duncan was serious and stoic. “It would seem your Berserker has given up on you and instead marches with a horde of fey warriors. One man we could take, but an army, my Hunters are not prepared for that. It takes a clever man to know when to run and when to fight.”

“And run we shall,” the ginger-haired boy spoke, his hawk screeching in agreement.

I blanched, skin paling, the blood rushing to my feet. “Duncan. Althea and Gyah, let them go. They can stop them–”

“No, Robin. I cannot do that.” Duncan turned to the red-haired Hunter. “Kayne, help secure them into the cage.”

I latched onto the stranger’s name as the Hunters hoisted me past him, pushing me up into the cage which rocked with my added weight, and I took note of our surroundings. There were clearly more Hunters around Finstock than before; they must have arrived with Kayne, bringing warning of the pending fey army’s arrival.

“Has our time apart from one another made you forget, Duncan?” Kayne asked, long fingers gripped around the wolf-shaped hilt of the sword at his waist. “We’re equals, mate. It has been many years since you commanded me.”

Duncan huffed, rolling his dark-forest eyes as though he spoke with a sibling, one who both impressed him and equally annoyed him. “Then get your Hunters prepared. We will get a head start and wait for you at our chosen checkpoint.”

Both men clasped hands, holding each other away by the width of an arm as they embraced. “It was always me who stayed back to fight whilst you looked for shelter,” Kayne observed.

“That is because my name is far more important than yours, brother .”

“Now that depends on who you ask, General,” Kayne said with a wink, enjoying the drama around him.

Gyah tumbled into the cage beside me, a mess of reaching hands and screams. Those who had a hold of her were more than ready to release her, likely afraid of what her nails and teeth could do, even in this form. One of them had already figured that out as they stepped back from the cage with a hand pressed over a cheek; beneath their fingers I could see four fresh scratch marks.

By the time I looked back, Kayne was already racing off, pointing towards the armed Hunters who stationed themselves upon the fortress’s outer walls.

Duncan offered a hand for Althea who now walked towards the cage unaided. She was calm but her expression was thunderous. “After you, Princess .”

“You can try, but you will never outrun my people,” Althea warned, ignoring the hand Duncan offered. He refused to lower it as he regarded her. “They will follow, and your soldiers will fail. Robin was right, it would be best to leave us here. Give us up now and they will stop following you.”

Duncan responded, but not in the manner I expected. “It is rather a stretch to call this rabble soldiers.”

Althea gripped Duncan’s hand now, squeezing tight. “Heed my warning, Hunter. If they have found us, you will not stand a chance.”

“I like a challenge,” Duncan replied, putting strength behind his arm and urging Althea to step into the cage. “Shall I tell you why they will not be following? Because they don’t have the numbers for what waits at Lockinge. Our trackers have confirmed as much. Finstock, maybe.”

With that he closed the cage door right in Althea’s face. She stood, hardly flinching as metal slammed into metal and the click of a lock finalised our imprisonment.

“Do not do this, Hunter.”

His smile returned now as he gazed at Althea, subdued by the cuff, without any trace of fear. I hardly imagined he would hold such confidence if iron didn’t stand between them. “How about we discuss this further a bit later?” he mocked. “There will be plenty of time for conversation between you and I.”

Duncan left swiftly, moving into the fringes of his Hunters as they clambered onto the prison cart’s horses.

Althea slumped to her knees, gripping onto the bars as she stared out at the Hunters.

Gyah was beside her in moments, hand on her shoulder. “Another chance will come. It has to.”

“I would not rule this one out yet.” Althea turned towards us, determination ablaze within her. “Many times I have led a party towards Hunters’ camps and strongholds. I know the plans. They would not come in at one side, but many. It is time we put some faith in them. If not, we rely on our other plan, Gyah.”

They both shot me a look. “Wait for Erix to find me?”

Althea nodded. “It would seem so.”

The cart moved, jolting forward as we lost our footing. It was guided out of Finstock from a narrow path at the back of the towering building. Duncan waved a hand towards Kayne who returned his gesture with a nod. There was no sign of a Cedarfall army arriving, at least nothing we could see. Now with the fortress between us, blocking the view of what we left behind, I could only imagine what had caused our sudden departure. For Althea and Gyah’s sake, I hoped her comments of the soldiers’ plans were right and we would be intercepted. But regardless, if the opportunity presented itself, I could not go with them.

I had a new purpose, a new motivation. And it was hidden beneath Lockinge castle. If I turned my back on the imprisoned fey, there would be no knowing how long it would take for us to ever return and free them.

Our party moved with haste, the cage violently rocking as the horses cantered forward. We had to grip onto the bars to stop ourselves being thrown like children’s unwanted toys.

This part of Durmain was endless, fields and valleys stretching as far as the eye could see. We only slowed when the terrain changed and the horses struggled to tug us uphill. The dirt path had been worn in from years of travel, feet, hooves and wheels etching veins into the earth.

It did not take long for Finstock to become no more than a smudge of dark stone behind us.

Unlike the party of Hunters who’d taken us from Grove, this one was small. Around ten Hunters on horseback followed in a halo around us, Duncan at the lead alongside the two who pulled the cart forward.

By midday the weather changed. Cold sheets of rain fell upon us, drenching our clothes and soaking into our bones. It made the landscape almost impossible to see.

It was almost a shock when the cage began to slow. Duncan shouted a sharp, barked command and the Hunters each withdrew weapons in a song of steel against leather.

“Something is happening,” I said, pushing myself to the front of the cage to try and get a better look.

“My people,” Althea gasped, pure glee radiating in her voice. “I told you they would come. Gyah, get ready.”

“No,” I breathed, squinting through the sheets of rain and the frantic moving bodies of Duncan and his Hunters as they positioned themselves ahead of us.

I caught a glance of the figure’s darkened outline standing before our party, motionless in the middle of the dirt path, cloaked and head bowed, twin swords in their hands that dug into the ground.

This was not Cedarfall soldiers, but a single person.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Gyah said, pushing beside me with a hand raised to shield her eyes from the rain. “Fuck.”

I caught movement from the Hunters. It was Duncan, turning over his shoulder as he looked directly at me. His face dripped with rain, hair sodden and plastered to the sides of his head.

“He found me,” I breathed, reading the warning in Duncan’s eyes.

“This isn’t good,” Gyah growled, slamming a palm onto the cage bars.

I knew it was him before the cloak’s hood was lowered from his head. It was his outline, one I had studied with my eyes, my hands; I would have recognised it no matter the conditions, time, or place.

Erix was here.