The Iron Locket (The Risen King) (14 page)

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Kane snarled as he thrust his sword into yet another of the attackers. For years he had been working up to this moment, backstabbing, manipulating, even killing members of his own family, and all for what? Leanansidhe was treating him like just another of her worthless minions, tossed into battle without a care in Faery for their well being. He gritted his teeth and emitted a throaty shout as he swung around, his blade slicing clean through the neck of a faery, sending blond ringlets raining to the ground.

Kane stopped and cocked his head at the rocking mass of red and gold. That one looked almost like one of the noble boys he had gone to classes with as a child. The prince scoffed as he kicked it, sending the dead lump rolling into the battle surrounding him, memories of being forced to mingle with such trash fueling his anger. He raised his weapon, ready to bring it down on the back of an emerald sprite who was sprinting past.

"Kane, come." Leanansidhe sat on her horse, her white leather armor spotless, her long brown hair flowing around her head in the light breeze.

The faery prince's nose curled up and he pulled himself to his full height, a retort rolling across his tongue. Then he saw the glitter in her eyes, the knowing smirk on her face. His lips pressed together, bottling the hatred inside him. She wouldn't get to him. Not this time. He whistled sharply and a black steed barreled through the bodies. As it approached, he reached a gloved hand out, gripping the mane tightly to swing himself up. The horse did not slow, but simply followed Lea as she spun and sprinted across the ground.

He could hear the yipping of those damned banewolves. They reminded him very much of the timid dogs that ran through the woods near--. He stopped the thought. Now was not the time to get pulled back into memories, into years long past that could not return. He smashed his heels into his horse's flanks, drawing blood and a scream from the animal. It tossed its mane in anger, but pressed on, pulling up just behind Lea.

The dogs broke into view. They were going crazy, yapping away like so many annoying insects, and they had something surrounded. Through the thicket of brown and gray, he caught glimpses of copper. Hair, he thought as his heart clenched.

They reached the circle, the dogs parting unconsciously as Lea bore down on them from behind. Kane pulled his own horse to a stop outside the pack, his world swimming. Standing in the middle with her bow drawn was an image from the past. He shivered, memories from long ago flooding over him, threatening to drown him in his torment. Catching his tongue in his teeth, he bit down, forcing the blunt blades through the thin flesh, letting the bitter taste of blood pull him back to the present.

With his heart still thumping so hard it hurt, Kane examined the terrified woman. No, it wasn't her, though it could have almost been a copy. The eyes were the same bright green, but the copper hair was a bit lighter, the face a bit fuller. A notion plucked at the back of his brain, clawing through the mush and matter to the forefront. With horror, he watched Lea approach the girl.

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"Well, aren't you a sweet little thing?" The dark haired woman cocked her head and pursed her lips in thought . She leaned over, her dark eyes piercing right through Aiofe and making her skin crawl with discomfort. "Have we met before?"

Aiofe's eyes went wide and she shook her head fiercely, sending loose strands of hair whipping around her face. "No, I don't think so."

The faery woman slid from the back of her horse, her stare locked on Aiofe. She began walking before she hit the ground, as if the earth would simply rise to accommodate her. She stalked across the grass, her hips swaying so much Aiofe thought she would tip herself over. A clawed hand rose up and gripped Aiofe's chin uncomfortably, the pointed nails digging into her soft skin. The faery hunter gripped her bow tightly in her hands as her head was jerked back and forth like a show animal, fighting the urge to jam the arrow into the woman's thigh. Yanking her face from the clutches of the faery, she took a step back.

"What do you want?" Aiofe growled through clenched teeth.

The woman cackled with mirth as her face melted into a merry grin. "What do I want? Oh, darling. The real question is, what do you want? You see, you have trespassed on my land."

Aiofe remained silent, her fingers going white as she realized the peril she was in.

The lanky woman took a step forward, closing the gap between them. "Do you not realize where you are, my child?"

Aiofe risked a glance to the side. The dogs were circling, still yipping quietly as saliva dripped from their hungry visages. A young man on scarlet horse stood just outside, watching them. His blond hair was cut short and his cheeks held the evidence of weeks without grooming. He stared at her with wide blue eyes and pale skin. A shock rippled through her as their eyes met. Terror and confusion warred with each other, vying for her full attention. She knew that face. She was sure of it.

A sudden pain blossomed through Aiofe's skull and she cried out as her head was jerked around. The woman had her sharp fingers wrapped through Aiofe's hair, the nails digging into her skull. She forced the younger woman to look at her. "Don't ignore me, you insignificant whelp." She shook Aiofe's head violently to emphasize her point. "I said, do you know where you are?" The sweet honey in her voice was gone, replaced by poison that held the threat of death as it oozed from the red lips.

Aiofe tried to shake her head but found it would not move. "No," she grunted instead. "No, I don't know where I am."

With a scoff, the woman released Aiofe, tossing her to the ground. Aiofe fell to her hands and knees, the bow dropping beside her as she panted heavily, trying to regain her composure. Leather boots laced up to the knees planted themselves in front of her, one of the toes treading carelessly on her fingers, grinding them into the dirt. She stifled a cry of pain and forced herself to look up at the woman. Dark hair draped around her as the lady leaned over, bringing her nose close to Aiofe's.

"You're in Faery." A sly smirk played across the woman's lips as she watched the news sink in.

Aiofe pulled her fingers from under the boot and sat back. She glanced around again. Her heart raced. If the woman's claim was true, and Aiofe did not doubt that it was, she was in very real danger. She had been commissioned by the queen of faeries to hunt them, to seek them out and destroy them when they came through the portals to the human world. And now she had done the unthinkable. She had gone through to their world. She was treading on their land. She was now the hunted.

"And now you understand. It's about time, child. But," the woman said as she turned on a heel and paced away a few steps. "I will give you a chance. If you--"

A piercing cry ripped through the air as one of the dogs in Aiofe's peripheral vision tumbled to the ground. The woman's head whipped up even as the young man screamed, "Zela." The dogs broke their circle, turning toward the new threat.

Aiofe had a chance, just a brief moment. She cast her eyes frantically across the ground. There, a few feet away, she found her bow. She scrambled for it, the cool wood settling her nerves as the grooves fit comfortably into her hand. She did not have time to look for the arrow and instead pulled another one from the quiver on her back. The dark haired woman was pulling a sword from a scabbard on her horse's saddle when Aiofe drew the string back. Without pause, she let the deadly spear fly. It sailed through the short distance between them, sinking into the woman's shoulder.

The woman screamed, the power behind the sound so terrible that Aiofe had to clamp her hands over her ears. She twisted around, leaning against the horse for support as she examined the arrow sticking out of her skin. Then she turned her deadly gaze on Aiofe. The hatred in her eyes petrified the young woman, freezing her in place. With the sword in hand, the older woman pointed toward Aiofe.

"Kill her," she screamed, the sound vibrating out across the land like the ripples of a stone dropped in a silent lake.

With abject horror, Aiofe fumbled for another arrow as several of the creatures around her turned from their previous targets, focusing their hungry attention on her. All her years of training had not prepared her for something like this. Never in her life had she imagined she would be facing an entire pack of faeries. She had never faced more than two at a time. Now nearly a dozen were stalking her, their fangs dripping as their mouths watered for her flesh.

She raised her bow and aimed at the creature closest to her. Her hands were shaking and the arrow missed. She drew another, willing herself to calm down. They were close now. If one jumped, she was sure it would reach her if it really tried.

Aiming again, she let the arrow fly. It sank into the dog's chest and it fell with a howl, blood seeping out around the wound. The others, seeing their companion fall, whipped into a rage, their yipping growing loud enough to make Aiofe's head vibrate. As one, they rocked back on their haunches and leapt.

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FIFTEEN

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Aiofe spun away from the dog on her left and threw her arms up to protect herself as she fell to the ground in the fetal position. Its weight crashed on top of her, forcing the air from her lungs and clamping down on her arm. It ripped at her jacket, trying to tear her flesh from her bones. With her free hand, she scrambled to find the knife or pistol at her hip.

With a surge of relief, her fingers bumped into the knife's short hilt. She snatched it from its sheath and swung her arm up with all the strength she could muster. The blade sank into the dog's side just below its shoulder. The beast lurched as it released her arm and stumbled away. Aiofe sat up, cradling her bleeding arm against her body. The creature twitched twice and lay still. Aiofe glanced around her. The rest of the pack lay dead or dying amid puddles of blood and gore.

"Lea, we have to go!" The blond man's horse was prancing in a circle as he looked around him. Their eyes met once more, drawn together like the opposite poles on a pair of magnets. A brief flash of a stream in a wooded area, her mother laughing... He turned as the dark haired woman raced up to him. He reached out a hand and pulled her up onto his horse. With one last glance at Aiofe, he spun his horse and they took off at a run across the battlefield. Aiofe watched them go, her mind a disconcerted jumble of emotions and memories that made no sense.

"Are you alright?"

Aiofe jumped at the voice beside her. A man dressed in chain mail looked down at her. His hair was long, about chin-length and dark blond, with braids at his temples. He held out a gloved hand. She hesitated until a young woman came up behind him. She was blond and beautiful, with a hint of familiarity. The woman nodded at the man's hand, an amused look of expectation on her face. Aiofe took it awkwardly, hoisting herself to her feet with his help.

The blond woman stepped forward and wrapped her hands around Aiofe's injured arm. Her pouty lips smirked when Aiofe tried to jerk back and the woman quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not going to hurt you any worse than they already have," she said, her eyes darting to the bodies laying on the ground.

Aiofe gave in and let the woman examine her arm. She noticed others standing around them in a loose circle with their weapons drawn. Three of them had shiny armor similar to the man's, but most wore the leather trappings of the female. Another young man in armor kept glancing surreptitiously at the woman, watching her work. Aiofe fought back a smile as she recognized the look in his eyes.

"That thing did a number on you, but you'll live, I think." The woman looked at the first man. "We need to get her back to the castle so we can treat her before this becomes infected. Lea is retreating; the others should be competent enough to clean up." After a dramatic pause, she added, "Maybe."

As the woman steered Aiofe to a horse, the young faery hunter found her lungs suddenly growing tight. She reached out, slapping feebly at the air until her hand settled on the saddle. She gripped a leather strap tightly, focusing on the feel of it in her fingers as she took long, deep breaths, willing the blackness around her vision to cease.

"She's going into shock. Percival, darling, can you grab the canteen from my pack, please?" The words that floated through the haze barely made sense as Aiofe blinked rapidly. When the woman gripped her upper arms tightly and pulled her toward the ground, Aiofe found herself unable to resist. "Come on, sit down now. Drink this."

The metal of the flask felt cool against her lips and the liquid inside flowed soothingly down her throat, leaving a pleasant fruity aftertaste on her tongue. She swallowed carefully, unwilling to upset her already churning stomach. After a few tense moments the darkness dissipated and her frantic breaths slowed to a steady pace. She used her uninjured arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"Thank you," Aiofe mumbled toward the figure crouched beside her.

"Think nothing of it." The woman smiled, her clear blue eyes twinkling. "You are not the first to go into shock after battle, and you will definitely not be the last." She gripped Aiofe's elbow gently and helped the young woman to her feet. "I am Zela, daughter of Titania, General of the South. And you are?"