Page 5 of King of Storms and Feathers

“Arrow said so.”

She glared at me. “Arrow?”

“That’s his name, isn’t it?” I rubbed the clipped right side of my head, the short hair growing in soft and fluffy. “What do the fae of Coridon do with their slaves?”

Lips set in a grim shape, she looked out the window at the undulating landscape haloed in red and gold dirt. “Birds who chirp too much have their throats slit. That’s one possible fate you might suffer.”

“Not a desirable one,” I replied.

Then I shut my mouth and waited for her to doze off, planning to inspect the weapons she wore and decide which one I could steal without waking her.

But instead of resting, Esen stared back, her blue eyes glowing as she drew on magic and juggled tiny bolts of lightning between her palms, her lips pursed in a smug line.

Like all female fae, she had the body and face of a queen, but her sour nature sullied her beauty, turning it into an over-ripe, disturbing thing.

After a while, I gave up waiting, shut my eyes, and let my aching muscles relax. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a comfortable sleep—nor if I’d ever had one.

Then again, I barely remembered anything other than two undeniable things: I was human, and I hated the fae. Especially the self-satisfied Arrow, who had not only bought me, but caught me after I’d managed to flee.

Out of the three of them, he was the one I would target.

Chapter 2

Arrow

For the first few hours of the journey through the desert, I felt Raiden brooding beside me. When we reached the widest part of the Auric River, where it ran northward through the valley toward the Aureen Mountain pass, he finally broke his silence.

“What storm-cursed fit of insanity made you buy another mine worker? The reavers aren’t due a new batch until next month. Why add a half-starved human to our overcrowded cells?”

“Why not?” I said, shrugging a shoulder. “Once they get regular meals in their bellies, the previously starved ones tend to work the hardest.”

“Didn’t you notice the way she looked at you during the sale? That one would sooner stab you in the eye than follow an order.”

I grunted. “Perfect temperament for the gold mines. She might even last longer than a couple of weeks.”

Raiden shot me a wary look.

“What?”

“It’s not like you to act on impulse.”

“And it’s not like you to care,” I replied, steering my stallion, Yanar, around a rock some idiot had left in the middle of the road.

A thump sounded on the carriage roof, then Esen’s head appeared in the open window. “Arrow, she needs to pee.”

“Tell her she can wait,” Raiden answered.

“Exchange places with me, and you can tell her yourself,” said Esen.

“Pull in near the riverbank,” I told the driver as I scanned the low bushes along the river.

Esen climbed out of the carriage, pulling the weak-limbed girl along after her. They disappeared into the scrub, and Raiden and I dismounted, then cooled and watered the horses.

Golden vortexes of dust eddied across the plains, tiny black-winged sprites tumbling inside them. At the speed they traveled, the little shits would arrive at Coridon hours before we did.

I crouched over the water and filled my pouch, squinting at the bushes that Esen and the girl had disappeared into. What the fuck was taking them so long?

“Something’s wrong,” I said, rising and wiping dust from my eyes.

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