Page 36 of The Jester

Chapter Fifteen

KAYAN

Rawk’s foot sticks out from beneath a pile of used grain sacks that were brought down to the dungeon in the early hours of the morning. The guard huffed something about this not being a storage facility, glanced at us, then added, “Not that kind, anyway.”

But the one transporting the used sacks simply shrugged and insisted.

Eventually, after a standoff in which they just stared at one another for several long minutes, the guard huffed that they could be dumped in the corner. The one carrying the sacks shuffled over, looked down at Rawk’s greying body and snapped, “What are you doing with this guy?”

“Don’t know,” the guard shrugged. “Maybe he’ll go to recycling with the sacks.”

The sack-carrier laughed, the shared joke at Rawk’s lifeless expense breaking the tension between them. Then he ditched them on top of Rawk’s body, shook the guard’s hand, agreed to meet for a game of dice later, and left.

I feel the need to move the sacks from his face or to hide his feet, so he is either completely buried or free to breathe. I know he can’t breathe. I know he’ll never breathe again, but it feels unbelievable to me that someone so full of life – and arrogance – a few days ago is now gone. Extinguished.

“You could have been an elder before him, you know.” Maura nudges my elbow. She has followed my line of sight and is staring at Rawk’s feet too.

“I don’t think I’d ever have been an elder, Maura, even if I had kept my magic.” As I speak, my wings flutter involuntarily.

Turning her grey eyes on me, Maura sighs heavily. “You were born to be an elder, Kayan. I knew it from the moment I saw you.” Her lips twitch into a smile. “I delivered you, you know.”

“I do know,” I reply warmly.

She reaches for my hand and squeezes it. The motion causes her chains to grate and she sighs heavily. “I am sorry she took away your chance.”

She is talking about Alana. While others in the village have grown to tolerate her over the years, Maura has actively campaigned for Alana’s expulsion from the Leafborne many times. Empathy is not an elemental ability. She should not have been amongst us in the first place, was her most commonly used argument.

But despite everything, even though Alana wasn’t speaking to me – hasn’t spoken to me for an entire century – I couldn’t bring myself to agree.

“What happened was an accident.” I wrap my fingers around my chain and use it to steady myself because my legs are starting to feel weak from hunger. “She didn’t intend to hurt me, Maura. She’d been trying to learn to control her powers. She has greater control over them now.”

Maura tuts loudly and jerks her head away. She doesn’t want to hear me making excuses for Alana. Without turning back towards me, changing the subject, she says brusquely, “What about Rosalie?”

A knot forms in my throat. “Rosalie . . .”

“You two were close to becoming betrothed, I believe.” Maura lowers herself to the floor and leans back against the wall. Around us, the others are starting to shuffle and murmur as they wake up. Even though there is no daylight present.

I scrape my fingers through my hair and try not to picture her being dragged away from me. A knot tightens in my throat. “Yes, and we still will be.”

Maura looks up at me but doesn’t speak. She doesn’t need to. Her skin is smooth and almost completely free of wrinkles, her long, bright white hair the only true betrayal of her age. “Kayan...” She tilts her head. Sorrow and sympathy swim in her eyes.

“When we leave this place, I will find her.” I inhale slowly, trying to encourage the air into my lungs in the hope it will ease the anxiety that has lodged itself below my ribcage.

Slowly, I sit down next to Maura. In the far corner of the cells, a few of the younger fae begin to pace back and forth. Chained to the wall, they cannot go far and simply make slow, sad circles, their bare feet tapping silently against the cold stone floor.

The earth fae with the red hair, who looks like a willowier version of Alana, begins to cough. Her boyfriend, Pen, asks for water but the guard ignores him.

I look away, thoughts of Alana tugging incessantly at my mind.

“Where do you think Eldrion took her?” I mutter darkly.

Maura frowns at me. “Rosalie was bought before Eldrion –” she stops, sighs, and shakes her head. “You are talking about Alana.”

“Do you think he intends to...?” I can’t finish my sentence. Daren’t say out loud what I’ve been thinking about all night. Over and over.

“I don’t much care what he intends to do.” Maura wraps her arms around her waist.

“That’s not true,” I reply firmly. “You dislike her, but you wouldn’t wish harm on her.”

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