Page 35 of Kissed By the Sun

Before I could say anything, try to convince them, yet again that we just wanted help, the elf waved a hand dismissively. "The stench coming off her is positively nauseating. Take her to be cleaned, and make sure she doesn’t have any of that blight on her. Even our head interrogator doesn't touch such filth."

As the guard dragged me away, my mind raced. What would they do to Thorn? How could I protect him? The thought of him being forced to watch me endure torture made me feel sick, as did the idea of me having to watch them hurt him. He was my weakness, that was the truth.

The massive guard shoved me into a bath chamber, where two maids were waiting. Without preamble I was stripped of my leathers before I was pushed under a steady stream of freezing cold water.

I tried to move out of the water, just for a moment but was roughly shoved back underneath where they scrubbed me from head to toe and inspected every inch in between. The water ran through a hole in the floor as it sped away, taking all the dirt and blood that had turned it a murky brown color with it. When they finished, they threw a coarse sack-like dress at me.

"Put this on," a female attendant ordered, her mousy brown hair pulled back in a severe bun and her tired eyes watching me as though she was just looking for an excuse to unload her own frustrations on someone.

I stared at the shapeless garment. "What happened to my leathers?"

"Those rags? Burned," she replied coldly.

To be honest, I was surprised she’d responded at all. Swallowing my pride, I donned the scratchy dress. It hung loosely on my frame, a far cry from my fitted travel clothes. With no underwear or breast bindings to wear I felt completely exposed.

When the maid shoved me out of the door of the bathing area it was back into the arms of the guard who had been dragging me around before. He led me back through the maze-like fortress, but this time we descended deeper, the air growing dank and musty.

"Where are you taking me now?" I asked, dread pooling in my stomach.

He remained silent as we approached a heavy wooden door. With a creak, it swung open, revealing a cell unlike any I'd ever seen.

My jaw dropped as I took in the occupants. Inside were three women – no, not women. Creatures I'd only heard of in legends. Demihumans.

One had long, floppy rabbit ears sprouting from her head. Another sported wolf-like ears and whiskers. But it was the third that made me gasp. Multiple jointed limbs protruded from her back, and long fangs extended past her lower lip, reminding me unnervingly of a spider.

"What is this place?" I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from the impossible sight before me.

The wolf-eared woman snorted, her golden eyes glinting with the reflective back animal so often had before they narrowed as she looked me up and down. "Oi, guard! You've mixed up your prisoners. This one doesn't belong here."

The guard's lips curled into a sneer. "Filth belongs with filth," he said before he literally shoved me roughly into the cell and spat at me. "Enjoy your new accommodations."

The heavy door slammed shut, leaving me alone with the demihumans. My heart raced as I pressed my back against the cold stone wall, unsure what to expect.

The wolf woman approached, her movements fluid and predatory. "Well, well," she growled, "what manner of creature are you?"

I swallowed hard, weighing my options. There seemed little point in lying. "I'm fae," I said, lifting my chin defiantly.

Gasps echoed through the cell. The rabbit-eared woman's eyes widened to impossible proportions. "Fae?" she squeaked. "But...that's impossible!"

"We thought your kind were merely legends," the spider-woman added, her voice surprisingly melodic despite her fearsome appearance, though her fangs gave her a slight lisp. "Wiped out by humans ages ago."

I blinked in surprise. "Wiped out? No, the fae are very much alive. Hidden, yes, but alive."

The wolf woman circled me, sniffing the air. "She doesn't smell like a liar," she announced. "But if the fae still exist, why haven't we seen any of you before now?"

I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. These demihumans were strangers, fellow prisoners, but still unknown. And yet, what did I have to lose?

"The fae have been isolated," I explained, "living in their own realm, separate from the rest of the world. But now..." I trailed off, the weight of our mission settling heavily on my shoulders. "Now the fae need help."

“Why do you keep referring to the fae like you aren’t one of them?” the rabbit woman asked.

“That’s a long story,” I hedged, not particularly wanting to share. “Does it look like we’re going somewhere?” The other woman said with a snort, and the term wolf-like grin came to mind as she watched me. I felt like prey, which made me look at the woman with the rabbit ears. Her nose twitched, which made me grin, which turned into a giggle, which devolved into hysterical laughter that had the three of them backing away from me. Maybe there was something wrong with me after all?

Chapter

Seventeen

Senara

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