Page 3 of Deliverance

She waves off the questions on the tip of my tongue that I have not yet voiced, somehow knowing what I was going to ask. “I just know these things, dear. Being so close to the wood puts you in danger. You should take this.”

She switches topic and speaks so quickly that I struggle to keep up. She takes my hand and opens it, palm facing up. With her other hand, she drops something into it. Dimly, in the back of my mind, I acknowledge that the tingling on my skin has stopped now that she has removed her hand, yet I am so focused on the item in my palm that it does not fully register. A bracelet made of what seems to be dried vines sits in my hand, and right in the centre is a tiny black stone.

“What is it?” I ask, lifting the bracelet to examine it closer, my curiosity getting the better of me. There is something about the stone that draws me to it, as though it has its own energy and hums, making a noise on a frequency just out of hearing range.

“That is fae bane, and the stone is a black heart stone.”

Fae bane. I cannot quite believe I’m holding it. The plant is so rare and expensive, most of us will never see it in our lifetime. It used to grow freely and was used to protect the border of the human lands, repelling the fae and keeping our lands free of them. However, they discovered that all they need to do to get past the poisonous plant was to set it alight. Nowadays, it is only seen around the boundary lines of rich households. To know that the bracelet ismadefrom fae bane is one thing, but the black heart stone is another matter altogether. I have never seen one before, only heard the whispers of what it is capable of, and that even the smallest piece is said to protect from the fae.

It is said that the king’s sword has a large piece of the stone in the pommel, and that it helped him to defeat the fae who plagued our lands. A piece the size of that on the bracelet is rumoured to cost more than the entire village’s combined earnings. Quickly returning the bracelet to the vendor’s table, I pull my hands away, afraid of damaging it and being forced to pay for it.

“I cannot afford this.” That should be the end of it, yet I still feel a pull towards it. It calls to me, and a note of longing slips into my voice.

The woman raises a brow and makes a noise in the back of her throat, jerking her head towards the other vendors. “The traders are scared, and that is making them refuse to part with their coin. You will not get any coin from them today, girl.” Reaching out, she runs a hand over the bouquets in my basket, nodding silently as she assesses the flowers. “I am willing to trade the bracelet for your flowers.”

There is no way my flowers cover even a fraction of the bracelet, and that is something she will know, meaning she is willingly undercharging me. I don’t understand why she is helping me like this. Strangers rarely offer kindness, yet this might be a chance to get some information. Taking a deepbreath, I step in closer until only the table separates us. “Why are the traders on edge, and why are you doing this? Why help me like this?” I ask quietly, not wanting to be overheard.

“Fae were reported on the highway. We almost did not come here today with the village being so close to the forest.” There is a quiet chill in the woman’s voice, the closest thing to fear I have seen her display. “And as for the bracelet, think of it as a gift from one outsider to another. I suspect you might have need of it.” She smiles, her voice a grim whisper.

Fae on the highway. There is only one road in and out of Brine, and that is the highway, which leads straight to the capital city. Only parts of it get close to the forest, the road purposely built through the centre of the land to avoid the foreboding forest. If the fae were on the highway, then that means they have left the forest.

The spells containing them have failed.

“There she is!” a loud voice calls out, cutting through my panic. I spin around to see what is happening, and my stomach sinks as I see Jimmy pointing at me, his face twisted in anger. Behind him is half of the village protectors, weapons drawn as they charge towards me. “Grab her before she can cause any more harm!”

Chapter Two

Terror floods my body as six heavily armed men rush towards me.

For the briefest moment, I think about running, but I know that will only make things worse. Guilty people run, and I have done nothing wrong. At least, that is what I tell myself. Taking a deep breath, I hold my ground and make myself appear meek with a lowered gaze.

The wild part of myself roils in anger again. I am not weak, mild, or meek, and forcing myself to appear this way for these people is beneath me. If they are unable to cope with who I am, then that is their problem and not mine. I want to rage and scream, releasing this trapped part of myself that demands to be heard.

If only it were that simple. I cannot take on a whole village, and I need to think about my family. They could not survive without access to the village. Jasmine truly would hate me if I ruined that for them. Besides, I might not be meek and mild, but I am also the type who enjoys her own company and does her best to stay out of trouble. It is as though I have two differentpeople living within me, their personalities on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Suddenly, all eyes are on us, and it feels as though the whole village has turned up to watch the commotion. No, it is notusthey look at, but me, all watching with anticipation. They know I am different, and I have heard their whispers about me when they think I cannot hear them. Bracing myself for impact, I pray to anyone who is listening that this doesn’t backfire onto my family.

Only, Jimmy does not grab and arrest me when they reach the stall, roughly pushing me aside instead. “Move, girl,” he grunts, anger lighting his eyes, but to my surprise, I see that anger is not aimed at me.

Picking up items on the table, he hisses as he finds what he was looking for—animal bones, feathers, and hair, all signs of magic. Spitting on the ground, he throws the charm away like it burnt him.

Stunned, I step back as the armed protectors storm the stall, destroying the items and grabbing the tradeswoman roughly.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demands, authority ringing in her voice. “Unhand me at once!”

Chills run down my arms, making the hair stand on end. I do not know how I know this, but the tradeswoman has power. It pours from her as she struggles against the males restraining her, and I can see the confusion on their faces. They can feel it too, they just don’t know what it is they are feeling. Is this what magic feels like? Is her stall a front? She risks a lot by selling occult items, especially in a village so close to the forest where there have been fae sightings.

“You are selling forbidden items,” Jimmy announces, his voice echoing around for all to hear. He stands back from the other protectors, looking on now that they have the woman fullyrestrained. “We do not allow your kind in our village. You will invoke the rage of the fae.”

Everyone around us hisses at the mention of the fae, backing away as though the woman is contagious. The protectors have clearly had enough and begin to drag her away, her table and wares getting knocked over in the process, crushed like the hope she built in me. There was something about her that spoke to me, a kinship almost, as she was the first person to understand that I am different and not afraid of that. Now she is being dragged away because of her own differences.

She puts up a fight, making it harder for the males to carry her off. In her struggle, she lurches forward and knocks into me. Gasping, I step back, but not before she presses something into my hand. As soon as it touches my skin, I know what I have to do. Backing away, I attempt to look shocked and horrified, playing along with what is expected of me. In the meantime, I clutch the item in my fist and put my hands in the pockets of my flowered dress. I know exactly what I am now holding without even having to look, a current ofsomethinghumming against my skin—the bracelet.

It is time for me to get out of here before I get accused of assisting her, or they search me and find the bracelet in my possession. If they were to discover that she gave me something, they would take it away from me, and they might even arrest me as well. The tradeswoman wanted me to have this enough that she fought against the protectors to get it to me, so I will not let her efforts be in vain.

While everyone is focused on the tradeswoman who is being dragged away, I use the distraction to make my own exit. Hurrying through the market stalls, I barely even get a second glance. Gossip travels quickly in Brine, and although I fear for the woman, I am grateful that I am not the topic of conversation.

Slipping behind a barn, I glance around to ensure I am alone. I cannot see anyone, so I decide to take a risk. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the item the tradeswoman gifted me. I relax my fist and stare at the bracelet in my hand.

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