Page 39 of A Shard of Ice

“There are things I—” he starts to say, but Cyrano yells something incoherent.

We turn to him, and he’s pointing. We follow his gaze.

I gasp. “It’s…no… We need to run. We need to go now.” I start to move, but Damon holds fast to my hand.

“We won’t outrun them.” Damon shakes his head, his hand tightening over mine for a second before letting go. “They’ll run us down quickly. We have no choice but to stay and face them.”

“Maybe they will be friendly. I mean, you’re here too. You’re a fae…surely…?”

“Perhaps.” I can see in his eyes that he isn’t expecting it.

With a shout, Cyrano mounts one of the camels; he turns and kicks the beast into a sprint. I turn my gaze back to the approaching fae amassed on horseback at the top of the hill. Their armor glints despite the lack of sun.

They keep up their steady advance, two fae breaking away from the group to chase Cyrano. They move with startling speed. Their steeds are massive and well-muscled, their hooves eating up the ground below.

I’m clinging to Damon. He has a hand on my back. I didn’t even feel myself move toward him. I look up at him. “What will they do with us?”

As predicted, the two fae catch Cyrano quickly and with ease. Each of the fae flanks his camel, bringing him back.

“I don’t know. They’re not icefae, so I don’t hold much hope that they will be friendly because of me.”

My eyes prick with tears as I pull away from Damon. I can’t believe we’ve already been captured. Will we be sent back to the salt mine? Or will it be some other hellhole?

“What kind of fae are they?” Their helmets have large black plumes. I can’t quite make out the crest on their armor just yet.

“They’re shadowfae.”

My heart sinks as my blood turns cold in my veins.

Shadowfae.

Able to use their magic to manipulate shadows, they’re the most dangerous of them all.

13

Kyrie

The fae soldiers approach. As they draw closer, I note that the crest on their chests is indeed that of the shadowfae. Their horses snort and prance, also dressed in similar armor plates. The beasts are almost as impressive as the fae themselves.

The one large male in the middle of the formation has armor of pure bronze. The plume on his head is red instead of black. His big, black steed prances as he moves ahead of the group.

They’re armed to the teeth, with swords strapped at their sides and across their backs. A couple of them have bows and arrows in quivers on their backs. Many more carry spears, including the leader, who looks down at us with disdain in his eyes.

By now, the two fae have Cyrano back where he started. His camel bellows, making its presence known.

The female is relatively calm, considering, and is still tied to a dead tree.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Two humans and a fae. That’s truly an odd combination if I ever saw one. Camels instead of horses.” He lifts his brows.

“We were merely passing through, hoping to find water and continue on our journey,” I tell him. Maybe they will let us go. From the look in his eye, I know it isn’t going to happen, but I have to try, anyway.

The leader of the shadowfae regards me with a cold stare. “Passing through, you say?”

“Yes…um…exactly.” I nod too many times.

“Let the humans go on their way. You can take me as a prisoner.” Damon folds his arms across his chest.

“Ican takeyou.” He rubs his chin like he’s thinking it through. “You’re giving me permission, icefae?” He chuckles. It’s low and throaty. “I can do whatever I want. I am General Belen of the Shadowfae Court.”

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