Page 9 of Till Kingdom Come

He spoke in a voice that was dark and yet remarkably conversational, considering that if what he said was true, he had just taken a torch to my life and burned down everything I thought I knew.

“No! I don’t believe you!” I yelled at him, but at the same time, I knew that what he said was probably true. My father had been the one who told us to go on the hunting trip that fateful morning, which had been unusual. Normally, he would have had plenty of work for us to do. My brothers had led me to that trail in the forest and sent me on ahead once we spotted the wild boar. They had melted back into the woods and disappeared quickly even though they were supposed to be right behind me, and I called for them again and again and blew my hunting horn repeatedly for help. Utter betrayal hit me hard.

I was stunned, but I vowed to myself never to show it.

“I hate you all. You’re lying,” I gasped, even though I believed his awful words. I was fighting to keep my voice strong and unwavering. I couldn’t let anyone see how much it hurt.

“Lord Ellien is a treacherous dog. It was he who lured me to those woods with his damned Fairy magic.” I felt like I was dying, and tears of hurt and anger kept filling my eyes, no matter how often I dashed them away. I tried to fight against the feelings that were trying to consume me. Had my family really found me so worthless that they would sell me to the Fairies? This had to be some nightmare that held me in thrall, and I’d wake up soon.

Bracca tilted his head to the side to regard me carefully. I had no idea what he might be thinking.

Ellien spoke up. “Your father was given a good price for you.”

“But why? I don’t understand. What have I ever done to you?”

“It wasn’t personal,” Ellien said with a shrug. “I needed you for the trade.”

“But whyme? I don’t understand. I’m nobody important.”

“What does it matter why? I’ll take you now,” Bracca said, “and this business is at an end.”

I gasped and got to my feet, swaying only a little, my knees going weak. A chill shot down my spine. Take me? Take me where? I had expected the prince to kill me and leave me in cold blood at his feet. I could then at least be buried here, near where I lived, and not far from where I was born. My spirit might not have to roam for all eternity, searching for my home. I never imagined this Fairy prince would take me with him, away from everyone and everything I’d ever known, only to kill me at his leisure. Maybe even to torture me.

“I curse you all!” I said, with one last glare over at Ellien. “I curse everyone in this realm! If the dead can return, I’ll come back for all of you. I swear it! I will!”

Ellien gave me a last horrified look, but I turned my back on him with an expression of disdain and contempt.

“Did he just hiss at you?” Bracca said to Ellien, sounding amused. “A nice touch. And he cursed us all too. I admit I’m impressed.” He grabbed my shoulder and turned me to face him “Anything else to say, boy, before we go? Get it all out.”

“Yes. Now that you mention it. Ellien has more gold,” I said, pointing at the Fairy lord. “More than just those bags over there. There’s plenty of it in his storerooms, along with jewels. I’ve seen it. He’s hiding it from you, and you should take every penny of it. He’s not going to even try to stop you, because he’s a cowardly dog, and besides, what do I get from all this? My life and that of your soldier should have more value.”

Bracca tipped up the corners of his mouth.

“Should it? Very well then, I agree,” he said, still looking amused. He barked out the order to his men to take all the gold, as Ellien shivered and fell to his knees on the ground. Bracca shrugged and spoke to him almost kindly. “The boy thinks you owe him for his life, and I think he has a point, since you did trick him to get him here.”

Ellien looked up at Bracca in outrage. “You told me to!”

Bracca smiled and shrugged. “A minor consideration. My captain’s life has to be considered as well. And since both the captain belonged to me, and this boy belongs to me now,” he gave me an arch look. “…so does the gold.”

Ellien wisely kept his mouth shut, while Bracca held out his hand to me, palm up. “Come along, boy. I’m growing bored with all this. We need to be going.”

I snatched my hand back away from him. “What you told Ellien is a damned lie. I belong to no one but myself.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, boy,” he said, in a voice that sounded bored with all of this. “And you’d be wise to start governing your tongue before you lose the use of it permanently.”

Horrified, because I knew he would do it, I continued to stand there, thinking about taking up my sword again, wondering if the Fairies would take their revenge out on my family if I did. I wondered if I even cared. If not for my stepmother and my little brother, I think I would have tried a fight to the death.

Bracca reached up, hooked the brim of the hat I wore with one finger and tossed it to the ground. “You may as well leave behind this cheap fur hat Lord Ellien gave you,” he said. “Take off that coat too. And the ugly boots. I don’t allow anyone to wear the fur of the creatures under my protection in my father’s kingdom.”

What? Rabbits were under his protection but not minks? As usual, these Fairies were impossible to comprehend.

At my confused glance, he lifted one shoulder. “The snow creatures are in my domain. Besides, do you really want anything this Woodland Fairy gave you? Go on, take all of it off.”

I turned to look at Ellien, still scowling behind me. I took off the offending items and threw them at him, striking him with them as he tried to dodge out of the way. “Give these to the next fool who believes your lies. If you can find one. Better yet, give them to my father and tell him this is all that’s left of his son. Tell him how I died for his greed. Tell him I’ll haunt him too. Every night. Rattling chains up and down the halls.”

He cowered away from me, giving me a shocked look. He even looked a little scared, and it made me feel glad, though I think he was more afraid of Bracca than he was of me—evendeadme. I had no idea how I’d found the courage to say all that to him anyway. But after all, I could only be murdered once. Like Bracca said, I might as well get it all out.

I bent over Ellien as he cowered on the ground and said, “I won’t try to kill you again, in case your stupid soldiers avenge themselves on my family but remember what I said about coming back here and walking your halls and the ramparts of your city walls, moaning and wailing. I will. And if you harm my family, I’ll do it every night. I’ll haunt you and this entire city until your dying days. I’ll give you and your people no rest. No respite. Look for me in the dark shadows of your bedchamber at night, because I’m coming.”

---