Page 165 of A Fate so Cruel

A small chance was better than no chance at all.

Rion surveyed the area outside the gardens, then gestured Cara to run across the street. He stood in the middle, watching and listening in case the guards came back early. One of the children whined, but the male holding them quickly put a hand over their mouth and shushed them back to sleep.

Their hearts raced, Rion’s right along with them. He didn’t know what he’d do if someone found them. Would he kill the individual just so they wouldn’t sound the alarm? Would he blatantly tell the Fae he was taking the slaves for his own use? They’d scent a lie, sure, but they’d likely just assume Rion was going to kill them anyway.

Rion remained alert and prayed he wouldn’t have to make a decision.

They were panting before they reached the small hole in the trees. Each walked through one at a time, almost holding their breath, as if waiting for something to yank them back. For the guards to show up on the other side.

Rion was the last out. He nodded to Cara and pressed a finger to his lips. There were still patrols out here, but with their hoods up, the slaves looked like any other group headed out on an assignment. So long as the guards didn’t venture too close, they wouldn’t know the difference.

Less than an hour later, they broke from the forest surrounding Nàdair. Rion didn’t let them stop, but the half-breeds didn’t complain about his fast pace.

Their hearts had been racing the whole time, but out here in the open plains beneath the light of the full moon, he caught a few smiling faces. One paused to glance back, likely bidding farewell to the only life she’d ever known.

Rion locked his gaze on the mountains in the distance. If they maintained a decent pace, they’d arrive in the village before tomorrow afternoon.

Freedom. He wondered if this was as close as he’d ever come to tasting it. He glanced at the younglings, all still nestled in their parents’ arms, and decided that any consequences he might face for his actions would be worth it. They were worth it, and if he could spare even one from a life lived in chains, then perhaps his life wasn’t so damned after all.

Chapter Four

The children needed more breaks than he’d anticipated, but none complained the way noble born younglings always seemed to. They ate whatever they were given and walked as long as their parents pushed.

Rion threw the shackle keys to Cara. “Magic can be volatile when it’s contained too long. Make sure to stand back when you remove the iron.”

“But we’re half-breeds,” she said, a question in her gaze.

“Half human,” Rion replied, “but also half Fae. You, in particular, should be wary.”

She glanced down at her shackles, studying the metal as if she could imagine the vines unfurling from beneath. “We still have a ways to go, right?” Rion nodded. “Then I’ll wait.” She pocketed the key. “What’s a few more days after a decade of wearing them?”

It was nearly dusk when they finally arrived in the small village. The half-breeds pulled up their hoods and Rion marched straight to the inn, ignoring those who stood along the streets. Most ducked away from his advancing form.

The female inside gestured him up to their prepared room and Rion laid another pile of coins on the table. “I need adequate, warm food.” He jerked his chin toward the half-breeds. “I don’t need them fainting on me.”

She nodded, counted those with Rion, then disappeared through a back door.

The slaves followed him up a narrow staircase. It wasn’t until they were in the room that Rion grimaced. He definitely wouldn’t be sleeping in the small space alongside them.

They stood in the middle of the room, huddled against one another, eyeing Rion as if he held all the answers. It wasthen that he realized they’d never been free to make their own decisions. This was their default. To wait for orders.

“As far as I’m concerned,” he started. “From this moment forward, you’re free.” They blinked and shuffled their feet, glancing at one another in uncomfortable silence. “Food is on its way. Light a fire if you want. The shower is down the hall. Just don’t leave this room for anything else. We don’t want to draw attention. If you’re questioned, just tell them you’re on an errand from me.”

“They’ll know if we’re lying, though,” a female said, her voice timid.

Rion sighed. “Fine, I command you, as a favor to me, to see to your needs, then to rest for the evening.”

He reached for the door, but Cara asked, “What will you be doing?”

“Sleeping,” was his only reply before Rion exited the room and went to the roof.

He ate the food he’d packed for himself and listened to the half-breeds in the room below. The innkeeper knocked on the door and delivered hot meals as promised. One tray after another filed in.

The children laughed, delighted by the assortment. The adults gasped in awe, as if they’d just been given a delicacy. They’d probably never even eaten a decent meal. Judging by the male who’d owned them, it wasn’t a far stretch of the imagination. Rion almost wished he was in Nàdair just to see the male’s face when he woke and realized two dozen of his slaves had vanished overnight.

The half-breeds grew more comfortable by the minute. Whispered conversations started followed by giggling and slight reprimands to keep their voices down.

He heard one pad toward the window and move the curtains aside to glance out. Cara, more than likely, though he wondered if she was looking at the village or for him.

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