Page 6 of Ties of Bargains

Here in the Fae Realm, the moon was only a sliver, and the night shrouded deep and dark around them. The stars overhead twinkled with a hint of blue she hadn’t seen in the fainter, less brilliant stars of the Human Realm. On this side, a circle of red-and-white toadstools formed the faerie circle while tiny red flowers dotted the moss. As they were in the Court of Dreams, one of the Spring Courts, the thick air was choked with the overwhelming scent of flowers and moonlit dew.

Val gave a yank on the cord still attached to her wrist, and the human puppy stumbled out of the faerie circle to land on his hands and knees on the thick, brilliant green moss.

The human gave a cough, then sucked in a shuddering breath. “That was…a mind-shattering experience.”

It was, but she wasn’t going to give him any sympathy over it. If he couldn’t even handle crossing between the realms, he wouldn’t last long in the Fae Realm.

“Get up. We need to keep moving.” Val spun away from the puppy. He would be forced to follow; the binding cord would ensure it.

“Where are we?” The puppy appeared in her peripheral vision, strolling at her side as he gaped at the sights around them. “Are these trees? No, they’re gigantic ferns! Are they huge or are we small?”

Val marched forward beneath the spreading leaves of the ferns stretching high over their heads and tried to ignore him. He couldn’t go away, but maybe he’d fall silent if she didn’t respond.

He paused for just a few footsteps, gaping at the scenery like an utter loon, before he spoke again. “Where are we going?”

“Queen Mab. The bargain won’t be complete until I hand you over to her.” Val spat the words between gritted teeth. She shouldn’t encourage his yammering, but she also didn’t want him getting any ideas about trying to escape from her. He wouldn’t succeed, but his resistance would be a hassle.

“I see.” The puppy’s expression turned contemplative for a moment before he looked at her again. “What should I call you?”

That did it. Val drew one of her knives, grabbed the cord to yank him forward, and shoved the point of her knife beneath the human’s chin. “Look. I’m not your friend. I’m not your tour guide. I’m merely delivering a package, and that package happens to be you. We have a short walk, then I’ll hand you over to your new mistress. We aren’t going to be stuck together long enough for names or chitchat or whatever. Got it?”

“Yes.” He started to nod, seemed to think better of it, and swallowed, his eyes flicking between her and the knife with all the wide-eyed innocence of someone whohad never had a blade to his throat before. Such a hapless little pup. He was absolutely going to die here in the Fae Realm.

Oh, well. Not her problem.

Her problem was merely getting him from here to Queen Mab’s court. That was it.

It had been strange that Queen Mab hired a mercenary for such a mission. The walk between her throne and this faerie circle was not that long, nor was this section of the Fae Realm particularly monster-infested. The Human Realm on the other side wasn’t all that dangerous to the fae, not like trying to retrieve a human from the Greenwood where the foresters assiduously guarded the woods from fae incursions. She would have understood hiring a mercenary for that kind of mission.

But this? This was well below Val’s caliber of skills.

Whatever. The sooner they hiked to the palace in the Court of Dreams, the sooner she could ditch this puppy and be on her way. Surely her Hunt Leader would have something more challenging for her by then. Even better if the mission needed multiple mercenaries, and she could set out with the close group of fellow mercenaries she’d formed within the larger Wild Hunt band.

Val sheathed her knife, stepped away from the human, and marched into the darkness beneath the foliage. Daisy ranged around them, sniffing the bushes and investigating all the animal trails.

After a few moments of blessed silence, the puppy felt the need to go back to yapping. “I’m not supposed to talk to you, but may I at least pet your dog?”

Perhaps he thought he’d survive longer if he madefriends with her dog. But if he wanted to pet Daisy, she wasn’t going to stop him. That would count as entertainment rather than an annoyance.

“Sure.” Val gave a whistle.

Daisy froze, her head lifting as her floppy ears pricked. Then her ears went back, her mouth opened in a toothy grin, and she took off at a full tilt run toward Val and the human. Daisy only barely slowed before she flopped into a sit even as she rammed into Val’s leg. Only the fact that Val had braced herself kept her upright. Daisy peered up at her, tongue lolling, toothy grin on full display.

Val ran her fingers over Daisy’s short, sleek fur and soft ears. “You’re a good dog.”

“Hello, puppy. May I pet you?” The human held out one of his hands, bending as he did so. “What’s her name?”

Being the snuggly dog she was, Daisy didn’t even take the time to sniff his hand before she got to her feet, tail wagging so hard her butt wiggled along with it. She pressed against the human’s legs before sitting on his foot.

“Daisy.” Val crossed her arms and resisted the urge to tap her foot. This would be worth the few seconds’ delay.

“Daisy?” The human paused in petting the dog and glanced up at Val, eyebrows raised.

“Yes. What of it?” Val shifted her weight, her feet itching to get back to walking.

Daisy wiggled closer to the human, bumping his hand with her head as she insisted he go back to petting.

“Nothing. It’s just very…normal.” The human ran his hand over Daisy’s head and down her back. He smiled, scratching Daisy behind the ears. “You’re such a good dog. Yes, you are.”

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