Page 99 of Trapped to Tame
‘A powerful figure,’ Priest answered, ‘though he rarely attends the courts himself. He sends emissaries. He's wealthy beyond measure. The only reason he's not part of the Council is because he has no wish to be. He has influence through the Dark Realms and controls many of the trade routes as well.’
‘Why haven't I heard of him?’
Drax shrugged. ‘He is not often mentioned by name. He works through stewards and others who are employed by him.’
‘What does he want with Eve?’
Priest frowned. ‘Gods only know, but I'd guarantee it's nothing good. What does the parchment say?’
Fie unfolded it. ‘It looks like she’s still in this realm. Far from here though.’
Drax nodded. ‘I thought I could feel her very vaguely earlier, but, as you say, she is far from here.’
‘But how can we get there from here without anyone noticing?’ Fie asked.
‘We can't,’ Priest said. ‘The only way we can do that is if we take a portal out of this realm and then go back on ourselves. I suggest we do it soon. If we can get to Gerling’s estate before Eve is traded, then we might be able to break her out.’
‘Aye,’ Drax agreed. ‘That's our best hope. Ceres could take her anywhere.’
Priest nodded grimly. ‘We’d never find her. At least if we know where she is, we can bide our time until the right moment.’
‘Gerling will be having us watched. He’ll know if we take a portal straight there.’
Fie opened the window again and threw a leg out. ‘We go back to another Dark Realm. Doesn’t matter which. We kill our trackers and then go from there. Agreed?’
The others nodded and Drax felt a moment of pride at how far Fie had come since he’d first joined their unit.
‘Go back to our room and gather our things,’ Fie said to them. ‘We’ll take the smaller portal from the courtyard. At least then our leaving won't be marked to everyone in the court.’
They left the library, Drax and Priest making a brief stop at their chambers to collect their packs. They walked down to a small door past the kitchens that led out into a tiny courtyard where Fie waited for them. There was a portal here that not everyone knew existed.
‘I can’t see it without my amulet. Are you sure it’s there?’ Fie asked.
Drax nodded. ‘It's by the path there. Always open. You just have to go to it.’
They stepped through and, in the most seamless journey that Drax had ever encountered, they found themselves in a quiet village. It was dark and there was no one around to see them arrive, the residents all in their beds for the night.
‘Come,’ Priest murmured, slipping into the shadows, and drawing his sword. ‘It won’t take long.’
Priest was right. A moment later, three men appeared in absolute silence, looking for them and Drax smiled grimly in the dark, glad to be finally taking action.
He and his Brothers waited until their prey was close enough before they sprang out of the darkness and killed all three outright, dragging their corpses out of sight.
They didn't waste any time, going back through the portal to the fae realms. This time they emerged in the north, close to where Gerling’s estates lay in a small village. His fortress could be seen high on the hill, large and foreboding, silhouetted against the sunset.
‘I can feel her,’ Fie said. ‘She’s still here. We aren’t too late.’
Drax sighed with relief as he felt the bond flare to life. Fie was right. Eve was close by. ‘Let's find somewhere to lay low until we know more of what's happening.’
They took a room at a small inn at the edge of the village, the casement looking out over Gerling’s home.
Fie went down to the tap rooms to learn what was going on up at the house and Drax had no doubt he'd come back with a plethora of information in the form of local gossip for them.
Drax stared out at the fortress, wondering if Eve was all right. She was alive. At least they knew that much.
‘We’re coming for you,’ he whispered.
He was afraid. What if they couldn't get her back? What if she was sold to Ceres and they couldn’t find her? He didn’t know what brand of magick Ceres possessed but, considering his influence, Drax could guess he’d give Eve more than a run for her money especially as she still couldn’t control hers properly. She was a lamb to the slaughter.
