Page 28 of Courting the Fae Captain
“We’ve passed through a veil,” one of the males answered gruffly. “From now until your return, your magic will remain dormant. No wielding in this test.”
“Lucky me,” I grumbled.Not that it made much difference for me personally. My power may have awakened but I didn’t know how to effectively control it.
“You won’t find any luck here,” the second guard said with no small amount of satisfaction. “Not unless Brindere favours you with good fortune. Now get up. We’re here.”
Twenty-two minutes, give or take a few. That’s how long it took to cross the body of water and reach our destination. The boat came to a bumpy halt, and the bag on my head was ripped off before I was shoved into the water rippling over the shoreline. A sharp shell sliced my hand as I fell to my knees on the sand. I hissed as I stiffly rose to my feet.
My heart sank as I took in my surroundings. We were on an island, with our only means of escape currently rowing back towards the castle through what looked like a graveyard of broken ships dotting the shallow waters. Stars still glimmered above, the moon bright in its seat, but the skyline appeared to be shifting. First light would soon be upon us.
One of the males grinned as he stood at the rear of the rowboat. “Don’t make me regret my bet, girl,” he called. Then he threw a shoddy blade. It moved in a straight line as it sailed overhead and thudded into the sand.
Even in the predawn darkness, it was clear what he’d tossed, and not just to my eyes. A line of females freshly shoved out of their beds and into boats followed the short sword with their eyes. I couldn’t let them take it. I ran toward the lifeline the male guard had offered. But I slipped in the sand just shy of where itlay. Just out of reach, my fingertips nearly brushed against the hilt when someone pulled me back.
Portia’s accomplice, Liv, and her triumphant face greeted me as I turned and kicked her in the stomach with my free leg. She shrieked and let go, and I scrambled through the sand towards the one thing that could end this fight quickly.But she grabbed me by both legs this time and dragged me back towards the water as I clawed for purchase, and sand scraped under my nails painfully. I was once again soaked as the shock of cold water hit my chest. The next thing I knew, my head was under the shallows, with Liv holding my face under with both hands, then dragging me back up.Salt filled my mouth as I struggled. I gritted my teeth and felt my nostrils flare as the water rushed over me again and again, giving me precious little air in between the steady in-and-out of the tide.
My eyes burned as the sea water clung to my lashes. All I could see when the water receded were flashes of bodies as females fought. Each time I lifted an arm, Liv would bat it away, until my very lungs threatened to collapse. I had no air, no breath, no strength in my veins.Her hand splayed over my cheek as I fought, her finger slipping over my mouth.
Panic gave way to fury, and I bit down hard on the slender bone.There was a sickening crunch at the joint, causing her to scream and jerk away. That quick movement alone caused me to rip half her finger clean off her hand.
I stumbled to my feet and spat the tip of her finger out in disgust, coughing and gagging as the taste of iron mixed with the salt in my mouth. Blood poured from her wound, but I didn’t waste any more time. It was pointless to try for the sword, now half buried in the dredged-up sand and being fought over by several other females desperate for an advantage to stay alive.I pushed my feet through the soft sand past them all, doing my best to keep my balance without slowing down. I didn’t lookbehind to see whether Liv followed. The dunes were so close. If I could just?—
Pain erupted up my side as Liv suddenly attacked me yet again, this time with the sword in hand. I cried out as the salt water soaking my clothes touched the fresh wound. By the gods, did she ever quit?! Her pale face twisted in a sneer, her wet brown hair clinging to her cheeks. She raised the blade above her head with both hands, blood streaming from her severed finger. I prayed to Ryvia that this was not my end.I looked into Liv’s frenzied eyes and said a silent goodbye. But before she could bring the blade down on my head, a long shard of steel impaled through her stomach. Liv’s brown eyes widened as she looked down at the sword point. The bearer removed it, yanking forcefully and painfully, causing a spray of blood to mist over the shallow water.Her brows knitted together before she fell to her knees, dropping her arms to her sides. Her brown eyes turned black as her eyes dilated, and she was dead before her body hit the ground.
“Akira?” I gasped as I looked up at my ally standing behind Liv’s body.
She smiled grimly, then plucked Liv’s blade from her hand and tossed it to me.“Go,” she urged. “Get somewhere safe. I’ll come find you when I can.”
“Where are you going? Where’s Sherai?” I asked. I hadn’t had a chance to really look, but it was too dark to make out distinct features anyway.
Another female charged at Akira before she could answer. She blocked the hit just in time, then adjusted her stance. I made to step forward, to help in any way I could, but a wave of dizziness washed over me and I winced, clutching at my side.
“Get out of here, Aeris,” Akira hissed. “Now!”
Guilt weighed down my bones as I did as commanded and ran. It was odd that such an emotion could defy even the mostbase survival instinct. I’d only ever needed to look out for myself. I had made it this far in my life by keeping a low profile and doing as much as possible to avoid my father’s wrath. I looked out for myself, which is how it had always needed to be. And yet … leaving Akira behind felt like a betrayal. Like someone had plunged a knife into my heart and twisted. We’d only just met. Why did I feel this way? Maybe it was something my mother had said in her note.We must stop allowing the males to divide us. We need each other.
I shook my head and focused on scaling the soft terrain of the upper dunes. Blood stained the white sand as I climbed, but I ignored the pain as much as possible. Shouts rang out behind me, and I chanced one quick look over my shoulder before I cleared the rise entirely.Below, I could make out bodies scattered across the scarlet-stained beach. At least five females were dead, with likely more injured. I caught a glimpse of Akira finishing off her opponent and heaved a sigh of relief. She was okay.
The last thing I saw before I turned and disappeared from view of the beach was the wrath on Portia’s beautiful face as she stood over Liz’s fallen body. She would come for me, I knew that already, but now she had even more reason to. I would be prepared when she did. I would find both Sherai and Akira, and we would face her together when I was better equipped. I left the beach and didn’t look back as I entered the strange thick of flora.
I ran through the shrubbery and cursed as spiky branches prodded and scraped at the flimsy, wet material of my pyjamas. Those fuckers hadn’t even allowed us to change before stealing us away. My skin prickled, my whole body tense from the cold and the pain racking up my side. My soaked clothes clung to me, bitingly slowing my movements.
Just. Keep. Moving.I ran past more sandy dunes filled with needle-like bushes and into a forest populated with palms andbeech trees until my chest ached and my salt-ravaged throat burned. Then I ran some more, until I found some ruins with half-crumbled pillars and landings. I decided that would make for a good vantage point and made my way up a broken column.I climbed, ignoring the bark of my limbs as my muscles strained in protest. My injury sent fresh waves of searing pain across my ribs, but I had to push on. I didn’t think it was more than a flesh wound, nothing broken, nothing punctured; otherwise, there’d be significantly more blood, and I’d likely have passed out by now. I needed to make sure no one could abuse my vulnerability, though. Higher ground meant I would have an advantage against attackers, and I’d be able to see anyone approaching.
I groaned as I heaved myself up over the last ledge and rolled onto the stone until I was staring up at the midnight blue that was shifting to periwinkle, then slowly into pink. Dawn. When the real fun would begin. But first, I needed to tend to myself. My hand came back sticky and wet as I pressed it to my wound. The greatest threat right now was the blood loss sapping away at my strength. I could lose consciousness and be killed while I was completely helpless. Then there was the risk of infection ... If I didn’t do something about the wound soon, I’d be lucky to see another dawn at all.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
‘There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones that fight, and the ones that take flight. One of them kills something inside you. The other gets you killed.’
Journal excerpt, author unknown
Ijolted as a shout broke the silence, then immediately regretted the sudden movement as my body flashed with pain. I’d taken the moment to rest and apply pressure to my wound while I could. Sticky, congealed blood trickled down my side to form a pool over the stone. I peeled myself off the stone floor with a wince, not daring to look at my injury. I strained my senses for any sound, but the forest was quiet, as if even the animals had fled into their burrows or taken flight. They knew when a predator was close, and this island was now full of them.
It was a shame we couldn’t wield here. But then it wouldn’t do me much good anyway. My power had only just awokenyesterday, and I hadn’t had any time to work out how to call it or use it. I recalled the sensation of my power blasting out of me. Shadow magic, just like the captain’s. Spell Weavers from the Shadow Court were known for the ability to manipulate darkness and for casting dark spells, but to create shadows? A rare gift indeed.
I focused on my surroundings, skirting the edges of my vantage point to look for any movement in the trees. I must have drifted off for an hour or two, because the sun was now in the sky and trying its hardest to shine from behind a swathe of clouds. Good. An overcast day meant better coverage when using my surroundings.
“Aeris,” a voice called. I flinched, then shuffled back into my corner, away from the edge where I was easily targeted. “It’s Sherai and Akira. We’re coming up.”
