Page 56 of Courting the Fae Captain
We halted in a straight line at the garden’s edge, in a space where the terrain lay open to the elements near the cliff’s edge, rather than obscured by a wall. It now appeared to be an arena of sorts, with covered seating erected on either side of the snow-covered ground. Males occupied the space on one side, lounging in thick fur coats with servants standing by with delicacies and drinks.I wondered if they’d been up all night drinking, or if they, too, had recently woken for the event.
The other side housed only five seats, which were obviously for the Pentad. Seeing those five places sent anger bubbling beneath my skin. This was an arena, and we were the gladiators. Our deaths were passing entertainment for these elitist assholes. The only comfort was knowing I would make them squeal once this was done. I felt no guilt about that fact whatsoever. It warmed me, deep in my darkening little heart.
The crowd quieted as the Pentad took a step forward. Even the whistling wind seemed to pause, as if noting how important this moment was. The sea serpent stepped to the forefront, always the ringleader, and gestured at the arena.
“The final test,” he exclaimed for all to hear. “A final farewell to the journey that led to this moment. We hope you enjoyed your stay.” He paused, as if politely allowing for a cordial response. No one spoke a word. “The Wedding Rite is our most beloved ceremony, reserved for the most promising of females. You started this test in a blood offering to the beasts below, and we ask that you do so again. Normally, we end the Rite with some mercy. Allowing the losing females who made it this far to live and find another potential husband. However, tonight, we rein in a new era. One where only the strong survive, and the powerful Fae of this court take back what is rightfully ours. It begins with you. Become your wildest self—your most primal being. Take what is rightfully yours by blood. Claim it. Kill for it. And stand victorious over the fallen. Raulo, the wrathful God of War and Change, smiles on you tonight as you battle for the hand of the captain.”
My heart plummeted as his words sank like a stone into my stomach. This was truly the end, then. I had never expected the Pentad to be merciful, but they were downright unhinged if this was the beginning of some great calamity to overthrow the court.Rein in a new era? It begins with us?I frowned. More like our deaths.
I looked at the five males with pure hatred filling my veins. It would be so easy to shove them off the cliff and end this insanity. The drop beyond promised a swift death on the rocks far below. The ocean roiled below, its waves foam-capped and angry. An ocean wind whipped through my hair, fluttering the braid and making me brace in my boots against the icy cold. But it wasn’t the wind, nor the sea, that made me tremble. It was the five males standing in their black robes and their golden masks. It was the purveyors of death, looking upon their curiosities like we were priceless cuts of meat to be devoured.
I turned and caught my friends’ faces down the line of females, noting the bravery in Sherai’s honey-brown eyes and the resigned acceptance in Akira’s nearly black ones. Two very different females who had proven their love and loyalty time again. Our friendship had been forged in the hottest fires to that of unbreakable steel, not iron or glass. We were sharp and deadly and fierce, and we were in this together.
Sherai smiled sadly at me, and Akira dipped her chin. I nodded at them both—a promise, and a shared order. We knew what we had to do. Even if it was too late, we still had to try.
The thunder of stomping boots came from behind me. I looked over my shoulder with narrowed eyes as row upon row of soldiers formed at our backs, effectively shutting off any hope of escape. Then they threw swords and spears to the ground between them and us. The weapons clanged as they thudded ominously onto the snow.
The sea serpent nodded towards the crowded stand of onlookers, where several servants rushed out with trays of goblets that they handed out to the females.The cups we received weren’t nearly as fancy as those the guests were drinking from. I was betting the contents of ours was different, too.
“A toast,” the sea serpent said as he and the other Pentad members raised their own glasses. “To the dawn of a new empire, and your brave sacrifice.”
Most of the females raised their cups to their lips, but I took one sniff of the contents and subtly shook my head at my friends. Poison, most definitely.
“All females must drink,” the lion purred from behind the sea serpent.
The guards stepped forward at once, combing down the line for any cups still full of liquid. Several other females hadn’t drunk from theirs either. The guards forced the liquid down their throats. I wasn’t surprised to see Portia among them, bearing her teeth and hissing as they yanked her hair back and forced her chin up. They did the same to Akira, who sneered at them from red lips before they forced it down her throat. Sherai complied, knowing there was no use struggling.
I took a sip from my cup and winced at the thick, syrupy texture and the acrid bitterness as I held it in my cheek. The lion broke rank, stalking towards me with all the intention of a predator. It was obvious he didn’t buy that I’d willingly swallowed the cup’s contents. He gripped my face hard enough to bruise, then dragged me forward as he ripped the goblet from my hand. I spat the liquid onto his mask, then was rewarded with a backhand to my face. Pain radiated through my jaw, and blood welled immediately from a tooth that cut through my lip. I staggered and wiped my mouth with my sleeve, glaring at the male with the full weight of my hatred.
Pure, undiluted wrath funnelled down the bond as Raithe’s emotions welled down the connection linking us. He was the storm and the sea, waging war on all his enemies. The weight and force of his anger gave me pause, making me blink several times to adjust.
“We are intrinsically linked in a way that would be impossible to describe,”Raithe answered with cold fury.“When I get there, I am going to slice out his fucking innards. If he touches you again?—”
“I can handle myself,”I promised, stroking the shadowy wall of his mind in reassurance. “I need you to focus on your task. I’ll be fine, Mother Hen. This may be our only chance. At least we have them all here where we can keep an eye on them … and keep them distracted. I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will. Doesn’t mean I don’t get to play the overprotective rooster when I have the chance. And if you don’t kill that male, I swear to all the gods I sure as hell will.”
“You will comply or you will die,” the lion snarled, ripping me from my thoughts as his golden mask roared down at me. “The choice is yours.”
“Okay, I’m thinking we can both rip this fucker to shreds,”I whispered down the bond as power surged to my fingertips, barely held at bay as my anger nearly consumed me. I kept it in check. A sure death would follow if I acted prematurely. Worse, he may kill my friends for my actions. He grabbed me again, this time by the neck, and forced my head back before he poured the full contents of the cup down my throat. When the liquid overflowed out of the sides of my mouth, a guard behind me pinched my nose, and I was forced to swallow.
“My ruthless little—”Raithe’s words cut off, and I blinked, panic rising in me once again at the gaping chasm inside me that he usually filled. The bond was gone.Raithewas gone.
The lion grinned at my stunned expression. “A little concoction to even the scales,” he said for the benefit of all. “Your ability to wield has been stripped from you, but don’t worry, it will return … if you live long enough.” He slid a hand over the small of my back, then round to my front, his fingers splaying downwards. Revulsion curdled in my stomach,but I said nothing, did nothing, until he pulled his hand back. He clucked his tongue. “You’re the alchemist, aren’t you? I’m surprised you don’t come better prepared. Alas, there are no potions to aid you today.”
Isn’t there?a little voice in me wanted to say. Ever since Raithe and I had returned from our scouting trip to the island, my friends and I had pored over texts to find answers to the mystical veil. I’d wanted to remove it altogether—to give the females in the prison a fighting chance to escape—but such an obstacle was too large a feat to overcome with limited supplies. Instead, Sherai had suggested finding a more portable solution. A liquid cure to the Pentad’s power-blocking magic. I now wondered if it would also cure the magic that was currently circling in our veins. I’d been gathering the herbs and testing the solution in the apothecary since. The ones I’d picked the day Raithe had taken me to fly had proven the answer. Blackbell. Our saving grace.The vials were waiting … if only I could get to them.
My fingers curled into fists as the lion made his way, along with the other Pentad members, to the stand erected just for them. The sea serpent looked over us all, his golden mask swivelling slowly from left to right. And, after the wind shrieked its war song, he clapped his hands just once. “Begin.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
‘I used to help people. Now I find myself looking for ways to hurt them.’
Journal excerpt, author unknown
Iturned, rushing toward one of the swords they’d tossed to the ground, and rolled as I clamped a hand around its cool leather grip. I barely had enough time to shift and adjust my stance before a female, who had been faster, charged at me with a spear. I batted the spearhead aside with a clumsy block, still battling the lingering effects of being stripped of my other half. Since Raithe had essentially become a part of me—embedded in my soul and the very fibre of my being—having his presence blocked was like carving my body in two. The sudden loss of him was staggering …wrong.
“You have to keep moving, Aeris!” Akira shouted. “Defensive position, then fucking move!”
