Page 110 of Fate and Flame
I swung the weapon up and sliced into her. Her blood sprayed across the snow, but she did not flinch. She stunk of rotted fish and seaweed. Even through my labored breathing, I could smell her decrepit body. One of her sisters hissed behind us as I pulled the blade back to swing again. Spots filled my vision.
Gaea landed beside me and brought a sword down over the gryla’s arms at my throat, chopping them clean off her body. The creature screamed as we were both sprayed with rancid blood. Gaea grabbed my hand and spirited us away before I could even catch my breath.
We landed and Greeve flinched. Likely from the lingering smell. I put my hands on my knees and tried to pull the cold air into my lungs. Greeve clapped me on the back, which was no help, but eventually I was standing up right.
“Look.” Gaea pointed.
I turned around and couldn’t believe what I saw. Absolutely nothing. The giant led us to the northernmost tip of the world, far away from everyone for nothing. I shook my head.
“Why?” I asked. “Why would he send us here for nothing?”
“He has to be working for Autus. He had to have a reason.”
But something didn’t sit right with me. Something was off.“My payment to the king.”
“What?” Greeve asked, still scanning the horizon with his keen eyes.
“That’s what the gryla said before she attacked me. What do you know about the giant, Greeve?”
“Anyone can be enchanted. Even a gentle giant,” he said, but something caught his eye. “Watch.” He pointed to the sky in front of us.
“I don’t see anything.” Gaea shoved her sword back into place.
“There,” he said.
And I saw it too. A bird. Flying high above the horizon and then dipping low, as if hunting, but it disappeared.
“What the hell?” Gaea asked, stepping forward.
“Wards,” Greeve answered. “The giant mentioned them. Fae used to use them all the time to keep others away or things hidden. I recently had to take some containment wards out that Morwena was using on a hydra. I don’t think the giant was lying at all. I think the city is hidden in plain sight.”He tugged Gaea forward.
I followed.
“Can you feel that?” Gaea asked, rubbing her chest.
“It’s the wards,” Greeve answered. “Their purpose is to make you feel like you should turn back.”
She huffed. “At least we know why they’ve never been discovered. Not only do you have to travel around The Bog, you have to push through this gods awful feeling of dread just to walk toward a city you can’t even see. Fen needs to look into warding.”
The flat land of freshly fallen snow was the only thing we could see until two male voices called in unison. “Stop there.”
“Add guards to the list,” she mumbled.
The scene before us remained untouched. No fae, no creatures, nothing to give a hint of settlement.
“Turn around. Only death awaits you here.”
“We’ve come to talk to Heva,” I said into the emptiness.
Two figures stepped in front of us as if they had just landed from the sky. They wore golden armor that glistened in the sunlight and held long javelins with pointed ends.“Who are you?” the one with brown, tufted hair asked. Something foreign crossed his face as he took me in.
“I’m Temir, and I come as a messenger on behalf of King Fenlas of the Flame Court.
“We do not recognize the southern royalty here. We govern our own.”
“All the same, we’d like to talk to your leader.”
“Stay here,” he answered, his gaze lingering on me.They stepped backward and disappeared, the veil of the ward encompassing them. We waited for several long minutes until they returned.“You may come. They must wait.” He pointed at me.
