Page 11 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
I can’t look away from the carnage right before my eyes. I try blinking again to make sure this is just a nightmare. But everything remains the same when I open my eyes.
The knights still lay in pieces. Loren is still dead.
Raw fear roils through me, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I slump down on the floor as I stare at the broken bodies before me.
This can’t be happening. The twelfth battalion is one of the best warriors of Völundr. My heart strains to the point of cleaving.
A small sob comes out of me. I know I’m supposed to be strong, but I’m so scared.What am I going to do now…?
The pile of corpses in the hallway stirs. “Princess Rhianelle…”
A voice calls for me, dry and rough as sandpaper. But I recognize it.
“Oscar!”
I run to the knight quickly. He leans on the wall with his eyes half closed, his breathing labored. His armor and his cape are soaked with blood.
“The governor betrayed us,” he says, agony lacing his voice. His eyes are haunted as they lock on to mine.
“I know, I know.” I nod, kneeling beside him. The jutting bone on his leg is terrifying to look at. I give my heart three seconds to take in the horror, the grief, the fear, and everything. Then I quickly move to one of the soldiers to rip a small part of his cape, using it to bandage Oscar’s injured leg quickly. I’ve seen Lady Deirdre do it many times. She even let me practice on my dolls sometimes.
The knight hisses in pain at the movement. For a few breaths, he just stares at me, letting me work.
“I gave Jessica my letters,” he suddenly says between his grunts.
“You did?” I ask with a small smile. “What did she say?”
Oscar lets out a short laugh. It’s totally inappropriate given the situation. His injury is likely worse than it looks.
The knight drags a hand over his hair and shakes his head. “She can’t read.”
I lift my head to look at him. “What?”
“Jessica can’t read,” he mutters again, wincing from his wounds. “Just like the rest of the children in this poor village.”
Oscar gazes heavenward and sighs. “It’s sad, isn’t it?”
It is.
“Did you confess anyway?” I ask, tying the bandage tight.
The knight reins in another grunt at the maneuver. “I did.”
“Good job, Oscar.” I smile at him.
Relief dances in his bright brown eyes. It completely vanishes the moment a faint whistling sound reverberates down the passage.
Every muscle in his face goes taut. Oscar is a knight of Völundr. He doesn’t get scared easy. But right now, he looks like someone who had just seen a monster.
The knight places his hands on my shoulders and turns me to face him. “He’s here.”
“Who’s here?”
Fear and pain tighten his face. I can feel his hands trembling.
“I’m not sure. But I believe he’s someone they called the Shadow Fae,” he finally answers with a slow exhale. “He’s Eirik Bloodhound’s best bounty hunter and one of his Masters of the Hunt.”
Oscar gestures to Loren and the others with a jut of his head. “He’s the one who did this to us.”
