Page 37 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
This is fae territory. We’re in Avalon.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let anything hurt you,” he promises, tapping on a boulder for me to climb. “Come look.”
I step on the elevation and gaze down to the range of lower peaks below.
My heart plummeted to my feet at the first sight of the colossal beasts—monsters with scales that run from back to tail and eyes brighter than a furnace’s glow. A creature of magic as much as it is a creature of death. Everything in its arsenal is a weapon, from the pointed horns to its sharp spiky spinal plates, to its barbed tail, and of coursed those sharp talons and serrated teeth.
I try and fail to count the number of wyverns sunbathing in the bright daylight, spreading their thin wings and gorgeous dark scales. There are probably more in the deep pockets of the caverns below.
Across the lower summits and the nesting area sets a long hill with a castle on top of it. Tall watchtowers and spires spear to the sky, making up most of the architecture. I am most impressed by the glass deck at the centre. This house must belong to one of Eirik Bloodhound’s trusted fae lords.
A shiver creeps down my spine at the thought.
But Svenn doesn’t intend to bring me towards either of those dangerous places. We continue our journey to the top of our mountain. I remind myself Svenn is here. Nothing bad is going to happen as long as I have him by my side.
The higher we climb up the hill, the more bones I encounter laying on the ground. Death shrouds this place. A sick feeling twists my gut.
“What if the enemy finds us?” I ask him.
Svenn glances back at me and squeezes my hand. “None of the wyverns or fae frequent this place. This is where unwanted newborns go to die when they are abandoned.”
Unwanted newborns…?I echo in my head.
Why would Svenn take me to such a dark place?
Our track halts just short of the crest, opening onto a flat area filled with dense bushes where the trees are sparse. Svenn brushes his thumb on my knuckles, signaling me to release his hand.
“Wait here,” he whispers.
“Don’t leave me,” I beg him, gripping his hand.
“It’s just for a while,” he assures me, his voice unnervingly calm. “I promise it will be worth it.”
I nod softly and he disappears behind the thick bushes and shrubs.
An eternity drifts by and I regret my decision to let him go. There’s nothing to keep me company but the lonely howl of the wind. How long does he want me to wait? This place is creeping me out. It doesn’t help that I can hear the vicious roaring of the wyverns from the other hills below us.
I grow more impatient and scared by the second. The fear churning in my gut becomes unbearable. I can’t do this anymore.
“Svenn!”
I charge straight into the bushes, pushing leaves and thorns away. “You promised you wouldn’t be long—”
I stop dead in my tracks.
My brain fails to make sense of what my eyes are seeing. I’m not surprised to see Svenn’s tall, menacing shadow, Ken. I’m quite used to his presence by now. The sight that doesn’t quite register in my head is him being there with a brush in his hand, painting a pale, small wyvern.
The silent stretches as we stare at one another.
“What is this?” I dare ask.
Svenn visibly swallows before answering calmly, “This is it… Your other birthday present.”
‘My birthday present’ slips into the shrubs behind him quickly.
I take a deep, steadying breath.
Svenn detects my growing unease and turns on his shadow. “This was your Ken’s idea. Not mine.”
