Page 82 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
Rhianelle tries sliding her body on top of mine as much as she can. “I won’t let the curse have you,” she mutters.
I fight back a smile at her effort.
She raises her hand to touch my face gently. “I promise I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know you will.” I haven’t felt human in a long time, but in this fleeting moment, in these precious seconds, something in me stirs to life.
Her trusting, beautiful doe eyes are fighting to stay open. I remember the way they first looked at me in the labyrinth. It took no more than a second for her to decide she wanted to save me. She even tried to shield me from some random wandering demon. The pale creature was weak, but it was still ten times her size.
How silly and odd. My brave little fawn.
She kisses me again, long and deep before nestling her head against my chest. I marvel at the way she fits perfectly in my arms. Like it was always meant to be.
“They can’t claim you. You’re mine…I’ll protect you,” she mutters half asleep. I stroke several rebel strands of silver hair from her face. I’ve only known her for mere hours and yet it feels like we’ve shared an eternity together. It is as if the stars are aligned for us to meet.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you came into my existence. No matter how brief.” I press a soft kiss against her temple, inhaling her sweet scent.
“Goodnight, Svenn,” she says dreamily.
It’s almost dawn but I don’t tell her.
“Goodnight, Rhianelle.”
Chapter 22 Rhianelle
Svenn looks at me like he sees me for who I am. An imperfect person with flaws and faults just like everyone else. And he still wants me. He cradles me closer to his chest, bundling me in the blanket. His embrace feels like a sanctuary. Nothing can ever hurt me here.
“I’m here,” he breathes into my hair. I fall asleep to the deep, soothing sound of his voice.
A sudden chill slithers on my skin. I open my eyes to the cold open air in a dark and moonless night.
“Svenn?” I call out. He has disappeared along with our bed and the tent. There’s nothing but trees all around me. I glance heavenward to find my bearings from the stars. Not a single one is visible. I am all alone in a weird land in the middle of a thinning forest.
This is strange.
Am I dreaming? It doesn’t feel like the usual setting for my nightmares. I don’t remember putting back my nightgown and yet here I am, wearing it.
It has to be a dream… a vision.
Distant footfalls resound from behind me. I track them quietly to a road filled with several traveling caravans and wagons.
“Careful with the load or the witch will eat your liver,” one of the uniformed men barks. He glances over in my direction.
I’m ready to run if he calls for my capture, but the guard passes me by without question. The others don’t seem to mind my presence around their precious cargos either. I climb into one of the caravans silently.
There’s barely enough space for me to squeeze in between the covered metallic cages. I lift the canvas tarp to look inside. A little lion cub with feathery wings rumbles softly from its sleep. I take a deep breath at the wondrous creature before me.
A sphinx.
There aren’t many of them left in the human world. Most have migrated Beyond the Veil to live in Avalon over the fae’s Seelie court. The sound of beating wings prompts me to check the next wooden container. A pair of pixies raise their heads to me. These little guys are tinier than my thumb with dragonfly wings on their backs.
“Hi,” I say to them. Their pointed ears remind me of the fae. One of them motions me with his tiny hand to take an acorn. It’s trying to bribe me to get it out of the cage.
“No need for payment,” I say with a smile. I grip the side of the container to lift it.
It’s heavier than I thought. Perhaps it’s tied with some kind of enchantment. The rest of the trappings are filled with all kinds of magnificent beasts I have never seen before in my life. I settle next to the sphinx’s cage until I can find something to knock these locks out. He purrs happily when I scratch underneath his chin.
The weird convoy stops after a long while. I hear some grunts and jostling sounds as the humans begin loading the boxes from the carriages.
