Page 28 of Across an Endless Sea

My knees quake, but I don’t fall to them.

Which is more important, my pride or my people?

Only it’s not so simple, is it?

I have no idea how my bowing before Elatha will affect things back in Faerie. Will he use it to legitimise his war? Claiming I’ve surrendered on behalf of my people?

At best, it will destroy their morale, and what will happen to them after that?

I’m not stupid enough to think he’ll stop then, either. Once he figures out that he can control me by killing fae until I snap, I’ll set a precedent. More will die.

My mouth stretches into a tight grim line, and my eyes burn, but I stand tall. Silent. It takes all of my willpower to look away from Bethani’s corpse, but I do it anyway, meeting Elatha’s black stare evenly.

Behind him, Maeve nods once and thumps her fist over her heart in solemn approval. It doesn’t make me feel any better. Beneath my feet, Bethani’s blood trickles across the deck, staining the wraps she gave me. Making them soggy. My hands curl into fists, nails cutting tiny half-moons into my palms, as I consider the poor fae’s fate.

What will happen to her? The Wild Hunt never crossed the Endless Sea when I rode with them. Are the spirits of all the fae who’ve died here trapped forever? Prevented from reaching the Otherworld?

“Danu was foolish to send such a soft-hearted queen to lead her people,” Elatha scoffs. “I don’t think breaking you will take long enough to be interesting.” He turns his focus to the Fomorians still holding me in place. “Praedra, you’ll be in charge of keeping her, since it appears my son is already questioning his loyalty.” His eyes narrow. “I never thought the day would come that I could trust a traitor’s daughter over my own heir.”

I only notice that both of them stiffen because their hands dig harder into my arms.

I can’t imagine that Prae is happy about her assignment, but there’s no trace of her displeasure in her tone as she replies, “Yes, my king.”

Caed echoes her words a second later.

“Good. Now, take our guest to the front of the barge. I wouldn’t want her to miss out on her first look at her new home.”

New prison, he means.

They don’t argue, but Caed releases one of my arms, allowing Prae to be the one to drag me away from the Fomorian king and Bethani’s remains.

I glance over my shoulder just in time to see one of the larger Fomorians pick up her head and chuck it over the edge of the barge. Then they do the same with her body. Discarded like waste. Without care or ceremony.

It’s wrong on so many levels, but I can’t do anything to stop it as Prae drags me towards the front of the ship.

“You should’ve just bowed,” she mutters to me under her breath.

I ignore her, scrubbing a hand over my face in an effort to wipe away the moisture that’s settled in the corner of my eyes.

“Now I’m stuck baby-sitting you. Great.”

Maeve is beside me now, and I try my best to reach out to her without being obvious about it. My hand goes right through hers. Damn. If I could just use my powers and tap into the connection to the Goddess, I’m pretty sure I could escape Prae’s grip on me.

And do what?My unhelpful inner voice of reason asks.

I have no way of crossing the Endless Sea—a voyage that apparently takes days on ships that I can’t use because they’re made of iron and steel. I have no allies. No hidey-holes.

My heart sinks as I realise, without Caed, I’m not getting out of here.

Damn it. I should’ve tried harder to escape or…

My self-critical thoughts trail off as we reach the prow of the barge and I get a close-up view of the imposing, craggy mountains looming over us. There’s no vegetation on them. Not so much as a weed growing on the sunlight-strewn steeps. Their barren peaks pierce the sky, stretching up to the pale sky like claws. In the sea around them, enormous rocks that must have tumbled from the sheer cliffs spear out of the water, and with every wave, it seems as though the barge will be hurled onto them and shatter.

Yet the boat keeps going, miraculously missing the razor sharp obstacles as it heads for the foreboding cliff beyond.

There’s no dock, nor anything else to indicate a civilisation calls this place their home. But as we draw closer, a dark shadow comes into focus amidst the jagged rocks, revealing the yawning mouth of a gloomy, low hanging cave.

The water seems to get murkier as we pass under the entrance. Although it should, by rights, be darker than it is outside, the cavern—which is more like an underground cove given its sheer size —is actually well lit. Above us, the roof of the cave is dotted with glowing patches of blue that, upon closer inspection, appear to be… mushrooms?

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