Page 13 of Across an Endless Sea

With that, he leaves me alone, surrounded by enemies and bound up like a present.

Five

Rhoswyn

The first rock catches my shoulder.

The second hits my nose, and the sickening crack reverberates across my cheekbones, making my eyes water. I take a step back, bare feet slipping in the mud.

“If any of those hit me,” Prae growls, halting my attackers mid-throw. “I will rip out your spines and hang them from the walls as wind chimes for the fairies to listen to.”

Her threat—although not aimed at protecting me—saves me from being subjected to any further projectiles, and the crowd backs away, slowly returning to whatever they were doing before my arrival. Their absence allows me to notice the shambling, crawling creatures caked in mud.

At first, I think they’re Fomorians, but beneath all of that dirt, their skin isn’t blue. It’s only when I recognise a dryad that what I’m seeing really sinks in.

Fae.

Hunched and stooping, like they don’t dare stand at their full height for fear of drawing their masters’ attention. They wear bulky cuffs that are far larger than mine. The few with wings have had them bound in barbed metal wire, keeping them grounded.

Wings are so sensitive. Those poor fae must be in agony.

Will they do that to me?

Rage, piping hot and impotent, burns right alongside the icy brush of terror. First Caed betrays his oath by kidnapping me and shackling me in iron; and now this?

The fae stare at me with utter despair on their faces. Their beseeching eyes are wide, watery, and expectant, as if they’re waiting for me to do something. The longer I stand here, shivering, the more that fragile hope wanes until it’s gone altogether, replaced by grim resignation.

My anger on their behalf is matched only by my frustration with myself. If I were any of my predecessors, I could’ve done something.

Mab, Titania, and Maeve would’ve kicked all the Fomorians back to their homeland by now.

All I can do is stand there and shiver, rendered impotent by the smallest amount of iron.

One day, I promise silently.One day, I’ll free all of you. Or I’ll die over and over in the attempt.

Prae notices my anger and makes me look my fill for a few seconds more. Maybe she wants me to take a good look at what the future has in store for me, or perhaps she simply wants to break the slaves’ morale by showing off their captive impostor queen. Whatever her reasons are, I never find out, because she suddenly starts forwards again, tugging me along by my leash until we reach a large tent, which glows from within.

She ducks inside but doesn’t hold the flap open for me. It slaps me in the face as I pass over the threshold.

Inside is clearly someone’s personal quarters. The floor is covered in furs, and the furniture is cluttered with weapons and other things I don’t recognise. A fire crackles in a brazier in one corner, adding an oddly cheery ambience to the tent.

As if sensing we’ve reached our destination, my knees finally give out and my body thuds to the soft ground. I swallow back vomit and try my best to breathe through the nausea and dizziness that are warring in my head.

“He wasn’t kidding,” Prae mutters, dropping the rope and heading for a chest of drawers. “You are more sensitive to iron than most fae. Good to know.”

I don’t answer her.

I’m not sure what Caed hoped to accomplish by leaving me alone with the female who wanted to kill my brother, but I don’t plan to make whatever she plans to do to me easy for her.

Ugh, I’m going to vomit.

Nope. I force it down again. If I’m going to vomit, I’m waiting until Prae’s nearby so I can not-so-accidentally do it on her. I might not be able to hurt her—or have the energy and training to repay what she did to Florian—but I sure as hell don’t mind covering her in whatever remains in my stomach.

That’smy great plan. Throw up on the enemy. Goddess, I must be really low on options if that’s all I can come up with.

“Right, Your Majesty,” she mutters, glancing back at me with a look I can’t decipher. “We need to have a talk. Female to female. Answer my questions without any fairy tricks, and I’ll do what I can to protect your ass from the king.”

I cough out a laugh. I need protection from her and Caed right now, not his father.

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