Gritting my teeth, refusing to feel embarrassed, I pulled up my skirt. At least she had the decency to turn around. After I’d finished, Kesha hauled me back to where the pot lay over the fire. Hunter transferred ladlefuls of hot stew into a wooden bowl and handed it over without a word. I went to sit on my wolf pelt and brought the watery stew to my lips. I slurped my way through it, savoring the taste, trying to postpone when they put me under again.
My mind hatched and played out different escape plans. All died a swift death after reaching the same obstacle; if we were on fae roads, in their territory, what would happen to a human traveling alone? How could I hope to navigate them?
You can’t.
My spirits plummeted as the voice put an end to my hoping.
You could just help me instead of killing off all my ideas.
I already did.
Telling me to accept slavery isn’t helpful!
No answer. Fine. Just rutting fantastic.
Hunter ducked down beside me and gave me a tentative smile. “Not hungry?” he asked staring at my half-empty bowl.
“Yes.” I clutched the stew tighter.
His smile curved up into a grin, and he dipped his head. That made me think of Timothy who I’d always had a soft spot for. Not romantically; I saw him as the younger sibling I’d always wanted. Something of his sweetness lived in Hunter … Yet they’d both aided in ruining my life.
“Are you okay?” Concern wove into his frown lines. “You look … Are you in physical pain?”
“No, why would I be?” I took another tentative slurp of the stew.
“We can’t carry you all, so we use the horses. I thought you might be feeling the effects.”
My eyes darted to the animals. “You put us on their backs? How d’you even keep us on?”
Kesha marched over. “We slump you on their backs with the supplies and hope they don’t bolt.” Looking down at us, her mouth hardened into a thin line. “Finish that stew. It’s time for you to go to sleep.”
“Can’t I stay awake just a little longer?” I directed my question to Hunter but Kesha answered.
“You should relish the chance to rest. Training to be a soldier grunt isn’t easy, even in Diana’s camps.” Kesha’s lip curled, and for the first time, I sensed her contempt wasn’t meant for me.
“The drug is only for today and tomorrow,” Hunter said mildly.
That was what worried me. Freedom was looking less and less likely.
“Eat up,” Kesha growled.
I flinched and decided nothing would be gained from not finishing it. Once I’d drained the bowl, Kesha swapped it for more sedatives. Not wanting to go through another repeat of last night, I downed the vial and threw it aside.
The next day started out as a repeat of the previous. Hunter woke me up and Kesha accompanied me into the woods to relieve myself. The decision to use this moment to risk running had formed during sleep. As if my dreams had chosen for me.
I waited until she’d turned her back to me but I didn’t get two steps before she’d pounced. She carried me back to their camp and smashed my body to the ground, knocking the air from my lungs.
It was a miracle I didn’t wet myself.
My second attempt at freedom was even more desperate: I refused to drink the sedative.
“Fine.” Kesha shrugged. “Hunter, hold her head back.”
He didn’t hesitate. I tried pleading with him anyway. “Please, don’t do this. Let me go.”
No response. He just tipped my head back and pinched my nose. I could tell he was trying to be gentle, but I didn’t care. I glared into his eyes and damned him. “You’ll burn in the dark court for this.”
He was silent, but Kesha snarled, “You know nothing, human.”
She pried my mouth open, poured the poison in and held it closed, waiting for me to swallow. All the while Hunter kept his hand over my nose. I struggled, but it was hopeless. It was over. The next time I woke, I’d be parted from John and Viola.
Permanently.
With that knowledge a sob choked me, and the sedative slipped down my throat, burning as it went.
“Serena. We’ve crossed.”
It took a whole minute for those words to sink in. My eyes remained closed—it was easier to pretend it was a nightmare that way. I had no clue what to expect once I opened them. There were no maps of the fae lands in the Gauntlet. The history books said they’d all burned when our peoples divided. I knew one thing; it should be impossible to move freely between our realms. The fae had somehow managed it, but I’d never heard of a human returning from their fabled kingdom. No descriptions of the place existed. Curiosity struck, but I remained stubborn and fixed the image of John and Viola in my mind’s eye instead.
Kesha was at my side, nudging me with her foot. “Get up!”
“Serena?” Hunter called softly.
I hesitated. The minute my eyes saw their world it would be real: me, parted from my surrogate family by a bridge no human knew how to cross.
“I know you’re awake,” Kesha growled in warning.
My resistance crumbled—I wasn’t about to push her. Sitting up, my eyes opening, I swiveled left and right and drank it in.
A path of flattened grass trailed behind, marking our passage through what was another wooded area. I breathed in its scent, sweet and earthbound with a hint of sharpness that cut through and made me feel awake. The temperature was pleasant, if a bit cool. Not winter, then. Autumn colors painted the forest: gold and ruby with a spattering of emerald and silver bark, but that telltale whisper of decay was absent. It looked like autumn and felt like spring.
Pine cones, fallen leaves, and sparse groupings of spotted toadstools, foxgloves, sorrel, clovers, and lavender covered the ground. Thanks to Viola’s tireless attempts to give me a broad education, I knew what was edible and what was poisonous. It seemed my lessons wouldn’t be a total waste … if I ever got free.
I squinted upward, noting the sun’s high position in the sky. Midday, or close to it, which meant the bridge couldn’t be far. Even without food or water in my possession, I might survive the crossing.
You’d have to find it first, the voice reminded in a whisper.
Hope died. Grief burrowed into my chest, crippling me. I’d known the truth for days but hadn’t wanted to admit it. Now, there was no getting away from it. I’d had my roots torn from under me, and fate had handed me a permanent exile. Even if I found a way back to John and Viola, I’d only land them in an impossible situation. Hide me and risk punishment, or leave with me and lose everything they’d worked for. That sudden awareness moved something inside me. A barrier crumbled; acceptance lay on the other side. Tunnock was no longer home.
Not realizing I’d closed my eyes amidst this inner turmoil, I opened them again and blinked. Tiny golden firelights floated above me, and weaving in among them were creatures with faces and bodies too small to make out individual features. Their wings, however, were gloriously visible and akin to butterflies, a few carried bright bursts of blue, others pale yellows, and some appeared so opaque they looked like spots of light dancing in the breeze.
My mouth popped open in surprise.
“What are they?” I wondered aloud.
At the sound of my voice, the creatures and balls of light scattered. When Hunter and Kesha didn’t react, I looked over to find them rousing the other humans in our company.
The first to wake was the woman. I stared as she sat up, squinting in the brightness. I inched closer to her as Kesha and Hunter moved to wake the two boys. “Are you all right?” I muttered under my breath.
She frowned in my direction and nodded once. “Are you?”
I shrugged.
“What’s your name?” She had a soft lilt to her voice that instantly made me feel at ease.
“Serena Smith. What about you—what’s your name?”
I peeked over at the two fae, feeling jumpy. Hunter hadn’t confirmed whether their hearing was better than humans, but given their other advantages, it seemed likely. If they had heard, they didn’t acknowledge it.
“Isabel.” Her troubled gaze slid to the boys. “We should try to help them … adjust.”
I didn’t have time to agree before the smallest of them was sitting up, wiping away sleep. Kesha left his side to mutter something to Hunter, and with their backs to us, I sidled over to him.
In a gentle tenor, I introduced myself. “I’m Serena. What’s your name?”
He viciously gnawed on his lower lip. He was terrified.