The male who’d thrown the net touched down. “Now that’s my kind of human.”
The fire behind us illuminated his face mask, which was fashioned in the likeliness of a hawk. He was tall and thin, with silver hair. I didn’t dare move as he whistled again—I half-expected another net to appear and be thrown over our heads. Instead, lights twinkled into existence and lit up the gloom. My first thought was glowworms, but as they moved closer, their bobbing golden forms grew familiar. Like bees to honey, this swarm focused in on the net-thrower, dancing over his head as he bent over to pick up a thread of the net. With a graceful flick of the wrist, he twirled the silver mesh back into a ball and tucked it into an inner pocket.
He whistled low and directed the swarm over to the two injured fae lying at the edge of the forest. The firelights obeyed. They flew over to bathe the wounded males in an eerie glow as they struggled to get up. I couldn’t see any arrows sticking out of them, but their wings were slick with blood, and their faces had become bone-white.
The hawk turned to our group and barked out commands. “Stag, take Badger and Wolf back. Bear, Fox, keep a watch out. Those wily bastards are still out there.”
One of the fae guarding us leaped forward, lifted the one with the Wolf mask, and retreated into the forest’s depths. Meanwhile, the one named Badger, who could just about stand, limped along behind them, struggling to keep up. And just like that, three of their group had gone. Since we hadn’t broken free of even two fae, the remaining three may as well have numbered a hundred.
The net-thrower prowled over to us and bowed deeply. “Apologies. We haven’t formally introduced ourselves. I am Hawk.”
He waved to the others, signaling them to add, “I’m Bear,” and then, “Fox.”
They bowed one after the other, fists clenched over their hearts. Their names suited them: Bear had shaggy black hair and was large and hairy, whereas Fox was slight and had a mane of red hair.
“Please stand,” Hawk said. “You need not cower in the dirt anymore. The Winged Fiends have liberated you.”
Fae dressed up as woodland creatures bowing before us, lights glowing above us … The whole thing had a distinct dream-like quality, as opposed to the nightmare it’d been only moments ago. Rattled and dazed, I stood. Isabel still held my hand while Brandon pawed at my other arm. I clasped his wrist and faced Hawk.
“Liberating us?” Isabel said by my side. There was already a hopeful lilt in her voice.
“Correct, Milady,” Hawk answered with another solemn bow. “Your freedom awaits. We will take the two boys into our charge, but you women may go wherever you wish. Although, if you’ll permit me, I’d recommend waiting for your two captors to find you again, as twisted and evil as they may be. This is no place for humans to be without fae protectors.”
Something cracked. Anger built and built until I was a tower of smoldering rage. “How is that liberating us?” Close to shouting, I went on. “You’re taking two children against their will and leaving the women to be recaptured!”
“Milady,” Hawk said with an audible gasp. He actually had the balls to look offended.
“We’re giving you a chance at freedom,” he continued, gesturing lazily up the forest path. “It is up to you whether you run. As for the boys, we’d never take them against their will. Unlike the rest of our brethren, we cannot abide slavery. However, I would make them an offer they can’t refuse. Unless … you would stop them from listening to a simple request?”
I ground my teeth. Why, you slippery, slimy— Hawk eyed Billy and Brandon. The former was regarding him with a thoughtful expression, and the latter flinched and leaned against me.
“You both seem like fine fellows, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but honor compels me to be honest, and if you don’t come with us, you’ll have to brave the markets, where they’ll throw you to the mercy of a private buyer. Most of which treat their humans like shit at the bottom of their shoes, and that’s the best-case scenario.”
I wanted to intervene, but what if he was right? How could I deny them a chance to escape a life in chains?
“If you’re picked and thrown into the Solar Court army, you’ll be likely dead in a month. Now, let’s say for a moment you do survive … then your fate will be to die on the battlefield in service to that fae-witch, Morgan.”
Bear and Fox hissed their displeasure. Apparently, the name was a familiar one.
“What’s the alternative?” Billy demanded.
Hawk smiled at his stern features and folded his arms. “Come with us; make the forest your home.” He motioned to the trees. “We have a few humans who live among us. They provide honest labor in exchange for our protection.”
“How’s that different from being a slave in the other place?” Billy challenged.
I fought back a smile.
Bear’s laugh sounded like falling rocks. “He’s got you there.”
Hawk just smiled. “Because, unlike the fae you’d find in the courts, you won’t call us masters, and you are free to leave us. Although, many don’t choose that option. For what better adventure could there be than sleeping in the treetops with a blanket of stars above you? For that is true freedom, don’t you agree boys?”
The wink that followed almost made me pull Brandon behind me. I’d seen his kind in my village. Every week, during market day, there would be the odd bawdy salesperson selling miracle cures, or claiming to see the future. They spun lies into wicked webs and waited for their prey to trap themselves.
I looked down at the two boys. Billy was frowning, but Brandon had stopped fidgeting. He even looked a little wistful.
“Why can’t Serena and Isabel come with us?” Billy pushed. “They’re good people—they wouldn’t be a burden.”
My chest warmed.
The one called Bear crouched and met Billy’s glower head-on. “I’m sure they are,” he said in a gruff voice. “But we can’t take every human we come across, and we have too many women as it is. We don’t have the room, or the food to feed them.”
“Then let us come with you tonight, and we’ll go our separate ways tomorrow,” Isabel reasoned.
Bear straightened and fell silent. It wasn’t his choice it seemed.
“Sorry,” Hawk said in a hard voice. This sounded like the real male behind the mask, not the charming, gallant one he’d pretended to be. “We have to leave you. There’s less chance they’ll track us if we do. Fox, grab anything of value and let’s go.”
Fox went straight for Hunter’s and Kesha’s rucksacks to rifle through their contents. Next, I heard a cheery jangle and spotted him pocketing two coin purses.
“You don’t care about our freedom.” I squeezed Brandon’s hand tighter. “You just want to rob us.”
“My dear,” Hawk began in mock outrage. “If I was as heartless as you make me sound, I’d cut your throats just to spite those wingless cowards.”
He’d tried to hide it, but real anger simmered there. Interesting.
Brandon fidgeted. Worried Hawk’s words were appealing to him, I added, “And if the boys went with you, what’s stopping you from selling them on the black market?”
He inched closer. It was so deliberate, so careful, I knew it was a threat. All I could see were the eye sockets of Hawk’s mask as he said, “I’d sooner starve myself and my people before I sold them on to someone who saw them as nothing but a set of body parts or holes to abuse.”
His irises were the color of his hair: the silver of steel. Yet somehow, they were aflame.
“Stop it—you’ll scare them!” Isabel hissed.
Hawk didn’t acknowledge her. He kept his focus pinned on me. I didn’t look away. “If you can’t take my word, use your head. Why didn’t I shoot the male down?”
“You missed.”