I couldn’t keep from wondering how it was possible he remained upright. Anvil bent down to keep his stare close, threatening. The broken man looked at me then, his glare accusing, and suddenly his mouth was moving heatedly, but my ears only rang louder, engulfing all other sound. I cringed away from his gaze but couldn’t stop myself from watching the scene play out, even as my head turned down, wanting to look away. Why was he fixed on me? What were they saying?
Ruby remained protectively in front of me, her posture lowered, arms tensed tighter since he’d turned his eyes on me. His face twisted in agony as his right arm was torn from its socket, leaving the limb hanging limply at the shoulder, and part of me was glad I couldn’t hear that sound. He turned back to his questioner, his mouth a grimace as the words came out, unmistakably a curse, and his other arm was wrenched from its socket. He winced, apparently not yet numb from the damages, and then his face went hard, his lips pressed together, jaw clenched tight. He wasn’t going to scream? Or talk. His back twisted and he fell, a motionless heap on the ground. His body was bent out of recognition.
It was over.
My ears had stopped ringing the moment he'd hit the ground. Ruby relaxed and stepped away from me. I wanted to catch up with what had happened but no one was talking, the mountain was silent. Rhys and Rider were gone from sight again.
“Aren’t you going to perform the death ceremony?” I worried as the other elves began walking away.
Anvil spat on the mangled body. The corpse. “It’s done.”
I stood staring at the crumpled mass as the others gathered, arguing.
A council member.
“It’s time to move,” I heard someone say.
Came for me.
“No, not yet.” Someone else.
They killed him.
And I was glad.
“There could be more,” Grey insisted.
That brought me back. “More?” Chevelle looked irritated again and then gave the bickering group an admonishing glare as he approached me. “There are more council members coming for me?” I could hear the alarm in my own voice.
He tried to calm me. “Frey–”
I cut him off. “I won’t let you all pay for my crimes.” Confusion passed over each face, except Chevelle.
“We aren’t. You don’t understand…” Something flickered in his eyes. “Besides, they are pursuing me.” The group appeared even more puzzled. “For choking the tracker.” Grey shook his head.
“Because of me,” I argued. “And now, well, now you’ve killed one.” But I didn’t know who, Anvil had stood before him but any one of them could have snapped his spine.
“Frey.” His tone was solemn. “You know what they did to your mother.” And I could hear what he didn’t say, and you know what they’ll do to you.
I didn’t have a counter for that and he knew it. He took advantage of the silence, giving orders to Ruby. “Take her to the house.”
She had me at once, towing me beside her as she covered us with cloaks.
Chevelle was still instructing, “Steed, watch the front, stay inside. Grey, take the rear, out of sight. Anything, no matter how trivial, signal the wolves.”
Wolves. They had been wolves, not dogs. I immediately had more respect for the tall, slender elves. Men who tamed wild wolves.
We were back at the house in what seemed like a heartbeat. Steed watched the village from the front room. Ruby sat with me on her bed, the door closed.
“This will calm you,” she said, and a sprinkle of glitter hit my face before I had the chance to protest. “Just a touch,” she assured me, “just a touch.”
It was too late, I was already completely relaxed. I lay back on the bed and she did the same. We stared at her ceiling unspeaking for an immeasurable amount of time. Probably immeasurable because of the fairy dust. I rolled on my side toward her, dimly irritated she’d poisoned me again. Though it was much less severe this time. I was simply enveloped in tranquility.
“Ruby...” My question fell short as I was distracted by her ears. Her hair had fallen back as she lie beside me.
“Hmm?” she answered.
I reached up to feel my own ears as I considered hers. I had always hidden mine behind hair, never braiding it back or putting it up to expose them. Not that I could have pulled off the intricate braiding and designs of the other elves. But my ears were clearly more rounded than everyone else’s, almost blunt. Ruby’s were different, too. Hers were more angular though, almost pointed at the tip. Neither of us matched the norm, hers were one extreme, mine the other.
She turned to look at me. “Feeling okay?”
I realized I had been asking her a question. “Mm hmm.” And I got lost in the hum of my reply. She smiled at my satisfied trance.