AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 1
We were all going to die.
That was the truth that was slowly suffocating all of us fae in Exile. The weight of our impending demise threatened to crush me with a sense of responsibility. An urgency to break us all out of our isolation was becoming harder to ignore. It's the reason why I risked my life. It would give all of us here a fighting chance for a longer life, even if it was a shitty one. The little glimmer of hope in my chest expanded. Maybe we will all escape this isolation one day and live with the rest of the fae.
I had to believe that, or I would go mad. The only way to keep pushing forward was to think something good would be coming our way. Until that happened, I would risk everything to save those trapped in this insufferable prison, Exile.
“It will be fine, Sybil,” I assured her as I gathered my bow and arrows. “I’ve done this a dozen times already and I’m still alive.”
Sybil’s hard blue eyes silently reprimanded me. She and I both knew how dangerous this was, but I couldn’t lose her, too. We had lost too many friends and family members. Her loud sigh let me know exactly how she felt about it. I was tired of having this disagreement every time I planned to cross the boundary.
“Just because things went well the last few times doesn’t mean this time will go so smoothly Thea,” she bit out.
“There will always be a chance of something bad happening, Sybil, but I won’t stand by and watch you waste away.” Her skin was pale, and she was losing too much weight. We were running low on food, but everyone else was too. She was too sick for me to not go. I didn’t have a choice but to cross the shadow boundary and steal her medicine.
My fingers picked at the loose string of my cloak as worry consumed me that we’d wake up one day to us prisoners of Exile eating each other to stay alive. I needed to do something. There was no way I would sit here while we all died because the King of Crimson thought we were monsters. He was the monster, locking us away to die.
“I’m crossing the boundary and getting us supplies.” I hoped my tone would make her stop arguing with me. She couldn’t keep me from going no matter what she said or did. Sybil may be several hundred years older than me, but I was not a child. I had to be over two hundred years old, not that I could really remember. I had no memory of my life before waking up in Exile, but I was far from being a child.
“I just worry about you,” she whispered. “You have a big heart, Thea, but you also carry too much anger within it. Sometimes you do not think things through. It's as if you hope the Crimson guards find you so you can let out this rage you hold.”
She was right, but I was too stubborn to admit that to her. I tied the dark green cloak over my shoulders, my only defense against the cool night air, as I thought of a response that would satisfy her.
“I’ve thought this through and I’m going. This is not fueled by anger or rage, but by the fact that I can’t lose you.” Sighing heavily, I continued. "If I lose you, I don't have anyone else but the twins. So please, just stop trying to make me stay."
Sybil was the only reason I didn’t feel completely alone, like I still had a purpose and a family. She managed a weak smile as she lay on her tiny mattress on the floor, and her blue eyes filled with a look I couldn’t quite place but comforted me. She held her hand out for me, and I crossed her room to grasp it in mine, my footsteps heavy. A shiver ran through me as I realized how much colder she had gotten, even since yesterday.
I gave her a small reassuring smile to hide my concern. “I’ll start a fire before I go.” It wouldn’t take much heat to warm our simple home. It was barely large enough for the two of us to be living in, but we made it work.
“Please be quick and safe.” She pleaded.
“I’ll be back soon,” I promised and squeezed her hand once more before walking over to the small metal bin that served as a makeshift fireplace. I tossed a few pieces of firewood into it and lit it on fire. My eyes watched the fire move over the kindling before the sounds of the wood popping let me know it would stay lit. The smell of burning wood filled Sybil’s room as I glanced over my shoulder once more. Sybil’s small body was curled tightly to hold in her own body heat as she drifted to sleep.
Stepping out of her room I headed for the front door and slipped my bow string across my back. My chest tightened as I let myself look at the small suffocating space we called our home. The hallway that separated our two bedrooms was narrow and I felt like the walls were closing in on me as I turned slightly to fit down it. As I stepped out of the hall, the inadequate kitchen, that barely had enough room for two small cupboards let alone running water or a sink, didn’t help this feeling of suffocating.
I made sure the front door shut all the way before turning my attention towards the forbidden wood. To avoid stares from the other fae that lived here, I slipped on my oversized hood. My eyes glanced at the many fae lying in the street dead, waiting for morning light to be buried. Tears sprang to my eyes before I averted them. It never got easier seeing the destruction that came from the King of Crimson’s cruelty, but it was a harsh reminder that I couldn’t save them all and that if I didn’t act, Sybil or I could very well be next.
Forcing my mind to not wander into dark thoughts before they consumed me, I focused on the edge of the meadow. Darkness would trap my mind into doing what it really wanted, and it was hard to control those thoughts once they started. Killing those responsible for our entrapment, while I’m sure it would make me feel better, would only agitate Sybil further.
I’d get little relief, however, as my attention caught on a young mom holding her child, begging for food. My stomach churned with dread, as I knew there was a high chance that they would both die. I darted my gaze away from her quickly. Her desperate pleading echoed in my mind as I tried to shake it away.
I glanced over my shoulder as I stepped into the meadow that separated our shambled homes from the shadow boundary. The field had started dying in recent months, but to a stranger it would have looked as if it died a long time ago. Only dead grass and dirt remained, and the crunching of dead weeds echoed in the silence of the night. The loudness made me scan the dozens of makeshift homes behind me to confirm that no one had followed me.
Only once had I been followed, but it was enough to make me want to make sure it didn’t happen again. The fewer fae that knew what I was up to, the better. I couldn’t risk anyone knowing I can cross over without dying. The shadow boundary’s sole purpose was to keep us in Exile and kill whoever tried to escape.
The black veil of the boundary reminded me of a shadow: thin, dark, and endless. There was a small shimmer from the magic needed to create it. The boundary was thin like a camisole, but the power it held made my body tense knowing I would feel that discomfort shortly.
The field of decaying plants ended abruptly, cut off by a forest of dead trees that no longer had leaves or bark. The smell of rotting vegetation clung to the stale air making it difficult to breathe. When I reached the edge of the trees, I tossed one last glance over my shoulder.
The woods on this side of it were eerie. There were no birds that sang or animals running through them. My lungs took in the stale and stuffy air of Exile before I took the small step through the barrier that was meant to keep me in.
My body curled into itself as the agony punched me through my stomach. My lungs struggled to exhale the breath I was holding as I fell to my hands and knees. A searing pain coursed over and through me, undoubtedly trying to kill me for stepping through.
The pain paralyzed my muscles for what felt like an eternity, but slowly, the pain subsided. I pulled myself up on shaky legs and leaned against a tree to ease my aching chest. The crisp and clean air on this side of the shadow boundary always soothed my tense muscles. I closed my eyes and listened to the birds chirping and the animals moving. It was easy to forget how much I missed these noises until I heard them again.
I wished Sybil could experience this, but I knew that she would die crossing just like everyone else who tried did. Except me. Something I only figured out one night when I tried to end my suffering. There was no understanding of how I could cross but I would take this small victory and use it to my advantage.
Following the tiny trail that animals created over time, I headed in the direction of a neighboring town. It was dark and everyone would be sleeping, so it was the safest time to steal things. My eyes adjusted to the moonlight, and I took a moment to stare at the thick forest, admiring how magical and peaceful it was. Exile was nothing like this. It was always hotter than out in the realm was, and there was nothing peaceful about it. No pleasant smells or sounds.
