“Thought I lost you for a moment, princess,” he croons in that unearthly tenor, the one that shakes the marrow of my bones.
I refuse to look at him. Instead, I burn a hole into the dark ore of his mountain.
He glances at the cliff warily. “You… weren’t thinking about jumping, were you? I know I’m unbearable, but I never would have dreamed I’d bethatunbearable…”
His small talk won’t work with me. If he thinks for a moment that he has any chance of clemency after what he did, then he can kiss my derriere.
More silence passes between us as I keep my eyes on the distant horizon. A strong gust of wind blows through the tunnel, so sharp that it almost blows out the flame of his oil lamp.
“Well, then…let’s show you to your room.”
That catches my attention, and finally, I meet his fox-like eyes. They glow in the dark, startling me at first, but I swallow my dread, speaking clearly, “My room?”
I can’t see his face since it’s bathed in shadow, but his eyes narrow with what I can only assume is exasperation. “Yes. As per our bargain. Did you forget?”
No. Of course I didn’t.
In exchange for my necklace, he promised me a bed and warm food. But if I had known what his kindness would have cost me, I never would have agreed to return to his cave in the first place.
But I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. I was unconscious. He must have carried me up himself, and the thought makes my heart flutter.
Did he only save me just so he could trick me? I will never quite understand him. He’s an odd creature, a true enigma, and I curl my fists, refusing to meet his gaze.
He sighs, heading down the tunnel. “Let’s go.”
It’s getting harder and harder to resist his offer. Not that I expect much in the way of comfort, but better than sleeping outside in the woods. I haven’t slept in a bed in days.
I rise shakily to my feet, following him down the tunnel. I feel the walls closing in as we descend further into his lair, and I’ll probably never find my way out of this mountain again.
He walks at a languid pace, his oil lamp swinging freely. It causes shadows to dance across the walls, and it’s getting darker and darker the farther we go.
Several times I lose him, but it’s hard to want to be anywhere near him in this damp, cool place. I trip on a jutting rock, and he laughs, calling me a ‘clumsy human.’
He stops abruptly, and when I bump into him, I get a strong whiff of pine and woodsmoke. I jump back immediately, trying to maintain a safe distance.
That was a little too close for comfort, and it would be so much easier to hate him if he didn’t smell so pleasant.
No wonder these creatures can trick us so easily.
He regards me strangely, and again, I don’t meet his eyes. He likes to stare at me a lot, I’ve noticed, and I find it unnerving.
“You’re not very graceful, are you?”
I hold my tongue, refraining from what I really want to say. Quite frankly, I don’t like him. I’m afraid of him, much to my chagrin, and that bold girl with the knife has long gone now—she drowned in that icy marsh with the kelpie.
He snorts, vanishing into a cave that I hadn't noticed before.
I gulp, stepping away. I can’t go in there…
He pops his head out again. “Well?”
I fight the urge to run back up the tunnel. Maybe I should have jumped off the cliff after all, but it’s too late for regrets now.
Once I step into that cold, black cave, I will never come back out again.
The faerie materialises before me, and I yelp, fumbling my way backwards. I didn’t even see him coming; he’s such a sneaky devil.
With quick reflexes, he snatches hold of my arm, stopping my fall, and despite how frightened I am, I find his gaze.
