Though my eyes worked better in the dark than my human ones had, I could not see as well as the Beast. But my hearing was infinitely stronger. An Underfae crept nearby, more curious than the others behind it. The fae stopped at the first drops of blood, clicking low before the sound of licking reached my ears. I pressed myself back against the tunnel walls, hoping the creature would come close enough that I wouldn’t have to chase it down and carry it out of the tunnel.
As luck would have it, this Underfae was braver than its fellow faekind, its face pressed down into the rocks, tongue darting in and out of its mouth as it lapped up every last drop of Reshina’s blood. The fae wore strips of cloth, hunched over, armssplayed wide, clicking softly and biting at the bloody rock with obsession.
And there was our kinship.
I sprang before the trail of blood ended, wrapping the rope around the creature’s arms and pressing them to its sides. The fae gnashed its teeth, nicking my hand before I turned its body, tying a rope around its legs, and forcing its shriveled form into a ball. I ran down the tunnel, escaping the incessant clicking and scraping of sharp nails behind me.
“Piffle!” I cried out with the first hint of light.
“Ready, sire!”
I squinted with the sudden torch flame and the fae in my arms hissed in pain. I lowered the creature into the golden basket with a woven mouth, nose, and two large black eyes. Reshina was there and ready, quickly covering the basket with a thick wool blanket.
“That was impeccable timing, Majesty. Shortest you’ve been down that corridor yet.”
I caught my breath, hauling the Piffle-Basket up onto my shoulder. The fae inside quieted, listening or stilling for the sake of survival. “Hopefully it’s the last time I need to go in there.”
“You’re bleeding,” Reshina mumbled as we trekked through the vast hall, past the statue of my father and the Underfae carved into the walls.
I adjusted the basket, feeling the weight of the creature inside shift as well. “This one got me with its teeth. But the bait worked perfectly. She went right for your blood and was distracted enough that I grabbed her easily.”
“She?”
I nodded. “I believe this one could be female. Others behind her were more cautious, but I needed to run or I’d have to shift into the Beast to fight them off.”
We had chosen an empty room near the great hall to keep the fae. Devoid of anything but a few old pieces of furniture coveredin sheets, the room was small and cut off from any bright lights. With a single candle lit, I set the Piffle-Basket on the stone floor at the far corner of the room. When I asked him to, Piffle changed back into a fae, leaving the creature huddled on the stone, still covered in the blanket.
“Leave us,” Reshina said, staring down at the creature.
Piffle squeaked and I grunted. “You shouldn’t be alone with?—”
Her head snapped towards me. “I am a Goddess of the Veil, lest you forget.” She flicked her gaze to the door before returning to me. “Leave.”
Piffle backed out of the room, hands over his mouth, eyes wide in fear.
I stepped towards her. “I can help you.”
Her eyes softened. “You have. Now go, Arthur.”
Everything in me urged to stay. Damn her orders, this was my Underrealm. But I recognized in her the same woman I’d read about. With her countenance of steel, deep down in the heart of me, I knew she could handle whatever this task required.
“I’ll be just outside this door. If you need me.”
She resumed her gaze on the creature, watching it shaking under the blanket on the floor. “I will not.”
The truth stung as I left.
“Master, what can I do?” Piffle chewed on his lips, wringing his hands together.
I exhaled loudly, rubbing my face and leaning against the wall. “Prepare a feast, Piff. The Ravenfae Goddess readies herself to go home.”
CHAPTER 33
Reshina
Arthur shutthe door behind him and I locked it. With the single candle as my guide, I slipped off the old sheet covering a small table. There, I had hidden the supplies I’d need for the extraction.
A few clean bottles, a bowl, some fresh bandages, and a towel I’d torn into strips were neatly packed into a roasting tray I’d pilfered from Piffle’s kitchen. Keeping an eye on the fae, I gathered a few blankets I’d hidden as well, slipping off my shoes at the door and carrying the warm wool from the Citrine Cliffs to the corner of the room.
