Tears come to my eyes. ‘But I was meant to save them,’ I whisper.
‘The humans worked quickly. No one could have saved them. I know. I tried. The Underhill is defeated.’ He looks away. ‘The fae who survived are scattered to the Dark Realms. The Underhill is no longer safe.’
Mama. My friends. Everyone. Gone.
I close my eyes tightly. ‘The humans of the Light killed them,’ I sob.
‘Yes. They wanted their magick. They have none of their own so they stole it from us. What is your name, little one?’
‘Fiana,’ I force out.
‘How did you escape? Were there any others?’
I shake my head. ‘My magick,’ I whisper. ‘Mama said mine came early. I went through the wall. I was meant to get help for the rest.’
My sobs begin anew. ‘I failed them.’
‘No,’ the fae male says, putting his hand on my shoulder. ‘You did everything you could. It was the humans. The Light. It’s their fault that this has happened.’
The fae stands. ‘I’ve brought you to a safe place, a fold I created. It’s small, but it will get bigger in time.’
He smiles down at me. ‘I’m going to save who I can of our kind and bring them here. When our numbers are great enough, we can crush the Light and destroy the humans who stole so much from us.’
I find myself nodding through my tears. The humans and the Light Realm killed Mama, and everyone I cared about. They need to pay.
‘Can I help?’ I ask, blinking up at him, my eyes drying.
He gives me another smile and nods. ‘Yes. You can help, Fiana. It will be a long road, but we will avenge the fallen of our kind. Rest now.’
He begins to move away.
‘Wait! What’s your name?’ I ask.
‘My name is Varrik.’
CHAPTER 1
BRYN
Dust. Sweat. Filth.
The thud of meaty fists.
Grunts. Snarls.
Pained screams.
The splatters of blood on the ground. Old. New. So commonplace that they’re barely noticed unless there’s enough to slip in.
The coppery tang of it is in the air with underlying notes of piss and shit.
The sights, sounds, and smells are all around me. But they’re muted.
I know what’s happening, and what I must do, but I’m disconnected. It’s as if it’s not really happening to me. Like a vivid dream. One I can’t wake from.
There’s nothing else.
Moments. Hours. Days.
