With that, he steps off the bluff and I rush to where he was because, now that he’s through with the amulet, the Breach will close quickly and I don’t want to be mashed up in a closing portal or stuck wandering the corridors between worlds.
I glance over the edge, locate the shimmering circle, and jump.
CHAPTER 3
BRYN
Survive.
The fae male who brought me to this shining city is unconscious. I leave him half on the bed, his booted feet dangling over the side and resting toe-first on the worn floorboards, as I peruse the room without giving him much more thought. There’s not much here besides the bed, a small table, and a chair where I find some spare clothes in a neat pile that look like they’re probably his. There’s a wooden trunk at the foot of the bed as well, but I leave it for now.
I have a vague recollection of this place as I look around. I don’t like that I can’t remember it properly. What happened to me here?
The fae who seems to know mesomehowwanted to get here quite badly, and I hope that’s because it’s safe. I think it must have been warded, since he’s clearly a magick-wielder of some kind, so I hope there are other magicks in place to keep our presence here a secret too. Surely he has safety measures!
I find nothing to eat or drink in the room, not even in the trunk when I do quickly rifle through it, so I’m glad I was able to bring some food with me from the overladen table after I killed that other fae who was trying to make me go with him.
He knew what I am, but I save that thought for after I’ve eaten. I deserve that much. My body aches from the blows Maldred got in, and the apex of my thighs hurts, too, where he dug his fingers into me to the laughter and the mocking of the audience. My jaw clenches and I try not to think about it, or how much worse that could have gone.
At least the cunts are dead.
I survived. That’s what’s most important.
I sit in the small chair next to the table in the corner and dig out the food from the bag, my stomach growling in anticipation of the first full meal that isn’t scraps that I’ve had in…a long time, I think.
I eat every single crumb, even turning the bag inside out to make sure.
Afterwards, I wonder if I should have saved some for the fae that brought me here, but I discount it. He has coin and he can travel the city safely when he wakes. He can get his own fucking supper.
I look around the room again, hoping for some sealed container of something to drink that I might have missed, but there’s nothing. I’ll need to wait for the fae to wake.
What if he doesn’t?
What if the prick is dying? How will I get to the Light Realm then?
Survive.
With a sound of annoyance, I stand and go to the bed. With some difficulty, I get the male turned over onto his back and take stock of him.
He’s dirty and unkempt, much as I was a few hours ago, I suppose.
I note that he’s alive and his breathing is steady. He’s badly beaten, though, with one eye swollen and mostly closed and various bruises over his body from what little I can see of it. Hehas no tunic, only a blood-stained gray shirt that’s half tucked into his trousers and a belt that I saw him steal off the other fae in the room—Bere, the one who seemed to own me though I don’t remember him buying me from The Barrack.
I frown at the holes in my memories, wondering what other important things I’ve forgotten, and how, but my head begins to hurt, so I stop trying to recall.
Instead I think of my escape. This fae said the one I drove a knife into in the pits would come back. I don’t see how. I’m sure I killed him. That blade I grabbed out of its sheath at his waist went through him like a spade into steaming horseshit. I’m quite proud of how fast I moved. Perhaps my training in the pits will be useful for my survival.
I didn’t know the fae I killed, but there was a certain satisfaction in watching him go down. Almost more than when I kicked Maldred’s knee out from under him. I grin to myself.Twice.And then the cunt got his just desserts from Fate.
My head begins to pulse and I hold it in my hands.
What have you forgotten?
I let out a harsh breath, standing and pacing the room to dispel the thoughts that seem to not be my own.
Not now!
I need to survive, which means I need my wits. I’m still in the Dark Realms and I can’t trust this fae any more than I would Ogdan or Sio, despite his vow to help me get to the Light.
