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Baine rode a black horse, dressed in all black leathers. The silver hilts of his twin swords sparkled under the afternoon sun. Our gazes met, his mouth drawn in a firm line, showing no emotion, or any hint of the fae I had entertained last night.
Something poked my back and I turned around to Ms. Begalia prodding me with the tip of her parasol. Keeping my comments to myself, I ignored her and her mole and climbed inside after Janetta.
Of course, Ms. Begalia would put me in the same carriage as the three sisters.
The younger one smiled. “Hi, we haven’t met, I’m Chloe.”
“Hi,” I said to the smiling girl. She may have looked exactly like her brunette older sisters, but without the glaring and frowning.
“Have you been to the town?” Chloe tapped her feet against the floor. “It’s unlike any other places in Saol. Well, maybe not all. I hear the fairy village in the Nightsong Jungle is the most magical place.”
It bothered me that this young, sweet girl was being subjected to a competition, and against her sisters. She couldn’t be more than sixteen. “I haven’t. Janetta said it was lovely.”
“Enough, Chloe. Don’t bother with the rabble.” Claudia folded her arms across her navy dress. The servants must’ve tightened her corset extra tight today with the way she sat and glared.
Chloe pouted. Apparently, she didn’t share her sister’s sentiments. Maybe I should’ve made a quick remark back, but what was the point? If they wanted to be mean, let them.
Ignoring my temporary carriage mates, I leaned against the side of the carriage, peeking outside at the passing landscape. Farrow’s Gate had an ethereal beauty. The grass shifted colors with the wind, rolling from cerulean to cobalt to teal. There was nothing else like it, and as I rested my arm on the edge of the open window and inhaled the peony scented breeze, I thought back to a simpler time. Back to when my father would throw fireballs at me and my brother. Back to when my mother would play the violin and dance around the fire in her bare feet, kicking up dust and laughter. Back to when my family was alive and together.
Work kept me going after they passed. What happened to them was no one’s fault, which meant I had nowhere to send my anger. Work became therapeutic. When I wanted to cry, I picked up a shovel. When I couldn’t sleep, I weeded our gardens until my fingers bled and my shoulders were sun-kissed.
Home. Ineededto get back home.
Hooves sounded outside, and I stuck my head out the window to see which of the guards was riding by. Baine galloped past me like a shadow disappearing in the sunlight, right to the front of our little train. Using my hand to shield the sunlight from my eyes, I tried to see who he was talking to. As if sensing me lurking in the distance, he glanced back over his shoulder, and I quickly slid back into my seat.
“Look.” Janetta patted my arm and pointed outside. “Do you see it?”
Towering steep rock walls stretched for miles across cerulean grass and vivid green. A roaring sound echoed off everything coming from water rushing from the top of the cliffs and descending below. Above the soaring cliffs, a kaleidoscope of colors shimmered in the sky, pale pinks, and iridescent purples. Nestled in the valley beneath the cliffs sat a town with starch white houses, gray-steepled buildings, and majestic eagles that glided across the pastures stocked full of fat brown cattle and wild horses.
“This is the heart of Farrow’s Gate?” The stories could never describe the awe-inspiring view. I didn’t think anything could relate to the sight before me.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Chloe chimed in. “I hope Lord Demious takes us to the tower. That’s one of my favorite spots.”
Why would Lord Demious dangle this treasure in front of us? To toy with our feelings? Force us to show off our abilities to become a lady of this place? I had a duty to my home, and my animals, and I wouldn’t be swayed with pretty landscapes.
Though, if I was being honest, it was more than pretty.
Our caravan followed the road into the bottom of the valley and through the town. Sabers, the beast race of Saol, walked freely amongst humans, wearing skins, and carrying long spears, but that wasn’t the end of the diverse population. Farrow’s Gate had a hodgepodge of races: dwarfs, gnomes, even the fair skinned fae of Criostail with their glittering white hair and luminescent eyes. So many different races, all of them mingling and busying about the day in perfect harmony.
It seemed silly, but part of me wondered if Farrow’s Gate would welcome a half-breed like me. A place where my brother and I could start new. And the firehawks? They would love this valley, but leaving the North wasn’t an option with those blasted plague snakes infecting everything. If I could find someone to remove the snakes completely, maybe one day we could move somewhere else. We’d come close to eradicating the invasive species until the hawks became sick.
The carriages stopped in front of a slate-gray tower with three steeples and an ominous sculpture of a beast perched on the highest point.
Ms. Begalia’s crude voice ruined the beauty of the afternoon with her orders and demands, forcing us all into perfect lines. Lord Demious stood next to Baine, watching us, outfitted in a nutmeg-colored suit and brocade vest. It did nothing for his appearance, and I wondered if Ms. Begalia oversaw his clothing.
“This here is the host tower,” she said, waving her hand at the building in front of us. “All throughout Saol, these towers exist to study the magic within the land and make sure everything is balanced. As the future lady of Farrow’s Gate, you will be expected to assist the tower in any disturbances within the valley.”
Whispers and confused glances exchanged amongst the girls.
Lord Demious held up a hand. “I know it seems strange to bestow such a heavy burden on my future wife, but it is necessary.’’ He clasped his hands behind his back, smiling at us as he walked back and forth.
“You see, in Farrow’s Gate, a marriage is one of power. My bride must be strong enough to deal with the tower and assist the people of my city.”
“What do you do?” Chloe asked, causing Claudia to pinch her side and scowl at the younger girl.
Lord Demious brushed off the interruption and laughed. “An honest question. Do you see the sky?”
We all looked up.
