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Riven
My blood ran cold as the horn blew, heralding the Sluagh’s arrival. It wasn’t the horn of the Wild Hunt, but something deeper, more ominous and broken, as if the screams of the perpetually damned were trapped within it, begging to be freed.
Faeries stilled, but only for a heartbeat before there was a frenzy of activity. Most of them were heading toward the auction house where our concubines were being prepared for auction. My distaste for this yearly tradition had been shoved deep down inside over so many years that it was nearly nonexistent anymore. I was a slave just like the rest of them. We all were.
Until the witch who cursed us was dead and gone, we would all remain trapped in this perpetual cycle, unable to deny the whims of a king who wanted revenge on his sons. Centuries of our hunts had taken its toll, and it was time to end it all.
As I stared into Kyre’s eyes, I wished there was any other way. She didn’t deserve this fate. She didn’t deserve any of it. If there was one true innocent in all of this, it would be this faerie in my arms. The one whose lips tasted of honey and faerie wine, and whose eyes were filled with both fear and cold resolve in equal measure.
My brothers were arguing through our connection, their low voices frantic. I tried to shut them out, focusing everything I had on Kyre, knowing that this would be the very last time I would lay eyes on her beautiful face. Knowing that all she would remember of me was a heart of blackness.
Within seconds, a hush fell over the wood as a fog began to roll in. Not just any fog, but a black fog that smelled of dead leaves and ice. Birds fled the treetops in droves, and from down below, I could hear the growling and baying of our steeds. It was far too late to change this, Because Kirsi and the Sluagh were already here.
The host of the Sluagh wasn’t nearly the size of an army or even the Wild Hunt. There were less than a sixty undead faeries that surrounded their commander as they appeared before us out of a thick cloud of blackness. But for every soul trapped inside of that host, the raw power of the dead increased tenfold. They traveled as one. As a single, cohesive unit of destruction.
Kirsi appeared in the center of them all, her flaming, red hair a stark contrast to the dead around her. The five of us surrounded Kyre on all sides without thought, using our bodies as a shield. But Kirsi was already staring at her daughter, her night-black eyes filled with determination. My hands itched to pull out my weapon, but refrained. We were the ones who’d summoned them here after all. They were our guests.
Kyre pushed at my back and I moved for her, allowing her to step past me. Her coiled hair brushed my arm, and her fiery wings fluttered with nerves. Her eyes were locked on her mother, the two of them trapped in a sort of trance. Vazden reached out as if to stop her from going any closer, but Haelo stopped him with a thought.
“Let her,”he said through the connection.“She needs to see this through or she’ll never understand.”
I shifted on my feet, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from calling out to her. My eyes flitted between mother and daughter. They looked identical in almost every way, the only difference being the paleness of Kirsi’s skin and the hollow blackness of her eyes. Her wings were black and seemed to be torn around the edges, and she was dressed in a long, black dress that undulated around her like dark water. Her hair was lifted from her shoulders, fluttering in a nonexistent breeze, and perched on her shoulders were several ravens with eyes as pale white as Haelo’s.
It wasn’t hard to understand how Kyre’s father might have fallen in love with Kirsi. The same way that I understood these tumultuous feelings roaring inside of me whenever I looked at Kyre. There was a fire inside of her that was impossible to snuff out, but unlike her mother, Kyre’s was a bright light in the darkness.
* * *
Kyre
My mother beckonedme toward her, reaching out a hand for me to take. There was nothing I could have done at that moment but comply as I padded towards her, feeling the princes shifting uneasily at my back.
The Sluagh were creatures pulled straight from nightmares. Gnarled, distorted faces, sharp teeth, blackened eyes and dead skin. They were trapped in perpetual rage and agony. I almost felt sorry for them. But Kirsi was still beautiful, even as darkness seemed to pour from her. She didn’t speak a word, her pale lips tipped in a serene smile.
An undulating, black smoke swirled around Kirsi and her host, impossible to see through fully. All I could make out were moving shapes, followed by the sound of hushed rustling and murmuring.
And then I heard him. A voice coming from the blackness. A voice I hadn’t heard for more than a year. My breath caught and tears slipped down my cheeks and Drystan stepped out of the fog. I shook my head in disbelief, too afraid to move any closer in case it was some kind of trick.
His eyes were clear, and his cheeks held color in them, even though his clothing was dirty and he appeared to be covered in mud. “Kyre,” he said softly, his lips stretching into that comforting smile I’d missed so much. I hesitated, for just a moment I hesitated. His arms outstretched as he came closer. “You stupid, stupid girl. Why would you do all of this for me?”
I ran to him, every ounce of hesitation fleeing my body. It was Drystan. It really was Drystan here in the flesh, and he was chastising me just like I knew he would. Behind me, the five princes lurched forward, and as I stepped too close to the shadows, I heard the sound of their blades sliding free. It didn’t stop me from slamming into my brother and wrapping my arms tight around him.
He caught me in his embrace, the familiar scent of him making it past the mud and grime. He kissed the top of my head as I cried into his chest. “You should have left me there, Ky. What in the god’s name were you thinking?”
I pulled back as darkness surrounded us, cutting us off from the princes entirely. Kirsi watched our interaction in utter silence. I was beginning to realize that none of the Sluagh seemed to speak. I wasn't sure if they even could speak. “You’re an idiot if you think I wouldn’t find a way to save you. You have to know it was Reena who…”
“I already know,” he cut me off before I could get it out. “I know everything, Ky. It’s alright now. I’m here and we’re going to figure this out. We’re going to find a way back to Karn.” He cut his eyes at Kirsi.
I shook my head. “It’s impossible. The Wild Hunt has sold me to the Sluagh. I can’t leave even if I wanted to.” I peered at my mother, whose eyes never left my face. Not even for a moment. Something dawned on me then. Something he’d said. “Wait, how did you know? How did you get here?” I looked around, searching the faces of the undead faeries. Had they swept in during the night, stealing him away from his chambers?
Something nudged my back as Drystan’s eyes flickered over my shoulder. His lips twisted into a smile as I froze, my chest filling with hope and dread at the same time. I spun on my heel, coming face to face with Zephyr in the flesh.
His massive head hovered next to me, his eyes glittering and his mane caked in mud just like Drystan. I threw my arms around him, minding his curling horns and buried my face into his fur. I was sobbing as I gripped my friend tightly, hoping and praying to any god who would hear me that this wasn’t a dream. "Thank you, thank you, thank you… I'm so fucking sorry, Zeph."
And then another familiar voice came from above me. “When we get back to karn, you owe me a new shop.”
Breath left my body as Neera dropped down off of Zephyr’s back. Her black hair was matted to her face, and her skin was pale and hollow, but her blue eyes shone with tears and her lips were stretched into a wide smile. I threw my arms around her as she caught me, both of us nearly falling against Zephy’s body, but he remained a solid presence at our side.
I pulled back and grabbed the side of her face, as if to make sure she really was here. “You should have run as far and as fast as you could. What were you thinking?” I mimicked the exact words Drystan had spat at me.
