CHAPTER 5

There was little conversation as I trailed behind Erix. A statue of height, broad shoulders and a straight back, he paved his way through the parting crowd of fey. My mouth dried as we passed, catching a few who still knelt. I wanted to skip forward and ask what was happening, but Erix's long strides always kept him just a step ahead.

The display wasn't for me. It couldn't be. Perhaps Erix was of some importance, or they simply feared what I was capable of. I guessed the first, because Erix certainly presented himself as someone who demanded respect. But as we got further into the sea of bodies, the more I noticed his armour was no different than his fellow warriors'. He just carried himself with an aura of pride or arrogance, I was unsure which. All the fey guards were adorned in brass tones of leather and metal. Cloaks trailed across their shoulders, each a different take on an autumnal leaf.

There was no physical trait that suggested Erix was important. No crown or royal signet. And it wasn't Erix who was being watched. The seemingly never-ending stares were pinned to me, and I felt heavy beneath their weight.

Only once I passed them did they stand. A wave of bodies rising from their knees with faces of placid awe. I watched them as they watched me, risking a glance in hopes of understanding what captured their attention, wondering what pinched mouths into surprised circles and kept eyes wide and unblinking. At the tip of my tongue, I could taste disbelief.

"Steady, little bird."

I turned just in time to stop myself from walking straight into Erix's chest. Heat rose up my neck. It might've been down to the embarrassment or a mixture of the annoyance whenever he referred to me by those words. The first time I'd let it pass over my head, but this time I couldn't help but snap.

"You asked my name, but not once have you called me by it. I don't know what is ruder, being introduced at the end of a blade or that."

"My apologies, Robin." He bowed his head slightly. "How terribly rude of me."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone. I'd recognise it anywhere. I couldn't help but risk a smile, if only for a moment, even though my insides burned as hot flames.

Now I had his attention, I wasn't going to give up on getting some answers.

"What are they all staring at?" I asked, cautious enough to keep my voice down.

"You," Erix replied plainly.

I gaped back at him, at least expecting him to sugarcoat the reply.

"Was it something I've done?" I shrugged, fisting my hands at my sides. Up until now, I'd feared to look at my hands, expecting to see blades of ice or curls of mist. If I didn't look, I didn't acknowledge it. And I wasn't prepared to justify what'd happened at the chopping block.

"No. Well actually, maybe some of them are looking at you with trepidation. But the rest of them, the majority, are interested because you are somewhat of a marvel. To them, to me, to us all."

The lack of answers only fuelled the irritation within me. Not wanting to put off my return home, I elected to swallow my next comments. "More reason to rush out of here then. I preferred my life when I wasn't considered a marvel."

"As you wish. Have you ridden before?" Erix gestured a hand to a large stag who grazed in the empty space before us. Unlike the others, this one had a mottled coat of black and white. Erix was rather tall, but beside the creature, he looked unimportant and small. I trusted that if the stag reared up on its hind legs, it could compete with the fictional giants that filled children's bedtime stories.

"A horse, yes. This beast, no."

Erix widened his eyes, pressing a gloved finger to his pouted lips but hardly hiding the smirk beneath it. "My recommendation is not to offend my steed before riding him. He moves far greater than any horse. This beauty is more arrogant than even I am."

"Is that possible?" I said, unable to stop myself.

Erix chuckled back, the sound tickling over my skin. "We shall see. Now, I would feel more comfortable with you sitting before me."

"And I'd feel more comfortable walking."

"With bootless feet, you won't make it far," Erix said, gesturing towards the stag as if to hurry me up. "Tell me if you need assistance clambering on."

"I'm more than capable," I replied, stepping forward with my hand outstretched in greeting. Frightening but beautiful, my fingers brushed over the stag's coarse hair. It huffed in what I hoped was acceptance. It snapped its teeth and I jolted backwards, unable to stop my pathetic gasp. "He just tried to bite me!"

"Of course he didn't, Robin." Erix used my name as if proving a point. "You're not exactly his… taste." He leaned into me. I stiffened as he gently pressed a hand on my lower back. His words came out in a whisper. "Just keep your touch gentle, and he will not be forced to throw you off. And if he does… I will be here to catch you."

"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better." I pulled away from Erix, reaching ahead of the saddle and hoisting myself up. With one large sweep, I swung my leg over its side and gripped tightly as the world beneath me rocked slightly. "I think I'll be just fine."

Erix didn't say another word to me. Instead, he looked back to a huddle of similarly dressed warriors and tipped his head in a nod. It was clearly some unspoken signal, for they each moved forward, shouting commands towards the watching crowd.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Kayia and Lia. They were being directed into a group, the bustling horde around them alive with relief. I wanted to ask after them but knew they were safe now, surrounded by armed and highly dangerous fey. Hunters stupid enough to surge wouldn't stand a chance.

"Something concerns you," Erix said from the ground, his undershirt flexing beneath his armour as he hoisted himself upon the stag. I expected his added weight would've been noticeable, but the stag showed no signs of struggle. "If you are worried about them, don't be. We have dealt with many camps like this and will certainly deal with many more."

I winced at his comment. If Erix noticed, he didn't care. Instead, he rested his arms on my waist, reaching for the stag's reins.

"How did you find us?" I asked, trying to relax myself as my body hardened between his arms.

"Althea found you. She was leading this mission and went missing two days ago. By ‘missing' I mean it was pretty much planned, down to the minute. We were just waiting for our signal. But that didn't happen, because you came along and ruined all those plans."

I glanced down at my hands, palms turned skyward. There was nothing amiss with them. No sign that powerful waves of frozen mist had spread beyond them.

I raised one of my hands and pressed the back of it to my cheek. Sure, it felt cold. But nothing out of the ordinary. As cold as I'd expect for such a late day in autumn. I could've passed it off as a nightmare. But one glance behind me, and I'd still see the damage left across the ground. Ruin of my creation. A blanket of ice that'd reached further than I believed possible. And still erect, the two legs encased in ice, with no body attached from the waist upwards.

"Is she alright. Althea, I mean?" I asked, not remembering if I'd seen her poppy-red hair in the crowd. The last I remembered seeing was her seemingly broken body left discarded on the ground after the huddle of Hunters attacked.

"Althea is resilient and has been through far worse. Don't be fooled, she no doubt enjoyed a sparring match with the humans. She is stronger than any other person I know – although if your distraction did not come when it had, then perhaps I would be answering differently. Princess Cedarfall will be fine."

Princess. An unimaginable word for an unimaginable day. "She's from the Cedarfall Court clearly. Are you?"

"She is the daughter of the Cedarfall Court. Althea doesn't simply come from those lands, but embody them. The only member of the ruling family who is willing to risk her life saving those less fortunate from the human scu–"

"Please," I snapped, interrupting him before he could finish. "Don't say those words to me."

Human scum. Fey scum. Two sides of the same coin – a coin that I embodied just as Althea did for her court.

Erix was silent for a moment as the stag began to trot forward. "I fear I am making a habit of apologising to you, Robin. Ask me a question, any question, and I will do my best to answer. Consider it my attempt to make it up to you."

So many questions speared through my mind. Words filled my mouth, making it impossible to latch onto just one. I closed my eyes, inhaling through my nose as I took in a scent of fresh cinnamon and handfuls of dried leaves. It was Erix. His scent familiar and calming.

I kept my voice low, not wanting to give this next bit of information away. "I did that… to the executioner? It came from me, didn't it?"

"You get one question to ask, and you ask that one. Of course, it was you. You seem surprised?"

Surprised was an understatement. A royally large and undeniable understatement.

"It's never happened before," I said, thinking back to something the Hunters had said when I arrived at camp. "They even said they tested me and mentioned I was useless. Powerless like the fey I was put with."

"I cannot sit here and explain to you why humans are highly stupid beings. You were presented before them, and they told you that you were useless. When that is far, far from the truth."

"Then what am I?"

The question was for Erix, for myself, for anyone who could answer it honestly.

"A miracle. A marvel." My blood chilled as he replied. "A possibility those within Wychwood would never have believed possible. Some might even call you a saviour. I suppose that would depend on whom you asked. But what you are, Robin, is unique. Literally, one of a kind in all senses of the phrase. It has been years since the courts have looked for any surviving heir to the Icethorn bloodline, yet you have been hiding among the humans all this time. Believe me when I say your return is going to shock many."

" Icethorn ?" I asked, eyes wide as a rushed drawing of a kingdom covered in snow appeared in my mind. An image I had looked over numerous times during our lessons on the fey. "What have I got to do with the winter court?"

"Everything."

"You sound confident." I almost laughed. The idea was a ridiculous notion to grasp. Almost hysterical to suggest. Me being, in any shape or form, tied to one of the four fey courts was ridiculous. And yet, there was no denying the look Erix gave me. Or the way those we passed spared glances at me.

"I suppose I am confident, little bird." His voice was flat when he replied. "You have strayed far from your nest, and it will be my honour to return you home, just as I promised."

A cold chill passed down my spine. In a second, it became clear that my version of home was very different to what Erix believed. Although I didn't know where the Hunters had taken me, I was never more confident that the looming boundary of Wychwood was not in the right direction to Grove.

And it was Wychwood where Erix guided his stag.

Panicked, I reached for the reins myself, trying to tug them free from Erix. He clicked his tongue, and the world sprang forward. The stag picked up an impossible pace. The wind whistled past my ears, joining in with the song of sudden entrapment I felt in his hold.

"Let me down," I warned, eyes streaming with tears beneath the sting of cold air.

"I'm afraid I am unable to do that, so it seems I must apologise again."

I attempted to take control for a second time, digging my nails into the gloved hands that snapped the reins, urging the stag to ride harder – faster.

Something Father had said years ago sprung to mind. I remembered it clearly as it was the last time we had spoken freely of Mother. Father had broken beneath the barrage of questions I threw at him regarding her. It was the first time I remembered him truly losing his temper with me. He'd said something sharp, with eyes rimmed red and heavy with shadows, his voice steady yet coated with thick, painful heartbreak.

"If you ever have the displeasure of meeting the fey-folk, do yourself a favour and turn the other way. They are never to be trusted, not ever. The only language they speak is lies."