26. Chapter 24 Arden

Chapter twenty-six

Chapter 24: Arden

" J ust keep your mouth shut, and let me do the talking," Umurn commands, and I nod my head. Though I have no intention of letting him speak for me, or take the fall.

When the hooves come to a stop, and I finally have a chance to take in the beasts before me. They're not normal centaurs. At least, not all of them are. Some of them have enormous antlers like moose. A few of them have horns like unicorns. There are males and females, and none of them are wearing any shirts. My boobs hurt thinking about galloping through the forest without any sort of breast support.

The fur of the unicorn-horned ones shine like mother-of-pearl in the sunlight that peeks through the dense canopy of the trees. Their human portions are more slight, and almost elf-like, and the horse part of their body is smaller, about the size of a quarter horse.

The antlered ones are broad bodied all over. Muscle upon muscle decorates their human torsos and arms while their animal side would put even the largest moose to shame. Their fur ranges from light tan to mahogany in color. The females don't have horns, and are slightly smaller in size, but not by much.

Then, there are the ones without horns or antlers. They range in size from small ponies to clydesdales. Their colors are all over the place with paints and appaloosas.

They all have one single thing in common. They're all beautiful.

If I weren't absolutely certain that I had just committed some sort of cardinal sin by shooting the deer, I would be enthralled by their beauty.

A male unicorn steps forward until he's standing just a half a foot away, staring down his perfect nose at me. "Do you know what you've just done?"

"It wasn't her—" Umurn starts, but I hold up my hand and cut him off.

"I..." I'm about to give him a snarky response, but from Umurn's demeanor, it seems that would be a bad idea. So I tell the truth. "I don't. I thought I was just procuring some meat for a meal that I have to prepare for this goddamn trial I have to do for the queen, but judging by your presence and your reaction, it would seem that I did something wrong. I'm sorry."

His eyebrows raise in surprise. "A fae who knows how to show humility. That's not something you see every day."

"Yes, well, I'm new here. I will be the first to tell you I have no idea what I'm doing."

His gaze shifts to my ears. "You appear human, but your aura is powerful. What are you?"

"A shifter."

"A refugee from Feldorn?"

"A hostage of the queen's. Would you be willing to explain how I've wronged you, and how I can make up for it?"

"You're honest. I like that." He begins to walk a slow circle around me, his eyes roaming up and down my body in a way that makes me uncomfortable. "As I said...your aura is powerful..."

He trails off, and a knot forms in my gut. I know where this is going. Every being in this goddamn realm is obsessed with power and ensuring their lineage remains strong. I will not be having any fucking centaur babies—no matter how beautiful they are.

"My body is off-limits, and my womb is already set to bear a child in the near future. I am mated to one of the princes, and required to give him an heir during my next heat. Perhaps a favor? But I need to know what crime I've committed against you before I offer anything. I need to be sure I'm not being ripped off. You know how it is."

He clicks his tongue as he comes to stand before me once more. "You're no fun. It's been a long time since I've been with a fae woman, but Stars is it fun to completely dominate your tiny bipedal forms."

A strong musk emits from him, and Solina gasps in surprise. I glance in her direction and follow the trail of her gaze to the enormous erection protruding from the centaur's horse half.

My sense of smell is dampened from the suppressants and the fact that my dragon has never emerged. I feel abject horror at the fact that my arousal likely smells that strong to all of the guys.

My face goes red as my eyes snap back to the man half, and the centaur chuckles, stepping closer, and trailing a lithe finger down my cheek. "It's a shame you're spoken for. I could show you a really good time."

"Enough, Vastos. Stop harassing the girl," a female centaur snaps.

Vastos rolls his eyes, and crosses his arms over his chest. "The fact is that it's not me you've offended. It's the forest. The beast," he gestures to the now-dead animal on the forest floor, "was a guardian of the woods. And you just...shot him."

I cringe. Why did I have to try to show off ?

"So where do we go from here?" I ask. "Is there some way I can make amends or something?"

The female who scolded Vastos steps forward. "There's a ritual. The guardians are only meant to be hunted at particular times, usually when they're old and the next is ready to take over. You have to use what you can of the guardian's body, then return the rest of it to the earth when the Strag moon is next full."

"Which moon is that again?" I ask, slightly embarrassed.

"The purple one. That's where they get their lavender hue."

"For what it's worth, I had intended to use it to cook." I glance down at the creature and frown. I don't know what came over me. Perhaps I was meant to be part of the Nature Court like Tavin.

"It was a hell of a shot," Umurn says with admiration in his voice. "I just wish you would have checked with me before shooting the biggest thing in the forest."

"Indeed it was," Vastos agrees, and there's a general murmur of agreement among the rest of the herd.

I shift awkwardly on my feet unsure of the praise and of what to do next. "I guess I'll, gut him?" I glance up at Umurn. "Will you help me get him back to the castle?"

"I can't, little miss. I swore I wouldn't help you with anything but staying alive."

I nod. "It'll be hard, but I can do it...I think."

Vastros turns to the female at his side and whispers something in her ear that makes her nod. Then he returns his attention to me. "We'll help you, if you make a deal with me."

"Do you have something in mind?" I ask.

"I do, but the final decision will depend on you giving me some information."

I consider them for long seconds. Deals are dangerous, and I can't just make them with everyone I come in contact with. Though a few will be necessary if I want allies.

Finally, I nod. "As long as I have the information you're looking for, and it's mine to give, I'll tell you what you need to know."

"Which prince are you mated to?"

"Camus."

There's a small gasp from one of the female unicorns. My gaze narrows on her instantly. I know about his reputation around the kingdom. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he had hooked up with centaurs in the past.

"Yet you're hostage of the queen? What kingdom do you hail from?"

"My citizenship is complicated. But I'm most familiar with Feldorn. I was, until recently, prisoner to Prince Zorvan."

There are a few more gasps, followed by angry whispers. Vastos holds up his hands to silence his herd. "You wish to go back to Feldorn? Or are you aiming to head to Kildara instead?"

My brain is racing as I shift the chess pieces around the board. Telling them doesn't seem like it'll bring me any harm, but with Umurn here, I'm hesitant.

I turn to Umurn and say, "You can't help me, but are you willing to keep my secrets?"

He nods. "I can't help you, but I never said anything about being a spy for them. Your secrets are safe with me, little miss."

"Thank you," I say and turn back to Vastos. "Both. My preference would be to go back to Feldorn, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, if I get out of here, I'll likely end up in Kildara."

"Then the deal I'm requesting will need to be made with both me and Dreas, here."

"Why both of you?" I ask.

"If something happens to me, she's second in command, and this deal impacts our whole herd. Since it seems like there are female fae out here just shooting random beasts they come in contact with," he stares at me, deadpan. "I suppose that an added safety net is necessary."

"Okay. Fine. What is it?" I'm getting impatient. I'm losing daylight and I need to get this damn deer back to the castle so I can cook it.

"We are, as you well may know, shifterkin. We don't belong here. We belong in the mountains and forests of Feldorn.

"We got into a dispute with Zorvan's father shortly before he was murdered—over some land. He threatened to char us alive if we didn't vacate the area. We refused, and readied ourselves for a fight. But rather than kill off the entire populace of centaurs, he banished us, and warded Feldorn against our return. So here we are."

"Why did he want the land?" I ask.

"Don't know. Don't care. I just know that we can't even get back into the kingdom, and we hate it here. The vampires try to feed from us while we're sleeping, there are no good fields to lounge in, and I miss the waterfalls that were located at the northern part of our territory."

The more stories I hear, the more apparent it is that Zorvan's father was just as hot-headed as Zorvan.

I heave a sigh. "I can't promise to get you back the same section of land, but I can promise that I will talk to Zorvan about your return, and get you your citizenship back. He owes me."

I'm about to step forward and seal the deal with the centaur when Solina touches my arm. "Making deals with centaurs is even more dangerous than making them with any other fae. I don't think this is a good idea."

"They just want to return to Feldorn. It just so happens that I have the pull to get them their land back. I don't see how that could possibly go wrong."

Solina raises an eyebrow. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

I approach the centaur man and glance back over my shoulder at Solina. Her brow is furrowed and her hand is on the blade at her hip as if she expects that she might need to use it.

The memory of Falmir using loopholes when we were questioning him flashes through my brain. Fae are fucking sneaky and underhanded. It's the one thing I've learned to be universally true since I arrived. Whether on two or four legs. I cannot trust this creature.

"You will help me get back to the castle with this deer, and I swear on the Stars and the Moons that I will assist you to the best of my ability in getting you access to the lands of Feldorn." We both extend our hands, and just before they make contact I add, "As long as you're telling me the whole truth about your citizenship."

The rush of the bond flows between us and the look of joy on Vastos' face fades to one of pure rage. He jerks his hand back away from mine, and yells, "You bitch!"

I take a few stumbling steps back and fall on my ass as the centaur advances on me, head lowered like he intends to gore me with his horn. I scramble for my bow—which fell to the forest floor when I did—and an arrow, but I'll never get to them in time.

Umurn steps forward and grabs Vastos by his horn, wrenching his head back. In one of the most agile moves I've ever seen, the orc mounts the centaur's back and puts him in a headlock. In the mean time I find my bow and push myself to my feet, while notching an arrow with shaky hands.

Vastos bucks a couple of times, trying to free himself of the large grey man, but fails. The other centaurs are pissed, but they don't make any moves. I can't figure out if it's because they disagree with Vastos killing me, or if it's because they're just that scared of Umurn.

"I just said that I had to protect the little lady from an untimely death. You don't want me as an enemy, centaur, and if you kill my charge, I will become your enemy. Besides, you have no ground to stand on. She's a royal's mate and she caught you in a lie. Now you're gonna help her get her deer back to the castle, and you're going to forget this ever happened. Do you understand?"

Vastos doesn't answer, and his face is turning violet from the lack of oxygen.

"I don't think he can answer like that," I say, lowering my bow a fraction of an inch.

Umurn lets up just enough that Vastos can suck in some air. He hisses out, "Yes, I understand."

Umurn pats Vastos on the cheek with a large hand, and dismounts. "Miss Arden is a hell of a shot, so I wouldn't try anything funny." He pulls out two lengths of rope and ties them to the front hooves of the deer. "Two of you strong lads, come take a piece of rope," he says, leaving the task open ended. "The rest of your herd can fuck off. We only need two."

"I've gotta field dress him so he doesn't spoil," I say and pull one of the small knives I brought with me from my belt.

"Let's get a little ways away from this lot," Umurn says. "You've got at least another fifteen or so minutes to get it gutted.

Two of the moose centaurs step forward, and take a length of rope. They begin walking in what I assume is the direction of the castle. I nod and push myself to my feet, resheathing my knife and brushing leaves from my pants.

I don't even look up at Vastos as I begin speaking. "You tried to take advantage of my caring nature. There may have been something in it for me, but ultimately I was willing to make that deal because I felt for you." My gaze lifts to Vastos' scowling face. "You lied to me. I'm not sure about what, but clearly it was something nefarious or you wouldn't have responded that way. If you're willing to be honest with me, I might be willing to work something out with Zorvan. But I will not be taken advantage of any more.

"Send word to Prince Camus should you wish to discuss things further. He'll arrange a way for us to meet." I turn my back on Vastos and begin to follow the two centaurs charged with helping me. Solina follows.

"You need to watch yourself, little shifter," Vastos calls after me. "You already have more enemies than you can count. Adding more to those ranks won't work out for you!"

I don't give him the satisfaction of looking back at him. I just continue walking forward. Putting a little urgency in my steps, I eventually catch up with the others as Umurn follows behind me. Having him at my back makes me feel safer, which is not something I ever suspected from an orc.

"Ballsy," he says to me, as he and Solina flank me.

"I've been called worse," I say with a smirk at Umurn. "Do you think I've gathered enough to make a reasonable meal with. I mean, I'm sure the venison will be good, but You need more than that for a meal."

"I'll give you some of what I gathered if you give me some of that deer," Solina says.

"Deal," I say and link arms with her.

The moose-men slow down and Solina and I split up to walk on either side of the carcass then on either side of the men.

"Miss?" the one closest to me says, hesitation in his voice.

"Yes?"

"Vastos was being shady back there, but our herd...we do want to get back to Feldorn. Even if you don't allow him back in."

"You would abandon him here?"

"It's his fault our herd was banished in the first place. And he wasn't joking. The vampires like to feed on us. It's really unsettling. We have to make sure we're always in a herd, because if we remove ourselves too much, we're too easy to pick off. We have to sleep in shifts.

"It's one of the reasons it was so easy to convince the royals to let us take up residency here. Especially with so many unicorns in our group."

"I'll see what I can do, but I'm not making any deals."

"Understood. Good shot, by the way," he says, jerking his head toward the deer. "Wish you hadn't killed the guardian, but it was a solid shot nonetheless."

"Thanks. My dad taught me how to hunt when I was a kid. I went with him several times. It was one of the few things we did together where we weren't fighting."

"He taught you well. I hope you can cook as well as you can shoot."

I snort in response. "The cooking I think I've got down, but admittedly I've never cooked with any Sangarian ingredients. This may all be a moot point."

"I hope not. Otherwise you killed the guardian for nothing. Oh! He never finished explaining. You have to eat the heart."

I laugh, a full bellied laugh, but the centaur doesn't join me so I come to a halt. "Wait...seriously?"

The men stop. "Yes, miss. It helps his soul rebind with the earth and his spirit move to the next forest guardian."

"Of course it does," I mutter. "Fine. Let me take a minute to dress him then. I think we're far enough away from the others. Still not going to help, Umurn? Not even with a bag to put this thing's organs in?"

"I can help with that, miss," one of the moose men says.

He drops to his knees, and lays on the earth so he can press his fingertips into the soil. After a few seconds, a nearby tree begins sprouting a branch low enough that I can reach. Then the branch sprouts leaves. Most of them stop growing, but three continue to grow until they're the size of serving platters.

He pushes himself off the ground and collects the leaves. "I can't make you a bag, but I can help you wrap the heart in these, and seal them well enough to get them home." He extends the leaves toward me.

I reach for them and say "Thank you..." I trail off, waiting for him to fill in his name.

"Thadisthius," he offers. "Most call me Thadis."

"Well, thank you." I sit on my knees before the deer, place the giant leaves beside me, and run my hand through the soft lavender fur of the guardian. "And thank you. I know this isn't what you expected from your life, but I promise I won't let it go to waste." I lean forward and add in a whisper, "This really is for the betterment of Sangaris as a whole."

The deer meat will give me an edge with my training. Or at least I hope it will. This isn't something that was expected of us, and I suspect that there may be some qualms with my choices when we return.

I pull the small knife from my sheath and set to work, slicing through the fur and peeling it back to give me a better look. Then I begin cutting through the muscle, giving me access to the entrails.

"That's so fucking gross," Solina says and I laugh.

Being a higher ranking member of society, she clearly never had the pleasure of prepping her own meat before.

"You're a vampire, babe. Get over it."

I'm out of practice. It's been years since I went hunting with my dad, but the training he gave me is still there. It takes me thirty minutes of fumbling, and when I'm finished, I'm covered in blood. I gently pull the heart out of the chest cavity and hold it up to inspect it. It's huge, and purple, and not what I was expecting.

Placing it with care on one of the leaves, I blow out a harsh breath. The heart is out. I wipe my forehead with the back of my wrist, and turn back to Thadisthius who is standing, watching me curiously.

"So it's out. Do I need to eat the whole thing or can I like...share it?" I ask, and breathe a laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. "And can I cook it?"

"You can cook it. And share it if you want. It just needs to be consumed."

"Oh thank god."

Solina laughs at me. "I'm willing to try some. And I'm sure Camus will help."

"You will?" I ask, eyes lighting up.

"I can't let you be a complete badass all on your own."

I rise to my feet and begin wrapping the heart in the leaf. The other centaur whose name I didn't get approaches.

"Here," he says, handing me a small vial of crimson liquid.

"What is it?"

"Aspostas tree sap," he points to a pine tree through the woods a ways. "Stickiest substance in the forest. It works better as a glue if you cook it down a bit, but we don't have time. It should hold until we get back."

"If we cooked it down, she would never get the leaf back open," Thadisthius chides.

I ignore him and look up at the man before me. He's broad and handsome with tan skin, mohogany fur, and moss green eyes.

"What's your name?"

"Phinestros," he says, dipping his head toward me.

"Thank you Phinestros. This will be helpful."

I hold the heart out to Solina who takes it, careful not to touch the actual organ. She looks like she's about to throw up and I laugh.

"You drink blood to help you sustain your power, and you can't stomach a raw heart?"

"I shouldn't have been born a vampire in the first place," she grumbles.

I open the vial and tip it a tad, allowing a tiny amount to fall on the leaf. Then I lift it and do the same thing an inch away. I do that until I have enough of the surface covered that the flap of the makeshift envelope I made will stick. I hold it in place for a moment then try, gently, to lift the flap. When it doesn't come up, I nod in satisfaction, and place the wrapped heart into my messenger bag.

"Back to the castle!" I say and start walking.

Umurn jogs and catches up to me. He grabs me by the shoulders and repositions me so that I'm facing slightly to my left. "It helps if you're going in the right direction."

"Look. I'm good at hunting. Not so good at navigating."

He smiles down at me. "Between the two of us, I think we make an alright team."