Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

W e flee the city like death himself is chasing us. Alaric won’t answer any of our questions, acting civilly towards the stable staff for as long as it takes to get their horses. I think he means for me to ride with him once more, but I insist on having my own horse. My family might not have enough money to own a horse, but I still learned how to ride when I was little, and we will be far faster if his mare isn’t loaded down with the weight of two.

“Do not act suspicious,” he orders the two of us as we leave the castle grounds and head for the outskirts of the city.

Of course, as soon as he says this, it makes me feel instantly guilty as I force myself to look innocent, probably only making the situation worse. With the two fae wearing their hoods up and the seal of the king on their cloaks, they are able to pass through the city without much fuss. There is a lot of focus on me though. I am wearing a similar cloak, but with my hood down, and I clearly don’t look like an advisor to the king. It makes me uncomfortable as I try to keep my head forward and avoid the attention.

Thankfully, we make it out of the city with barely a glance from the gate guards, and as soon as we are on the road, Alaric kicks his horse into a canter, Blaise hot on his heels. I grip tightly onto the reins and nudge my horse forward. Luckily for me, the horse I was given is easy to ride and has a sweet temperament. She seems happy to follow behind the other horses, allowing me time to think over everything that just happened.

It does not take a genius to work out that something must have happened between Alaric and the king. With the way we practically fled the city and the breaking pace that we set now as we thunder down the deserted road, it feels as though we are fugitives. Is that what is happening? When I left with Alaric, did I commit a crime?

Treason . The word rings impossibly loud in my mind, and my palms get sweaty, making it difficult for me to hold onto the reins. My breaths were already fast from the physical exertion of attempting to stay on the horse, but now they are more like pants, sawing from my chest for an entirely different reason.

I have no idea why I am following the fae prince other than the fact I didn’t trust the king. Leaving with Alaric was the best option in that moment, yet now I am wondering if that is still the case. Can I truly trust any of them? The prince does not hold my best interests at heart, only caring for his own people, which is something I cannot blame him for. However, who is left to advocate for me and my rights? I shall have to be that person. I am no longer in my small village with my flowers and dark friend in the forest. It is time to grow up.

Fear and anticipation grip my stomach, my hands shaking with a slight tremor. Fixing the grip on my reins, I shift in the saddle and lean forward to get into a better position. As I do this, I see that the road splits ahead of us. To the right, it continues between two open fields, and to the left, it leads into the forest, exactly where we are now heading. Panic seizes my chest, making me freeze on the back of my mare.

The surface of the road is uneven and less maintained than the king’s road, rocks and branches littering the ground, but Alaric and Blaise seem to manage their horses with precision.

The trees grow on either side of the road, their branches creating a living archway into the forest. As we approach, instead of a welcoming sight, the arch seems more like a gaping maw of a beast about to devour me. My horse must feel similarly, as she stumbles, her steps falling out of sync. I try to grip onto the reins tighter to direct her onwards, but my hands slip through them. Rearing up onto her back legs, the horse lets out a startled whinny, and I fall from her back.

Everything seems to move in slow motion.

The whole world tilts around me as I tumble to the ground. The hard packed stones and mud rapidly approach my face, and it is only at the last moment when I pull my head in towards my chest and wrap my arms around it in hopes of protecting my skull.

I land with a thud, a wrenching, popping pain tearing through my shoulder. The air is knocked from my lungs, and as I roll to the side, cradling my injured arm, it takes me a few stunned seconds to force myself to breathe despite the pain in my ribs at the action. I say nothing, no sounds leaving me except my gasping breaths. Something rises inside me, like a silent plea or call, and there is a noticeable shift in the air. All of a sudden, everything seems to become aware. It is the strangest feeling, but I swear the trees and creatures around us are sentient and paying attention, their focus currently on me .

“Iris!” Alaric’s voice reaches me as he hurries to my side, breaking the strange feeling surrounding me. “Are you okay?”

Dragged back into the present, I look around with wide eyes, startled and riddled with pain. That must have been what was behind that strange connection with the forest. Yes, I am pain-addled, and it’s making me feel things that are not real. Taking several long, steadying breaths, I slowly push myself up into a sitting position, Alaric’s hand on my back causing tingles to zip through me.

“A little banged up, but I will be okay.” I try to smile to reassure him, but a flash of pain has me wincing instead.

Frowning, he reaches out to touch me, pausing with a tentative expression. “Can I touch you? I need to see your shoulder.”

I slowly nod my head, not trusting my voice right now. He gently places his hand on my shoulder, taking care so as not to hurt me. Slowly, he feels around the bone, and I cannot hold back my small noises of pain. Burning and blinding, the injury is agonising. I should be worrying about the fact I will soon be travelling through the forest with an injury, making me even more of a target than I was before, but the pain is so all consuming that I can only focus on keeping my breathing even and not shouting out my agony.

“It is dislocated,” he murmurs quietly, his concentration still on my shoulder as he moves his hands around the injured limb. With a hand wrapped around the top of my arm and the other on my shoulder, he shifts in a move too fast for me to register and jerks my arm.

If I thought my pain was blinding before, then this is a whole new level of torment. A garbled scream forces its way through my clenched teeth. As though washed away by a crashing wave of agony, all of my energy suddenly leaves my body, and I slump forward, a cold sweat forming at my temples. Thankfully the pain almost immediately ease, and I realise that he has relocated my shoulder for me. I tentatively move my arm, filled with relief that it seems to be working with only a few twinges of that sharper pain.

My breaths are still sawing in and out of my chest like I have been running for my life, but as I start to slow them down, I can actually think past my injury. My head hangs forward as I recover and gather my strength. Now that my shoulder is not so painful, my other minor bumps and scrapes are making themselves known. Tomorrow, I am going to ache like never before.

My thoughts begin to resurface in my mind, and I know there are several things that need to be addressed. Taking a deep breath and praying to anyone who is listening to give me strength, I lift my head and meet Alaric’s gaze.

“Is my horse okay?” I am sure I look like a mess, especially given the strange look Alaric is giving me. He appears taken aback, as though he is seeing me for the first time.

“She looks fine, but she won’t let me go anywhere near her. You will have to ride with one of us,” Blaise answers, breaking me from my stare. His voice lacks its usual amusement at my expense, and when I turn to look at him, I only see his frown. I would have thought this was something that would amuse him, the stupid human falling from her horse, yet it seems to be the opposite.

What is going on here, and why are the fae acting so strangely? Shaking my head, I bite back my noises of pain as my shoulder protests the movement. We do not have time for this. The sun shall be setting soon, and we need to get somewhere safe before then. If what I am hearing is correct, then Blaise is suggesting we leave without my horse. While I will ride with one of them if necessary, I refuse to go without my mount.

Raising a brow, I level a look at the bearded fae. “We cannot just leave her here.”

I have no idea where the confidence to argue with one of the deadly fae has come from, but I blame the injury to my shoulder for making me feel more combative than usual. Blaise is clearly just as surprised as I am, his own brow rising in response as the corner of his mouth curls up in amusement.

“Even if she had not run away, you cannot ride with a dislocated shoulder.” Alaric’s comment brings me back to the matter at hand. I am about to point out that it is no longer dislocated, thanks to his quick hands, but I do not want to get into an argument. Instead, I shake my head and push to my feet. With shaky steps, I walk to the other side of the road, hesitating at the treeline. I really do not want to go in there if I can help it.

“I am sorry for scaring you, Daisy,” I call out softly, summoning every ounce of courage that I can muster as I hover at the edge of the forest. I will for her to hear my sincerity and come back to me.

“Daisy?” Blaise whispers to Alaric in confusion.

“She needed a name, and her white pelt reminded me of the petals of a daisy. I like flowers,” I answer in response to their strange looks, feeling the need to defend myself. Turning back to the forest, I attempt to ignore the fae behind me and hold out my hand, palm up.

At this point, I cannot even see her, but I trust in my gut that she will return to me. I am quiet for several minutes, not moving as I wait. Behind me, I can hear my travel companions talking quietly to one another, but thankfully they do not interrupt me.

Several more minutes pass, and I am rewarded for my patience as my horse appears in the distance between two trees. Smiling, I keep my hand out and wait for her to approach me. She seems skittish, her ears twitching as she picks up every sound around her. When her eyes lock on me, she snorts and trots slowly towards me. Pressing her velvety soft muzzle against my hand, she steps close. Cooing, I use my free hand to rub against her face, feeling her slight tremble.

“It is okay, I won’t let anything happen to you,” I promise quietly, pressing my forehead against hers. There is a moment of quiet contentment as I bond with my horse, enjoying the feel of her coat beneath my fingers and the warmth of her body against mine.

“What just happened?” Blaise asks loudly, breaking the moment between Daisy and me.

I look at him in confusion, taking in his dumbstruck expression. He just saw me calm my horse, so I do not understand why that would be something of discussion. Before I can ask him to elaborate, though, Alaric steps between us, taking Daisy’s reins and leading her over to the other horses. She follows obediently, but I notice how her head turns towards me and her footsteps are sluggish, reluctant to leave me.

“We need to get moving,” Alaric comments briskly, tying her reins to his own. “There is an inn we shall stay at tonight, and we need to reach it before nightfall when all the Unseelie wake.”

The idea of being caught by the Unseelie is enough to get me moving towards him, my fear biting at my heels in an effort to get me moving. A chill passes through me, and I swear I can feel the scratchy touch of tree branches, their phantom limbs trying to pull me deeper into the woods. There is so much that has occurred in the last twenty-four hours. My entire world has been turned upside down. Everything I thought I knew was false, and my sanctuary in the forest has become dangerous. He might be a fae prince, but seeing as I am somehow involved in all of this, I have the right to know what is happening.

Digging my heels into the ground, I stop. “No, I need some answers before we go.” I watch as Alaric clenches his jaw, still sorting the horse’s tack. This will not put me off, though, not now. “What happened with the king?”

Pushing away from the horses, he throws his hands up in exasperation. “Now is not the time for—”

“No, she is right, Alaric.” Blaise steps up beside me, frowning as he stares at his companion. “If you broke our alliance with the humans, then I need to know.”

Turning my head ever so slightly, I watch Blaise from the corner of my eye. He is somewhat of an enigma to me. Half the time, he acts as though everything is amusing, simply because everything is below him. However, when it comes to the safety of the prince, he changes, becoming someone completely serious and dedicated.

Seeing the change in his friend, Alaric sighs, his expression becoming firm. “He wanted you to stay, and I disagreed. I didn’t give the king much choice in the matter. I told him that we were leaving one way or another. We only visited the king as a sign of support for the alliance and to inform him of our intention to take Iris somewhere safe. If he stopped us from leaving, it would have broken the alliance on his side, meaning that we had permission to leave, yet I did not put it past him to change his mind and try to stop us.”

My eyes widen as I realise how he convinced the king and the danger it could have put us all in.

“You threatened him?” While I phrase it as a question, my words sound more like a whispered statement.

Blaise shifts his weight from foot to foot beside me, and I know he is struggling to keep his cool. “Alaric…”

“I did what I had to,” the prince barks, cutting off his friend but keeping his eyes on me the whole time. “We could not leave you there. He wanted to lock you up.”

I shudder as he confirms my worst suspicions, my chest feeling tight as though I am already restrained. The king was happy to take away my freedom as quickly as that, without a single care as to how I would feel about it. He chose the simplest option, to simply lock me away so the Unseelie could not get to me.

Gratitude floods my system. Alaric could have destroyed the trust between the Seelie and the humans all to ensure my freedom. He risked so much. The question is, why? Why put his entire race in danger for my sake? I want to ask him so badly, but I have far more pressing matters at hand. I cannot return to Brine, as I have no doubt that the king would just track me down and take me hostage, which means I won’t be able to see my family again. They were on my mind during the journey here, but I didn’t let myself think too hard on it as I didn’t want to think about the fact that I won’t be returning to them.

Grief settles over me, and I have to clear my throat several times before I am able to speak clearly. “What happens now?”

There is a heavy pause, and he finally looks away from me, his gaze shifting to Blaise. Once again they seem to silently communicate, something I’m even more convinced of as Blaise sighs and scrubs a hand over his face. Alaric looks at me with a determined expression.

“I’m taking you to the Seelie king.”