Faye awoke to someone shaking her shoulder. "Get up!"
She opened her eyes to find Jyri in a state of alarm. She squinted at him. "What?"
"We have to leave. Now." He tossed her knapsack at her, and slid his own over his shoulders. Grabbing her arm, he yanked her off the bed, and practically dragged her across the room as she slung her pack on.
The door banged open.
Two burly men appeared; one with a buzzcut, the other with dark hair. Both held out a knife. "Get him, Roark!" The buzzcut one shouted, and Roark ran at Jyri. Jyri ducked. Faye kicked the back of Roark's knee, causing him to fall.
"You idiot!" the buzzcut man shouted.
"Sorry, Kern." Roark stood up, rubbing the back of his knee. Jyri dashed towards the door but Kern blocked it, and held out his knife. Roark grabbed Jyri's arm, twisting it behind his back.
"Let him go!" Faye shouted, pushing Roark away. But she might as well have been pushing a brick wall.
Roark sneered down at her. "Nice try, princess."
"Forget her. Let's go."
"Yes, Kern." Roark kept a firm grip on Jyri, who struggled against him. But he was too weak, and was led out the door by the two men.
Faye held out her palm and, focusing on the energy in her gut, shot out a flame. It hit Roark. Yelping, he released Jyri to slap at his back. Kern turned around. "What are-"
Jyri fled.
"Get him!"
"I'm on fire!"
Kern chased after Jyri, and Roark continued slapping at his back. Faye shot another flame towards Kern, but he was too far away to hit. She ran after the man, but Roark grabbed her arm.
"Not so fast, witch."
Faye raised her other arm, but Roark grabbed it, twisting it behind her back. He chuckled. "Try using magic now."
She squirmed against him, but Roark picked her up. With one arm wrapped around her stomach, he used his other hand to clamp her wrists together. People stopped to stare as Roark marched Faye through the building, but he ignored them.
Kern stood outside the inn. "I lost him."
"Don't worry." Roark grinned, and raised Faye up. "He'll be back for his little girlfriend."
"Gross!" Faye struggled in his tightening grip.
"You're not his type anyway." Kern smirked at her, then turned to Roark. "He can't have gone far. I'll go get the horses. Wait here, and try not to lose the girl." He strode off, leaving Faye alone with Roark.
Roark raised his hand up and stroked Faye's cheek. Her breath caught in her throat, and she jerked her head away.
"I bet you'd clean up nicely."
"Unlike you," Faye spat.
"Sassy." Roark lowered his voice. "I like that."
"Are you really that desperate?" Kern had returned with two horses.
Roark gave him a half-smile. "Only for you."
The corner of Kern's lip twitched, and he pulled something out from the saddle bag. "Hold out her hands."
Roark yanked Faye's wrists in front of her body. Struggling would be useless. So instead, she pressed the sides of her wrists and knuckles together, elbows out. Kern tied the scratchy rope around her wrists, and Roark set her on top of the horse, before climbing on behind her. Faye's stomach lurched when he wrapped his arm around her torso.
When Roark looked towards Kern for further instruction, Faye pressed her arms together. The rope fell slack, but it was difficult to tell if she could slip her hands out. She figured she'd find out soon enough.
Kern climbed up on the other horse, flicking the reigns. Roark followed suit, and they were off.
Hours were spent wandering the city and its perimeter. The guards attempted to find tracks of some sort, but to no avail. To Faye, it felt like they were walking in circles.
"I think he's gone," Roark said.
Kern glared at him. "Obviously. But he'll be back for the girl soon enough."
"Really? She doesn't seem that important."
Faye huffed.
"She knows magic," Kern said. "She must be valuable to him. Either way, King Lyon would love a witch."
So these men worked for King Lyon. Faye chewed her lip, wondering why Lyon sent men after Jyri. And he tells me off for pickpocketing.
"You hear that, witch?" Roark's gruff voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "King Lyon-"
"I'm not a witch," Faye said, her tone curt.
"Really?" Kern frowned at her. "But you know magic."
"She could be a huminal," Roark said. "Some of them types know magic."
"A magical huminal. That would make his day." Kern stroked the hairs on his chin, smiling. "Worst case scenario, we return with her. He'll be less angry, at any rate."
"What kind of huminal are you?" Roark asked Faye, pulling the reigns to a stop.
"Like I'd tell you."
"Feisty." Roark moved his hand up, and tucked a lock of Faye's hair behind her ear. "An elf!"
Kern steered his horse closer to Roark's, and peered closely at the pointed tip of her ear. "Of course he'd buddy up with an elf."
"I didn't think elves knew magic," Roark said.
Kern bit his lip, brow furrowed. "They might." He focused his gaze on Faye, eyes traveling over her body. "But there's a creature I know for sure can do magic." He paused, and looked into Faye's eyes. "Your sides look pretty lumpy."
"Rude."
Kern looked to Roark. "Feel them."
Faye shivered as a hand slid up the side of her shirt, and over a wing. Frowning, Roark raised her shirt a little, revealing the tip of it.
Kern grinned. "I knew it."
Roark grabbed the end, and yanked it, nearly pulling it out of its binding.
"Ow!" Faye moved her wing towards herself, and slid it back up into the now lopsided cloth.
"They're real," Roark said.
Kern smiled a sadistic smile. "The King is going to love this. When was the last time anyone has seen a half-fairy?"
"Last month," Roark said.
Kern cocked his head, frowning. "What?"
"Last month, remember? At the tavern. There was that girl with wings."
"Those wings were fake."
"No, they were real. And they were just like these ones." Roark yanked at her wing again.
Faye jerked it away. "Stop that!"
"I think it's broken." Roark grabbed it again to inspect. Faye squirmed away, and fell out of his loosened grip, her body thumping onto the hard dirt. Roark stared, slack-jawed.
"Grab her!"
Roark hopped down, but Faye picked herself up, and sprinted.
The galloping hoofs followed her. How am I going to outrun a horse? It didn't help that her hands were still bound. She strayed off the path, veering through trees. Being off path slowed the horses down, but the men were within grabbing distance, and Faye was losing energy. She ducked under Roark's outreached arm, and ran in the opposite direction.
A burrow-like hole, just wide enough for her, caught her eye. She held her breath, and dove inside it.
It went down deep. Faye could hear the men shouting at her through the hole, but she squeezed herself deeper in, praying it was vacant.
The men were probably going to camp out near the hole. Faye bit her lip. She might as well see where it led. If only she could see. But her hands were still tied together, and she had to rely on her elbows and legs to wriggle through the soft dirt. Breathing was difficult, and she could still hear the faint voices of the guards. The tunnel narrowed, but she plowed on.
After what felt like an eternity, her elbow scraped against rock. Wincing, she raised her head, and gave herself one, last pull out from the dirt. She got to her feet, and tried squeezing her hands out of the rope. She got close a few times, but failed.
Something growled. She whipped around, squinting in the darkness. But all she could make out was the shape of an animal, with glowing, yellow eyes. It lunged.
Faye backed up against the wall, shaking. But the animal didn't attack her. Instead, it chewed at her rope, tugging on it. She held her breath, and the rope came off.
"Thank you," Faye said, her voice trembling, and she conjured up a flame.
A large, cat-like animal stood inches away. Its ears had black tufts on the tips, and the animal twitched them back. Even with the light, it was difficult to make out its markings, but it was brown, and had a short tail. Judging off drawings Faye had seen, it looked like a lynx.
The animal made a guttural sound.
"What?"
It made another noise. She levitated the flame aside, and shrugged her knapsack off her shoulders. "You want food?"
The lynx sat on its haunches as Faye dug for bits of dried meat, and held a strip out. Sniffing it at first, the lynx took it, then gulped it down. Faye checked her surroundings. It was too dark to see, even with her flame. "How am I gonna get out of here?"
The lynx bopped its head against her side, before walking away. It stopped, and turned its head to look at her.
"You want me to follow you?"
The lynx nodded, and Faye stepped back. "You understand me?"
It nodded again, and continued walking. Faye followed, flame back in palm.
They made their way through another tunnel. Faye held her flame, and was able to make out rock formations, but not much else. After awhile, sunlight shone through, lighting up the path. The exit came into view, and Faye put out the flame. She took a step outside, peering around the sides for the guards. But there was no sign of them.
Faye turned around to thank the lynx, but it was gone. She frowned, and moved on, keeping an eye out for Roark and Kern. Hopefully she could find Jyri. If she didn't have a lot of questions for him before, she certainly did now.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
