Frey Saga Book II: Pieces of Eight (23 page)

"But not
together
," I remarked.

She nodded.
"There are many reasons for that, none of which are so solemn as
you imply." She could see that I intended to ask so she stopped me.
"I do enjoy his company, and have nearly always. But I do not enter
into a union lightly."

"But Ruby, what
happened to you before..." I was still uneasy talking of her
poisoning her own mother. "It won't happen now. You know how to
prevent it."

She shook her
head. "Silly Freya. I know that. He is as safe from my venom as my
whip."

I didn't think
anyone was entirely safe from Ruby's whip, but I ignored the urge
to argue that point. "Then why, Ruby?" I pleaded.

"The bond is not
so simple among us, Frey. If I were wholly fay, a union would be
uncomplicated." I stared at her vacantly and she explained further.
"The fairy joining is easy, unattached, nonpermanent. Many find
themselves with more partners than adversaries at the end of the
day." She laughed. "They are a lusty, uncommitted people and are
therefore free with such actions." I still didn't get it. She gave
me an admonishing smile. "You'll make me spell it out then." She
sighed. "It is different with the elf blood, Frey. Coupling among
us would be a strong, enduring bond."

"So?" I asked
plainly.

"It is not
something taken into casually, Frey. A tie is formed that can take
a hard toll," she said seriously. "It is an attachment, a
responsibility, that could persist a lifetime. Even if you wanted
it broken."

I felt my stomach
twist. I'd known those that coupled were together for centuries,
but I'd never considered that it wasn't by choice.

She saw the
distress on my face and mistook it. "I guess you must have lost the
memory of those lessons as well," she said. She patted my hand.
"Your Vita was a victim of that bond."

And
Vita had died of grief.

Ruby
considered
. "Though, her bond was
weightier. Union with a lord and all." And then she unexpectedly
perked up and smiled. "Not to worry, plenty of time to
decide."

I thought for an
instant I might be sick.

But then Grey
appeared in the doorway from nowhere and gave a slight nod to Ruby
before he disappeared just as quickly. She grasped my arm and
pulled me out of the trance to face her.

"Now, Frey," she
demanded, "let's go."

Her tone spoke of
the seriousness of the situation so I followed her direction as she
jumped up to throw shoes at me and pull my cloak from the wardrobe.
My pack was over her shoulder when she grabbed my wrist and pulled
me from the room to running behind her. We hurried down the
corridors to a hidden entrance and as soon as we stepped outside, I
could see that the others were mounted, waiting on us, each in
their own dark cloaks.

When Rhys and
Rider saw us, they kicked up their horses and sped from the group
to ride the lead with the wolves. I found Chevelle and he
acknowledged me with his eyes but his face was severe. Ruby was
throwing me on my horse and as soon as I'd mounted, all of the
horses were moving, Chevelle to my right, Ruby the left. Anvil was
slightly ahead and I could hear the hooves of Steed and Grey's
horses following closely behind.

We rode hard
without interruption across the craggy rocks and away from the
safety of the castle walls. The group was silent and alert. I was
terrified.

Chevelle stayed
near me as we rode and when we finally did stop, he stepped from
his horse and in one fluid movement, pulled me from my own and to
standing beside him. His face was hard and I didn't ask the
questions that were swimming through my mind, I was sure I didn't
want the answers anyway.

I'd thought we
were taking a break but when I realized that Steed was directing
the horses back the way we had just come, my optimism sank.
Chevelle led me to the cover of a few small, bushy trees and gave
me one slight nod before Ruby stepped beside me and took his place.
I watched him walk to where Anvil and the others stood, the wolves
pacing restlessly around them. I could not hear a word of their
discussion.

"What's going on,
Ruby?" I whispered.

She responded in
kind. "We had received word of Brahn but the delay in our departure
will mean some searching. They will split on short excursions to
hunt without losing the group, while keeping you center." My
stomach tightened.

"Won't they need
the horses?" I asked, as quiet as I could manage.

She shook her
head. "From here, we keep on foot for speed and
stealth."

I bit down hard
as
we sat, silently watching two
sets of two rotate on searches while the remaining three remained
near me.
The
center
.

Occasionally, the
core of the group would move as well, allowing new territory to be
scanned, and after a while with no encounters or signs or anything
to speak of, my muscles began to relax and I settled in to a long,
uncomfortable resignation.

Once the rotation
worked out for Chevelle to be with me, Ruby and Grey nearby but
watching outward, I leaned into him, finally calm enough to rest.
As we sat on the cool stone, my back against the side of his chest,
his arm partially around me but still in readiness, the tightness
that had remained in my chest released and I almost dozed off as my
mind wandered idly.

I felt the
familiar sensation of a bird and I fell easily into it, pleased to
find it was a hawk. I soared lazily across the sky, the current so
mild it barely ruffled a feather. It was so peaceful, so relaxing,
to be with the hawk in my mind while my body was safe with
Chevelle. I was considering how my tension had eased in relation to
his proximity when the hawk spotted movement on the ground. It
started to turn but I urged it to stay, focus more clearly on what
we were seeing.

Chevelle's hand
covered my mouth when I gasped. My eyes flew open and we were
standing, his palm still pressed hard against my lips, his other
arm wrapped tightly around my waist from behind as Ruby and Grey
rushed toward us. I was panting through my nose and Ruby gave
Chevelle a hard glare until he released me.

He spun me
around, his eyes commanding an answer.

I tried to steady
my breathing as the words rushed from me in the softest voice I
could muster. "Fannie. She was running. I didn't know at first,
didn't understand. But I saw him, behind her. He was after
her."

"Where?" he
demanded.

I closed my eyes
and concentrated on remembering where I'd been so leisurely flying.
They waited the second it took to gather the information with
forced patience but when my eyes opened and I gave them the best
directions I could, they were in motion before I took another
breath. The others appeared from nowhere as we headed toward Fannie
and her pursuer.

Chevelle's grip
on me was still tight as we ran but he was too fast, I couldn't
keep up with him. Steed saw me struggle and came to my other side,
grasping my free arm, and they ran in tandem, my feet pulling from
the ground to skip steps as I struggled between them. When I
started to recognize the area I'd seen from above, one of the
wolves called from ahead of us. They did not slow but Chevelle
released my arm and moved forward, even faster than what had been
beyond my full speed.

Steed kept his
hold and Rhys fell in to Chevelle's place as the others flew past
us. I could see them approach a structure of sorts and, suddenly,
the field ignited into flame.

I stopped
running. Steed and Rhys did not and my feet began to drag, catching
among the rocks and dirt. My legs regained consciousness and
responded a moment later, but neither seemed to notice. They were
focused solely on the battle we were approaching with frightening
speed.

I could see Ruby
now, among the flames. She was burning several large elves, two of
which I recognized from my nameless memories. Grey was fighting
near her, seeming to flick in and out of vision with his swift
movements. I searched for Chevelle and found him alongside Anvil,
both fighting for entrance to the structure. It had all happened so
fast, I'd not had time to even consider fear. When we reached the
group, their opposition had been reduced to unresponsive piles
scattering the ground.

Chevelle looked
back to me and then his eyes scanned to find each of the others
before he visibly braced himself and walked with Anvil through the
door, his sword drawn in readiness.

Chapter
Thirteen

The End as a
Whole

We didn't
hesitate as we followed them in, but I froze as I saw the scene
inside. The one-room structure was entirely open space inside,
filled with large, angry elves. Asher's guard. Steed and Rhys still
had hold of me and the others were lined up in front of us,
Chevelle and Anvil with their backs directly to me, Rider and Grey
angled slightly to the sides, and Ruby, pacing impatiently to one
side. I watched her for a moment as she transferred from one leg to
the other, never moving far from her spot. Her whip was loose at
her side, her hand wrapped tightly around the base, as she swayed
like a snake. Her eyes were flicking anxiously to each of the faces
in the room, and then, repeatedly, to the floor. I followed her
gaze and found that a body had already been downed. It was
Fannie.

My legs seemed to
thaw and crumple beneath me but Steed pulled me up to him, securing
an arm around my waist as Rhys released his hold and readied his
staff. I stared at her lifeless form on the floor, unable to
comprehend what had happened to her. I was trembling as I looked up
at Steed's face, but he was not watching me. His eyes were intent,
directed to the center of the room with such heat that I couldn't
help but follow. My legs gave again when I saw it was Asher, but
Steed was strong and he kept me from collapsing.

I wasn't sure how
long we had been standing there, but I didn't think anyone had
spoken or moved since our entrance, aside from Ruby's agitated
rocking. I tore my eyes from Asher and scanned the room again,
purposefully avoiding Fannie on the floor, and the pieces started
to fall together. We were outnumbered. Both sides were waiting for
the first move. I involuntarily began to size up each of them,
wishing I could remember their strengths, and found Brahn. Brahn,
who'd been chasing Fannie. My eyes shot to her body again, her
corpse, and back to him. He was smug, his sneer an ugly kind of
smile.

Before I knew
what was happening, I was stepping forward. Steed, caught off
guard, struggled to stop me but I was determined, and I was the
first to speak.

"You," I growled
directly to the beast, who seemed for a fraction of a second as
shocked as the rest of the room. He did not respond verbally, but
quickly recovered and straightened his shoulders to stand proud. He
might have been twice my size.

I could feel
Chevelle and Steed as they tried to pull me back, force me behind
them, but I stood fast. I saw the symbol of the guard on his chest
and wanted to burn him. "You killed Fannie?" I demanded, not
recognizing my own voice.

He did not answer
and my hand came up to punish him. The others moved quickly to stop
me, my own guard protecting me from my ignorance. I couldn't feel
ashamed.

Asher's barking
laugh caught everyone's attention. He seemed to find the incident
very amusing. I glared at him and his hand tightened on his staff.
"You forget your place, Elfreda."

I was speaking
before I realized my intention. "She was your daughter."

He shook his head
calmly. "No longer. She had turned against me." It was a warning. A
clear, sincere warning.

Chevelle's voice
was low in my ear as he pulled me back once more to plead, "No,
Freya."

Asher's gaze
flicked to Chevelle then. "Ah, still whispering in her ear,
Vattier." He spoke with such distaste I couldn't stop myself from
looking back to see Chevelle's response. It was cold and
hostile.

"She will learn,"
Asher continued and I noticed something behind him, a movement of
his cloak. I glanced down to see that it was not his own, but a
second cloak of the same material, a small figure huddled on the
floor behind him. With horror, I recognized what it was by the feel
of its mind.

My face met
Asher's in a moment of disgust and loathing and he suddenly smiled
as if he had just received the greatest of pleasures. "So it is
true," he whispered.

And the wind was
knocked out of me at my own stupidity. How long I had spent fearing
his knowledge and I had just given him my last secret, without a
scrap of resistance.

I felt all eyes
in the room on me as Asher watched my features rearrange with open
delight. He must have been eager to share with them his new
awareness, because he stepped slightly to the side to allow a
partial view of the woman behind him. There was an intake of breath
as they all registered what I had already seen. Human. And then,
part of them looked back at me appraisingly, now understanding the
exchange.