Page 23 of Cold Hearted
But no Zander.
Relief rushed through me when I spotted my sunstone dagger on the dusty ground next to me, and with shaking hands I sheathed it, thankful no one had thought to take it with them.
I heard the whinnying of a horse and stood on unsteady feet. Pursing my lips, I made kissy noises to call the horse like I did with my mare back home. All the while my heart was pounding frantically in my chest and my hands shook slightly.
Zander saved me. He jumped in front of that rune and saved me.
And now he was taken or maybe even killed. After he’d displayed some pretty dark and powerful Ethereum magic. Black glass shards from his palms? That was… I didn’t want to think about that right now. I just needed to find Zander’s horse and then make a plan from there.
“Come here, buddy. Omen. Remember my voice?” I called out into the woods. “I’ve been talking to Zander for days. You know me. I’m safe.” More kissy noises, and finally the black stallion came into sight from the tree line. I walked forward to meet him, approaching slowly with my hand out. He was probably spooked by the fight, and I didn’t want him to run off again as I had no idea where I was and was in no shape to walk right now.
I was thirsty, my lips cracked from using up so much of my magic. I noticed his muzzle was wet. “Did you find a stream of water?” I asked Omen.
He let me reach out and grasp his reins and then stroke a hand over his neck. “Good boy,” I said with relief.
I held the reins but also used my free hand to search the saddlebag for our canteen. When I found it nearly empty, I whimpered. “Okay, water first. Then we’ll save Zander.”
Because I couldn’t just let him be taken by bandits and do nothing about it. He’d saved my life. I owed him.
Hiking to where Omen had come from, I pulled him along until I heard the trickle of a running stream. Tying him to a tree, I made my way to the water and drank my fill before replenishing the canteen as well.
Once I got everything packed onto the horse and I loaded myself up into the saddle, a full-on panic attack hit me.
I had no idea where I was. I knew Zander’s sister’s house was roughly three hours’ ride away, but I hadn’t necessarily been paying attention to the trails as we’d weaved in and out of them. And we weren’t even on main trails. Zander had pulled us into the woods for safety.A fat lot of good that did. Even if I could get to Brienne, it would only scare her and the children.
No. I needed to get to Harpy Bay and find Zander’s men. That was who he was supposed to rendezvous with and that was who could help me get their commander back. I would probably be rewarded for my efforts and be given a medal by the Northern lord himself. And when he put it around my neck, I’d cut his heart out. Yes, this plan was good. Save Zander—but also complete my mission and save my people.
I rode fast and hard to the first farmhouse I saw and paid the nice old couple there to tell me where I was and how to get to Harpy Bay. They drew a map for me, much more current than the one I had, and even gave me a meal, feeling bad for the nice girl traveling alone and lost. By the time I left their house it was nightfall, but they assured me that if I rode briskly I could reach Harpy Bay within an hour. It was the nearest city, a beach town off the northern coast. A famed spot for… you guessed it, harpy sightings.
Chapter 7
Harpy Bay was a quaint fishing village. Thatched-roofed homes and storefronts lined the shoreline, and despite the frigid winds coming off the sea and the late hour, there were a fair amount of townsfolk out and about conducting business, making deliveries, working on the boats anchored in the harbor, and even socializing. I did my best not to stare at the unseelie as I passed—fae with features I wasn’t accustomed to like horns and tails and wings, fae with scaled skin who I suspected were full or half mer. I could have sworn I spotted some sort of water serpent while I was looking out at the water on the way into town. It was as long as the largest ship moored in the harbor; its scales glittered in the moonlight as it breached the waves before sinking below the surface once again.
But by far the highest concentration of unseelie in this town were the ones with the upper body of a man or woman, and lower body of a bird. Long black, bat-like wings dripped off their backs as they stared at me with their inky, beady eyes when I passed.
Harpies.
I had started to feel somewhat comfortable in this foreign land with Zander as my guide,but now that he was gone the oddities of Ethereum stood out starkly to me, reminding me that I didn’t belong in this world.
As Omen and I trotted through the heart of the market of Harpy Bay, I kept a sharp eye out for any Northern Army men. I told myself not to be disheartened that I hadn’t spotted anyone yet and scanned the open market shops for a tavern, the perfect place to find out about the goings-on in the village. My gaze snagged on a sign hanging off to the left that read The Sad Bass Tavern. Sliding off Omen, I secured his reins to a post before going into the pub.
I sighed in relief when I spotted a group of four fae dressed in military garb similar to Zander’s. They appeared to be enjoying a bowl of stew and a cup of ale, and from the ruddy tint on their cheeks I assumed it wasn’t their first pint of the evening. Nevertheless, I didn’t have the time or patience to find a sober group to approach.Who knows what’s happened to Zander in the hours since our attack. And who better to help him than his own men.
Going right up to them, I didn’t wait for them to acknowledge my presence before speaking. “I need to speak to the officer in charge,” I said, infusing my words with as much authority as I possessed, which was a lot considering I was a Summer Court crowned princess.
The fae males all stopped what they were doing and peered up at me with conflicting looks on their faces—two confused, one annoyed, and the last one leered at me, tracking his gaze over my curves, from my pants-clad legs up to my chest and down again. I refused to let my cheeks redden under any of their regard.
“Did you hear me?” I asked when none of them spoke. “I need to speak with your commanding officer immediately.”
“And what’s it worth to you?” the male who ogled me asked.
The food in my stomach roiled at the suggestive tone of his voice. I had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping back at him that it was worth me not splitting him open from navel to nose. Something told me I wouldn’t get anywhere with these males by being combative. I took a calming breath before speaking again.
I leaned in and lowered my voice, not wanting to start a panic. “I have news of your commander’s capture. I need to talk to the officer in charge right away.”
Those words seemed to sober the men up, at least a little. The three fae who hadn’t spoken put down their drinks and straightened in their chairs, looking more alert. The fourth simply leaned back, opening his legs wider as a slimy smile curved his mouth.
“Well, you see,” the lecherous fae drawled. “If you’ll be wanting to speak to Captain Regis, then you’ll have to give us something in—”
