I woke to a knife against my throat.

It was uncomfortably warm, partially from the fire that I could hear crackling somewhere in the vast chamber that I was lying in. And partially due to the shadow that crouched above menacingly. The blade scraped hard against my neck when I tried to sit up. A hunting knife – I recognized its scalpel-thin curved edge for skinning fur.

Gleaming eyes in the corner. The Immortal.

He was watching wordlessly as I struggled with my assailant. There was an odd expression on his face, as if he were questioning his own decision to pluck me from the confines of my home. Miles must have elapsed while I was unconscious.

Wherever this was, there was no hint of winter in this place but I could discern the slightest fragrance of sea salt in the air. Pine needles. Somewhere between the forests and the dead sea.

I only had flashes of my memory from last night after I had left home. Hours ago, there had been no smile on the Immortal’s face – only a heated, masculine sense of victory. I could feel it in the possessive, familiar way that he held me. As if he already owned me.

Warm, long fingers splayed against my thighs. Palms gripping my rounded bottom, inadvertently slipping near places that I had only ever touched myself. It had lulled me into complacency. He had held me close until I could feel every ridge of muscle and rough scar tissue on his chest.

He had said many things in a low intimate tone, lost words that I couldn’t remember, and I had felt compelled to stay nestled in that warm embrace as he walked and walked. Each step in the untouched snow only jostled me even closer against him.

Sleep, he had finally commanded, my sweet obedient alba…

“Who is she?” the creature hissed to the Immortal. Distinctly male. He was covered in greasy green residue and dead leaves. A cricket clung precariously to his short cropping of brown hair, its spindly hind legs twitching mere feet away from my face, as my assailant loomed over me.

The Immortal flicked at an irritable look at the creature. In his native tongue, he said something gravelly that I couldn’t understand.

The knife quivered, then dropped away. The creature took a step back, still sour. “Why her, Master Aries? I’ve released snowshoe hares that had more meat.”

Aries. That name rang through me like a bell, sharp and clear. Why was it so familiar? A memory lingered in the edge of my mind but evaded me.

“It’s been a while since you’ve brought another whore home,” the creature continued sulkingly. “I thought we were past this. Is this because Daphnea is coming for the solstice?”

The Immortal turned slowly. The heat drained out of the room. I was reminded of how quickly he had moved across my bedroom and the sheer effortless strength with which he had almost snapped Father’s neck. His towering frame belied the sly stealth of a hunter. A killer.

Even the creature shrank back but he managed one final protest, “A ruined kingdom, that’s what they’ll say about us.”

The Immortal smiled suddenly, sharply, “Another word, Seward…”

The thing called Seward glared at me sullenly but held his tongue. My mind, still sluggish from sleep, was already spinning silently. Seward was younger than I thought. He had held the knife to my throat in a way that suggested his familiarity with the blade from hunting, but not necessarily from combat – as I had learned from Father for years. Perhaps he would understand my cause and understand why I needed to leave home…

“Get her ready,” Aries said.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Ready for what?”

But Aries was already gone. Without a backwards glance, he had stepped out of the chamber and melted into the dark corridors beyond.

With his departure, I finally summoned the courage to look around. With the dim firelight, I could not see much, but I could tell by the rippling shadows that the chamber was far larger than my bedroom and perhaps even my childhood home.

Curiously, it echoed when the Immortal had spoken, which meant the room must be largely vacant. Instead of the usual opulence of Immortals, there was only a bed, a table, and a mirror to be seen. Grand as it was, Master Aries might not be master of much, but it was more than I ever had.

“Get her ready,” Seward muttered to himself. He looked down at his hands, then at me expectantly. “Well?”

Tell him, something in me urged. Tell him about how you nearly killed your sister weeks ago before the snowfall came. Tell him why you needed to leave and seek sanctuary from barbarians like his Master. But my tongue remained as frozen as the rest of me. My words could be a death knell rather than a lifeline. When no questions or demands came, he shrugged.

“Welcome,” Seward said flatly. “This is your room. Until we decide how to kill you.”

With that, he scrabbled to the door with a lopsided gait, struggling with the leaves and branches strewn across his legs. I didn’t miss the click of the lock as he let the door slam closed.

***

Seward was a young boy, barely on the cusp of adolescence, all knobby elbows and curly hair. The only recognizable part of him was that scowl. Even with the green pasty paint and leaves washed off him, it was still impossible to tell if he was human or Immortal.

When he reentered, I had barely recognized him, except he still bore that same sullen expression. I was still sitting in the same position, albeit inches closer to the fire, rubbing the nearly-frostbitten parts of my toes. The robe had covered much of my body but hours in the winter frost had taken its toll. Pinpricks were running amuck along my limbs and I couldn’t stop shivering.

Still, I needed a confidant. Someone who might know what was happening to me.

“Are you the Master’s son?” I whispered, my teeth chattering.

He blinked as if I had sprouted another arm. “Son? Of course not, halfwit.”

Then, his servant. I should have known it sooner but had been confused by the tidy clothes that Seward wore. In my village, servants were few and far between – very few men had enough to even feed their own. But the ones I had seen were gaunt. Certainly none would be dressed in the well-stitched quality garb around Seward.

“Aries is a good man.” My words were a statement rather than a question. Perhaps he would correct me if I was wrong, or at least give away a facial reaction. I needed to know more about this Immortal that remained my last chance.

“Known him long, have you?” Seward rolled his eyes. “The Master will do anything for her, it seems. Wait until the other Imperators hear about this.”

I had heard that word whispered before but had never understood its meaning. Father had forbidden any discussion of Immortals in our household. He didn’t have to enforce the rule. Life was solely centered on survival, and that had made our world shrink to the four dilapidated walls of our house. There was no point or profit in understanding the happenings outside of our small village.

Now, that lack of curiosity was a hindrance. The world was larger than I ever imagined, paralyzingly so, and my own naivete felt like an albatross around my neck. I needed to choose my words carefully.

If the Master would do anything for her… “His lover?”

“He wishes. Daphnea will have nothing to do with him.”

Somehow, that stung. I had fallen into his arms at the first glance. “Is she beautiful?”

He scowled and gestured behind me. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

I turned and examined the massive mural above the bed. In the center was a dancing woman with fiery red hair and an exquisitely rounded figure. Her beauty transcended the oily paint and held me captive for a long moment. Her gaze hovered in the distance and she seemed to see something that I didn’t – those gorgeously painted lips curved into a knowing smile.

Daphnea.

Now, I finally understood. For the past hour, in my hypothermic haze, I had stared uncomprehendingly at the sprawling gilt bed, solid oak and carved exquisitely into the shape of a giant carriage, with everything curved gently to the touch. An untouched, new set of ivory combs and pearl accessories on a nearby table. A long mirror covered in dust. Everything was fit for nobility.

Aries was still waiting for his princess. I had been sleeping in another woman’s chambers.