The smell of herbs and fresh dirt filled the air around her. Rae was all too familiar with the smells of a healer's tent. She could practically identify half of the different salves and drafts in the small space by smell alone.

She could not remember what wound or injury had landed her with the healers, and she hoped to the Fates that it was not too serious. She could not smell Benjin or Kelleb's scent, but she knew they could not be far. The two males were laughably overprotective towards her, despite the fact she had beat both of them in a fight before.

Rae stirred on the hard surface of her cot. Her body had been wrapped in bandages, making it hard for her to move. She tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down by a hand. Rae cracked open her eyes and stared at the delicate warm hand pushing down on her chest with surprising strength. Sharp obsidian black nails gleamed on each of the healer's fingers that dark brown marks swirled around each one, like permanent rings. Paler marks swirled up from her wrist, disappearing under her gray-blue sleeve.

Panic welled inside of her. Rae knew her uncle had no witch healers. Even the tent she rested under was unfamiliar and felt too small. As her mind raced to make sense of everything, the memories came flooding back. Her capture. Torture. The death of her friends.

"Shhhh," the witch hissed softly. She touched Rae's brow and a wave of calmness filled her. She should have been panicked. She should have been angry. She fought the wave of calmness that was trying to relax her body and mind.

"You are going to rip your stitches," the witch shook her head.

Her tawny eyes reflected the candlelight, making them glow in the dimly lit room. The witch was beautiful. In the candlelight, she could see a slightly larger dot just below her hairline with a smaller dot on either side. Their color was almost the same warm shade of the witch's skin.

Rae had never seen a witch with so many markings. It made her stomach churn uneasily at the power she knew each mark represented.

"I am Valen," the witch's tone was blunt, no emotion filled her voice. Rae stopped studying the female to notice that Valen was studying her too. The witch's eyes narrowed as she looked Rae over with distrust.

Beside the witch, several vials and small bowls, containing herbs and powders, littered the small wooden floor. It was then Rae realized they were not in a tent at all. It was one of the prison wagons, now filled with supplies and blankets. The iron-barred windows and doors had been removed, yet the smell of fear still clung to the inside walls.

"How long?" Rae rasped as she struggled to sit up, desperate to distract herself from what she was in.

"It speaks," Valen joked, the corner of her mouth curled up a bit. "Not long enough, you need rest," Valen said giving a pointed look to the blankets Rae sat on as if to silently command her to lay back down. Rae did no such thing.

"Here, drink this," The witch sighed holding up a small dish filled with a watery green paste. She shoved the shallow bowl into Rae's hands and raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Rae studied the mixture, sniffing it a few times, but made no move to lift it to her mouth.

"If I had wanted to kill you, you would already be dead," Valen gave her a hard look.

"What is it?" Rae said, still not lifting the bowl to her lips.

"Not poison," Valen replied flatly.

Rae gave a heavy sigh and lifted the bowl to her lips. The green liquid was bitter on her lips. It made her mouth feel cottony and dry. Rae had to admit, she had tasted far worse medicines. The liquid was light on her empty stomach, and yet it filled her bell, chasing away the hunger that had been gnawing at her for so long.

Rae nodded her appreciation, bringing a cocky smile to Valen's lips. The witch seemed rather pleased with herself.

"You will be stiff for a while, you may never heal completely, not without your magic," Valen said.

"It is gone for good, isn't it?" Rae asked already knowing the answer to her own question. Still a small part of her had held onto the hope that she was wrong.

"Maybe, maybe not," Valen replied turning towards the door of the wagon to leave.

"Am I still a prisoner?" Rae did not allow her voice to sound meek as she asked the question. The witch's eyes widened a bit. Rae was honestly not sure why she asked the question, but she needed to know. Needed to know if she had escaped only to be captured once more. She knew nothing of these people and why they were helping her.

Valen was stunned, but quickly replied, "No!"

"Why would you think that?" Valen slowly asked.

Rae shrugged and showed her cards. It was the only way she could think to get the witch to tell her what she knew.

"Your leader is from Ameron. I am from the north. Our people don't exactly get along,"

"Why would that mean you were a prisoner?"

"Why would a strange group of southern fae and a witch help people they have never met before and ask for nothing in return? In my experience, people are not that kind,"

"Then you have had a shitty experience," Valen smiled.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you wind up..."

"Captured? A slave?" Rae finished the witch's sentence for her. Valen just nodded in reply.

"I was in Norharrow," Rae said, unsure if she would be able to actually speak the words.

"I lost everything in a matter of moments,"

"There are rumors, but no one knows..." Valen started.

"It was a dragon, a dragon controlled by the human army," She had never spoken that truth aloud before. It felt wrong. Like it was impossible, but she had seen it happen with her own eyes. She saw the destruction and saw the beast flying away.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"I am sorry," Valen said, bowing her head a bit.

"We will be moving soon, get some rest while you still can," Valen pointed to a small container of purplish-brown liquid.

"It will help you sleep," She informed Rae. The witch watched as Rae uncorked the small vial and downed the liquid in one sip. It was much sweeter than the first draft. A warm comforting feeling bloomed within Rae as she settled back in the small makeshift cot. As her eyes grew heavy, she laid back and drifted off to sleep.

Rae dreamed of Leona. She dreamed of warm fires in the dead of winter. She dreamed of hot chocolate and the snowball fights she had as a child. She dreamed of long runs and hunts. And Rae dreamed of laughter. Of music and children singing and playing. The strange sounds floated through the night. Rae's ears twitched at the joyful squeals and melodic tunes.

Rae's eyes flew open. It was music and laughter. She sat upright and immediately regretted her decision. Her back and sides barked in pain at the sudden movement. She took a steadying breath and pushed herself to sit the rest of the way up. Her hand came to rest on her bandaged stomach.

Her tattered clothes had been removed and in their place was a loose white shirt and black trousers that were tied with a piece of rope. She had no shoes on as she slipped out of the tent and into the cool night. Taking a bit of spare string she wrapped her messy hair into a loose bun. And slipped out of the wagon, into the night air.

The cool fresh air burned her lungs. It was a welcome pain, it reminded her that she was still alive. The air was clean here. There was no stench of death or iron. She could not keep the smile from forming on her lips.

Rae made her way through the maze of campfires and groups, her head bowed, not looking in anyone's direction. As she passed by a group, she snatched a hooded cloak that had been discarded on a log. With adept movements, she quickly pulled it around herself, adjusting the hood to hide her face.

Rae was not sure exactly what she was looking for, but just walking about was making her feel worlds better. She realized she was following the sound of a fiddle playing. Rae came to a small fire where a giant of a male was playing a fiddle that seemed to be too small for his body. His dark bronze skin glowed in the firelight. His hair looked to be made of pure gold. A single black eyepatch covered one of his eyes.

As if he sensed her watching him. The male stopped playing. His one emerald green eye looked up at her. The male did not smile, but he did not frown or tell her to leave either.

"It is beautiful," Rae whispered, "May I sit?" She asked, almost hesitantly. She was not afraid of the male. She just wanted to keep listening to him play the beautiful song.

The male nodded, still saying nothing. Rae took a seat across from him by the fire as he tucked the fiddle under his chin and once more began to play. The song reminded her of the summer solstice dances she would attend as a child. When the song came to an end. The male did something Rae did not expect. He held out the instrument to her.

"No, I..." Rae began to protest, but the male did not retract the instrument. He nodded his head to her as if encouraging her to take it.

Hesitantly, Rae accepted it. She could not remember the last time she held a fiddle or violin. It felt good to tuck the instrument under her chin. The strings hummed to life as the bow easily slid over them. The music came easily to her. A slow sad song, one that told of sorrow and pain eddied out from the instrument.

Rae's eyes were closed as the sound poured out of her like waves on the beach each emotion crashed through her and the song reflected each feeling. Rae was too caught up in the music to notice the small group forming around them.

When she finished, Rae opened her eyes to find a small crowd around her. Some she recognized from the group that had saved her. The rest, from their haggard appearance, she knew had been prisoners like her. A few clapped giving her warm and encouraging smiles before they turned and went on their way.

"Thank you," Rae said handing the fiddle back to its owner. She needed to get out of there before one of the other prisoners recognized her. Rae was beginning to regret leaving the safety of the wagon now.

Kat, the woman she had seen in the courtyard stared at her with her arms crossed. The halfling's eyes narrowed on her. Rae paid no mind, trying to find the past of least resistance out of the crowd.

The male beside Kat looked identical to the one who had given her the fiddle. He was a bit smaller than the first male, but only slightly so, and unlike his brother, he had both eyes. This male smiled warmly at her, "That was beautiful,"

"Thank you," Rae said, nodding her head in response. The crowd was almost completely gone and Rae decided now was the best time for her escape. She turned to walk away, smacking into solid muscle. A hand reached out, grabbing her by the arm, stopping her from falling to the ground. Rae looked up to see the surprised face of the Captain looking down at her.

"Careful," he said chuckling.

Rae steadied herself and took a step back away from the Captain. A winter wind pushed past her, making her body shiver instinctively.

It was then Rae realized who's scent clung to the cloak she had stolen. It was the captains.

Rae's eyes grew wide as her stomach dropped. They may be kind enough to rescue prisoners from a death camp, but she doubted they smiled upon thieves. Rae grabbed the cloak's clasp when the Captain's hand wrapped around her's.

"It looks good on you, keep it," He smiled.

Normally she would have cringed at the thought of willing wearing a male's scent. It was the primal part of the fae that put value in such things. It was woven into their DNA. But at that moment, the gift only brought her comfort.

"Captain," Rae forced herself to return the greeting, her voice sounding dead and emotionless as she spoke. She realized that she did not even know the male's name. Just his title.

"I don't believe we have been properly introduced," the twin without the eyepatch spoke up. He smiled up at Rae from his seat by the fire. "I am Cassius. This is my brother Callum," he waved his hand towards his twin. Callum just nodded his head in greeting.

"You have already met Kat," he motioned to the woman beside him. "And of course this is," Cassius began to introduce the Captain, but the Captain interrupted him.

"I am Captain Seth Rivers," he said, "it is a pleasure to meet you," The Captain clasped his fist to his chest and bowed to Rae.

Rae fought from cringing at the gesture. The Captain had no way of knowing that she hated being treated as a member of the royal court. He had no way of knowing she even was a member of any court. Nor did he know she was a warrior and preferred to be treated as such.

Rae looked carefully at the Captain as if trying to put together a puzzle that was missing pieces. Rivers was a bastard's name. The name was given to the unwanted and unclaimed children of the fae. In Leona, the fae called their bastards Stone.

Other than his obvious fae features, the name meant his father at least had been a fae. She had already guessed he was from Ameron.

While unwanted children were a rarity with the fae and practically unheard of amongst the rest of the Etherie. Normally, it occurred when a fae male sire a child with a non-fae Etherie female or even a human. The offspring were rarely as powerful as their sire, so the fathers would refuse to claim them.

"I appreciate your help, Captain," Rae nodded her thanks. Rae wondered just how much the Captain had figured out about her. Even if he did not know who she was, she knew the calculating look he gave her. He could tell just as much from her interactions with him as Rae could about him.

"I am Rae," She did not smile. The halfling woman snorted a laugh.

"That is a rather simple name for a fae," She mocked.

"Kat," Cassius warned, but Rae did not need a male to fight her battles, though the fights Rae preferred usually resulted in more blood than hurt feelings.

"I rather like my name," Rae shrugged.

"It is a fine name," Kat amended, "I guess I just expected some long frilly name from a northern fae is all,"

Rae gave a mocking smile, "I could say the same of the southern fae. I am surprised you are not named after a flower,"

"She's got you there Princess," Cassius gave Kat a playful shove.

It was strange to Rae to have this woman treat her like she was nothing. Rae had spent her whole life being treated like a threat. Servants and lesser nobles had tiptoed around her. Their instincts wanted them that she was a predator. A monster. Something to be feared.

While this group of fae seemed to regard her with caution, none of them seemed uncomfortable around her. In fact, none of the Etherie in the camp that she had walked by seemed the least bit bothered by her presence. No one knew who she was here and she preferred it that way.

The humans had taken everything from her, destroying who and what she had once been, but maybe they had given her something without realizing it. Without her magic, who was to say she could not start over. Who said she could not start a new life somewhere. A life where the name Lady Death held no meaning.