My eyes flutter open, only to be met with darkness. I realize I have something covering my head. The rough fabric scratches my face and ears. I try to move my hands, but they’re tied together with something that feels like rope. I shout but my lips are met with resistance too. I can’t place it, it doesn’t feel like adhesive, it’s something otherworldly. I can’t make a sound. My feet are tied too. Even though I’m dressed in my nightgown, I barely feel the cold ground. I feel like I’m floating, but that might be due to the magic. Did Kaytus do this? How? Why?

I don’t have time to find my bearings when a white light temporarily blinds me. I feel the sack being pulled over my head and once my teary eyes adjust to the light, I see a huge room. The walls and ceiling are gilded and the floor is quartz. The whole place is dazzling with jewels, beauties even the richest nobles cannot possess. It feels like a royal castle, but not ours. The statues of mythical creatures are unfamiliar, and the smell, such a distinctive odor of citrus and bay leaf… The whole place stinks of powerful magic I have not yet tasted. The Academy’s barrier is nothing compared to what it feels like being here.

I hear someone groan on my right and I turn my head, expecting another victim of kidnapping, only to see Kaytus. He is on his knees, staring at the tan man who took off my hood. I can only see his right cheek, and fail to see if my attack left a mark on the left. Suddenly the geas disappears from my lips and I can finally open my mouth.

“Before you speak, princess,” Another man comes into the room holding a tall wooden cup. His eyes scream violence and his hair red as a fox’s fur. “I must applaud you. What a crazy time for the monarchy of Malachite.”

I do not budge. I don’t feel like I can move, in any case. Rather than pain, I feel a slight tingling on my skin, beneath the nightgown. It’s a warning.

“Where am I?”

“Oh, that’s a question for later. First…” the man, probably the leader, stares at Kaytus. “We have him to thank for bringing you right to us.”

This is some kind of sick joke. The man kneels and grabs Kaytus's face and smiles. “Aren’t you cute.”

The spy spits at the man and lowers his head. I wonder if he’s under a geas too. My whole body shakes with fear, but I try to conceal it.

“I know you. Seen your face in some places… Heard of you too. You’re such a capable guy and you ended up being so easy to capture.” The leader takes a sip of whatever is in his cup, and continues, “Does it have anything to do with the cargo?”

He glimpses at me.

“Excuse me?” I urge. Everyone looks at me. “What am I doing here?”

The red head stands up and hits Kaytus in the gut with his foot. The spy grunts, but keeps his head down. “That’s for disturbing our plans for so long.” He adds, after spilling the cup into Kaytus’s face. He cries out at the steam. It was hot water.

“You, my dear, are being sold to the Fae,” he sneers, kneeling in front of me. My eyes widen.

“Do not touch her!” Kaytus barks, earning another beating from the tanned colleague of the red-head. I watch the scene with wide eyes and wince. Deep inside, I know it is what he deserved - this is Nature’s retribution. Everyone shall pay for their misdeeds.

“Pardon?” I choke on my saliva.

“Manners, guys,” He looks around and takes in the silence, “She certainly has some. Fae like that. Fae like royalty.”

My breath hitches. I can’t wrap my head around it. Sold? Have I fallen victim to slavery? To the Fae?

Of course. This place reeks of magic. This place feels eternal like Nature itself. And it is only one room. Have the stories been true all along? The enthralling Fae Isles, the Otherworld, and the cryptic courts? I haven’t seen anything yet, and I already feel the weight of truth suffocate me. The magic warns me, it promises destruction, and I am powerless under its strength.

It would be awfully convenient for Kaytus to steal me from my chambers in the middle of the night and sell me out to the Fae, in order to destabilize the royal family even further. But I don’t see why he would be the one being so cruelly beaten.

“You’re Peregrine?” I dare ask. The leader stands up and laughs. Another pair of men enter the room, dressed like the first man I saw. Kaytus, who is now lying on his side, stares at them. His eyes glow with hatred I’ve only seen when he beat me up.

“Oh she is educated.” His tone is mocking. “Yes. We are indeed the organization you so kindly told the nobles about. Nearly destroyed our plans. Not very clever.” He clicks his tongue and moves his index finger from left to right.

“The buyer will come up shortly. They’ll take the guy too. Will make a good statue one day.” One of the subordinates speaks up, smirking. I grimace at the statement. Do Fae turn humans to stone here? What part of the Isles am I in?

The ornate door creaks open and a large creature walks in. Its skin is green, painted with fluorescent scales. It is humanoid, but its large stomach and foul smell is proof of my worst fear. This is not the Seelie court of Queen Astral. This is the Unseelie Courts and we are all dead.

I try to keep my face neutral, but the whole situation makes me giddy with panic. I cannot be sold. I’m the…princess… Princess of Malachite. People will search for me and find me. Someone must have heard my scream in the castle. I don’t know how long it took to be transported here, if it’s days, the whole kingdom must be searching for me, following the trail.

I glance at Kaytus, who is back on his knees, seemingly okay, even if his nose is bleeding. His lips are chapped and cut, as if he’s been here longer than I have. The green ogre approaches us and sniffs the air. I am paralyzed. It waves his hand and the three subordinates leave the room.

We are alone with the fae and Peregrine’s leader.

I hear footsteps outside and after a short moment, a tall woman in a lime gown enters the room, accompanied by two guards. They’re most certainly Fae too. Tall, slim bodies, emanating powerful energy, their eyes - unnaturally yellow tinted. The woman sighs, seeing me. As she comes closer, I can see the details on her skin. It looks like tree bark, but so light, like a mask. As if she could take it off any second and appear perfectly human. A beautiful, lethally so, human noblewoman.

“What a perfect human girl. Daughter of Malachite’s ruler?” Behind her Peregrine’s leader hums in approval.

“I’m the crown princess of Malachite, you cannot just buy me!” I s ay.I feel I should not have done that, as the ogre tugs on my hair and brings my face to the floor. It smells of jasmine.

“Oh, I can. I just did.” The redhead bows.

“Glad to do business with you, my Lady.”

“And who is that?” The woman approaches Kaytus, who throws her a look full of wrath, I can feel him combusting. “Hmm…” She kneels in front of him, taking in his features.

“That’s a member of Malachite’s anti-monarchy movement. One of the field agents for August, if you heard of him.”

“No, I have not, and have absolutely no interest in doing so.” Her voice is kind, as are her gestures. She moves as if time belongs to her, as if a mistake cannot be made. Her hands are graceful, as she grabs Kaytus’s chin.

“You seem to be awfully well informed about the situation,” I glare at the leader. He smiles, but it does not reach his eyes.

“That’s part of the job, sweetheart. Knowing the right place and time. Do with him what you want.”

“For free, Sylvain?”

“For free, My Lady. An offering for your loyalty and support of our business.”

His steps disappear as soon as the door closes. We are left with the Fae folk. I feel fear creeping down my spine. Maybe nobody will find me. Maybe nobody will even try to search here, wherever it is. This is forbidden territory. Unseelie courts hate humans, everyone knows that. But would a king let his daughter be taken from her bed, naked and recovering and do nothing? Would he?

The Fae woman gets up. Her eyes are still on Kaytus, seeking something. I need to know why he kidnapped me in the first place. I need to get out of here, and interrogate him. But I have a feeling it won’t be easy. Two men behind the Lady remind me of shadowguards. Their irises are different, for better or for worse. The ogre poses the biggest threat of the three, it seems. He is heavier than both Kaytus and I combined. How to get tackled by him and survive, I have no idea.

“What are you planning on doing with me?” I plead. The Lady turns her attention to me, at last.

“Many many things, child. I’ll show you off as a trophy first, and then I’ll probably make you dance for me until you can’t stand anymore. Until your gentle feet bleed.” Her voice goes from sweet to disturbing. I close my mouth, unable to say another word. I glance at Kaytus. He is looking at me too. There is no fear in those eyes.

I don’t know what takes over me, but I decide to speak.

“Let him go.”

The Lady raises her eyebrows. The ogre’s hand is still dangerously close to my hair, ready to push my face into the floor again.

“You don’t need him. He’s just a human, don’t you see? Okay, he knows how to play the flute and entertain his leader, but that’s all there is. He is an errand boy. I, the one you paid for, am a princess, educated in more arts than you can imagine, and I am gifted. I have magic in my veins.”

The ogre huffs, as if he finds my words funny. I glare at him, plucking my lips.

“What is your relationship with this man, if you so wish to see him free, girl?”

I hesitate.

“I barely know him. His only goal was to kidnap me, bring me to his leader for whatever reason, but when I did my research beforehand on the known members of the revolution. I’ve heard of him and how he is but a tool in the master’s hands.”

Lies roll off my tongue like a symphony. The Lady puts a finger over her lips, reflecting. I glance at the spy, who looks at me like he’s seen a ghost. He has not spoken yet, and I don’t think he will. It must be the geas at work, otherwise he would have shut me up long ago and found his own way to liberate us from the shackles.

“Well… I do not particularly need him… And humans are way too stupid to play coy. You are all such naive creatures, short-lived and weak,” she kneels in front of me and pinches me cheeks, as if I was a cute puppy. “Aren’t you? You will be enough for my entertainment. Lay’ik, get rid of him.”

The ogre strides to Kaytus and grabs him by the tied arms. He drags the spy out of the room and I cry out, “Be careful, please!”

There’s a moment of silence before something bangs against the door. The Lady jumps in surprise and the guards turn to face the closed door. There’s a soft groan and the door flies open. Behind it, nothing but a dimly lit corridor and the ogre lying on the ground. I only see flashing green eyes before Kaytus dives into a guard, snapping his neck. His movements are quicker than light, as he holds the second one in a headlock, grabbing his sword from the sheath and impales him from behind. The guard groans and his limp body falls on the ground.

The Lady lifts her hands up, summoning thorns from the ground. The razor sharp branches plunge at Kaytus, but he rolls away just in time. I watch the scene intensely, trying to get out of the ropes binding my hands together.

I close my eyes and picture a very sharp knife, praying my magic is enough to overturn this place. When I open them a second later, the knife floats in a purplish light. I bounce up and grab it, cutting through the rope, as the man vaults towards the Fae Lady with the sword. The weapon is light as a feather in his grip, as he swings it, nearly touching her neck. She is more elastic than I thought. Her hands’ choreography summons electric waves, pushing Kaytus off his feet.

I’m finally out of the ties, on both my feet and hands, and I get up, a hand on my stomach, trying to subside the pain from the bruises he inflicted. He, who, once again, dives onto the Fae, holding her to his chest. She shrieks and as he holds his weapon to deal the finishing blow, her hand starts glowing with the familiar magic. I gasp and, without hesitation, plunge my knife into the hand.

She cries out in pain and Kaytus uses the momentum to slam the sword into her skull. The sound of bones cracking makes me sick, but I hold tight to my stomach, fighting the urge to vomit.

I lift my head up and breathe. When I open my eyes, Kaytus’s chest heaves, looking at the scene. Only a second after he gets up and grabs my arm. I wiggle out of his grip and meet his eyes.

“What the hell is going on?”

“No time to explain, they’ll find us soon if we don’t move.” He says through gritted teeth. We find ourselves in a long, exquisite corridor.

The whole place is silent, as if the three Fae were the only inhabitants of the mansion. But Kaytus’s eyes tell the feeling is a lie. He’s on high alert, turning his head to all sides, checking.

We run through a maze of halls, searching for a way out. Finally, stairs. We go down, our steps echoing from the walls. I hear a distant scream. Instinctively, my hand finds the spy’s arm. He doesn’t seem to care, walking back to the wall. We hide behind a large quartz pillar. I put my face against it, the cold stone calming the nerves.

“There,” he points around the corner and that’s when I notice the guards. They’re docile for now, looking straight ahead.

“How can we get past them?” I mutter.

“Follow me.” Kaytus crouches and moves towards the other pillar, hiding us from the guards. We’re close to the exit - but it would be safer if we found a back door. I don’t see one. One way out, and the man is already on the move. I hiss and follow him, my knees screaming at the tension. I’m not used to crawling around Fae manors.

“Duck!” He whispers and I fold on the floor, noticing a patrol of guards surrounding the mansion. I sure as Hell am extremely expensive. The Lady wanted to be sure I didn't escape, but there was no way she thought I’d go without a fight. Her still warm body is proof she was wrong.

Kaytus takes a look around, calculating our next move. We can’t just run for it - too dangerous. I feel weak already, and I barely fought. I must admit, he was the one to kill the other Fae, and spirits know how fast and deadly he was.

Kaytus swallows, grabs my hand and makes the run for it. It happens so quickly I don’t realize we are outside until he lets go of my arm. Out of the mansion, indeed, but still surrounded. A group of tall men walk around the perimeter, swords barely hidden under their cloaks. Mercenaries? Agents? Is this an embassy? Or are every Unseelie Court mansions this big and rich?

We hide behind a lush bush. A plant I do not recognize. It smells foul, as if flowers here are tainted with Fae’s crimes too. The man beside me is silent. He looks through the leaves, checking.

“Hey!” I tap Kaytus’s shoulder. The shoulder pads he’s wearing are of hard leather. His vest is dark blue, not unlike the skies. It’s nighttime. Probably early too, it doesn’t feel as cold as I thought it would. It’s winter, the sun must have set not a long time ago.

I wince, as he grabs my hand and squeezes hard. I hear a soft crack.

“What?”

“What’s the plan? Are we gonna die?” I mumble, adrenaline subsiding, and thus, fear is gaining momentum. My hands are sweating and I can feel my heartbeat in my throat.

“No. I’m here and I will not fail my job.”

“Your job? You brought me here, for whatever reason.”

“I was told to bring you to our leader, not to the Fae1” He sneers, as if I insulted his entire bloodline. “You’re smart, so use those royal brains of yours. I wouldn’t have killed these Fae, or been beaten up by that asshole if we worked together.”

“Yes, smartass. So all of this? It’s a coincidence. Me being taken from my bed by you, and us being kidnapped by them? You expect me to believe it?”

He throws me an annoyed look and rolls his eyes. “I don’t expect you to believe anything, I want to get us out alive, and for now, our chances look slim.”

I’m about to argue, for whatever reason my heart feels the need to, but his head pops down, and his hand is on my mouth. A guard is walking right by our hiding spot. I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking that maybe if I don’t see the danger, it won’t notice me either.

The guard is wearing a red cape on top of his armor. It’s not human armor. Otherworldly is the only word to describe the outfit. Metal shines brighter than the stars in the sky. I feel fear creeping down my spine and I know the spy is right. We are utterly fu-

One of the guards runs out, screaming on top of his lungs. “The Lady is dead!” I close my eyes again, but Kaytus is already leading me further around the mansion. Our hands and shoes are muddy, some of it has already dried. It looks as if I was painting for hours beforehand.

Some of the group run into the house, the sound of boots scraping against the floor subsiding. I can breathe now. “Move!” Kaytus demands, but before I can, a guard is already running towards me with a sword atilt.

The spy slams him to the ground, punching Fae's face multiple times before grabbing the sword and plunging it into the guard’s chest. The armor stops it, however, and now Kaytus is on the ground, battling with the brewing magic of the guard. I have to do something.

I conjured a bow. Why a bow? Spirits, I had three lessons on archery and the first thing I think about it a bow.

I grab it and the arrow, floating in front of me like a sweet invitation to murder yet another person. Shakily, I align my vision with the arrow, and let it fly. The first one barely scratches the man, with not enough force put into it. I curse, but at least his attention is now on me.

I let go of the bow, and started running towards the forest. I do not look back when I hear a grunt and a thud. Only when I’m behind a giant sequoia, do I look. Kaytus finishes off the guard by slicing his neck open. I gag, lowering my head to avoid looking further.

“Princess?” He hisses, searching for me. Once I’m out in the open again, he runs towards me. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I'm good.” I assure him, checking myself for injuries I could have missed. I’m dirty and smell of days worth of sweat, but I’m healthy. “I don’t see others coming for us.”

“They will soon enough. We have to move.”

“Where? We are in the Unseelie Court of the Isles, where can we go?”

“Somewhere far from here, or do you want to be killed by these peacocks?”

I raise my eyebrows at the vicious insult, but say nothing. I let him lead me through the dark forest. It looks dead from where we stand. The bark on the trees is ragged and rough, as if there hasn’t been raining for months. The ground is slippery, though. I stumble upon branches and logs and fall several times. Kaytus lets me get up, and continues.

The hike is so long I lose track of time. Soon enough I start shivering from the cold. The moon is up, illuminating only the tops of the trees, but not the ground we walk on. I can barely see where I step, sometimes my slippers find themselves in a murky pool of water and decomposing leaves.

“Why did you kidnap me?” I ask, careful not to get on his bad side. It would be worse if he left me here alone. I wouldn’t be able to survive out here, with no food, water or shelter. Or I’d freeze to death - that’s a possibility I haven’t reflected upon much. Time to be realistic, then.

“As I told you, our leader wishes to see you.”

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“Does he? Why not kill me right now? I pose a threat to your revolution, apparently.”

He throws me an irked glance and huffs. “You are no threat, you are our salvation.”

“That’s why you beat me up?” I stop walking. He turns around, clearly angry.

“I beat you up because you deserved it. August thinks you might be an asset for us. So I follow orders.”

“You didn’t when you killed my bodyguard,”

“So you heard that conversation.” He muses. “And here I wondered where I made a mistake. You spied on us and we didn’t even sense you.”

“Your colleague said you disobeyed orders. You killed him because of your thirst for blood so kill me too!” I shout the last words so loudly the owls fly away from the branches.

He clicks his tongue, approaching me slowly. His chest sways as he looks down on me; towering, dangerous, smug.

“There are times orders should not be disobeyed, like right now. So you will shut up and let me get us out of here. I am your new bodyguard, aren’t I?”

His last words turn me into an animal. I growl and jump on him, hitting his face, his chest, trying to claw my way to his heart and rip it out. “You are a monster! Disgusting, foul, self-assured and proud of being a murderer!”

“Enough!” He pushes me to the ground easily, if I was nothing but a feather. I groan at the impact, feeling old bruises come to life. I glance at my left hand, the one that threw lightning to his face, and I see there is no scar on his cheek. It’s clear. As if he had never felt pain.

I’m still lying, pulling my weight on my elbows when he kneels and grabs my face. “I do things for so many people out there, you and your privilege don’t even realize. You won’t forgive me and I’m not asking for it. Nor am I asking for your blessing. You are under my care for the time being and I will protect you with my life until we arrive at the headquarters. After that, if August interrogates you and finds out you are worthless, and orders me to kill you, I will do it without hesitation, understood?”

I gulp hard, staring at those green eyes of his. They’re burning with hate, as his lips move, telling a clear story of a threat, and a promise of death. I nod, unwillingly.

“Understood?” He roars.

“Yes! Now let me go.” I mutter, looking down. “Or I will summon another lightning and this time you won’t be left without a scar.”

The man stands up and loathing slides through his eyes. “Get a move on.”

***

The trees finally start to scatter, and soon enough we find ourselves in a meadow.

I feel overwhelming thirst. It’s consuming my senses and frantically I search for a water source, a river, a creek, anything to satiate my thirst. Around us, nothing but wild flowers, their scent too strong for my human nose. I try not to breathe, but I feel panic rise. My arms burn, but on the inside, and I realize my magic is telling me something, I just don’t understand what it’s trying to say.

“Do not-“ Kaytus doesn’t finish his sentence as a whirlwind of leaves surround us. When I open my eyes, I feel dizzy. As if something played with my organs, and put them back. Around us a group of fairies. Their wings are thinner than paper, their eyes too high up their face, making them disproportionate and utterly terrifying. They giggle and whisper in their foreign dialect.

Kaytus doesn’t move, his eyes darting form left to right. He assesses the situation while I’m on the other side of the clearing, completely defenseless. Other than for my weakening magic, I can do nothing but watch the creatures approach us. They encircle us and start clapping their wings together, making a tune, like crickets do with their legs. I gasp, as one, with fire on their fingertips tries to touch me. I take a step back only to be met with another pair of yellow deadly eyes.

The Unseelie Court. This is the true face of those mythical creatures. Legends could not prepare me for what I was witnessing. A pair of Fae blew a bubble out of their mouths, and it flew right into me. It penetrated me and I felt a gush of air inside me. As if someone just opened me up, put something in there and stitched me back.

I frantically grasp at my stomach, searching for any way to get the thing out of me.

“It’s illusions, princess, do not react and they will get bored,” his voice wakes me up from the panic, but not for long. I cannot do as he says because it all feels too real. This is no mirage; this is the Fae magic that we were taught to be afraid of.

A fairy flies to me and takes hold of my shoulders. I do not see if Kaytus meets the same fate. They’re all around me, and when I try to summon anything, my magic evaporates from my palms, as if it never existed. What kind of spell did they put on me? Blocking human magic? Is this as easy as they make it seem?

The Fae with pierced ears, silver shining under the foreign sky, locks me in their gaze. I cannot say if it is a man or a woman, or something beyond. It doesn’t matter, they’re dangerous, nevertheless.

Their head tilts. They say something and the fairy beside them holds out a cup. There is dark liquid spluttering inside, and I don’t know if it’s blood or something completely different. My lips part and I want to have a sip, just one little sip and I’ll stop. I’m too thirsty to refuse.

I grab the cup and bring it to my lips. I hear a distant “No!” but do not react. The Fae faces all blur together as I feel the liquid slide into my mouth. It tastes awful, but somehow I know it will not do me any harm. I swallow the contents of the cup and let it fall on the ground. I feel even more dizzy and my thirst only becomes worse. I cannot feel my throat, or my mouth, they are too dry to function. There is no saliva left in my mouth, evaporated due to the drink.

I cough, but it comes out as a wheeze. And then I hear wings flutter. The Fae do not shriek like us, humans, they yelp and squeal. Kaytus appears beside me and puts a hand on my eyes. I am blinded and do not try to move away. My strength and common sense leave my body.

“You will leave now!” He howls. I still hear the giggles and the wings. They’re close, unafraid of the spy. He is but a human, and his words do not scare creatures beyond our understanding.

Suddenly, I feel Kaytus grab his weapon. I did not realize he’s been pushed against me. He growls and something shifts in the air. I start to regain some of my senses. I hear the Fae scream, and the ground tremble. I try to move his hand away, but Kaytus’s grip is stronger than I anticipated. His fingers nearly gouge out my eyes.

When he finally lets go of me we are alone. There is no danger in sight and the meadow seems clear of all evil tricks. It feels like a short-lived nightmare, and it’s all gone now. I can breathe, holding unto my knees for support. Kaytus takes a deep breath and wipes his face. There is no blood either. The fairies just… disappeared. As if scared by something. But what could be worse than these vile scheming creatures awaiting in the dark?

Kaytus sighs and sits down with a loud thump. I follow suite. My mind is weary from the encounter and my eyes sting a bit. Unwillingly, I look at the spy.

He is scarily beautiful in this twilight, and an ethereal feeling washes over me. His ears are a little deformed, larger than mine, turned to the side. The tips are a bit pointy, but not enough for the confusion to grow. I sit down comfortably, looking around. It’s a large field, filled with numerous flowers, all of every color of the spectrum. They shine under the stars. I look to the horizon, nearly hidden by the mountains in the distance, and see a ray of orange and yellow. It is slim, but dawn is on the way.

“Don’t hope, dawn in Unseelie Courts is different from ours.” He speaks, calmer than before. The danger was avoided. Now, we must find water, food and a change of clothes, and everything will be perfectly civil.

“What? How is that possible?”

“Didn’t you learn about other countries in your royal studies?”

“I did, but nobody ever mentioned the days and nights cycles.”

He hums in disapproval but doesn’t elaborate further. He gets up and notices something glittering in the distance.

"Do not move," he speaks softly, Not even a minute later he is back with a flask of water, if I had to guess. I don't dare reach for it, so he kneels and pushes the flask into my palm. Not hesitating any further, I sip on the crystal clear water. It smells of roses.

“So what’s the plan? We are bound to come across some village that will be willing to help us.”

“Are you hearing yourself? I can’t even-” He groans and doesn’t finish his sentence.

He pushes his hair back, exhaling.

“What? Where did “you’re smart” go?”

“Well-educated, but even that feels like an overstatement. Unseelie Court is notorious for hating humans, being mean to them and playing evil pranks is the least of your worries. Peregrine thrives here because its people adore hurting humans, which we are, princess.”

“So, what’s the plan then? Come on, give me one plausible plan of escape and I’ll get off your murderous back.” He snaps his head towards me and I furrow my eyebrows. “I’m listening.”

“We follow Peregrine’s trail, hijack one of their vehicles and use it to pass through the border. When we arrive in the Seelie Court we can ask for political refuge and send a message to Malachite.”

“If Malachite comes to my rescue, won’t you be imprisoned for your crimes? Wouldn’t your kidnapping scheme fail?”

“Who said we’re going to surrender to your guards? We’ll just hijack their vehicle and go to Malachite just fine.”

“Through the sea,” I chuckle.

“They’ll come by boat, princess, please, for spirits sake, think before you talk.”

“You act quite confident in your brain's ability to generate intellectual ideas, but look where we are because of it.” I wave my arms around, presenting him with the enchanted beauties of the world.

He looks at me as if I were, clearly, a clown. Shaking his head, he decides to keep his mouth shut. When his shape is disappearing from my view, I get up and catch up with him. We pass through the valley and under us, there is a camp. Even from a distance I recognize the flame red hair of their leader.

“You want to brag about your lightning harming me? Use it on them.” He points to the tents. They’re cheap and look easily destructible. I shake my head vigorously.

“I don’t want to set fire on the whole camp!”

“You wish to stay here?”

“Can’t we talk to them? They already received their payment, they have no interest in hunting us down.”

“Reselling is a thing, princess.”

“They will capture us and resell us to another bidder?”

His mouth turns into a big ‘O’ and his eyebrows raise to the top of his forehead. He is mocking me in the most outrageous way. I slap him on the cheek and face the camp. Only a second later, when he doesn’t move, do I comprehend what I’ve just done.

“I’m sorr-” But his palm has already met my cheek. It stings so hard a tear rushes to fall. “You! Hit! Me!” I hiss, punching him right in the nose. He breathes in, possibly feeling nothing at all. I gulp.

“You’re done?” He asks, calm, yet again, his face completely serious.

“Yes, sorry.” I mumble and then raise my head. “Actually, I’m not sorry, you deserved it.”

I end up summoning lightning to set fire to the tents. Some of them are extinguished naturally, the lightning bearing little to no force. Maybe the Fae Isles are tuning my magic down? Maybe it’s the lack of food? Or maybe it’s the complete disregard for human lives that eats at my magic. Deep down, I want them to pay, but I feel bad for deliberately hurting them, when they haven’t laid a finger on me. Weirdly enough, I understand it is business. I understand that some might have taken this path to escape the inequalities of other countries and ended up working in mine, where everything is peaceful and nice. Where people are not used to criminals, kidnappers and rapists. Where people live in harmony with the things that surround us.

Anger rises and I send yet another bolt, this time it’s stronger. Kaytus hums, and once everyone is woken up, he runs down the hill, hiding in the shadows. I wait on top, plastered on the ground, hidden in high grass. If I’m lucky no one will notice me.

Some of the men I hit with magic look stupendous, colossal in their size. Both muscles and weapons. Kaytus’s attacks are fast-paced, every move is calculated. He strikes down two even before they can realize what came down upon them. I hold my breath, as the fire I caused takes hold of a man, screaming in panic. He is immediately cut down, impaled by the sword Kaytus stole from the guard. One against at least six, and he’s winning.

The leader slithers his way to Kaytus’s back. He doesn’t see the enemy, and I have no choice but to strike another lightning, but I miss, and it strikes empty ground. The leader doesn’t notice it, too concentrated on the spy. I get up from the ground and summon a blade. I take a breath and run down the hill, crouching. I hide behind a crate, and when the perfect moment comes, I rush out, striking the man into the shoulder. I aimed for the chest, but missed, yet again.

His attention diverted to me, as Kaytus battled with two other subordinates. They’re larger than him, but not scarier. I’ve seen the spy at work, I know he’ll be fine. I, however, am in deep shit. I start running away, hoping the previous scenario repeats, but when I look back, my feet begging for rest, the flames are upon me. He grabs my shoulder and throws me to the ground. I cry out in pain.

“No way,” he is eager to pin me on the ground, his weight suffocating me. He’s much heavier than I thought, and each breath comes out hectic and uneven. I can’t fill my lungs. His grip on my wrists hurts, as he stares at me. I feel naked under his predatory gaze. I try to wiggle out, to scream, to use magic, but fear paralyzes everything except my eyes. “Be a good girl, and let me-”

He doesn’t get to finish, as he’s pulled away by the strong arms of the spy. He winces when he hits the hard ground, and before he can get up, Kaytus roars and decapitates him in one swift motion.

I see the insides of the throat and gag. I spit my saliva and wipe my mouth, trying to get rid of the bitter taste on my lips.

“You okay?” His voice is soft, compared to the animalistic sound he made while killing all those men.

“No.” I get up, shaking, but keep my chin up. “Let’s get out of here.”

“You did good.”

“I didn’t do anything.” This isn’t exactly true, but compared to his murdering skills, I sure am on the weak, powerless and pathetic list.

“You saved my life twice, believe it or not.” He states, before approaching the carriage.

It looks like a truck, I’ve seen those before. The wheels are larger than on Argenis’ carriages, and the vehicle has a big open trunk, usually made for transporting crates of vegetables and fruit across land. This is made for farms or places where there are no industrial roads - perfect for us.

However, the trunk is covered with a tarp. Kaytus slides it off in on go, and the fabric falls gracefully to the bluish grass. Inside, there is one large cage, and inside the cage lies a woman. I gasp, stopping Kaytus from coming any closer.

“Maybe she’s with them?”

“Why would she be in a cage, then?” He asks, back to the mocking tone.

“I don’t know, maybe to trap those wronged Peregrine? Let’s just throw her out here and leave.”

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve had enough of this place for a lifetime. I want to fast-travel to my room and never go out, ever. The man shrugs and takes something from his vest pocket. It’s a bobby pin.

“Where did you get this?”

“On a noblewoman’s decaying corpse, of course.” I am taken aback by such crude words, but he only laughs in return. “I always have these on me, that’s all.”

He opens the lock on the cage, as if it were easy, and slams it open. The sound doesn’t wake the woman, who appears to be severely knocked out.

He grabs her foot, to drag her outside, but a shriek pierces our ears and the woman is now straddling the spy. She is holding a sharp piece of something at his throat, ready to strike.

“Wait wait wait!” I beg, taking a step further. “We are not Peregrine.”

She looks up at me, striking me with her electric blue eyes. Her azure hair is tangled, but shining unnaturally so. She is most certainly Fae.

“Who are you, then?” she hisses, her voice tainted with a heavy accent. Calla is not her first language.

“I am Norella Melione Seagrave, the princess of Malachite, and this is… Demus.”

Her big eyes do not leave me, as she carefully draws back the sharp object away from his neck. The spy pushes her away, standing up quickly. She growls at us from the ground.

“Who are you? Why were you in the cage?”

She doesn’t answer, tugging her dress into place. It’s made of light translucent fabric, nearly exposing her breasts. “I’m a nymph of water. I come from the Seelie Court of our Queen Astral.”

“And why did Peregrine imprison you?” Kaytus asks, getting closer to me. He stands by my side, and his left hand is floating a bit closer to me. A deft promise of protection.

“Wanted to sell me to the Unseelie Court. Some plans were changed between then and now, though.” her voice is creeping me out. She sounds like she’s been through hell, and yet I don’t see any reason to trust her. We are in the Unseelie Court still.

“What happened?”

“They decided to keep me for their pleasures.”

I freeze at the implication and Kaytus shakes his head. “We’re taking this vehicle, and as you see, you are free to roam the lands as you see fit, nymph.”

I glare at the man. “We can’t leave her here! She’s from the good side, she’ll get killed here.”

“I thought it wasn’t our problem.” he sneers.

“She was -” I stop myself from speaking the words out loud. I sigh, approaching the woman. She is a bit taller than I, looks sickly thin. I hold out my hand. “Do you wish to join us? We’re passing through your court. We could bring you there safely.”

She thinks about it for a minute, her expression wary. But she nods in the end. I sigh in relief and jerk my chin to the front of the vehicle. “Let’s go then.”

“I’ll search the camp for food, you,” he points at her. “If you touch the princess I will obliterate you.” And then he heads to the center of the camp, where all the bodies lie.

We share a look of confusion. “Pardon his manners, he lacks all of them.” I try to make her laugh. Even though her eyes are bright, incredibly so, they bear no life. “Who did this to you? Show me.” I try to take her hand, but she pulls hers away. Of course. I shouldn’t.

After a moment, she takes a step towards the scene. She searches for the man in question. A second later, she points to a man lying on his side, choking on his blood. He must have been unconscious, that’s why Kaytus hasn’t finished him off. I assemble all of my energy and connect it to summoning one last thing for today.

“Here. Go.” I pass her the knife. She takes it and slowly starts pacing towards the man. She kneels and gently turns him over. For a second I think she won’t hurt him. But when his eyes grow wide with fear, she pushes the knife into his eyeball. He screams, as she pushes it further down. I hear the skull cracking and the screams stop. Now it’s dead silent.

Kaytus comes looking for us, holding a bag filled to the brim with what I think is food. When he understands what happened, he doesn’t say a word.

I go up to the nymph, avoiding looking at what is left of the man’s face. “Let’s go.” I say sweetly. She nods, and lets go of the knife, which dissipates into thin air.

I sit in front of the truck. It’s not self-driven like those in Argenis, so Kaytus takes the labor of driving. I have no clue how he knows to drive this machine. We don’t use these much in Malachite. He doesn’t look like a farmer, so he must be from somewhere else. The nymph sits at the back, taking up the seats to lie down. She is quiet when the engine starts. It puffs out foul smelling air, and we move.

I must admit, Kaytus drives well. There are a lot of bumps on the road, and we’re shaken a bit, but it’s nothing compared to what I imagined escaping would be. I’m starving, and the nymph is probably too. So, I grab the bag and start looking for what Kaytus has gathered.

Poultices of medicine, metal slim containers of water, by the smell of it, a day old bread, some apples and ham. A big chunk of ham. My mouth waters at the sight.

“Does somebody have a knife?” I ask.

The girl doesn’t answer and Kaytus chuckles. I decide to tear a bit of ham by hand, and manage to do so properly, without destroying the whole piece in the process.

“Can’t you summon one, magic wielder?” He inquires.

“No, I’ve used all my magic. I’m pooped.” I reply, tasting the ham and a piece of bread. Wonderful. “Do you want some, lady?” I seriously don’t know how to address her without being insulting. Apparently I know much less about the Otherworld than I initially thought.

She turns to face me, still lying on her side. She looks more peaceful than an hour ago.

“Yes.”

I pass her a piece of bread, with a chunk of ham on top. She eats it in one go, grimacing.

“Is it not to your taste?” I worriedly ask.

“It’s human food. We don’t eat these at home.”

“What do you eat?” I ask, trying to sound pleasant. She shrugs, sitting upright.

“Fish.”

“Water nymph, of course.” I nod.

We pass an incredible amount of forests and meadows, but never towns. I wonder if the Unseelie Court is just that - no habitation, just nature and evil spirits. Except for the rich lady that wanted me to entertain her. The man seems to know where he is going, and I just don’t understand how. We have no map, no spatial awareness. We could be weeks worth of traveling, even by truck, away from the bridges leading to Astral’s Court.

I don’t dare ask. So, I waste my time looking through the window, trying not to think about home. I want to come back, of course, but something tugs on my mental sleeve, saying it isn’t worth it. The crown is stolen, given to a boy, as predicted by the tradition I so naively thought Father disregarded.

The scenery changed, turning from flat fields to hills and cliffs. Before us now stood mountains, and as we passed around them, the sea came to view. It was beautiful, even in the dark. Kaytus didn’t lie when he said dawn doesn’t last long. An incredulous sight - the sun is bleak, rising, but doesn’t illuminate the earth like it should. It’s like an eternal eclipse. A world like no other.

The vehicle stops, and Kaytus decides to take a break. He’s been driving for three hours now. My legs feel sore as I get out, taking off my slippers to feel the cold grass underneath. The ground is brimming with small bioluminescent flowers and sharp rocks.

We don’t talk as we stretch our legs. The nymph stays in the truck with the open window. The man eats an apple, watching the horizon. I cannot believe he is going through all of that to keep me alive after everything. I can’t believe he’s the assassin I learned to fear. In silence, when danger passes, he seems like a normal person, without anger quirks or murderous abilities. Just a normal human being, with a life and duty before his country.

“What’s going on in Malachite that a movement had to rise?” I finally ask the question that has been pending in my mind for so long.

He faces me, as I sit on the front bumper. It smells of magic, a mix of gemstones, earth and thunderstorms. That’s how our carriages work, anyways, with Academy’s engines, fueled by their sheer will, enchanted into large stones, with malachite cores.

“Upcoming famine, inequality between classes, bad education rates, children dying because the Academy won’t take them in, take your pick.”

“Woah,” I stammer. “All of this? But… How come I never noticed? I would have seen mad crowds when I traveled.”

“I guess you were very well protected from the lower classes' life issues.”

“You know, most of the lower classes do not wish to pursue higher education and stay in their communes with no dreams or whatsoever. Maybe they don’t care about being rich.” I say what my professors told me. I repeat it like a mantra, to avoid coming to a full realisation of what he just said.

“You’re not hearing what you say. This has nothing to do with dreams or work ethics. People are starving and children dying because your king steals all their money and possessions.”

“That’s very crude. You don’t know that! Father never spends too much, he has always been considerate of our treasury.”

He huffs and takes a bite of his apple. It’s red, sparkling, and feels very juicy. I decide to grab one too.

“I think I know more about people’s pain than you. You spent your life in a palace, crown princess, you were sheltered, lied to, because it is easier to control someone by feeding them lies about their country.”

I have nothing to retort with. Somewhere deep I knew Father wasn’t clear or truthful about some things. But for it to be so bad? No, it can’t be, he must exaggerate.

I take a bite of the apple and it is bitter. I chew anyways.

“You have no idea how your privilege affects others. Your very existence is why people suffer.”

His voice is serene, but his words are cutting right through my flesh. I wince, feeling fury rise.

“My existence has not been painless either! You are not the only one who made it miserable, asshole.”

“Now we’re comparing pain. Just shut up.” He snaps and throws the core of his apple to the void on our left. The cliff we are on is high, overlooking a field, with small wooden houses, I only notice now. We managed to avoid civilization well.

“You’re insufferable.” I grimace and get back in the truck.

The rest of the road to the sea is spent in silence. The nymph doesn’t seem willing to share her life story either.

Only when I see the ethereal bridge separating Unseelie Isle from Seelie ones, do I realize the myths were true.