Page 19 of Hunted By the Fae Warden

Being spotted in Kaiden’s company has completely ruined my social standing in Trevos. Once, I was well-liked and people always greeted me in the street. Now I’m being shunned by everyone. Well, everyone aside from Yvette and her mother.

As I try to think of an explanation for my apparent powers to make plants grow and flourish quickly even while out of season, I get to work on the harvest. I grab a ladder from the shed, as well as a few buckets, and start picking apples. At least this tree is hidden from the road, and I make a note that I’ll have to focus on the vegetation that’s closer to the stone wall and more out of sight. The last thing I want to do is give my neighbors another reason to gossip about me.

It takes several hours, but finally I finish picking the last apple from the tree and I stand back to gaze upon the fruits of my labor. Whoa. I managed to fill ten huge buckets to the brim. I’ll have to load up my father’s old wagon if I’m going to transport all this to the marketplace. Except… it might look a bit strange if I roll up to the marketplace with ten buckets of perfectly ripe apples during winter. People will talk and wonder where it all came from.

I resolve that if I want to sell the harvest without raising any suspicions, I’ll have to do it little by little. Bucket by bucket on different days, and I’ll have to sell to a broad range of vendors too. Hopefully no one will notice my repeated visits to the marketplace.

After hauling nine of the buckets to the cellar, I set the remaining one on a small rolling cart, rather than the wagon, and head further into town. But before I can reach my destination, a tall man steps into my path.

“You! I’ve been looking for you!” He sneers down at me, and my stomach plummets to the ground. It’s Mr. Connoly, the lender to whom I owe the most money, and the one who tried to visit my house about two weeks ago but couldn’t seem to get inside the fence.

I clear my throat. “Good morning, Mr. Connoly. I’ve been looking for you, too.” It’s a lie. I’ve been avoiding him and had planned to save him for last. “I, um, wanted to let you know it’llbe another week before I can pay you. But I promise I’ll have the funds for you. One week from today.” I pray I’m right and that I’ll manage to sell enough apples over the next few days.

He scoffs. “You’re already late, and you know what that means. It means you now owe me two additional pieces of silver, which brings the grand total to seven. If you don’t pay within a week, I’ll file a complaint with the magistrate or with that fucking fae warden who’s in charge now. But you know, that property of yours is mighty fine. I could take an acre of it off your hands and we could call it even.”

I go cold all over. Losing my property, or even part of it, is one of my greatest fears. I can’t fail my family like that. Yes, I know they’re no longer alive, but I’ll never forgive myself if I lose the beloved homestead that’s been in my family for generations.

As for being reported to the magistrate or Warden Valloc, I don’t want that sort of headache. Especially if Kaiden—ugh, I really need to stop calling him by his given name—is the one who would oversee the case against me. I can’t help but wonder if he would show me favoritism or treat me as a regular citizen of Trevos who means nothing to him. After all, I haven’t seen him in a week, nor have I detected the warmth of his presence. That means he probably hasn’t been spying on me or visiting my home in secret. Why does his absence hurt?

“Well, little lady, what’s it going to be?” He gives an impatient huff, and his liquor-scented breath pelts my face, prompting me to take a step back.

“I will pay you within a week,” I say, once again praying I can come up with the money. “Seven silver coins.” Seven! Holy shit, that’s a lot of apples. Far more than my entire harvest. I’ll have to work some more magic in the garden when I return home.

Magic!I suppress a gasp. What if I’m not a witch, but instead I possess magic. Oh my gods. That could only mean… I might have a drop or two of fae blood. It’s not unheard of, and Isuddenly think of how fruitful my family’s property has always been. One of the most successful little homesteads within the walls of Trevos.

Little nymph. Kaiden’s voice fills my head. That’s what he calls me. Er, called me. Because he said I looked like a forest nymph, and forest nymphs are a type of solitary fae, or so I’ve heard.

Mr. Connoly glares at me for a long moment, then he shakes his head. “You know what, I expect twelve pieces of silver. Twelve or I’m reporting you. I’m a respected creditor in these parts, and it’s my word against yours about how much you owe.”

“We signed a contract, and it waswitnessed.”

His visage darkens. “It sure would be a shame if something happened to your house and your land. Like a fire.”

“Now you listen here,” I say, jabbing a finger at him, only for my arm to be suddenly pulled back.

I twist and turn and come face to face with Mr. Stull. Oh fucking great. He’s the other creditor to whom I owe money. Is the realm out to get me today?

“Let me go!” With my free hand, I push Mr. Stull away. He releases my arm, but both men have me backed against a building now. I feel trapped and vulnerable, and I really wish I’d brought one of those knives I’d recently sharpened.

Despite my fear, the same rage I’d felt while offering to hide Yvette from her father resurfaces. Violent impulses seize me, but I don’t know what to do with the feeling. I’ve never been in a fight before and don’t really know how to conduct myself. Start swinging and hope for the best? Maybe. If I get mad enough, or if they touch me again, I might.

The men exchange an evil smirk and step closer to me. My pulse races faster. Mr. Connoly makes a show of peering over his shoulder and up and down the street. “It would appear we’re all alone. Just the three of us.”

I immediately regret my decision to take a shortcut down a lesser traveled side street. If I scream, will anyone come to help? This isn’t the best part of town. Given how many seedy bars are nearby, I doubt anyone will come running if they hear a woman screaming. After dark, I probably wouldn’t venture this way, but I hadn’t expected to meet any trouble in the middle of a bright, sunny afternoon.

My heart lodges in my throat, and I glance around but see no one. I swallow hard as my fear battles my burning rage. It’s not as though I planned to con these men. I’ve been planning to pay them back as soon as I could. If not for the blasted fae and Tribute Day, I would’ve managed to do so already. “I-I will pay you both back. Very soon. I promise.” I lift my chin and try to summon confidence. “Please step back and allow me to pass.”

Mr. Stull chuckles, then his foot flies back and hits my cart. The bucket topples over and apples roll across the dirt. Hurt suffuses me. How can they be so cruel? They know I’m struggling. They know my family recently died and the whole reason I’m in debt is because I’d been desperate to save them.

I latch onto the rage coursing through my blood and give Mr. Stull a firm push that sends him sprawling back into the dirt. He lands much farther away and way harder than I expected, and I spare a second to marvel at my own strength. He wheezes and gasps and gives me a murderous look. I attempt to push Mr. Connoly next, but he steps back so quickly that I end up falling into the street. Before I’m able to scramble to my feet, Mr. Connoly is on top of me pressing my wrists to the ground.

“You stupid bitch. You’re gonna pay for that and—” His face goes slack, and it takes me a moment to realize his head is twisted at an odd angle. Before I take my next breath, Mr. Connoly is pulled off me and tossed against a building.

Kaiden. He’s standing above me, his wings flared wide as though he’d just landed quickly, his troubled expressionbetraying his concern. Concern… for me. There’s a flicker of relief when he sees for himself that I’m unharmed—I really don’t think I suffered a single scratch during the unseemly encounter with the two creditors—but his attention soon turns to the wheezing man on the ground. Mr. Stull. He's still struggling to get up. Did I really shove him that hard?

But the creditor never makes it to his feet. Kaiden moves fast. He moves faster than I’ve ever seen anyone move before, and picks Mr. Stull up by his neck. He holds the struggling man high in the air while he chokes to death, then flings his body into the dirt near Mr. Connoly’s.

Oh, my gods.

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