Page 81 of Curse the Fae

“No!” I scream and fly toward the chaos.

Yes, he freed the animals of his world. Yes, it’s the one thing I understand. Yes, I’m glad he liberated the fauna.

But no, I don’t trust that Fae.

My feet barrel across the Hollow, past creepers, alders, elderberry bushes, and nightingale song. Human voices scramble, making it hard to distinguish their origins now.

I stop.

And I see him.

Beneath the chalky moon, a silhouette pounds toward one of the streams. I would swear it’s not him, because this Fae has two solid legs, a flash of moonlit skin telling me he’s naked. However, the onyx mane and that furious aura are unmistakable.

Magic must enable him to travel on dry land, so that he runs like he’ll tear the world to shreds. The faces of my family blast through my head. He could harm them tonight, or someday in the future. Or he could harm another villager, someone innocent.

I run as fast as my legs can carry me. I can’t let him get away. I won’t.

I will drown you.

“Not if I drown you first!” I scream.

And I don’t know if it’s possible, since he can breathe underwater. But with all my might, I’m going to try.

Although I’ve been training with the spear, I haven’t progressed to fighting in the water. But one thing I know is how to hold my breath for a long time. At the last moment, I chuck the weapon aside, because I’ll need both hands to take him down.

The Fae’s hair thrashes around him like a sail caught in a storm. Scales glint from his joints. With a battle cry, I focus on nothing but those details and run, run, run.

I tackle him from behind. The impact shoves air from my chest.

The Fae growls. I make a garbled noise.

Together, we crash to the grass, roll across the landscape, and plunge into the stream. The icy water takes a million bites from my skin, liquid floods my throat, and we tumble through the void.

A briny flavor pours into my mouth, potent enough to make me gag. My eyes pop open, then sting shut. Saltwater.

I’d forgotten. In Reverie Hollow, this is the only watercourse that leads into the outer regions of Middle Country, which runs into the sea, which leads faraway to the southern ocean. The Fae and I have managed to plummet into the only saltwater source in my village.

We wrestle. My nails scratch and claw at his arms as I try to shove him down, down, down, so far down he can’t hurt anyone. His fingers grapple for my elbows, and my eyes finally twist open. It’s so hard to see, but I manage to glimpse his face shadowed in darkness, his predatory eyes blazing with rancor and something new, something that stunts his movements and causes him to slip several times.

He flounders, those orbs swelling and his body spasming. That vicious glare tightens, and with renewed determination, he fights back. He will drag me to the bottom, and he won’t regret it, because I see nothing but vengeance staring back. Nothing but wrath.

Monster.

You’re nothing but a venomous monster. You’re blinded by hate.

A moment later, his grip on me loosens, and his irises swirl with an unearthly light. The gold spins into whirlpools. When they stop, shock and confusion overwhelm his face.

Those eyes dart about in a wild search for…what?

He’s paralyzed and sinking. I don’t need to push him down anymore. I watch his head lash from side to side, his eyes frantic and lurching about. I don’t know what just happened, but hope and triumph and guilt snarl together. I could take pity and help this creature, but I won’t.

Right then, a figure swoops overhead, its outline reflected across the water. I pump my arms to the surface and crash through, just as a broad set of wings veers from the stars, then catapults toward the stream. It’s too big to be a falcon, too small to be a vulture, and too blue to be mortal.

A Fae of the sky.

I spot a fringe of blue feathers attached to a male body, and a face partially covered in an owl mask, before the figure dives into the stream.

On a shriek, I careen back and hit the embankment. Water spews everywhere, followed by a series of liquid crashes. By the time I cling to the edge and open my eyes, the winged Fae is soaring, his plumes flapping madly and sprinkling water. A flock of other avians flank the silhouette, banding around him like a shield. Slumped in the Fae’s arms is the viper I’d just attempted to drown.

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