Page 25 of Courting the Fae Captain
“Yes, ma’am,” he responded miserably.
Then I was hefted up, the chest swaying violently as the laundresses and the driver carried me onto the cart with a resounding thud, causing me to bump my head.I bit my lip, then narrowed my eyes at my invisible carriers. The likelihood of Margaery’s vials smashing just increased exponentially, based on how the driver treated these goods. Hereallywanted to get to Domeratt before sundown.
Voices carried as the driver bid the staff goodbye and clucked for his horse to get moving. The cart slowly rolled out, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I shifted the gowns from my face and took a breath of air. It was stuffy in here, and I was not looking forward to a long voyage crammed in this godsforsaken thing.But I was here. I was gettingout.If there was room, I’d kick my legs in excitement, but as it was, I’d be sporting one hell of a migraine and an aggravated back in a few hours based on the crick already forming in my neck. All I could do was listen as the cart journeyed on. No guards stopped us, no one inspected the cart, and the gate, mercifully, rolled open with a loud groan that allowed us through.
About twenty minutes of journeying along the road, and a voice called out, causing the cart to halt. Whomever it was, the driver seemed amicable towards them—even pleased. I held my breath as the males spoke, then hastily covered myself with the dress as boots sounded on the gravel path. Was this another checkpoint I didn’t know about?
The chest lid opened, and I froze as the garment was swept aside. Above me, Raithe stood with the most damnable fucking smirk on his face as he looked at his catch.“There you are.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
‘Spell Weavers, most commonly residing in the Shadow Court, are masters of shadow and dark magics. Wielders from this court are widely renowned for their ability in combat and their prowess in clever magic.’
The Trials and Traditions of a Mithrian Fae
Iblinked back at Raithe, silently pleading for him to let it go. For him to pretend he hadn’t seen me. We’d developed some kind of alliance, hadn’t we? He didn’t condone the Rite. Hated the very idea of it. He could understand why I had to leave. But … No, at the end of the day, he was a male and would see this as a betrayal. If he didn’t have enough of a reason to kill me before, he did now. As expected, the smirk on his face vanished, replaced by a darkness in his eyes and a clenched jaw. My stomach twisted at the sight of it.
“Gunnar,” Raithe said calmly without looking away, “one of your wheels is looking a bit wobbly. You might want to tightenit before you continue. Wouldn’t want to get stuck out here with one wheel with the storm coming.” To me, he spoke beneath his breath, “Get out of the cart before I tear you out. Wait in the woods. If you even think about escaping, I will hunt you down, and you will not enjoy my mercy. But believe me, I will enjoy the chase.”
I looked him dead in the eye as he hauled me out of my box. “So, you really are just like the Pentad. Of course you are, you’re male. I will not forgive this, Raithe. And I certainly won’t forget.”
That charming smile returned for the driver, even if his eyes flashed at me with warning. “Good. Hold onto that anger. You’ll need it.”
He walked around the side to show the driver the allegedly loose wheel, which gave me the time needed to dash into the woods unseen. I didn’t stop running, though. Fuck what Raithe had said. He could kill me if he caught me, but I wasn’t squandering this opportunity. I wouldn’t stay a prisoner in this fucking Rite.
As I ran, the birds chirped in branches overhead, and a squirrel dashed across the path, enjoying the sunshine before the storm and cold kicked in. My boots sank into the muddied ground as I skirted roots and vaulted over fallen logs and the occasional boulder. My breath was steady, despite the adrenaline racing through me. I was doing it. I was escaping. I would find help before finding the missing females. I’d help all of them—including the females still participating in the Wedding Rite. Even that fanged bitch. We didn’t deserve to be treated like livestock, not even her.
I kept turning these thoughts, my goals, my mother’s goals, over and over in my mind. It took me a few minutes to realise the forest had gone deadly silent. I slowed and crouched next to a tree, palming the blade still hidden in my boot. Then I froze, closed my eyes, and used my senses to trulylisten.He didn’tmake a sound, but I felt his presence the moment he stepped out from behind a tree.
I whirled, tossing the dagger with precision towards him, the blade flying true to his chest. Raithe’s eyes widened, registering the attack with alarming speed before he shifted and plucked the blade mid-air.
Impossible.
He eyed the weapon, then those deep blue eyes drifted to me as he smiled. “You’re going to regret that.”
“Fuck you.” I could have run—should have run—but instead I charged, the anger I held for the mistreated females and myself fuelling my body. I jabbed once, twice, with my fists, then reared out with a high kick.
He blocked every move effortlessly, then grabbed my leg and spun. I fell back into a tree with a snarl, his hand no longer wrapped around my calf. I charged again, lashing out with a flurry of punches and kicks.I was throwing everything at him, and yet I could tell he was holding back and still managing to deflect perfectly.
“You need to look for a weakness,” he said as he blocked and sidestepped another blow. “Simply striking and hoping a punch might land is futile.”
“Shut up,” I hissed. “I do not take lessons from my enemy.”
He shrugged even as he batted my arms away. “What a foolish thing to say. How do you expect to defeat your enemy if you know nothing about the way they fight? You can still hate someone and heed their lessons. The two are not mutually exclusive. I can help you.”
I stared at him, aghast. “You just took away my chance of freedom. If that’s the help you’re offering, I emphatically decline.”
Raithe’s face dipped into a frown. “That’s an odd way to say thank you.”
“You don’t get it, do you. This is just a game to you.” Rage moved through me in rolling waves, heating my skin and electrifying my veins. My voice was low, my body still but ready. “Are we all just names on a list for you to cross out? How much is mine worth, Captain? A fancy new ship? Or perhaps a new estate for you and your new bride, whomever she may be?”
He took one step closer. Shadows plumed at his feet, and I blanched, my spine locking up. My body acted on instinct, locking up at the proximity of a threat. I had been in this position too many times, cowering while I waited for the blow to land. This was it. I’d disobeyed the captain, and now he was going to end me himself just as he’d promised. But I wasn’t going to grit my teeth and take it. Not today. Not anymore. “Don’t come near me.”
“Do you really think I am so like them? So cruel as to shackle you and all the rest to this castle myself?” He stepped forward again, and I retreated until my back smacked into a tree trunk.
“It doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what you do … and what you allow to happen,” I retorted. The plumes around his feet snaked farther along the ground, and that rage inside me reared its head again. Something else glimmered awake, too. Something deep, deep down. “I told you not to come closer.”
“Despite what you may think, I am not one of them. I willneverbe one of them.”
