Page 18 of A Song of Air
“Now, gentleman...” This voice belonged to the Fae. It was almost melodic in its cadence, and while she couldn’t find any underlying fear in the sound, she could make out the caution. A wise Fae, then. Perhaps he wouldn’t interfere when the killing began. “Let’s be civil.”
“You hear that? A civil Fae!” one of the men spat. “That’s like saying an animal has manners and thoughts.”
What a bastard,her familiar snapped in her mind.
Bryson’s lip kicked up. Maybe he’d be the one she would kill first, for that comment alone.
“Look, you guys really, really don’t want to do this,” the Fae tried again.
The humans ignored him, though. “How much do you reckon they’ll take them for?”
“For a Fae, he’s got a pretty face. They’ll want him for the brothels in Vellm. As for the brat, he’ll fetch a pretty penny as a slave...”
Hearing their malicious plans for the Fae boiled her blood. The time for waiting was over. Instinct kicked in, urging her tomove.The first arrow flew almost as if by its own accord. The wind guided it as it curved through the branches and lodged itself deep into the throat of the human speaking.
His laughter was cut off with a strangled gurgle as he choked on his blood. The thud of his body hitting the ground let her know he’d died.
She didn’t give the humans a moment to process the situation before she jumped into the chaos. The wind whipped around her waist, lifting and guiding her to the ground. Their shouts of fear were almost calming. Usually, Bryson avoided getting this close to a fight, preferring to stay in the trees and let the arrows do the work for her.
But the rage inside her boiled over, finally finding a purpose.
Or at least an outlet for it.
And that would just have to do.
“What the f—” Before the human could finish, an arrow was in her fingers, notched, and loosed in his direction. It hit true right through his gaping mouth, silencing him forever. Only when their second comrade fell did the humans try to attack.
Arrows flew in her direction, but she shot a gust of wind, changing their course, effectively pushing it back towards them. And even though everything happened so fast, she sent a ball of protective wind to encircle the Fae and his child. It likely didn’t block them from the violence of the battle or the swiftness of it, either.
“Please! Mercy!” The last human had fallen to his knees, his own arrow lodged deep in his thigh.
Had he shown mercy the moment he’d tried to shoot her familiar to the ground? She wanted to spit those venomous words, but held them back. It didn’t matter what she said or how she said it. It would do no good to try and convince him of his wrongs right before his inevitable death.
The only thing that mattered was that he died.
Predator or prey,her familiar’s voice echoed in her head.
And for a single second, Bryson knew the answer as she pulled out an arrow and sent it flying towards his throat. The answer seemed to pierce the silence of the forest, even as his body slapped to the ground and he twitched against the leaves in his final moments.
Predator.
All was still for a single second, as she let her magic drift away. The air stilled. Her familiar shrieked and then swooped down low, landing against Bryson’s shoulder. The scent of blood was heavy in the air, and the sound of a child’s cries had her turning.
“Are you two alright?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. She wasn’t sure if there were more Kurreen nearby, or if these were the only ones in the area. She’d hoped that was a single, measly crew. Let this whole mess be over and done with.
“We’re fine,” that elegant voice replied. She couldn’t make out much of him from beneath the compress of the net. “Wait...” The word rippled with shock. “You’re—”
“Vision impaired?” She tilted her head to the side, her lips turning up into a smile. She knew it made her discolored eyes look eerie and the scars on her face stand out so much more. “I know.”
Her familiar ruffled her feathers and chirped.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Really? That’s usually what everyone means. Then again, I guess you wouldn’t know that since you don’t knowme. It’s not very obvious.” She stepped closer, careful to avoid the blood and bodies on the ground. She should have been more cautious, but the child’s cries were like a beacon to her, and out of instinct, she wanted to lend a helping hand. And if either of them were injured, she would take them back with her to camp so Malika could look them over. “My name is Bryson Varik,” she offered with a smile. “Let’s get this net off you, yeah?”
She was careful. Instead of using her hands to tear at the net, she used several arrows. The sharp tips cut through the rope. Once it snapped, she sent a gust of wind its way, shoving it far away from their bodies.
The child sniffled once he was free. The Fae stood and helped the boy to a stand as well. They dusted themselves off, assessed themselves. She couldn’t see if the net had left visible markings against their skin, though, no matter how hard she squinted.
