Page 2 of The Poison of the Earth
A grunt escapes me. Caspian must have a good reason for bothering me with such tripe. “Fine, throw her in a cell. I’ll meet with her when it is amusing to do so.”
His head bows and he spins, black cape twirling as he marches out of the room.
I WALK THE RAMPARTS, using the time moving and the fresh air to think. Lilac is trailing me, her hand on her short sword and her glare menacing. That’s her resting face though. I pause to speak with a few of the guards, but complete my circuit quickly.
“Go home,” I toss over my shoulder as I take the stone stairs to the keep. “Your wife must be anxious to see you after your time away.”
Lilac catches up with me and tilts her eyes to me. “Rosetta will wait; she understands my duty.”
“No woman, regardless of species, is patient when it comes to her beloved’s safety.”
Lilac snorts in a very un-flower-Fae manner. “And you’ve had experience with this when, Lonan?”
I roll my eyes as I walk towards the small but well stocked market. “Plenty of experience with women,” I mutter.
“Yea, the horizontal variety,” she chuckles.
“Off with ya,” I huff.
She chuckles and turns, obviously ready to see her wife. “I’ll be back in the morning. We’ll figure out the next steps.” Her voice is reassuring.
I frown. I dislike that she feels she needs to reassure me. I stride through the empty marketplace. I head for the only pub in Thistle Grove. The wooden sign, with a carved and painted fiddle, swings lightly in the cool fall breeze.
I pull open the door and the light, warmth and chatter of the Disappointing Fiddle sweeps over me.Perfect.
Chapter Two
Oleander
I’ve been in this wretched cell for seven days. Seven entire damned days. I have better things to be doing.
Every other cell, in the admittedly well-kept gaol is empty. I have bread and cheese and water twice a day, and a toilet tucked behind a curtain in my cell.
I’ve certainly been in worse dungeons.
But I’m bored out of my mind. That black-haired Captain had not taken my meager possessions, however, before he tossed me in here.
After a week of this, I have my captors’ schedule pretty well memorized, and the small windows at the top of the walls allow some time-keeping from the sun. So when the door swings slowly inward in the late afternoon, I sit upright, confused, hurriedly tucking my journal into my bag.
A tall man strides in like he owns the place. My eyes take him in: rich, deep brown hair that is shaggy and wavy, body slender but muscular in a lithe way. Clothed in expensive-but-functional clothes, soft calf height boots, brown trousers, a loose linen shirt topped with a heavy, brown cloak with the hood tossed back. Markings cover what I can see of his hands and arms, though I cannot tell if they are natural or the human tattoos that have become popular.
He walks to my cell and crouches down, his gleaming eyes take me in. I don’t break his gaze.
I hear another Fae behind him but I don’t want to look away from this man. I’d guess he’s some type of earth Fae, but hehas no obvious characteristics that would mark him any certain species. Rumors vary from shifter to parasitic to Sol and back again.
He continues our staring contest but I can do this all day.Not like I have anywhere better to be.
Eventually his eyes drop to take me in again and I feel uncharacteristically self-conscious as they drag over me. Perhaps it’s the rough-spun dress, even if I was vain enough to make sure it was well-fitted and a flattering color for my skin and hair.
However, it’s more likely that I have no means to defend myself against this Fae, the one that half the realm at large considers psychotic and murderous.
And yet, here I am. I need to get a feel for him as soon as possible because I need to play this right. Play him right.
“What’s your name?” His voice is deep.
“Allie, sir,” I lie, letting my eyes flick to the floor. If he’s really a power-hungry maniac, he’ll probably like a sweet submissive woman.
A grunt. “And why did you come to my keep?”
