Page 46 of Black Onyx
Storm surprises me when he readily agrees with him, proving that he really is a good leader since he listens to his teammate’s suggestions rather than being stubborn and insisting that it’s his way only. The guys carry on talking about the supplies they need to take and what the strange behaviour of the Headmaster could mean, but my mind wanders. I’ve done missions like this probably hundreds of times by now, and with fewer supplies than they are suggesting we take. Not that what they’re wanting to take is unnecessary. It’s just that I know I can do it with nothing but a weapon and my horse. I also know I can do it without a team too, and that’s where my distraction has come from; I am not used to working with other people, and I’m not used to having to make sure that other people are coping well during a fight and don’t need back up.
Add in that these people I actually like, and it’s giving me massive anxiety. Logically I know they’re capable; they fought me just after I came out of the Void and held their own, which is pretty much unheard of when it comes to my experience of coming out of the Void. It’s just making me nervous, which is not a feeling I’m used to having.
“Does the princess know how to ride, or is one of us going to have to buddy with you?” Storm asks, bringing me out of my thoughts with his snarky tone.
“I can ride,” I reply, letting my voice hint at hesitancy I don’t feel. I love it when he underestimates me.
The truth is I’ve been riding since I was tiny. Father couldn’t very well send me out on all of his personal missions if I had no mode of transport, and because of the way I lived, I have far less fear than I should have, and I push myself and my horse to the limits. My horse, Revel, is used to me and thankfully likes taking as many risks as I do. I was insistent that he be brought here as well since I wouldn’t have been surprised if my father had him killed just because he knew I had a bond with him. He was sent behind me and arrived a couple of days ago. I haven’t managed to find the time to get down to the stables to see him yet, and I know he’s going to be pissed at me.
Fae horses aren’t like the ones that the Earth realm has. They can communicate with us through feelings and sometimes if you develop a strong enough bond, pictures as well. They’re also stronger, faster and bigger than the Earth realm horses I’ve seen and come in many different colours. Revel is the same colour as black opal, meaning that although his base colour is black, he has streaks of red, teal, purple and even a pearlescent star in the middle of his broad head. He’s stunning.
“Don’t worry, Love; they have spare horses. You’ll be able to use one of them, and we can take it slow. The only time limit on us is one we’ve given ourselves.” Loki says reassuringly, and I almost feel bad, that is until Storm opens his mouth.
“If you’re too slow, we’ll just put you on one of our saddles.” He says bluntly. “Like the princess you are.”
“Shut the fuck up, you spanner. You know full well I’m not a fucking princess.” I growl.
A trickle of regret flashes through his eyes ever so briefly, but he keeps his mouth clamped shut, not apologising. Not that I expected him to.
“Did you just call him a spanner?” Loki asks, amused and incredulous all at the same time.
“Well yeah, I think it's funny,” I reply with a shrug. “I think I saw it in an old British tv show.”
“Alright, I think that’s something else we need to talk about,” crossing his arms over his broad chest, Killian stares at Storm and me with a severe expression, his tail tapping against his leg.
“What?” Storm, sounding almost petulant, asks.
“You two need to knock off the sexually charged verbal sparring you have going on. At least while we’re on the mission.” Killian states.
Storm’s mouth drops open, and shock rears its head in me at the implication of his words.
Storm fumbles with his words for a second before managing to get out through grinding teeth, “Fine.”
Killian looks pleased with himself and then looks at me, “Farren?”
“Sure, I can do that,” I reply casually, hiding my reaction to his words much better than Storm did.
“Great.”
Storm seems to have composed himself as he clears his throat, “We better get an early night. I want to set off at sunrise so we can get back quicker.”
With that, he turns on his heel and makes his way into his room, closing his door slightly harder than necessary.
I say a quick goodnight to the guys and go to my own room, getting changed into the pyjamas that turned up in my room at some point during the day. I lift the shirt to my nose and take a deep inhale; these are Reaper’s. Ever since movie night, I’ve had a new set of pyjamas in my room every day, and each time, they smell of a different one of the guys. I even had a set which I swear smelled like Storm. It makes me melt every damn time.
*********
The next morning I pull on my fighting leathers. They’ve protected me in more fights than I can count and consist of supple black leather trousers that cling to my figure and have spells built into them to not only repel certain attacks but also to hide my weapons well enough that they wouldn’t be found in a search. I never hide all of my weapons because that would make people suspicious. I pull on a tight long-sleeved black cotton shirt and then layer my leather corset-style top over it. It covers my boobs with two straps that cross over the front of my chest and then onto my back, turning into a harness that will hold two of my swords for easy access.
Before I pull on my ankle-length black leather jacket with deep red-purple accents, I pull out my bag of weapons from under my bed. I still haven’t found an adequate hiding place for them, but I have put layer after layer of defensive spells on them, so if anyone did find them, they wouldn’t be able to talk about it afterwards. It may seem a bit extreme, but it’s not just ordinary weapons I’m protecting. They’re weapons that match those that are known to have been used in assassinations by me, mostly because I’ve left them behind through necessity. They’re distinct enough with their purple inlaid runes and black gemstone blades that they would instantly draw suspicion. I can’t have anyone here find out my real identity.
Because of that, I very carefully avoid any of those weapons, settling on arming myself with my other blades and my most favourite weapon that I don’t get to use as much as I’d like. It has a soft, supple handle that fits in my hand perfectly and is easily described as a whip with a blade on the end. If used properly, it can easily decapitate an enemy without getting in striking range. It took me a long time to master, but now I rarely go anywhere without it; even if I don’t get to use it as much as I like, it gets pride of place on my hip as one of the weapons that won’t be concealed along with the swords on my back. However, hidden from sight, I have eight more daggers. Finally, checking that I have everything, I don’t bother to grab a bag. One, because even if something goes wrong and we end up staying for a couple of days, my clothes are sufficient, and two, because I never have before. The only thing I do take is spare underwear because gross, and they go into a concealed pocket in my jacket.
Satisfied I have everything I need; I step out of my room to meet the guys.
Chapter Fifteen
The first thing I notice is the pile of small bags by the door. Clearly, they’re coming more prepared than I am. The second thing is the smell of coffee and breakfast, which makes me frown.
