Chapter One
Fourteen years later
Myriad knew her mother had told her not to wander far from the cave but it was autumn! Her favorite time of year when the mountain trees turned a gorgeous shade of red and gold and roses held their last bloom. The air itself smelled amazing, crisp and cool. She just had to go out. Her mother was out anyway.
So Myriad went out, skipping and singing as she made it down the mountains, unaware of where she was going, not that she cared. Her red hair and golden kissed skin glowed in her innocent happiness, unbound and curly. Her mother had never told her about her parentage, or the dangers of being half High Fae. Unlike Illyrians, Myriad had the slim pointed ears of her father, something she'd never be accepted by her people.
The girl didn't keep track of the time or where she was going as she sang and walked down the mountain, stopping by every blooming flower or bare tree she found. So far down did she walk that she found herself walking through trees that were showing signs of other living beings. Only then did Myriad realize her mistake. Through not paying attention, she had walked herself to the outskirts of an Illyrian encampment. Fear pooled in Myriad's stomach and she skirted behind a tree. Underneath the fear was a sense of curiosity. What was it that made her mother hate these people so much?
So she kept walking, moving from tree to tree till she saw tents and could smell fires, hear male voices yelling and laughing, crass and loud. She frowned, her brows pulling together as she moved forward. She finally simply crouched behind a tent, hoping to get a glance at these winged people.
It was her curiosity and foolishness that caused Myriad to not hear the Illyrian male walk behind her till it was too late and she was grabbed by her arms and hauled upwards. She screamed, naturally and struggled, eyes wide with fear.
"Let me go!"
She was rewarded with a blow to the back of her head, hard enough to stun her into silence. She was effortlessly carried into the encampment, past several curious and sneering onlookers. She felt threatened and scared. Her capture dragged her to a large tent and ducked inside, pulling her after him.
There seemed to be a meeting of a sort going on because there were a lot of winged men gathered in a circle around a map. She was roughly thrown forward, trying to stop herself as she ended up in a gangly pile in the dirt. Shaking, Myriad didn't look up, she kept her eyes on her hands now caked in dirt.
"Who's this?" The Illyrian leader asked, looking down his crooked nose at the girl. She looked and smelled odd. She had no wings, so she wasn't Illyrian, yet she was definitely not a human. Fae perhaps but…what would an unknown Fae be doing wandering into an Illyrian war camp?
"I found her spying on the edge of the camp. Don't know what she wants, thought you might be interested," Myriad's capture replied. Myriad heard the leader stand up and she stiffened when she saw his boots in the dirt in front of her hands, almost stepping on her slender fingers.
The Illyrian bent down and crouched in front of Myriad, taking her in.
"Look at me, girl."
Myriad couldn't look at him, frozen as she was. She was grabbed instead by the jaw in a bruising grip and forced to look up. Her gold eyes were wide with terror as she stifled a whimper. The male in front of her was rugged, old, and cruel in appearance. He had no pity or gentleness in his eyes. He looked and felt every bit a warrior. That frightened Myriad.
The Illyrian did however seem to recognize Myriad. His grip suddenly became brutally hard, forcing a cry from the girl.
"I know you…what is your name?" he growled. Myriad couldn't reply even if she tried.
"Torin, you're going to break the brat's jaw. You'll never get an answer from her then," Someone behind Torin said. The male growled and threw Myriad down, getting up.
"Speak girl, before I really do break your miserable jaw."
Myriad shakily wiped her mouth, stifling the sobs that racked her little frame.
"M-Myriad…m'lord," she said hoarsely.
The Illyrian laughed at her and walked forward, staring down at her like she was some sort of farm animal being sized up for the dinner table.
"Myriad. What a foolish name. You know what it means? Myriad?"
Myriad was almost afraid to know what it meant. Not that she really cared what it meant. She simply wanted to go home and forget these winged men.
Torin crouched again and got in Myriad's face, grabbing her shirt collar in a tight grip. His breath smelled awful so close to her face as it was. Myriad struggled to distance herself.
"Fox. That's what it means…and we all know what foxes get up to. They're spies, miserable flea ridden dogs that come in the dead of night to steal and kill. Is that what she sent you to do, Fox? Is that what that bitch did?"
"I-I wasn't spying," Myriad sobbed, now struggling to breath. Torin picked Myriad up, strangling her now. His dark eyes looked at her almost piteously.
"Of course you weren't. I only beat her and broke her wings for fucking some other male. To think you survived it all."
Torin threw Myriad down, watching the girl gasp for breath. He snapped his fingers at some of his soldiers.
"Take the girl to the cages, make sure it's guarded. Her mother may come back looking for her," he said. He went to look back at his map, and then turned around, a wicked look in his eyes. "Oh. Have some fun with her, ripe little thing like that."
The soldiers laughed and one of the picked Myriad up, slinging her over his shoulder roughly. Deep down, Myriad knew what Torin had meant and she struggled all the harder, trying in vain to break free.
The girl was taken out of the tent and Torin crossed his arms behind his back, brooding. So Lydia was possibly still alive. The girl proved that at least. He snarled to himself. Well now he had bait for that bitch. He thought he had shown that cheating bitch the cost of making a fool of him. No, she had to send her bastard daughter to do spy on him.
Screams touched Torin's ears as his soldiers had their way with the girl. Perhaps Lydia would come for the girl. Then he could show her what happened to those who made a fool of him…and he'd start it with the girl.