Now you have the chance to meet some new fae in this chapter, and many more later on!
Cicely Lilith looked at the stone doors and let herself smile, an evil, wicked thing. Home. She was home.
She opened the double doors with both hands to reveal a gently lit hallway with white walls, white floors with a long red rug, and a white ceiling. Everything was white because it was so rare that blood coated the halls.
She walked forward and the doors shut behind her. Her boots echoed through the hall and two fae rushed to her side. They were twins, one boy and one girl. The boy held some clothes and the girl held out a bucket. Cicely didn't even spare them a glance as she swaggered toward the end of the hallway.
Cicely didn't stop walking when she took off her weapons and dunked them in the bucket. She did the same thing with her leather armor, and pulled her shirt over her head. She let her pants fall off her body and the girl picked them up. All she wore was her underwear and the flexible fabric covering the upper half of her body. Her face showed no emotion, no sparkle in her eyes and no hint of a smile on her lips.
She took the clothes from the boy who presented it to her. It was a black suit that hugged her figure like a second skin and an additional shirt that was more loose. The front was cut lower for the females than it used to be. She raised a questioning eyebrow but slipped it on. The female offered a warm washcloth, but Cicely held up a hand and shook her head.
Once she was done, the two fae left just as quickly as they had come. Their heads were bowed the entire time, never meeting her eyes.
At the end of the hall were another set of doors. They were wooden and you could hear sounds of chaos from the inside. The words Mess Hall were engraved in silver on the door. Cicely took a deep breath to steady herself and pushed the doors open.
She took one step inside and the whole hall fell silent. The hall was huge, you couldn't see the end even with the fires lighting the walls, and it was packed with fae. They all kneeled in front of her and she let a small amused smile twitch at her lips. It had been a while since she had received this kind of respect.
"Rise," she commanded, and they did. One fae rushed forward and gave her a bone crushing hug. She gave Cicely a once over and pulled her to the side. The noise continued, however it was hushed.
The girl had the same dark eyes, but her hair matched them. It was dark and long, falling on her shoulders and curled at the ends. Her face was so pale, it was as if she never saw the sun. She had the same mischievous smile, and sparkling white teeth.
She grabbed Cicely's arm and narrowed her eyes. She slapped Cicely across the face, twice.
"What the heck!" the girl hissed, disapproval written all over her fair face. "Cicely, what are you doing? Two blood oaths?"
"How about you tell me why you haven't responded to any of my messages," Cicely shot back with narrowed eyes, causing the girl to purse her lips in a thin line. "It's been a while, cousin."
"Too long," the girl replied, and gave her another hug. "You know what your grandfather will have done to you, right? You were gone for two decades. The payment will be painful-"
"I don't want to talk about it, Valea," Cicely said while running her hand through her hair.
Valea sighed. "When you're done, find me. We have a lot of catching up to do."
"It won't take that long. He likes to keep it to a couple minutes. Half an hour at the most." Cicely whispered and walked through the crowd which parted for her. She went to another set of doors, and entered them by slipping through, leaving just enough space for Rowan and Gavriel to follow her.
"Ah! Cicely," Asa said. The same man that now haunted her dreams: her grandfather. "Isn't it nice to see a pretty face again. I have your payment in a bucket in the corner. I've been paying special attention to it."
"I'll take the payment." Cicely's face was blank and her hands were clasped behind her back. The iron shining around the room made her blood boil and withdraw.
"Here I was hoping to dump that out when you arrived." Another person emerged from the shadows and grabbed Cicely's arms when she removed her shirts. Asa took out a knife with jagged edges.
Hidden by Cicely's magic, Gavriel looked at Rowan. He recognized the knife, and the scenario. Rowan looked straight ahead with a calculating gaze.
Asa slashed the knife at an area of smooth skin and Cicely's blood spilled on the ground. She didn't bat an eye at that, but she did when Asa brought the water. He spilled a little on her cut and she hissed.
Gavriel could tell that the man holding her arms was enjoying this, watching her suffer. She didn't fight it. He heard Rowan suck in a breath and go rigid next to him.
Asa dropped a little more, and Cicely arched her back. "Just say the word, and this could stop. Just make up the time you were away from us."
Cicely shook her head, and Asa spilled half the bucket on her. She screamed, causing Asa to smile. "There you are."
He let the salted-iron water spill onto her stomach in a steady stream. Her screams continued until there was nothing left in the bucket.
The other man released her arms and Cicely collapsed on the floor. Her blood stained the floor red, mixing with many more scents that coated the room.
"I look forward to enjoying my last two weeks of owning you, my little Cicely," Asa said, and waved his hand. The man picked her up and set her standing up. Cicely pulled her shirt on and knelt, her face twisting in pain the entire time. "Rise, and leave me."
She turned on her heel and walked out with steady steps. Only when the door closed did she fall to her knees, in front of the huge mass of fae that were in the mess hall. Their fae ears heard everything that happened. She received looks of pity for her pain, and respect for getting through it. Most fae pass out and get dumped outside to be picked up by their friends or family. She hated the pity, but she was in too much pain to tell them that.
"Oh my Gods, Cicely!" Valea screamed and rushed to her side. She pulled up her shirt to see the scar that was worse than the rest. She pulled water from the air and when she guided it to her cut, it was repelled and fell, causing Cicely to hiss. Valea's hands began to shake but she clasped them together.
She lifted Cicely up and dragged her to another room. Valea set her on a bed and rubbed a salve on the cut. Iron leached out and she drew more water from the air. She wrapped the wound and Cicely struggled up.
"Thank you." Cicely winced as she held out a arm. "Help me up."
"No. I'm taking you to your room right now. You need rest and-"
"Val. I need to check in with everyone else," Cicely said firmly, already struggling to rise from the soft bed.
"Fine. Go. But when you're done you better come back so I can fix you up." Valea pointed to the door. Cicely smiled and slipped out, once again leaving just enough room for Rowan and Gavriel to follow.
So how do you like Valea? Please leave a review and tell me what you think!