Chapter 12
My senses returned. Each one was more painful than the last. I couldn't breathe, I touched my nose, and winced. Broken, and there was no way I would fix that on my own.
I held the bile in my throat down, the smell down here was awful, I wanted nothing more than to empty an already empty stomach.
I touched my corset. They were still there tucked away. I pulled them out, Looking at them through swollen eyes.
They had a couple dents, but the metal held up and they unfolded, held firm. They worked just fine. I put them away, I would need to keep them secret.
One of my hair pins fell out, but I still had the other as well at the bow string. I looked around the cell, a bucket in the corner, straw on the floor. No bed, just this corner to hold me up. I drifted, pain ingulfing me.
I woke to scratching, I peeked, someone moved into my cell, and shut the door to a slight a jar.
"Feyre?"
I knew that voice. "Lucian," I whispered. I tried to move, but I couldn't.
"By the cauldron, are you alright?"
"My face hurts." A light flared by my face, and I closed my eyes.
"You played stupid well; she's reveling in her win. Then you made a deal, a foolish one."
"Trust the process. Although this was not what I planned." I smirked as I tilted my head to the side, fighting sleep.
"You smile through your pain but diminish and break when you see others blood." He shook his head. "Let's get you cleaned up."
"My nose is broken, other than that, I think I am fine. You just need to reset it. Do it fast, or you won't catch me."
"Alright." His hand moved; one holding my head the other on my nose. There was a crack.
A jolt of pain had my hands rising to my face. "Fuck, that hurts." I breathed out quietly.
"I am surprised you did not pass out. Hold still once more." His hands held my face gently.
"Careful, hold me like that and I might think you were trying for a kiss."
"Where was all this humor before?"
"I was trying to hold the story to its tune. I fucked up, no sense in trying to hold the script." I felt warm.
"I thought your power was weakened."
"It was, she gave me a fraction back to entice Tamlin to submit to her. All you did was break us from wearing a mask for the rest of our existence. Her Bargains are not meant to be won."
"Ah, okay."
"The whole eye in a ring is creepy. Jerian must have fucked up bad. I mean, I know he did. He killed her sister. It was wrong, but a five-hundred-year-old grudge? Seems obsessive. When is the full moon?"
"Soon. That's why I came, to help you before. Also, this." He held up one off the hair pins. "It fell out, I summoned it to me." If put it in my hair next to the other. "I don't think they noticed nor cared. I forgot to tell you, there is a hidden blade in them both. Small, but could still do damage. I thought you might like that. I hope you know what you're doing." His hands pulled back. That warm feeling gone.
"I win, they are free. I loose, nothing changes. If I don't try, I have failed either way."
"Don't let what little training we did go to waist."
I smiled, sitting up. "Never."
"All the swelling is gone, I could not fix everything, otherwise they would know I helped you."
"I know, I understand. Go before you get caught."
"Hold your hands out." I did as he said, and he unfolded a fat piece of meat and some bread. "It's not much, but I managed to steal this."
"Thank you." I took the food and scarfed it down as he told me the gist. I dozed off shortly after he left, but the feeling of getting sick did not make it easy.
Chapter 13
The door swung open violently, jerking me awake. Two red skinned fairies picked me up by the arms and escorted me through the halls. They had taken me to that familiar place under the mountain.
The throne room was much fuller with fairies along the walls and the second level was packed. She had brough everyone here. No one was to leave until my trials were over. Was this the first or what?
The Faerie Queen clicked her tongue. "You look positively dreadful." She turned to Tamlin, still at her side. His expression remained distant. "Wouldn't you say she's taken a turn for the worse?"
I scanned the crowd, looking for anything familiar.
"You know," Amarantha mused, leaning against an arm of her throne, "I couldn't sleep last night, and I realized why this morning." She ran an eye over me. "I don't know your name. If you and I are going to be such close friends for the next three months, I should know your name, shouldn't I?"
When I didn't reply, Amarantha frowned. "Come, now, pet. My name is Amarantha. You know my name—isn't it fair that I know yours?" There was movement to my right, and I tensed as the Attor appeared through the parted crowd, grinning at me with row after row of teeth. Still, I kept my mouth shut.
I braced myself for the scrape of those talons against my mind, braced myself for the order I was sure she was to give next.
"If you're inclined to play games, girl, then I suppose we can do this the fun way," Amarantha said. She snapped her fingers at the Attor, who reached into the crowd and grabbed someone.
Red hair glinted, and I jolted a step as the Attor yanked Lucien forward by the collar of his green tunic. Lucien thrashed against the Attor but could do nothing against those needlelike nails as it forced him to his knees.
The Attor smiled, releasing his tunic, but kept close. Amarantha flicked a finger in Rhysand's direction. The High Lord of the Night Court lifted a groomed brow. "Hold his mind," she commanded.
Lucien went utterly still, sweat gleaming on his neck as Rhysand bowed his head to the queen and faced him. Behind them, pressing to the front of the crowd, came four tall, red-haired High Fae that looked a little like him.
These were the brothers that tried to kill him before he came to the spring court. They all stared at Lucien, grinning like children.
Rhysand began smiling faintly. I stepped in front of him, narrowing my eyes and meeting Rhysand's gaze.
"Feyre."
"Feyre," She tested the name as Rhysand moved out of the way. "An old name, from our earlier dialects. Well, Feyre, I promised you a riddle. Solve this, Feyre, and you and your High Lord, and all his court, may immediately leave with my blessing. Let's see if you are indeed clever enough to deserve one of our kind."
"I do and all this court can leave here from the bond magic you put on them. And remain free forever, and ever."
"Yes, yes. There are those who seek me a lifetime but never we meet, and those I kiss but who trample me beneath ungrateful feet. At times I seem to favor the clever and the fair, But I bless all those who are brave enough to dare. By large, my ministrations are soft-handed and sweet, but scorned, I become a difficult beast to defeat. For though each of my strikes lands a powerful blow, When I kill, I do it slow …
I looked around, I couldn't say it. I must wait. Be dumb. I gaped like a fish. A ripple of laughter spread across those assembled behind us. Rhysand was watching me, wreathed in night and smiling faintly.
"Feyre no like riddle." I looked to him.
"Foolish, foolish human." He purred as he walked off to stand next to Amarantha.
I was grabbed by the red skinned fairies. Dragged back to the cell and left. I had a few meals, but I would lay on the ground and think or train what little I could to keep my muscles from going stiff. I fixed my hair tight, loosened my corset ever so slightly.
When the two red skinned fairies came back to my door, I stood.
The looked at each other, I smiled as I waited for them to open the door and direct me where to go.