A Court of Death and Shadows

Chaper3: Fire and Ire

Chapter 3: Fire and Ire

Nyah

                The carcass's had gone cold by the time we left the forest, my shoulders were aching with every step, the hinds banged against my sore legs which didn't help matters. My sight had narrowed until all I could focus on was the next step else I would collapse with hunger and exhaustion. I vaguely heard my sisters voices flitting out towards me from our cabin door. I sighed heavily as Feyre opened it, she banged her boots off as I leaned my head against the ward markings carved into the wood, one of the few things our Father had done for us since we moved and Mother had died. I jerked my head for Feyre to go in first and my eyes burned at the sudden harsh light of the fire, chasing the shadows from the forest away. Elaine gasped at the sight of the meat, her golden brown hair my sisters all had shone in the orange hue of the fire.

                 "Where did you get that?" she rushed over to see, not to help of course, sometimes I wondered if her only personality trait was painting. But that was just the hunger talking I made myself think and shoved it down and locked it in the little box I called "Grievances" most of them where against other people but each of my family members had a small stack of notecards bundled in there.

                "Where do you think we got it from" Feyre's tired voice snapped from in front of me. I dropped the hinds and put an arm around her, felt her tense anger as she viewed the small pile of wood beside the fireplace. I sensed our Father hobble into the room and thank us for finding food but both of us refused to respond. I loved my Father but had lost all respect for him the moment he allowed 14-year-old Feyre to follow me into the dense forest. She told no one in particular about what we had to do to stretch the meat for as long as possible. I grabbed the axe laying beside the door. Nesta scrunched her nose up, the sharp but small one a twin to my own.

                "You both smell like a pigpen" she snapped.

               "And I'm sure you would much rather starve than get your hands dirty my dear sister," I snipped back with as much energy as I could muster as I stormed out the door. Let Feyre deal with them, I would save her the burden of chopping wood. Goodness knows I could handle it better than her and she needed a break. Her small form wasn't as suited to labour as mine was. I was taller than the three of them, making eye level of many men in the village and easily above most women. A small point of pride for when it came to bartering with them, it had irked me when I was younger, my legs were always in the way and I was mocked for it among the dainty women of stature. I had grown to appreciate it over the last few years though, it came in handy when survival was all that mattered. Shadows seemed to curl around the woodpile and I smiled, although I knew they were merely spots of darkness in the absence of light but I had taken comfort in them since I was young. After I had chopped a sizeable pile, arms burning but temper eased, Feyre came stalking out.

                 "Nesta intends to marry Tomas Mandray" I merely grunted and sat heavily down, spots clouding my vision. Nesta had told me the other day while we were getting dressed for the day and I had made my displeasure known. She hadn't taken it well, as I'd expected, but knew where I was coming from even though she would never admit it. She was softer with me than Feyre, although not as gentle as she was with Elain. I only had the fact that we were twins to thank for that. I carried the wood to a nearby hidden tree and stacked it neatly there, obscuring it from sight. Snow covered the other piles I had gathered there over the weeks in case I wasn't able to get home and wood was needed. Feyre knew where it was. I could never shake the feeling that something might happen to me and they would be left alone, the wood and very little stockpiled food was all I could leave them but it would help if someone were to fall sick. She walked back in without another word, we had both needed to blow some steam and her spat with Nesta was her way of doing it. I preferred to take it out by some sort of physical activity, my words seemed to be too sharp and hit too close to home when I was angry. I followed soon after and snuck into the large iron bed we all shared, basking in the warmth they provided.

As the sun came up we were all bundled up and making the walk into the marketplace. I followed behind, I had always been uneasy about someone walking too close beside or behind me so I usually fell a couple steps behind to keep an eye on things. It also got me out of talking to people, tact had never been my strong point. A pale robe caught my eye and I rolled my eyes as a young pale robed person stepped into the path.

                 "May the immortal light shine upon thee, Sisters. Have you a moment to spare for the word of the blessed? It would only take a moment." Nesta's back straightened as she stepped closer to the girl, her eyes practically spitting fire.

               "Go spew your nonsense elsewhere girl, you'll find no one here stupid enough to thank the High Fae for enslaving our kind. Now run along and go preach in another town." I noticed the villagers gathering and stalked forward, pushing the young girl out of the way and heard my sisters follow suite. Feyre snagged my arm and pulled me towards a mercenary, our most likely buyer for the wolf hide.

                 "Perhaps this woman can help us Nyah," she whispered. I raised an eyebrow and met the mercenaries piercing gaze

                "I believe you are correct."