A white haired man came up to us. He looked to be in his early twenties but for faerie I can never be sure.
He was smiling like we were having a friendly chat. That alone creeped me out and annoyed me since I was already in a bad mood. I wanted to knock his pearly white teeth out.
He squatted down and looked at me while I held my breath.
He held a handful of my hair and looked at my skin like I was some sort of odd creature he had found in the woods.
I was getting agitated and exhaled loudly.
He finally spoke, a slight lisp in his voice.
"Dark green hair and eyes. What an interesting combination. The color of Cypris that we all despise."
I opened my mouth to tell him off but he saw a glimpse of my teeth and interrupted me.
"You appear to be either a shifter or dryad but dryads have this specific sort of scent but you smell of cinnamon and bay leaves."
Even more creepy.
I tugged on my shackles to get his attention.
"Why did you bring us here?" I demanded gritting my teeth startling him from his trance.
"Simple. I was on a hunt for a shifter and you two happened to be in the area. I brought the mortal since she would squeal and by her feisty attitude she'd be a good one for the clients."
I fought the urge to punch him. She looked my age, fifteen or younger. My stomach clenched at the wrongness of it. I would strangle him if my arms weren't shackled.
" I was considering putting you as one as well. Shifters always bring in lots of desperate people."
"Oh yeah..." I muttered and headbutted him so hard my own head felt like my skull was split open.
My attack barely seemed to impact him and in response he stood up and kicked me in my stomach which made me curl up in agony. What a waste of effort.
I was almost unconscious again when I heard him give orders to someone who responded very timidly.
When I woke up again, my head was in the lap of a girl whose white hair was cut like a boy's.
"Can you help us ma'am?" I asked in a last ditch effort.
The girl hesitated but then said " I am but a mere servant."
I managed to nod but started weeping
silently at my own foolishness, i couldn't hold them back, and it was embarrassing to cry infront of this pretty stranger.
I had escaped one prison to end up in another, this time I was being held captive by pure bad luck.
At the moment I hated everything although it would make no sense afterwards.
By the time I was finished, my eyes hurt but I was feeling a bit better.
Feeling numb was better than feeling anything at all.
"You can refer to me as they or them."
"What's your name?" I asked quietly wiping my face with the cloth they'd brought thinking of how I must've ruined their skirt.
"Rowan." They replied softly.
"Can I ask what's yours?"
"It's Ginerva." I said sitting up.
"You have pretty eyes." I say looking at the ethereal blue of their eyes, distracting myself from crying again.
For a moment they blushed and managed to say.
"You're eyes are very pretty too."
When my head had cleared up, I was amused by how much I had babbled.
Sleeping gas does have weird effects.
I asked Rowan if there was any way I could get out of here.
"I've tried." Rowan replied, lifting the hem of their gray shirt and revealing a long scar on their back.
I could recognize the distinct mark of a whiplash.
It seemed suspicious that Rowan trusted me at first sight but I was reassured since faerie couldn't lie.
It occurred to me that they must have tended to the girl I had come here with. I asked why she had been knocked unconscious.
"Oh you mean Manon?"
I nodded. So that was her name. How rude of me not to ask earlier.
" I was watching from the door as a punishment." They say, hands fiddling with their long skirt nervously. "He was trying to make her know her place as a mortal. She was not allowed to talk back."
He's an imbecile.
I clenched my hands and the chains shook.
"If I make it out of here. I'm taking you with me."
Rowan smiled and said hopefully.
"If you do find a way. I've always wanted to go to the Oharan Academy."
Every mutant and faerie alike dreams to be there. I could see why. Amara wouldn't stop gushing about it when she'd gotten in.
Thinking of my older sister hurt. She'd regret telling me to run away if she knew where I was right now.
"I promise that I’ll get us out of here.” I said accepting whatever price was to come if I didn’t fulfill that promise.
Rowan nods, hopeful that I could actually do it. They stared ominously about before they spoke, their voice full of emotion.
“There was a boy who said that he’d escape and actually did, even when they cut his wings so he couldn’t fly. He was Unseelie just like I am. So when I heard he’d escaped I got the courage to try it myself.”
Whoever that boy was, I was in awe of his bravery. Rowan also said that he was also an annoying brat and a flirt which made me smile regardless of what was awaiting us in the future.
While we were talking Manon stirred. “Man that hurt.” she said rubbing her face drearily then startled when she saw that it was healed.
“Power of yours?” I asked Rowan. She looked guilty and told me that I had coughed up blood and she had used it. I wasn’t proud of being a walking healing elixir.
“Better than wasting it I guess.” I said, deadpan.
They looked surprised at my reply. “So you’re not mad?” Rowan asked. I nodded, if it saved her life then so be it.
Rowan’s pointed ears twitched and at the same time I heard a voice call their name.
“Forgive me but I have to go.” they said and I nodded again watching the door and my ears screamed as it slammed behind us.
Manon was looking around just like I was.
“Forget it, we’ll never escape unless we get through that door.” I said disappointed.
“That son of a bitch!” she yelled and I thought that someone would come to silence her again.
“Shut it.” I said “Or would you like to be beaten to a pulp again?”
She shook her head.
“Good.” I replied curtly. “Now it’s very likely that Rowan’s ‘master’ doesn’t trust her enough to tend to us all the time and may switch servants soon.”
After all, he wouldn’t give us a potential ally to scheme with and one that had tried to escape before. He was just going to get our hopes up and then shatter them, perhaps killing Rowan in the process.
Manon nodded. “It might happen. Beats me how you manage to think straight after being overdosed on gas.”
“Tsk. If I were a normal mutant I’d be even hazier than I was before.” I replied with a grin tucking my hair behind my ear.
Manon winced then sighed and blew a strand of hair from her face.
My stomach started growling right then.
“I wonder when we’ll get some food.” I told her.
She leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling. “Probably soon.” replied Manon cracking her fingers through the loose rope.
Right… wouldn’t want their shifter to become weak. I thought spitefully.
∆
I was right for the most part.
Manon’s ropes were unbound and we were moved to another room where it looked decent to stay in apart from the crevices in the walls and the bare wood floors that let in drafts of cold air.
Food was delivered on two separate trays as well as clean clothes with a note from Rowan.
‘I have been assigned other duties but will be looking forward to seeing you very SOON.’
We read the note and I felt relieved that they weren’t out of our equation as yet. Soon meant that they might sneak in and help us plan our escape or it could be some trap sent by that faerie.
I’d read in many books that whenever a character is kidnapped they are housed poorly and given little scraps or no food at all.
This was not the case in our situation.
Faerie were eccentric to the point it was terrifying. I couldn’t see well through glamour but if I squinted I could make out if the food was actually dry leaves and earthworms instead of the loaves of bread and water.
We ate until we were satisfied and in the new room, I could see that it was already dusk through the metal bars of the window.
I could’ve escaped right then and there but the promise I made to Rowan kept me in that room. I really needed to stop overthinking.
I took a shower and shivered as cold water came drizzling down.
I put on the plain clothes that Rowan brought.
It was better than nothing, I said to myself as I dressed in a white T-shirt and knee length black skirt.
At the very most, I looked like I was going to somebody’s funeral.
Manon’s hazel eyes took a quick once-over and she replied with a smile.
“You look nice.” she said. I mumbled my thanks while she headed to the showers.
