|[ THE FAERI'S KEEPER ]|

Chapter 5: Promises - Part I

The previous night…

I felt the rope tighten around my neck, scratching my skin. I wanted to lift up and remove it but my hands were tied behind my back people were shouting nearby, though I couldn’t tell if they were cheering or angry. I gulped, my hands shaking; trembling.  My legs felt like they were about to give out underneath me. My stomach felt like it was forcing its way up my throat. Darkness was spinning around me… my tongue had swollen to twice its side… I couldn’t breathe… couldn’t breathe… I was going to die…. I was going to die… die, die, die…

I could see the Red Man, his hand outstretched towards me. Oh, Mīla save me, I prayed. His fingers were claws, inches away from gouging out my eyes. Eyes, like black marbles stared at me with a cold hunger… I was going to die… die, die, die…

There was a sharp tap above my head. I jolted awake, feeling cold sweat cling to my skin. I wiped it away with the back of my sleeve, my breathing shuddery and uneven. I could still feel the rope around my neck, tight and threatening. I sighed, letting out a long breath. I was shivering, the cold of the dungeon crawling along my skin, sending my hair on end. The sharp tap sounded again, making me jump. My eyes leapt up, trying to find the source of the noise. I could see the end of a shiny beak, and a second later a bundle of black feathers hopped into full view. The bird from the forest looked down at me with its bright blue eyes. In its beak was a ring with keys. As it hopped again, tail wiggling, the rings tapped against the bars of the grate again.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, standing up. The other prisoners looked up at me, none of them looking like they had slept. Their eyes were wide and surprised as they glanced up at the bird in time to see it release the keys. They fell into my hands with a quiet chink. A moment later it hopped away out of sight, disappearing into the rain that still fell down. I turned around and grinned at all of the prisoners. The dark smudges under their eyes almost faded away completely, eyes bright with excitement.

“My word,” a young man cried, “Mila has answered our prayers! She has saved us all.” The others echoed her, offering words the goddess.

“Who wants to get out of here?” I asked. They all chuckled and moved to the doors of their cells. As the atmosphere grew they began to talk louder. Raising my hands up for attention I motioned for quiet. It would do us no good if they were to attract the attention of any guards hanging around. I unlocked my own door after searching for the correct key out of five. I finally found it to be the last key – typical – and I walked around unlocking everyone else’s doors. They all thanked me

We all started running to the entrance to the prison. No guards were to be found throughout the building. What good luck that was, I thought. Or maybe it was just negligence. Perhaps the Faeris were so relaxed with their security because they thought us ‘feeble-minded humans’ too pathetic to escape. The thought filled me with both outrage and smugness. They may have thought that… but we were proving it wrong.

Back out on the streets it was raining heavily. I laughed and looked up at the sky. Around me the other prisoners scattered into the night and disappeared down alleys and streets. I started running past closed shops and stalls. I didn’t wipe away the rain as it dripped down my face, and over my chin, pooling in the hollows of my collar bones. As the shirt was pulled dripping wet against my body I could see the fine lines of my ribs. I averted my gaze, focusing only on running.

Though I was free I still felt sad and there was a small bubble of despair inside me. I no longer had my bow, a weapon which had served me for twelve years, and my armour was back with the Faeris. I felt like I had that horrible night when my family was torn from me. I felt vulnerable. I clenched my jaw. I would be brave. I needed to get out of town before the Faeris returned and started searching for us. I needed to go back home where I would be safe. I needed to run. I put on a burst of speed, enjoying the adrenaline rushing through my body, the feeling of all my muscles working in sync, of the burn that I knew would build inside them. Overhead there was a caw and I saw the bird fly past me. I followed it, hurrying down the street.