Come Away

Chapter 15 - Caught

"You want to know what I think of my life so far?" I say, addressing nothing but the afternoon air around me as I make my way through the tall grass, looking for Darren. "I think it's been pretty sucky. Yep. Downright hellish actually."

Am I going insane right now? Maybe. I've never been one to talk to myself aloud. But I've also never been trapped in a world of terrifying fairies who either want me gone or dead.

All of them except for Cináed.

Overhearing the milkmaid girl go on about Cináed and I as if we're a thing was... confusing. And it didn't help that Cináed didn't even respond to the idea at all. He was too busy asking for more details about the King on a mortal-killing frenzy. And that's what I should be focused on too. As soon as I find Darren, we're leaving this place. We made it through the forest once. We can do it again.

Memories of the púka's eerie cry replays in my head, but it's interrupted when I notice a grove of trees at the bottom of the hill. The grass hisses as I run through it, scanning the scene for any sign of life. Fiona couldn't have led them very far, and Mino stands several feet taller than I do so he should be easy to spot. I figure that where there are trees and shrubs growing, there might be a stream like the one Fiona mentioned.

As I near the grove, a familiar buzzing tugs on my ears. Several colored lights are hovering in the trees, humming as they sway back and forth. I see an indigo colored orb like the one that spoke to me before, and I start to follow it.

Maybe this one will tell me where Darren is.

The light keeps away from me, like it's leading me further into the trees. My pant leg catches on a bramble and I struggle to get free, watching as the light fades through the branches.

"No, wait!" I call, wincing as sharp briars poke through my pants every time I kick my leg. Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but it seems like the bramble bush is three times as big now, encompassing not just my foot but my entire leg up to my thigh.

The humming grows louder and louder until all I can no longer hear my labored breathing as I use a tree to steady myself. I'm about to ditch the pants and escape in my underwear when the humming abruptly stops. A cold shiver of sweat drips down my spine and I stop tearing at my pant button as I watch the spaces between the trees. All the floating lights are gone, but something tells me I'm not alone.

"Do you wish to be set free?"

Even though I was expecting an intruder, the sudden question still makes me jump—a motion that send the briar thorns deeper into my skin. I ignore the pain, trying to see where the voice is coming from.

"Who are you?" I say. The voice is male, but it doesn't belong to Darren or Cináed, or even Mino.

"Do you wish to be set free, or shall I leave you prey to the briar patch?"

I glance down as another pang stabs my leg. The bush is now growing up my hips, and any hope of ditching my pants is now gone. I'm stuck for good.

"Yes." I say finally, not knowing what else to do. "I want to get out of this."

"I will release you from the briar patch on one condition."

I'm biting my lip now to keep myself from crying out in pain. "What?" I snap. At this point I'll be completely swallowed in sharp briars before any agreement is made.

"You must agree to help prepare the feast for a grand celebration. Once the feast is complete, you will be allowed to return to where you came from."

The pain is too much to care about his qualifications. I nod my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "Whatever, just get me out of here!"

I hear a noise like someone snapping their fingers and the briars recoil from my leg, slithering back into the small clump of twigs they were before. My pant leg is covered in pinpoints of blood spotting through the tan material. I let the air out of my lungs and rest against an ivy covered trunk. But my reprieve is short-lived as the being belonging to the voice steps out from behind a tree.