Shadows in the Trees: Book 1

Chapter 50

Her father.

This creature was her father.

Which meant . . .

She looked at Malik. Her stomach sank like a stone when she saw his face.

Fear. Disgust. Horror. Things that had never played across his features when he looked at her.

Malik had been one of the only people in Ludovic who didn't treat her and her mother like scum. One of the only people who didn't look at them exactly the way he was right now.

But she could hardly blame him. She was a creature herself. Even worse, a halfling. Though she didn't know much about halflings, anytime they appeared in Jentsi stories they never had a favorable ending.

She felt the last of the dream of what their life could be together slip away. She thought perhaps Malik could look past her strange appearance, accept her origins. But he would never accept her now. Not knowing what she was.

"Take the boy," Hadrian said, his voice sounding far away to her. "Bring the girl to my hut."

Before she could process what was happening, two more Fae came and seized Malik's arms, dragging him away from her. His screams shook her from her stupor.

"No!" she cried, running after him. Before she could take a step, crushing grips encircled her arms.

She screamed, she thrashed, but nothing loosened their hold. She was only vaguely aware of passing small huts. Eventually, she was unceremoniously tossed into one.

She leapt to her feet and sprinted at the doorway, which was covered only with a hide. Before she could feel the hide against her fingers something threw her back, knocking her into a heap in the dirt. She lay there for a moment, searching for the air that had been knocked from her lungs.

Once she had calmed herself, she slowly crept to the doorway. Just when she was about to touch it, there was a faint hum and a blue glow that rippled over it. She tapped it and the ripples spread across the walls and ceiling before fading away.

Despite her situation a smile bloomed across her face. She tapped the barrier again, delighted by the beautiful magic.

The magic that trapped her here.

Her smile fell and she stepped away from the door. She turned to look at her surroundings. The hut was cozier than the mud walls, dirt floor, and thatched roof suggested. The furnishings were sparse, with only a pile of furs to serve as a bed and a few chairs carved from wood next to a trunk in the corner, but a cheerful fire crackled in a stone hearth built into the right wall. She dragged one of the chairs in front of the fire and sat down to warm her hands. Though the forest wasn't particularly cold, her beautiful dress was dirty and tattered from weeks of travel and it did little to keep her comfortable. The warmth of the fire was soothing, and she liked to watch the flames dance on the logs. It reminded her of her home, and nights with her mother cooking over a fire while they traveled.

There was a faint whoosh of air behind her. She whirled to see Hadrian, now in a tunic and pants, storming through the doorway. The blue lights flickered across the walls to announce his entrance.

"Good, you have already made yourself comfortable," he said.

She flushed, but couldn't find the courage to move or speak. What could she possibly say to this man that claimed to be her father?

She studied him as he pulled a chair to the fire and sat down. His hair was pale, nearly white, and stick-straight, just like hers. She had never seen another person with hair quite like hers, even far north. His eyes were that strange, feral gold, and his skin was tan and unblemished. This didn't surprise her -- she always knew her freckled skin and dark eyes were her mother's.