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The rumble snapped Fauna’s attention ― horse hooves pounding into hardened earth. She cautiously peered down from her cave; a cliffside hideaway perched more than ten meters above the forest floor. A golden misty glow surrounded four horsemen who came to a halt directly below. Three had crossbows at the ready while the fourth lit their path with an oil lamp. The steeds, clad in royal garb, stamped and reared nervously in place as if they sensed evil amongst them. Steam fired from their flared nostrils like dragon’s breath. “The daemon is out here somewhere,” the lantern-holder bellowed to his men. “We shan’t return to the King without its vile head.” With a jab of their heels, the hunters thundered further into the wood. She watched until their fading shaky light was swallowed by the night.Fauna eased away from the opening, pressing her back into the cold damp granite. A sense of security uncoiled the silenced air she was holding in her lungs. Her heart felt strong and steady, but rage pumped through her veins. Heated blood radiated the faerie-wings on her back with a low pulsating iridescence. ‘Daemon’ echoed in her ear.Fae were long thought to be magical creatures, and magic brewed fear among the ignorant who sought blame for plague and famine, death and pestilence. Fear begot violence and violence brought unrelenting war ― mortal versus fae.The plan when Petra had freed Fauna from her cage was to make it to the cave. Which she had; successfully avoiding the tower guards and their threat of arrows. He would rendezvous with her soon.Fauna curled deeper into the cavern wrapping her wings around her body for warmth. Her consciousness ebbed on the edge of slumber. Both hands clutched the golden crown to her chest.She had been captured by the King’s men during a foolish bid which she hoped might rouse her downtrodden army. The mortals had secured an upper hand in the war and were pushing deeper into the forest; fae territory.In an attempt to rejuvenate the courage of her fighters, Fauna had snuck past the mortal’s front line. She flew to their village on a moonless night to steal the King’s crown. If she could bring it back to her men, it would surely revive their spirit, show them that the mortals were not invincible. But Fauna was blinded by her brazen enthusiasm and flew straight into a snare after snatching the royal jewels.She was immediately condemned to a fiery death. Her wings would be clipped and delivered to the village healer to be ground into a paste for their mythical curative powers. While Fauna awaited her fate, she was caged and brought down into the dank dungeon buried deep below Ankara escort the castle. Whispers of spirits echoed off the cold stone walls to flood her ears with haunting breaths. So many lives lost, agonizing deaths at the hands of those who sought power. She listened to their laments. A man’s voice chased the ghostly murmurs back into the shadows. “Why do you not weep?” he asked, spinning the suspended cage only big enough for its occupant to crouch. His tone was not condescending, he seemed genuinely taken by Fauna’s fearless mettle.Fauna didn’t answer. She glared, wings glowing. She’d rip out his throat if only she could only jimmy the lock.“You are quite impressive,” he continued. “No one has ever breached our defenses and reached the King’s chamber before. You’d have gotten away with it if you weren’t so audacious.”His flattery washed over her in the same fashion that a duck’s back repels water, but she knew he was right about her lack of focus. The instant she had held the crown ― felt the power hidden within its girth ― she’d imprudently considered it a victory. Visions of her troops roaring praise in her honor had blinded her to the rudimentary snare set to catch flying fae. As if being caught wasn’t bad enough, having been snagged like a bat flitting from a belfry was demeaning.“Fuck you, mortal swine.”“I’m not your enemy here, just assigned to make sure you don’t escape.” He flashed a devious smile in the low flicker of the dungeon’s torchlight. “My name is Petra. Apprentice to the Royal Order of Kingsmen. Once I have been fully trained in the arts of battle and security, I will be assigned to stand by King Geoffrey’s side.” Pride beamed in each word. “And you might be?” “Stuck in this fucking over-sized birdcage.” She rattled the bars and twisted against them to spin away from him.They appeared to be similar in age, by looks. But fae grew at a much slower rate than mortals so where Petra appeared to be twenty-five, Fauna was ten times that in years.“I admire you. You don’t seem like the others,” he said.“Others?!” she spat.“Sorry.” He shifted to stand in front of her. “That was crass,” he looked to the floor then back up to Fauna and corrected himself. “You don’t seem like the rest of your people. I have seen so many caught, caged, tortur–” He paused with his head lowered, then moved to take a seat on a stool; his sword lay to the side.“The King intends the same for you. He is hell-bent on finding your village in the forest.”“Generations of you simpletons have searched, still you are unable to find us. I shall not relinquish even the slightest trace Ankara escort bayan of a clue.” She took a breath, then spoke calmly. “No matter the pain you think you can inflict upon me.”She sat and pulled her knees to her chest, wings dimmed and tucked flat against her back.“I don’t believe in it… the torture,” he said. “Seems like senseless violence to me. All of this does. But who am I but a lowly guardsman. I’d be in the cage next to you if I spoke my true voice.”It was hard to read his face in the low light but once again his tone seemed sincere. Still, Fauna proceeded with caution for fear of it being another trap.“You could free me.”“They’d hang me without even holding a trial,” he scoffed.“You can say I overpowered you. Used my magic to put you under my spell.”“Can you? Use magic?” He was leaning forward now, forthright in his curiosity.She studied him. He was weak, by warrior’s standards. Not physically. Physically, he was well-toned and muscular. By her judgment, he stood at least chest-high to a horse’s mount, broad shoulders and chiseled jaw. But mentally he was like a sieve, candidly revealing empathy. It was most likely his youth and inexperience. Her immediate assessment, however, was that Petra was not resourceful enough for him to be conniving a trap.“Free me and I will show you,” she sneered.Fauna was battle-tested. She had seen and done things that would give Petra night terrors. Life for her was a means of survival from the constant threat of mortal tyranny. Her pugnacious bloodthirst was born from necessity; a desideratum to eliminate the humans. And she did know magic. “I may be young and foolish,” he replied, “but I am no fool. Tell me your name, earn my trust.”Weakness. She pounced.“I am Fauna, daughter to Finn and Gislle Caspian. Once commissioned to watch over the mortal Princess Rose, generations before you were even born and long before humans sought to eradicate my people.”“The start of the war…” he murmured to himself. He immediately stood, steadfast as if suddenly realizing he was in the presence of more than just a mischievous thief.“I’ve only ever heard of the tale of Princess Rose as spoken by my grandmother. Bedtime stories used to weigh down children’s lids. Legends told of evil spells and magic, later driven into the minds of adolescents to further the hatred, the fear.” He was stepping towards her now.She watched him closely. Silent.“Halfheartedly, I wanted to believe that they were not real, but―” his voice cut, she sensed conflict in his face. “How? How could your people be so…ruthless?”She wanted to spit at him. Propaganda. Escort Ankara The heat of her wings once again warmed against her back.Fauna’s mind was always working, formulating, strategizing, scheming. Petra was not the head of the snake, merely a key and steel bars still held her from her ultimate mission. His knowledge could prove useful. She breathed deep and adjusted her tone, like a mother consoling an injured child.“Rose was my friend.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “For years, fae worked and dwelled alongside man. Our villages were one. No war, no violence. But a horrible plague swept the land and only the mortals were dying, so we were to blame.” She paused and looked into his eyes before continuing.“The Princess fought for our honor, but she was silenced by the masses and fae were cast out to live amongst the forest beasts. When the death of humans didn’t stop, a decree was set forth and hunters soon flooded the woods. We had no choice.” She paused and narrowed her eyes. “You see, Petra, being brutalized by loss for so long eventually makes one brutal in return.”He swiftly grabbed a torch from its wall mount and came closer to her.“Do you still want to see magic?” she asked him.Petra stood frozen, unsure.“Come. Press your lips to mine. I will show you.” Exasperation was woven in her tone. “What are you afraid of, young guardsman?” She looked at him, waited for his stare to meet hers then set the hook. “This is your chance. This is where you become part of the fable!” He stepped to the cage as if in a trance, torch raised between their faces. An admiration bordering on lust glowed in his pale-blue eyes. She knew it was more than a craving for the flesh, it was also his thirst for affirmation.Fauna pressed her face to the bars. Petra leaned forward. Their lips pulled together like two magnets, connected. She instantly seized his mind, filled it with imagery. Flashes of Princess Rose laughing and chasing butterflies in a field with a slightly younger-looking Fauna. Faeries floating around an orchard of vibrantly green trees, plucking bright red apples, and tossing them down to maidens who gathered them into bushel baskets.Unbeknownst to him ― while their fervent tongues swirled and Fauna directed the reverie in his head ― she was pulling from his subconscious.Behind her lids, she saw a room and a table strewn with what looked like game pieces. The King and three of his men were plotting. The vision she was seeing was Petra’s as he guarded their side. She could not hear their words, but the rudimentary map clearly showed that they were on a course to find her village.She broke the kiss with a jolt, dropping the torch from his grip and sending it clamoring onto the cobblestone floor. She needed out. Now. She calmed her raging heart and spoke.“Do you see?” she asked breathlessly. “How life once was?”“Yes. Yes.” He spun away, running a hand through his flaxen hair.
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