Page 25 of A Kingdom of Lies
“Ah, I see. This was all some grand plan to get our attention, was it?”
I nodded, knowing the speaker could see me. “Yes.”
I wasn’t going to fight. It would have been pointless, and that was never part of my plan. Nor was Althea and Gyah being here when the inevitable happened.
The chains above Gyah and the bolt in Althea’s thigh suppressed their powers. One wrong move from me and I would be in the same situation.
Iron. Each of the Hunters was armed with it. I would be next if I was not careful.
“As I am sure you are not surprised to hear, you are in no position to make demands.” The speaker finally stepped forward, separating from the wall of Hunters.
A man, dressed in the same black tunic and trousers as those behind him. The only difference was the cloak he wore. Even in the dark street I could see the shimmer of red silk beneath the cloak and the small, white hand mark embroidered across his chest. “However, I’m intrigued to hear what you wish to say to the Hand. Usually the fey run from the mention of him, not towards him. Go on, spit it out before I bury a bolt in your head.”
“I’m merely accepting his invitation–”
The Hunter snatched a crossbow from another near him and raised it towards me as he stalked forward, making me flinch. Physically angered by my comment, the Hunter didn’t stop until he was a foot in front of me, our boots touching and the sharp tip of a bolt tickling the skin between my eyes.
“Cuff the others!”
Twin emerald eyes hardly blinked as he shouted the command to those behind him. Eyes I recognised, the bright green so poignant even in the dark. I could hardly risk a breath as I listened to the footfalls around us. If I dared look away from the Hunter, I was fearful the bolt would find itself buried within my head before I even had the chance to get what I required.
All I could do was look at him, wide-eyed, as he watched me.
“Hello, again,” he said, confirming what my inner anxiety suggested. We had met one another. “It’s not every day you get to capture the same fey, in the same place, again. What a pleasant surprise.”
I took him in, his features caught in the glow of the tavern behind me.
The Hunter’s dark brown hair hung above his shoulders. The lack of distance helped me discern the colour, hidden strands of honey among deep russet. He was tall – enough that I had to lift my chin to keep a hold of his stare – but not so tall that I’d get a crick in my neck after a while. Beside the snarl etched into his face, and the creasing crow’s feet beside his hate-filled eyes, the main feature that stood out was carved beneath his eye, a scar that ran from its outer corner down to his cheek, as though a tear had left a mark that could never be removed.
“You,” I said, knowing this was the same man that James Campbell had run me out my house to crash into.
His bright eyes narrowed. “You. How does it feel now that you have the attention you have clearly desired? Never have I met a fey with a death wish quite like you.”
I wouldn’t allow myself to blink. I wouldn’t miss a sudden move from the stranger.
“There are not exactly clear instructions on finding yourkind,” I muttered, heart thundering in my chest. It was so loud I was certain the Hunter could hear it. “I figured you would find me. Save me a job.”
“And find you we did,” the Hunter whispered, eyes narrowed as he regarded me. “Why do you not fight?”
“What good would that do?” I replied, trying to keep myself still.
“For you,” he breathed, a faint smile creasing his face. “No good at all. For me… it would make my evening one to remember. It’s the excuse I need to see the life drain from your eyes when this iron pierces your skull.”
He was telling the truth. I could almost sense his tension as his finger hovered above the crossbow’s trigger.
“What’s stopping you?” I asked quietly, breath fogging before me, magic begging to rise in protection.
I squashed it down, knowing every single move had to be careful.
The silence that followed allowed me to catch the string of pungent swears from Gyah as she tried to fight against those who must have rallied around her. What unnerved me most was the silence from Althea.
“I wouldn’t be able to answer that,” the Hunter snarled, pressing the sharp bolt into my forehead. I gritted my teeth against the prick of iron into my flesh. “If I had it my way, this conversation would not be happening. But alas, there is someone watching out for you.”
I couldn’t help the audible sigh of relief when the crossbow lowered. The bolt tip had cut my skin, deep enough to draw blood that dribbled into my line of sight, but shallow enough to begin knitting together.
“The Hand?” I asked, keeping my hands fisted at my sides.
“His hospitality might waver when he learns of the body you have left, shattered into bloodied pieces, in the tavern behind you.”
