Twisted Fate

Chapter One: Fire and Teeth

I coughed violently.
Smoke burning my lungs and trying to suffocate me as I kicked through the side panel of my hut.
The shouting of drunken villagers had woken me up.
The sound of breaking glass and fire had made me move.
I stuffed my hastily filled bag out the hole I'd made, pulling myself out into the snow.
I waited half a second, looking around to see if any of the men had circled around.
It was clear.
I ran for the thicket of trees, though stripped bare from the hard winter, the thick trunks would provide my body enough cover from arrows.
Shouting echoed behind me, jeers and arguing after the sound of my door being broken in.
I had mere seconds before they'd seen I'd escaped.
Shouldn't have gone to the main city. I growled at myself as I ran.
It had been my last resort. The winter had driven wildlife and foraging to near impossible lengths without venturing into Fae territory.
Even a Half-Fae like me knew that was a dumb idea to hunt there, let alone for a human.
I'd taken the last scraps of pelts I'd had and travelled the half days journey to the main city.
It was almost as dangerous as it was to rummage around in Fae territory, but I thought I was careful.
I'd worm my hood up and my raven hair down, to cover my pointed ears.
I only stopped at necessary stores after making my trade.
I'd obviously made a mistake somewhere.
My mother, a human, had raised me for half of my life. Teaching me to be thankful for my Fae side, but understanding of Humans fear of the full blooded ones that lived across the river in Lyaria.
To Humans, Half of something, was still too much.
So I'd survived by hiding after my mother had perished from pneumonia.
Mostly learning to farm basic crops and forage or hunt for the rest.
I had kept trade with humans to a minimum, dealing mostly with travelling sellers, but winter had stopped alot coming my way.
A slick of mud pulled me out of my seething.
I slid, hitting the ground hard and bit my tongue.
I could hear them catching up, looking over my shoulder I could see the fire-lit torches closing in.
I slipped again trying to get up, my face pummeling into the dirt before I finally got into a run again, growling.
I stashed enough food in my bag for a few days, the clothes I wore were winter suitable as long as a storm didn't hit.
I had a dagger and some rope.
Glancing around, other than trees and large rocks, the land was barren of resources.
I peeked the swirled blue stone and the sound of the river.
Without a second thought, I turned towards it.
Heading for the Lyaria boarder.
They'd be suicidal to follow me.
An arrow whizzed past me, slicing through my jacket and barely missing my skin.
My legs ached as I tried to push them faster, aiming for the short bridge, trying to weave only to step into an arrows line of fire and it pierced my calf.
I screamed as I dove at the bridge, landing hard and rolling. The arrow snapped on the impact.
I rolled, reaching for it with numb fingers to try rip it out.
Yells of cheering and anger filled my ears.
Tears blurred my vision as my hand slipped on the arrow.
I refuse to die like this! I screamed within myself, finally getting a hold on the arrow and yanked it out.
I screamed again, throwing the arrow and trying to stand.
The voices were very close.
I stumbled, falling again and another arrow hit me, this one piercing my shoulder and hitting bone.
The sound of a wolf howling broke the noises, the men behind me falling quiet as they listened, as I did.
Another howl echoed in the distance.
The sounds deeper and more violent than an normal wolf call.
I leaned up, seeing the men behind me grouped together.
Some held torches, flickering yellow light across all their faces.
Others held weapons. Pieces of broken wood, bow and arrows, a sword or two, a rope tied into a noose.
The man with the bow stepped forward, aiming it at me.
I recognised him from the city.
"Get back here." He snarled at me.
I swallowed hard, fighting between the slow death of him peppering with me arrows as I attempted to flee.
Or the slow death of hanging and being burnt to death.
I turned away from him, trying to crawl.
He loosed another arrow, spearing me in the back just under he shoulder blade.
I grunted, forcing myself another inch further.
The forest on the other side, lined with glowing blue stones, was beautiful.
Untouched by the harshness of winter.
The first of Five Courts.
The Beast Court.
Forests and full bushes formed a wall past the bridge, rustling with creature roaming.
I froze, seeing the large grey and white form peer out of one of the bushes.
A wolf.
Black eyes watched me.
Panting, blood covered and wounded.
Its eyes flicked to the Humans who lingered nervously on the other side, waiting for my death.
It snarled when another arrow spearing my leg caused me to scream.
Don't! I wanted to tell it.
I could see the way it watched us, the way it moved.
It was no mere wolf.
It was a Fae Sentry.
The Beast Courts guard disguised as predators.
It stepped from its hiding, revealing itself to the Humans.
I moaned weakly, trying to tell it to leave.
If these men were fine with hunting me down, I doubted they'd hesitate to murder a Fae.
It watched the Humans as it stepped to the end of the bridge, watching them over my body.
I saw two more flank it, larger and darker in colour, they snarled at the Humans.
The grey wolf before me changed.
Surrounded by a cloud of black smoke for a moment before a man in golden armour straightened, brandishing a long sword.
He wore no helmet revealing the stern face. Copper hair, tanned skin and russet eyes, he bore a scar under his right eye, a burn of some kind that made hauntingly handsome.
The peaked ears of a Fae.
A golden circlet with a blue gem across his forehead signified him as a Spring Court Captain.
The men behind me coward a step back, the archers hold on his bow wavering.
"If you wish to kill a Human," the golden Captain sighed, examining his nails in boredom. "Do it on your own territory." He tilted his head at them, a look of steel making even me wince and duck my eye and see the reaction behind me.
The archer scoffed, raising his bow at me, another arrow ready.
I forced myself to my feet, pulling my hood back gingerly with the arrow still in my shoulder.
The Captain and the wolves looked at me, their eyes darting to my ears.
"I'd agree, if I was Human. I wanted to see how dumb they were." I spat a wad of blood into the river that flowed beneath.
If it wasn't so deep and ran fast, I'd consider jumping into it.
But now these stupid Fae were here, I had to change my plans.
"Thought I'd make it challenging for them." I turned to the Humans. "Guess our games over." They sneered at me in disgust.
If we stayed around too long, the archer would get trigger happy.
He'd aim wildly, not caring which Fae he hit.
If he hit one of the guards, unprovoked, it would cause a total annihilation of the town he came from, by order of the Accords between Human and Fae.
As much as I hated these men, their families didn't deserve to suffer.
"Come on, boys. Let's pay Hunt the Half-Fae somewhere else." I felt the incredulous eyes on me, both Human and Fae.
I took a limped stepped towards the men, the archer raising his bow to my chest, unsure.
I raised my hands slightly, smiling through mud and blood.
I could feel the damage of the arrows taking their toll. Blood soaked my clothing, numbness was starting in my hands and feet.
I didn't have long.
"Got to give a girl points for trying. Let's leave these nice Fae to their night." I stepped deliberately in the archers line of fire of the Fae guards.
The Captain seemed to notice what I was doing.
"What business do you have with her?" I turned my head to see he was asking the group ahead of me.
I scoffed, receiving a scowl from the Fae.
None of them answered.
He took a step onto the bridge, his armour clicking.
"If you have no business with her, leave." The order was thick and demanding, backed by the snarls of the enormous wolves that fell into step behind him in warning.
Stupid noblemen! I gritted my teeth.
One of the men carrying a torch stepped forward to grab me.
The Captain snarled viciously at him, the sound of an animal.
We all turned to look at him, fear and surprise at the noise.
"You will leave the girl." He said through teeth.
My eyes widened and my head started to shake.
The archer stepped away from me, setting his bow on the Captain.
"Why does a half-breed matter to you? No one's ever claimed her. Whore lived in a dirt shack!" He snapped, venom in his words. "Tinderbox went up within seconds, not quite fitting for a cared about cunt." The Captain raised his chin, seeming to look through the forest, as if he could see the smoke clouds still billowing from the wreckage of my house.
His lip twisted in a sneer and he stepped forward.
The archer reacted, releasing his arrow.
I moved quickly and screamed "Stupid Human!" throwing myself in the arrows path before it struck the Fae.
He caught me as I fell, the arrow burying deep into my chest.
The wolves behind him launched overhead and attacked.
I coughed, blood welling and splattering across my face. The Captain cradled me, his brows pulled in concern.
"Why?" He whispered.
"Better me than you." I laughed, blood choking me again. The sound of flesh tearing and gargled screams came in a sudden wave before being crushed with absolute silence.
Only the sound of my gargled breathing filled the air.
The Captain rose, picking me up and turning towards Lyaria.
"Least my funeral will be pretty." I mused, a weak smile on my lips as my body went cold.
The Captain gave a scoffed laugh.
"You're very odd." Then darkness took me and I was sure I was dying.