Twisted Fate

Chapter Five: City Of Mist and Mountains

Veera placed a bag beside me while I waited in the foyer for Elias and Talon, two days had past since the incident that destroyed my room.
Talon had eased everyone's worry, claiming I'd merely knocked a candle while changing.
Veera was the only one who seemed to know otherwise.
Her large eyes were worried and her ears flattened against her head as she took my hand.
"Lord Talon will take care of you," she whispered, squeezing my hand before she left for the kitchen.
I pursed my lips.
I had met with Talon and Elias last night, the power I possessed had worried them both. To have a better understanding and determine where they'd come from, we had to go West, deeper into the Beast Court territory, away from prying eyes to a cabin Elias knew of.
I wasn't sure what to expect.
The scar on my chest tingled, making me touch it absently through my riding coat. Since the first fire incident, anytime the Lord was close, the feeling would start.
"Does it hurt?" Talons soft voice asked behind me.
I still jolted at his voice, spinning to look up at him.
His golden hair was pulled away from his face, a simple white tunic and leather pants, his bracers, as always, and a thick cloak wrapped his shoulders.
He was looking down at my hand still on my chest.
I shook my head. "It tingles sometimes, when you're close." I admitted.
Talon's lip curled into a small smirk. "That is our bond." He reached up and stroked my cheek with the back on his fingers. The same tingling sensation filled me. "I feel it too."
We pulled away from each other, the sound of Cassandra bullying the staff ringing through the house.
She came from the top floor, followed by three servants. Dressed in what I could only describe as a dusty pink wedding dress, tiered and puffy with overly regal beading and lace work.
She stopped at the top of the stairs, peering down at Talon and I with annoyance she tried to hide.
"Oh," she huffed, seeing the bag beside me and Talons riding gear. "You're still going?" Her icy eyes met Talon's, a dramatic pout on her lips.
Talon straightened. "Yes." Was all he said.
Cassandra shooed the servants, making me curl my lip at her in annoyance.
She treated them like her personal slaves.
One of the servants, a young feline Faeling I knew by the name of Caitlyn, caught my eye, seeing my expression at Cassandra she covered her giggle as she passed me.
Cassandra pulled at her dress and descended the stairs, if Talon hadn't secretly brushed my hand with his, urging me to stay, I would have found somewhere else to be.
She didn't speak until she was on the step above us, seeming to enjoy looking down at me.
"And you're going?" She raised a perfectly trimmed golden brow.
"She is." Talon clipped, drawing the Priestesses attention in a look of shock.
"Well," she huffed, composing herself to a bored expression and pressed a hand to Talons chest. "I'll be waiting for you." She leaned forward, attempting to kiss him only for Talon to grab her wrist and stepped down beside me.
"I've told you not to do that." He said in a low growl, the hand on her wrist tightening and pain contorted Cassandra's face before he released her.
Trying her best to seem unbothered, she drew her injured arm in, reaching out the other two stroke Talons cheek.
"Such a Beast." She purred and then headed back up the stairs. Talon's hand brushed mine, something cold and sharp raking across my knuckle.
I looked down to see claws had taken over his hand in anger. Long and knife like, black like obsidian.
I wrapped my hand around his, gently avoiding the sharp blades. Talon jolted at my action, looking down at our hands.
He let out a heavy breath, as if he'd been holding it since Cassandra had called him a Beast.
I met his eyes, not hiding my concern.
"You're not a Beast." I whispered, squeezing his hand.
His eyes widened, as if no one had every told him any different.
I drew his hand up to my lips, pressing them against the back of a clawed knuckle until he retracted them and his finger reached out to stroke my cheek.
He lowered our hands, not releasing mine and stared down at me with a sweet expression.
We stayed like that for a moment, watching each other until Elias called our attention, waiting with our horses.

We travelled West for most of the day, stopping to water the horses and eat before we headed into the mountains.
The deeper we travelled, the more mist and fog that shrouded my vision, soon to a point I barely saw Elias's horse a head of me and couldn't even see Talon behind me.
"We're almost there!" Elias called, his horse stopping. I moved beside him, seeing him dismount.
"We have to go on foot from here." He mentioned, pulling off the bags on his horse.
Talon had joined us, already dismounted with his pack across his back and coming to help me down.
Riding had stiffened my legs and my back ached, I gripped onto Talon's forearms as I hit the ground, faltering and falling into him.
He chuckled, leaning down and placing a hand behind my shoulders and another under my knees, he picked me up and pulled me to his chest.
I squeaked in surprise. "What're you doing?"
He chuckled again, ignoring me as he started to follow Elias through the mist.
"The road is dangerous, I'd rather you not fall." He smiled, effortlessly maneuvering around fallen trees and onto a thin path that hugged a mountain cliff.
I glanced sideways, seeing the steep drop into the abyss below.
I curled into Talon's chest, tucking into his neck to ease the queasiness that over took me. I felt his suppressed laughter rumbling within as his hands tightened on me, his cheek pressing against my head.
The path stayed narrow and covered in mist I didn't see Elias once, but Talon's stride never faltered. He held me firmly as he wound around the thin paths.
The sun was an orb of blurred yellow until it dipped behind the mountains and orbs of light floated around us. The temperature dropped to near freezing as we climbed, Talon brought his cloak around to cover me as I hugged into him tighter, shaking and my fingers numb.
The taste of Talon's magic filled my mouth and my body warmed.
"Thank you," I whispered to him when my shivering calmed.
"We're almost there." He promised.
I wanted to roll my eyes, thinking of Elias's lie.
But I watched as the path thickened and became stone paving, we turned and walked across a bridge that spanned the mountain cliffs.
A city rose before us, wooden and stone carved buildings that hugged the mountain and ran along the cliffs.
Larger buildings peaked through the mist and yellow lights filled the area.
Elias stride confidently through the stone edge street, ignoring the death plunge beside him as he mounted stairs and turned to an elegant house beaming with orange lights.
Without knocking, he opened the door, holding it open for Talon and I.
The room inside was warm and elegant of carved wood walls and polished stone floors.
Talon placed me on the floor and shadows started to weave out of the rooms ahead.
I gasped, stepping back into Talon. He gripped my arm, ducking to whisper in my ear.
"They're servants." He soothed. I watched as they moved around us, collecting our belongings and seeming to bow to Talon.
Elias ignored them, moving through the house and searching the rooms, jogging upstairs behind the shadow servants for a few moments.
I glanced around, finding the house to very similar to the one I had first stayed in.
"Alright, the house wards are still up." Elias announced with a relieved sigh.
I had wandered into the loungeroom, my hands trailing the intricate carvings in the stone fireplace. I turned, my brows pulled.
"Why do we need wards? I thought this place was safe?" They saw my worried expression, both stepping forward to comfort me.
"We are." Talon said, giving me a gentle look. "It's to keep others from knowing we're here." The darkness in his expression made me know exactly who we were shielded against.
"Cassandra would really try to find us?" I asked, my voice quiet.
Elias laughed, receiving a snarl from Talon that he ignored.
"Cassandra and her obsession with Talon knows no bounds."
"Shut it." Talon warned.
Elias gave him a bright smile, seeming to relish watching his Lord squirm.
Sensing the anger in Talon, I waved Elias off, turning to the picture windows that showed outside. "I'm sure Lunarus will remind her of her place."
Both Fae men blinked at me, Elias breaking into a hearty laughter while Talon's lips curled in a huffed laugh, the tension broken for now.
We are dinner and retired for the night, though there was only two bedrooms, one with a large bed and the other with a single bed and a couch.
I almost felt bad when both Talon and Elias insisted I took the large bed, especially when I saw the state of Talon in the morning after his night on the couch.
They had let me use the shower we had to share, before I went and made breakfast for us. Talon sipped his tea quietly at the table as I brought things out, a small smile on his lips as he saw the food.
"The shadows could have done that." He mentioned, gesturing to the trays of eggs, bacon, bread rolls and fruit I laid out.
I shrugged, coming to sit beside him.
"I enjoy cooking. It's the one thing I was good at besides hunting." I handed him one of the bread rolls. "Bread was my favourite to make."
He took the small roll and broke it in half, they'd just cooked enough but still have off a plume of steam, releasing the garlic and rosemary scent.
Catching the smell, Talon took a large bite, almost eating one half in a single bite.
He made a noise of approval as he chewed.
"These are delicious." He beamed at me, eating the other half as I smiled back.
The bathroom door opened and Elias stretched, steam still coming off his skin as he stepped into the small dining room. He wore his riding pants and a towel draped over his shoulders, Talon stood, taking a bread roll with him before disappearing to the bathroom and the sound of the shower starting.
"Did he really take the couch?" I asked Elias as he sat across from me, serving himself some eggs and bacon I'd made.
He looked towards the closed door, as if checking Talon couldn't hear him.
"He blatantly refused to take the bed." Elias huffed, rolling his eyes.
I stifled a giggle. "You two have been friends for years, huh?" Elias raised a brow at me, a small smile on his lips as he chewed a strip of bacon.
"Nearly four hundred." He shrugged.
I blinked, Elias noticed, laughing.
"We met in the Beast training camps. He was a pompous Lord's son, I was a Captain's bastard son."
"Destined to be friends." I chuckled.
Elias laughed. "Not many thought so, we use to fight....alot. He was the best fighter in the camp and, being a bastard, I wanted to prove myself. He kicked my ass every single day for a year and I hated him." The faraway look in Elias's eyes made me curious what he saw.
"What changed?" I filled my cup with hot tea, making another cup for Talon as he stepped out of the bathroom in a similar fashion as Elias.
Only it made my stomach knot and my cheeks flare at the sight of his rippling muscles, strong arms and the same star shaped golden scar on his chest.
"I decided to pity the bastard." Talon said, rubbing his hair with the towel before throwing it back into the steam filled room and falling into the chair beside me. He smiled at the tea waiting for him, giving me a wink as he took it.
Elias gave Talon the middle finger with a wide smile.
"Actually, I saved his ass from a Borag."
I shook my head, not knowing what that was.
"Think of a dragon with two heads and a mean appetite for Fae. Someone thought it'd be a fun joke to lure into the camp."
Talon covered his mouth with his cup as he mumbled. "I wonder which idiot that was?"
I giggled, Talon giving me a sly side eye.
Elias ignored us, continuing. "After I saved his life, he decided it was smarter to keep me around."
"More like safer." Talon corrected, finishing his tea and standing. "Now, we have some training to do." He looked down at me.
I got up, finishing my tea quickly and going to grab my riding jacket only for Talon to grab my wrist and pull me towards the door.
"We're staying in the city, the residents move out during this season due to the fog. So you don't have to worry about hurting anyone."
I looked back as Elias followed us as we stepped out into the stone paths of the street.
The next house was up a large stone walkway and stairs a good distance from us.
I sighed, nodding at Talon.
"I trust you." I said finally as he stopped us in the middle of the street.
He gave my shoulders a squeeze "Good," he said and stepped a few feet away, his feet shifting to a fighting position.
"Now, attack me." He smiled.
Elias stood to the side of us, crossing his arms with a cocky smile on his face as I stared at them wildly.