Page 15 of Anywhere

“I’m pretty sure you insulted me while giving me a compliment, but I get it.”

“Oh no. I flat-out insulted you,” she teased and smiled. “So, getting back to the union. The second weird thing is that even though Rhys is older, he was demoted, and you were put in his place as the number one. I’m not sure about you, but if that were me, and I’d been preparing to be a number one my whole life, I’d be pissed.”

“So you’re saying Rhys wanted this triad?”

Mari gave a little shrug. “Rhys has been studying the Faction rules and laws, the powers, spells, politics, etc., ever since I can remember. I’d be eating cereal, and he was studying balance sheets at eight years old. He’s been ready to take the role for as long as I can remember. Then he’s paired with you and….” Mari looked at me, and her face fell. She seemed sad, but I couldn’t tell exactly why she was sad that Rhys had been paired with me.

“You rejected him right away. Rhys is very proud, and he was crushed. He’d never tell you that to your face, but you hurt him, and there’s not much more embarrassing than being rejected in front of a bunch of council members seconds after the union is announced.” Mari stood and stretched. “Not to mention the physical pain. If he’d been a weaker man, he wouldn’t have survived.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said, and she cocked a brow at me.

“Oh, boy…Well, I’ll let Rhys explain that part. It’s not for me to say. But let’s just say I’m surprised he didn’t run you through the moment he saw you. I mean, do you want the triad with him at all? If not, then why are you even here?”

I looked away from her inquisitive eyes. “I don’t know what I want. I hadn’t put much thought into it until I was forced to come here.”

“Well, you’d better think on it now. ‘Cause he’s not going to change his mind easily. All you men think you have to watch out for a woman scorned, but you’ve never seen a McGregor man scorned. Good luck if you decide to stick it out,” she said. “Oh, and cousin?” Mari paused, her eyes dropping to the floor. “Treat him good. If he lets you into his heart, he will be loyal and kind, and…Just don’t fuck with him.” She turned and walked back inside the kitchen. Everything about her was light and elegant, like a fairy. All she needed was pixie dust and wings to complete the look.

Alone again, all I could think about was what Mari had said. It left me feeling more confused than before.

How the fuck did this all get put on me in the first place? I wanted nothing to do with any of this. The potted plant sitting across the way scooted off the table and crashed to the patio floor as my power lashed out.

“Shit,” I swore and rubbed my eyes.

This place was affecting me, or maybe it was the person on my mind. All I wanted was to go back home. I was supposed to be at a concert tonight for twenty thousand screaming fans. My eyes travelled over the wide-open grass with guards milling around. Instead, I was trapped here.

I never wanted this fucking responsibility.

Elewyen

I stretched as much as I could in the cramped tree hollow. My hand hit something soft, and a loud squeak had me jerking up, my eyes darting around to see what was sleeping with me. A bright red squirrel clung to the side of the tree trunk, chattering at me like I’d committed a sin. The little tuffs of fur on the tips of his ears were shaking comically as he turned his head one way and then the other as he told me exactly what he thought of my sleeping arrangement.

“Whad’ya want? A gurl has got ta sleep,” I said, but my argument didn’t seem strong enough for the furry menace. Small claws gripped a chunk of the old bark and tossed it at me. “Hey, be nice. I’za do nottin to ya,” I grumbled, then slowly crawled out of my cover.

The squirrel followed and climbed the tree, its wee tail twitching as it continued to eye me with its dark eyes.

“I’za goin,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender to the little beast. It scurried up into the tall branches and out of sight.

Opening my travelling pouch, I pulled out the cloth that held the food I’d made before leaving. I split a cold biscuit in two and pulled out the butter to put a small amount on one half. Wrapping it all again, I put it away, then tore off a small piece of the dried meat to have as well. Giving my shoulders a roll, I took a bite of the biscuit and was about to walk away when I looked up and sighed.

Tearing off a small piece of the buttery treat, I laid it by the entrance to the hollow tree. “Fir lettin’ me sleep da night.”

The villagers would’ve thought I was an eejit for leaving an offering to the wee animal, but I’d lived out here, and the animals had been my only companion. There were some nights that, if it weren’t for a family of rabbits or a wolf, I would’ve frozen to death.

The sun was long past midday when I came to the next designated spot. All the locations were set outside the village limits, and this one had made a small, covered area that would protect the babes from harsh elements. I wished I could come more than twice a season, but the trip took an entire moon cycle to make it to all the spots, and only if I didn’t run into trouble.

I looked around for anyone lingering in the area. Many didn’t like the safe spots and would try to steal or kill the babes so that the covens couldn’t take them. Red-headed women were an abomination, a curse on the couple who created the child. If they didn’t get rid of the child as soon as it was born, they would be put to the stake and burned alive. When my coven, Sisters of the Oak Spirit, found me, they said that I couldn’t have been left as a babe, but I can’t remember anything from before they took me in.

There wasn’t any movement in the small hut that I could see, but there was tension in the air like the wind was not happy. I inhaled deeply, but there were no unusual scents. I still used caution when I stepped from the woods, ready for an attack. With each footfall, the few dried leaves under my boots crunched, sending nervous energy skittering up my spine.

A large magpie took flight from a nearby tree, cawing as he flew overhead. His voice was a warning, but for what, I didn’t know. I searched the surrounding forest and trail. My ears tuned into the noise of the woods.

Knife at the ready, I poked my head around the three-sided enclosure, prepared for anything. I let out a little sigh when nothing leapt at my face. There was nothing inside, but there was a mark on the ground in the grass. A cool chill flowed over my skin as I stepped inside the small space. Someone had died here, and recently. The spirits were angry, and I could feel the malice swirling inside the shelter. I knelt down and couldn’t contain my gasp as I stared at the charred ground with the dark symbol. Not wanting to touch the evil thing, I felt around it and lifted my fingers to find them tainted red with blood.

My heart ached at the sight of the blood. Who could be so cruel as to hurt a defenseless child? Whoever had done this had a blackened soul. My hand gripped my knife tighter, and my thumb ran over the detailed metal of the handle. They deserved to be sent to the dark spirits and tortured for eternity.

As I stood, I caught a distinct whistling sound. I immediately dropped back to the ground. A thunk in the wooden beam behind where my head would have been made my eyes jerk up. I glanced at the arrow that could’ve killed me, then scurried back out of the shelter and around the other side. Why couldn’t the villagers just leave us alone?

Another arrow streaked out of the shadows and hit the tree across from where I was crouched. The blood was pumping hard in my veins, but I needed to keep my wits about me. Spotting a gap in the trees, I bolted from my cover. I was about to step over the threshold into the deep undergrowth when another arrow whizzed past me. Men began yelling and calling out which way I’d gone.