Khushala

Dalibor didn’t bother to explain any further. He’d simply ignored all my questions and left me alone in this small, cold room. I had tried the door, but it was locked from the outside—not that I had expected anything different. The moon fae weren’t fools, and they wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to kidnap the bride-to-be of the Sun Court’s leader without being very thorough about it. No…I had a feeling I would not have an easy time getting away from here, which meant I would have to be very strategic about my next move.

On instinct, I scanned the room for anything useful. A knife, a hammer—I’d even settle for a needle. Nothing.

Out of options, I fell back into the chair with a groan of frustration and wrapped the blanket tightly around me. What must be happening back at the Sun Court now? I couldn’t imagine that my hasty departure had left anything but chaos in its wake—after all, they had seen a moon fae grab me and disappear. I could still hear Rafail’s panicked voice in my ears.

My stomach twisted at the thought. Rafail will be mad with worry by now. And I have no way of getting word to him. I could only imagine what my husband-to-be must be thinking, and I hated that. I silently willed him not to act rashly, to give me time. He knew full well what I was capable of. I’m coming, my love. I will find my way back to you.

If only I could figure out how Dalibor had stopped my magic from working! That was the key to getting home. I hadn’t been lying to him before—this incident really would be the catalyst for more violence between the two kingdoms. And just when it was over…That damned moon fae is dragging us right back to the beginning, to just after Ruang’s death. Before my own brother was killed.

I felt a too-familiar burning behind my eyes and rubbed at them, suddenly furious with myself. I would not cry. I just had to think it through calmly. There had to be a way for me to get home and stop this war from starting all over again. There has to be. Because I couldn’t stomach the thought of going through it all again, the pain and the grief and the loss. So much loss. We’ve only just begun to heal and move on. Surely that must be true for his people, too. So why…?

Outside, the unmistakable sound of footsteps drifted toward me, and I leapt to my feet, my hands out in front of me, ready to fight. If I could catch Dalibor with a surprise attack, I might be able to get outside and find a ship to take me back to the Sun Court before the war began again. I don’t want another war. Whatever might happen to me here, I don’t want more sun fae blood to be spilled.

I would just have to hope that Rafail could resolve this somehow—assuming I didn’t manage to get away. He wouldn’t want more war any more than I did. As long as he could see past his feelings for me, I knew he would do whatever was best for our people. But that’s what worried me. Kidnapping me wasn’t just an attack against the Sun Court, it was an attack against him. It was personal.

I’ll just have to get out of here before it comes to that. So when Dalibor walks through that door…

I braced myself, but when the door swung open, I was surprised to see it was not Dalibor, but a tall woman with deep blue skin. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Her dark hair was arrayed in long, thin braids all tied back and wrapped around gold horns jutting up above her ears. Her eyes were a startling light green color, and to my surprise, there was no malice in them, only a hint of curiosity, and perhaps even…kindness.

There was no way I could trust her, of course, no matter how kindly she appeared. I still waited for the trick. She was moon fae, after all, what else could I possible expect?

I took a wary step back, unwilling to attack an unfamiliar opponent without more context. Who is she? And where is Dalibor?

The woman held up a bundle of something in one hand and a plate of food in the other. At the sight and smell of the food, my stomach gave an involuntary growl, and I flushed, embarrassed. I’m not doing a great job of showing my strength today. Dalibor noticed I was cold and this woman knows I’m hungry.

The woman grinned and tossed the bundle to me, which I caught, unfolding it in my hands. “Warm clothes,” she said. “You can’t stay in those thin things here. And food, once you’ve dressed.”

She turned away from me, and I blinked in surprise. I would not have expected my enemy to give me the privacy to dress. I quickly slipped out of the thin dress and pulled on the thick pair of pants, a warm, fur-lined top, and a pair of sturdy boots.

The relief from the cold air was immediate, and I couldn’t help little sigh of pleasure at being warm again.

“I’m…finished,” I said, feeling awkward as the woman turned around and held the plate out to me.

“I’m Anja,” she said.

I accepted the food and nodded in thanks. I had no reason to question the food—if they needed me as a hostage, they wouldn’t poison me. I’d seen what hunger could do to soldiers on the battlefield, how it addled their minds and scrambled their senses. And I was very hungry now, considering I had skipped breakfast in a fit of nerves. Breakfast…it all feels like ages ago, waking up in my chambers in the Sun Court, getting ready for the wedding, looking at the statue of Ruang. My hand in Rafail’s, his teasing laughter. I shut my eyes against the memories. Had it only been that morning that I’d been on the cusp of marrying the love of my life?

I bit back a cry of despair—Anja was sitting across from me now, her green eyes watching closely. I refused to let her or Dalibor or anyone else gather intel from me because I couldn’t manage to keep my emotions in check. I’ll either find a way out of here, or Rafail will find me. Either way, it won’t end well for the Moon Court. But I’m not going to help my captors in the meantime. In fact, I planned to make it as difficult as possible for them.

I ate quietly, letting the silence stretch on. It was a touch awkward, but I pretended she wasn’t there—as best I could, anyway, because I was very aware of her studying me. But I was prepared to ignore her for now. Speaking too much would put me in a vulnerable position. I had to consider what I might say first, to think of only the essential questions. If they know too much, they might use it against me. Or worse…they could use it against Rafael and the rest of the Sun Court.

The food was simple, but I was hungry enough that I didn’t care. I forced myself to eat slowly. I needed to pace myself, to bide my time and gather my strength without appearing weak. Whatever else might happen here, I should do my best to appear as if I’m in control. Though the thought was almost laughable under the circumstances, I felt a little better this way. If I felt in control, I could act from a position of strength.

When the plate was finally empty, I set it on the ground and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. I eyed this woman, Anja, cautiously. Perhaps if I played my cards right, she would be more forthcoming than Dalibor.

I regarded her in silence for a moment before speaking. “Dalibor told me I’m a hostage.”

Anja nodded, but said nothing. Her strangely pleasant expression was unchanged.

I shook my head in frustration. “Do you really want another war so badly? He won’t tell me what I’m a hostage for.”

At my words, something strange passed across Anja’s face, something strange and…familiar. And though it took me a moment to place it, I realized with a sudden start that it was the same expression I had seen on Deidre’s face time and time again. A deep-seeded grief. The kind of grief that stayed with a person for most—or all—of their life. The kind that almost consumed them.

Anja looked at me, and for a moment, it felt as if I was looking at Deidre. Something squeezed in my chest.

“You’re not here to start a war,” Anja said quietly. “You’re here to end one.”