The moon barely illuminated the path Tiyan had chosen. The boy knew these woods, or at least a good part of them. He had spent nights in the forest before, but rarely had he felt so exposed and vulnerable. The freezing wind bit him in places that should have been well-sheltered and impervious to the cold. Icy stars twinkled in the darkness, clearly visible in the sky - yet they offered even less light than the faint glow of a new moon. Tiyan was alone, and being alone could easily bring danger to a traveler as darkness took over the world, taking the forest in its embrace, making branches look like hands and roots like claws; awakening ancient creatures - and no less ancient desires - in its dark recesses.

Even as a young boy, Tiyan had learned how to survive in the forest depths. But back then, nothing stalked you, shrouded in magic, nothing seething with an insatiable hunger, yearning for your soul.

When the war ended, the Unseelie made it clear that the lesser folk could and would cross the borders between kingdoms. And humans, as victims, as those who had lost their free will, had to agree. They were merely food for the darkness, a sacrifice offered amidst joyful laughter and the flutter of wings.

Tiyan couldn’t even hate the fae. All the inhabitants of Vennklan Valley knew who was responsible for their suffering. They knew, but they could do nothing. And so the hatred vanished, leaving only an icy will to survive.

That didn’t mean fear didn’t creep beneath the roofs. It had become the humans’ natural companion, and each day was treated as their last.

Snow. The snow suppressed feelings as if enchanted, like a pillow that suffocated and gave relief.

Tiyan adjusted the sack slung across his back, wrapped his scarf tighter around himself, and descended the slope, still unable to see the lights of the village.

They should already be twinkling in the distance. His internal compass never failed him. He should be in the village by now.

And that could only mean one thing. The second possibility, however, stirred within him a familiar friend of humanity - fear.

He got lost in the darkness. Or… someone had tangled the path and misled him. Or rather… Something.

He inhaled and exhaled, once, twice. He couldn’t give in to panic. If these were lesser fae, only peace could save him. Think. Don’t let them rob you of your senses, don’t let them enchant you.

There were times when Tiyan almost believed that fae rarely visited Vennklan Vale, sticking to the main roads, where it was easier to feast on emotions, fear, and human flesh. But he knew it was merely luck, keeping his contact with magical beings limited.

Still hoping that it was he who had made the mistake, that it was his mistake that could be easily corrected, he moved forward, trying not to let his fears get the better of him.

To feel fear in the forest was to stay alive.

Perhaps. But fear intoxicates the senses, making you think only of escape, and every meeting with the Fae required precision and quick reflexes. He certainly didn’t possess them now.

His path continued down the slope, and now even his doubtful mind had to admit that the paths were misaligned, and the nightjar’s call sounded like the hysterical song of a drunken bard.

Don’t lose your nerve. Not now. This is another game. And you are their prey.

He began to walk faster, not looking back. The rustling of the trees reached him with redoubled force; the forest spoke, sharing secrets he didn’t want to know. The path grew steeper, and he thought he saw a root creeping toward him, slowly getting closer, gnawing at the earth. The snow clung to his feet like a sticky spiderweb.

His heart began to beat with the rhythmic pulse of the forest he felt beneath his skin. A forest that was the domain of the Faeries, as much as the snow and the icy cold. A forest that seemed to cut its bark and resin into his spirit, his body, and his thoughts.

He had no friend in him; the forest preferred the false and cruel beauty of the immortals to the fragile - and short - lifeline of humans.

The wall of darkness seemed to press against him, to touch him; the night danced around him as if it were a living thing, yearning for him to surrender and offer his life as a sacrifice.

He thought he heard laughter, shimmering and as deceptive as the fairy folk. He felt it more than he heard or saw it. Branches seemed to reach out towards him; one of the branches caught his hat - it fell into the snow, right next to him. And when he abandoned all hope that it was merely an illusion, that fear painted a deception in his eyes, he could do only one thing.

He sat down on the wet snow, ignoring the cold sucking the warmth from his body through his soaked clothes. He closed his eyes; he shut out his thoughts - or at least tried to erase every image and every word that might oppose the power that would soon begin to penetrate him.

A wave of wings attacked him almost immediately. The filigree fae brushed against him in a frenzied dance, ripping off his scarves, biting his clothes, trying to find an open spot to reach his body. The darkness around him seemed to tighten, enveloping him in a cocoon. Panic began to force unwanted thoughts into his mind, and his life depended on their absence.

When he was certain that this moment would never come, when the dance of the wings seemed to last forever, he heard the voice of one of the Fae. Right in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.

“Human prey. He knows the ancient rules. He knows the rules of the old tongue. And he wants to avoid death by invoking them.”

Realizing that all his answers could now be cruelly twisted and used against him, he decided to keep them simple, so the creatures couldn’t eat through them like through soft fruit.

“I respect the ancient rules of the faekind.”

“But he refuses food? He refuses bones and flesh?”

“My bones and flesh are worthless.”

“On the contrary! Good blood, we feel it in his veins.”

“I can… I can offer another.”

“A human, a human?”

“No. Animals. They’re bigger than me, more flesh, bone, and blood. I can hunt them for you, fill you with their fear.”

“Animals in the land of prey feel no fear. Animals rot until they die. We can hunt them ourselves. A poor trade.”

“But they can also feel despair,” Tiyan thought, recalling the agony of the anglor he’d killed. His chances were fading.

“But there’s no human soul. Human souls are the most delicious.”

Tiyan didn’t know how to respond. The fae didn’t need his mistakes or his vows - they simply intended to eat him. Whatever he offered, nothing would be more delicious than his soul. He would have panicked, surrendering his life to magic, if not for a second voice joining the first. This filled him with even greater dread - the mind-meld could only occur between one human and one lesser fae, and only under certain conditions. The second voice spoke faster than Tiyan could keep up - soon a second joined in, then a third… and a fourth.

“It’s…”

“…it’s him…”

“…it’s him…”

“No…it’s impossible…”

“He smells so good, such a waste!”

“The Shadow’s command…”

“…never defy the Shadow…”

“…never defy the night…”

More voices joined in, and soon Tiyan could hear only a cacophony of sounds in his head, tearing at his skull, pounding inside it like an avalanche.

Which suddenly fell silent. Sounds became deafening hush.

And before him - hopeful, almost innocent - the familiar lights of his village.

A promise of safety, even if illusory.

Shivering, Tiyan stood, looking around, certain the fae would soon pounce on him, to rip his heart from his chest or bury themselves in his flesh. Slowly, carefully, he picked up the sack of meat - first checking to make sure it hadn’t been emptied by hungry faeries - and moved toward the light. Reluctantly sinking into the now-calm and soothing darkness.

The small folk vanished, only the wind still sang its song. The pearly laughter disappeared too, just as the rustle of wings.

But the sound of the fae’s voices haunted him all the way home.

They knew him, they knew who he was, whoever he was to them. And if they didn’t kill him now - didn’t devour him - it meant they planned to toy with him, which promised a fate worse than death.

Never defy the shadow.

He wouldn’t dare. He wanted to stay away from the shadows that held secrets full of teeth and wings.