I was powerless as I sat there, staring at where the faeries once stood. Theodore's prediction had been right. One of our futures was going to change drastically, and it was going to be me.
I shivered violently as I peeked through my fingers. The howling winds had swept dry leaves and small sticks into our cottage, where it was scattered between the remains of what once was the front door. One day. One day was all I had before I would be trapped forever in the immortal lands. My dreams and visions of one day having a cottage of my own and having all the time in the world to paint dissipated, all because of faeries.
Rage boiled up in me, so blistering that it was an effort to keep myself from lunging and stabbing my arrow into the very spot they had once stood. But I knew it was useless, I was very well on my way to signing my death certificate. I'd be better off dying at the hands of the village Elders than living in pure terror across the barrier until I met my end in doubtlessly, an even more awful way.
My father's staggering steps sounded before he gripped my shoulder. "Eleena. Look at me. You need to ..." But whatever he meant to say died in his throat as I turned around to face him, prying my hands off my face. But hearing those few words he'd managed to get out, the effort he made to do so ... it was like a blade to my belly. Father cringed as he reached out a hand to wipe the tears from my eyes. "You need to talk to the village Elders about this."
"Father, are you insane-" Alistair started.
"Hear me out first," my father said, and Alistair quieted. My rage guttered. The only reason my father would seek for the Elders' help would be to strike a bargain. Even then, he'd be lucky to receive one without loopholes. Faeries couldn't lie but humans could which makes us as bad as the monsters across the barrier. You didn't know if the Elders would keep true to their word. "Strike a bargain with the Elders. Say that you would help assassinate the faeries in return for your family's and your safety. You know how much they hate faeries. Tell them about tonight's events. It would make it a little easier for them to be persuaded."
"How can you trust them? How can you put our choices in-"
"We need hope to endure, Eleena." Father interrupted, his eyes clear for a second there. "So let yourself hope. Let yourself imagine the best outcome."
I stood from the ground, fingers curling into fists. I looked at my siblings, brothers in blood, Alistair striding towards us. Theodore was still pale, softly murmuring my name repeatedly. I had inflicted this on them. They didn't need me as I didn't need them. When I looked at my father, my gaze was hard.
"Fine. I will see the Elders first thing tomorrow. But hope. Hope. There is no such thing."
And with that, I stormed into the bedroom, throwing myself onto the bed. Tomorrow I visit the Elders, tomorrow I become an assassin.
.____________________.
The trampled mud coating the road into our village was speckled with shades of darker brown and black from passing carts and horses. I clicked my tongue and grimaced as I made my way along it, dodging the particularly disgusting parts.
The stone houses of the village were ordinary and dull, nothing much compared to the wealthier folk with their estates and rolling green lands. But it was market day which meant the tiny town square would be packed with stalls and goods, as well as whatever vendors had braved the brisk morning.
From a block away, the scent of hot food wafted by—spices that tugged at the edges of my memory. I let out a low moan. Spices, salt, sugar—rare produce for most of our grim village, definitely impossible for us to afford.
After I meet with the Elders, perhaps I could sell the hide of the doe in exchange for some money to buy something for myself. Maybe a weapon of sorts, to kill the two faeries when I had the chance.
I had been contemplating a plan for my escape ever since the rather unpleasant meeting with the faeries. With their enhanced senses, I doubted I'd get a chance to flee anytime soon, at least until they believed I was docile. If I had tried to attack or fled before then, I wouldn't have difficulty believing that he would destroy my family for the sheer enjoyment of it. Then he would find me again. I had no choice but to go and then later, I might find a way to slit their throats or at least disable them long enough for me to retreat.
I turned a corner into the town square, wrapping my cloak tighter around myself. I didn't need to look around to know the villagers were most likely giving me disgusted or unwelcoming looks. Two plump and pretty farmers' wives strolled past on their way to the market, arm in arm. As they neared me, their faces twisted into identical expressions of disgust. "Filthy, little whore," one of them hurled at me. I shrugged it off. I didn't have time for this nonsense today.
I stepped into the market, keeping my head low as I weaved through the villagers. I'd made it halfway through until I was forced to halt.
"You're not welcome here, Asterin."
Perfect. Exactly what I needed, to have a nosy villager bothering me on market day, a drunken fool even. The man smiled exposing his yellow teeth which reeked of alcohol. I rolled my eyes.
"Please, move," I said, loud enough for only the both of us to hear.
"What did you say little Asterin?" he taunted, raising his hands to the sky, in one holding a bottle. It earned a few strange looks from others but I ignored them and said, "Move."
He still stood there, grinning broader by the minute. I walked forward, trying to squeeze past him and succeeded. I was only a few steps away when his voice shouted over the market's noise.
"And don't come back!"
"Stupid, drunken idiot!" I muttered under my breath.
That little spectacle had wasted precious time, time in which I could escape the crowd. Not my problem—not right now. I didn't waste any more time as I slipped out of the crowded square.
It had taken me ten minutes to ponder if I should go inside. I stood before a heavy oak door, the door so big that I felt like an ant in comparison. It was the entrance to the town's church, the place in which the village Elders spend most of their time. It was hard not to marvel at the magnificence of the church itself. With the detailed stone archways, stained glass murals and of course the giant bell that rung every hour, it was an eye-sore compared to the bleakness of the village's cottages.
I climbed up the stairs and knocked using the metal door knocker. It wasn't long before there was a loud creak and I was let in.
"How very nice for you to join me, Eleena," Japeth said, his voice echoing between the stone walls.
He was poured over a map on a table by the altar, his brothers absent. I approached him, walking down the aisle, my hand absentmindedly brushing against the polished oak pews. My eyes wandered to the windows near the ceiling, rays of sunlight let through from them. They depicted images of humans slaying faeries. Faeries burning on wooden pyres, faeries drowning in deep lakes, faeries gutted by humans themselves and worst of all, humans gouging faeries' eyes out.
Nausea churned in my stomach as I glued my eyes ahead, my boots slapping against the tiles. I had only one reason to be here and I wanted to leave soon. Japeth smiled as I took my place across from him, leaning myself on the table.
"So, what is your business with me, Eleena? I take it that it is important or else you wouldn't be here at all."
He looked exquisite up close, clad in gold and red robes fit for a king. If he were not cruel I would have thought of him as kind and handsome. "I am here to strike a bargain. In exchange for my family's and my safety in the human realm, I will become the village Elders' spy and assassin to kill the faeries."
Japeth raised an eyebrow. "What makes you want to do this, Eleena? I had not guessed that you would want to be an assassin. Much less for the village Elders themselves."
"I have broken the Covenant of Peace," my voice cracked, as if finally accepting the truth, "Two faeries had come last night to give my punishment. I am to live in the immortal lands for the rest of my life. I am leaving today at twilight."
Japeth was quiet as his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "How." Not a question—a command. I sighed as I sat at the edge on the table and began my tale. I told him how I came across the strange clearing and the sapphire blue eyes spying on me, and when I finished, he nodded his head, pacing in a tight circle.
"You weren't lying about the meadow," he murmured. "Faerie lands tend to be more exquisite as if it had sprung from a fairy-tale." Japeth's eyes flicked to mine. I held his stare. "Fine. I accept. Although, killing all the faeries is a little extreme so instead, I want you to assassinate the two imperial lords."
I blinked—but stifled the urge to blink a second time.
"The fae imperial lords? But ... but they are impossible to kill! It's suicide to even try!"
Japeth chuckled darkly. "Not impossible, Eleena. They may seem guarded at first but once you are closer to them, it would be a breeze to kill them. They are the power source to the land they rule which makes it vital to assassinate them. Once they are dead, the faeries would be powerless and we can finally make them feel the pain our ancestors once felt."
"How ... how do I kill them? The imperial lords are Seelie faeries. I am as good as dead to even touch a hair of them."
He smiled, pulling out a scroll from his pocket and handing it to me. "Yes, but as I said before, not impossible. We already know that they can be harmed by iron but this, this is what slows down their healing process."
I unfurled the scroll, the edges of it browned from years. I was surprised when I saw a painting of a flowering weed on it. Its petals pure black like the deepest of nights and it's stem thorny and willowy.
"This? Are you telling me this, this weed would slow down their healing process?"
"Yes. It's Black Milkweed you see. One of the most effective poisons in the class of faevenoms. Grind its petals into fine dust and sprinkle some into a faerie's food or drinks would leave them strip of their power," Japeth said, eyeing me from across the table.
"Where do I find it?" I asked. There was no point using this if I didn't know its location.
Japeth sighed. "It's too bad I don't know. I can only tell you that it definitely grows in the immortal lands. Our ancestors had banished all faerie-related things after the human-fae war. Only a few pieces of artifacts were spared, like that painting you are holding."
I watched him again, weighing. "Will you keep to your word?"
Japeth smiled faintly, bracing his hands on the table, leaning closer to me. "Of course I will. I would make sure your family has enough food and a decent enough shelter to live in. I would also give them their monthly wages."
I nodded as I jumped off the table. I knew deep down, that there was nothing I could do against the faeries. We'd all been told it, regardless of class or rank, from the moment we were born, the warnings sang to us while we rocked in cradles, the nursery rhymes chanted in schoolyards. One of the faeries could turn you into mist from a hundred yards away with ease. Even though I had never seen it, I knew better than to question the faeries' abilities.
Yet we still try to believe that something—anything might work against them, if we ever did encounter them. I knew a stall in the market that cater to these fears, offering charms, baubles, incantations and even bits of iron. I couldn't afford them though—and even if they did indeed work, it would only buy a few minutes to escape.
I hadn't realised Japeth had left and returned with a contract in his hands. I watched as he slid the contract to me and gave me a quill.
"Sign here." He pointed to the bottom of the page where there was a blank to fill out my name.
I bent down, pressing the nib of the quill on the paper. Writing and reading had never been a skill I learnt. I knew faintly of the alphabet and how to spell my name, but not much. The words on the contract were just a jumble of symbols to my eyes, giving me a headache. My hand shook as I traced each letter slowly, my messy scrawl filling up the blank. I quickly dropped the quill as I finished, wiping my hands on my pants.
"I will be taking this," Japeth said, his face like stone. "You may leave now."
"Thank you."
Japeth glanced back at me, his dark eyes flickering, "Be careful when you are in the immortal lands, Eleena. Not that I care about you much." And with that, he gave me a last cold smirk before disappearing into a corridor.
The blood in my veins seemed to chill as I strode to the doors. I'd had enough for one day. I was feeling ill—ill and jumpy as I pushed open the heavy doors. Sunlight warmed my body as I walked down the steps, making my way back home.