A Sacrifice of Names

Chapter 25

Earie regretted having said anything bad about the carriages that had brought them from the Court of Light to Daleagh. With most of them destroyed after the attack she had crossed into the Court of Shadows on foot, but to have something carry your belongings at all time definitely was a lot more relaxing than the burden of having to carry a large backpack with you the entire way. She didn't want to complain, but after a day of walking, she could definitely feel the strain on her back.

Whenever the army would stop and make camp, so would they. Keely insisted that they should go looking for Innogen every spare moment they had, but after a few of Earie's pleas she, too, agreed that it was perhaps in their best interest to get some rest as well. Her feet were grateful. Her back a little less, perhaps, given the lack of a proper mattress to sleep on. The soft patches of grass were welcoming, but the nights cold. Unlike their journey from Aves to Daleagh Keely had insisted on packing light, which meant a few spare clothes and some food, but apart from that not much else. Earie didn't get much sleep, although she could quite pinpoint whether it was the cold or the fear of what was to come that kept her awake.

It took Firas' army, and therefore them, nearly two days to reach the border into the Quiet Land. A lot longer than it had taken the small company to reach Daleagh after crossing the border into the Court of Shadows a few days prior, but it wasn't that strange seeing the vast number of people willing to fight alongside the prince. She and Keely had watched the large group march from the top of a small hill on the first day. There were at least a few hundred men and women, pureblood and lesser fae, accompanied by various other creatures who had gathered. A great number, Keely had told her, but when Earie asked if it would be enough to face Garran the pain in Keely's eyes had been an adequate answer to that question.

It was nothing compared to the numbers the Horned King had once marched with. Some of these men and women would see war for the second time in their life. Still, they would fight. Fight for what was left of the courts, with a sliver of hope left for better days to come.

On the third night, word reached them that Firas' army would set up a permanent camp. Having returned to the Quiet Land left Earie with a bitter taste. With this many people gathered the ghostly silence that generally dominated the land was thankfully drown down by chatter and the clashing of sword against sword in training, but no merriment could be found amongst those who had gathered amidst the dark and dense forest spreading across the in-between land.

"I can see you...." Earie whispered as Keely materialised in front of her, dropping her bag against the bark of a tree located not too far from Firas' camp.

"It won't matter if they see me or not. You, on the other hand."

Earie lowered her gaze down towards her hands, having grown used to see nothing over the past few days, albeit still a surreal feeling.

"If that jerk is out there I will not let him see you, okay?" Earie couldn't help herself but muster a weak smile upon hearing the insult. Brenhin was out there somewhere. Who he would fight for she did not know, nor did she want to know, but she would do everything to stay as far from him as she possibly could. His warning words had kept haunting her for the past few days.

She had contemplated telling anyone apart from Keely about their conversation in that alleyway, but Keely agreed that although it was known that the fae folk did not have the ability to lie, not many would believe her words right away. For all they knew she was part of the Court of Light, now their enemy. Why wouldn't she want to try to set the prince up against his own royal guards?

Even if she wanted to, without any proof she had no chance to stop or expose Brenhin.

"I am still going with you," Earie muttered hastily. "To find Innogen, that is. I am not staying here for any shadows to grab me, invisible or not."