MATURE FANTASY** He is a predator who thought he captured an ordinary girl... but her mind is sharper than any of his claws.
Ariana lives in the shadow of her monstrous father in a world barely held together by a treaty. Until her lands are invad...
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An escort greeted us on the edge of our border into the Sidhe territory early morning of our third day of travel. We were going to make it just in time for dinner with the Sidhe King, which would be followed by a long night of traveling back to our Bavadrin lands before ever having a break. There was no way we were going to stop moving until within the shelter of our territory again.
The escort waited patiently on horseback while we drew near. He appeared to have been alone. The closer we came, the more evident were the scars on his sandy golden skin. They were everywhere, nearly covering every inch of visible skin, markings deeply etched into flesh.
"Only those with any conjuring abilities are permitted to continue beyond this point," he stated without ever giving his name. His voice was neither friendly nor menacing.
That was not the deal, though Edda had already warned me of as much. "In the letter, Clause had stated I could bring whoever I wished," I countered anyway.
"And you have. Those who remain here will be offered the same protection, and no harm will come to them. However, only those with any conjuring or otherworldly abilities may continue beyond this point." His attention moved over our small Bavadrin party before returning to me.
Edda viewed the escort without a trace of anything other than a look of boredom. "Well, appears as though it's just us three from this point forward." She agreed to the limitation she had always known would be.
I caught Landin's eye, for he would be the third joining us. Though he did not have developed conjuring abilities, he possessed the slightest sway over the wind. It was what made him one of the best archers in our city, at least before the return of the sparrows. With some practice, he could have joined their ranks someday and become a sparrow if he wanted to.
I addressed the three Bavadrin guards who were going to be left behind. "Wait here. We should be back before sunrise tomorrow."
They grunted in response, though they remained on horseback while Landin, Edda, and I began following the guide.
The Sidhe guide moved at a reasonable pace for a terrain that took us higher and higher into the mountains. The wind nipped at the three of us as we followed in silence, our hooded cloaks all pulled up to keep what little heat clung to our bodies from escaping.
The cold did not seem to bother our guide, for his hood remained down. His hair was dark and clipped close to his head, allowing visibility of the scars there. A lot of them seemed to result from true wounds and self-inflicted ones, as there was a pattern to them.
Never had I seen anything like that before, but I have heard of it.
The Dunes Clan who once lived in the Bavadrin desert were said to have markings carved into the flesh. Though the people disappeared years ago. The belief was that they had rejoined with the spirit, that their gifts and life had opened a door for them that others could only hope for. Yet, if our guide was really part of the Dunes Clan, then we had been mistaken. Erik was always correct, and we were just too blind to see what was in front of us the entire time.
