Aneurin

Chapter Nineteen ~ The Cave

She snatched her face from his grip, ignoring the painful sting Eilian's nails left behind.

"-Shall we find out if my brother truly loves you?" He asked, though it was not something she was sure she was ready to find out.

Enid's breath caught in her throat, and she froze.

It happened quickly, too fast for Enid to fully comprehend. The stilled blade glided across the soft skin of her neck, and she fell to her knees, grasping at her throat, searching for injury.

There was nothing, no warm blood gushing from an open wound, nor any pain that such a wound would cause.

From among the fallen autumn leaves, she lifted her eyes to meet Aneurin's.

Beneath her cloak she felt her grandmothers iron dagger, reaching for it just as Eilian's fingers closed over her shoulder. She spun, forcing the dagger into his side.

Enid was not skilled with the blade but she did not have to be; Iron to the Fae is like poison to humans, deadly in large amounts with the ability to weaken the body in small doses.

Eilian let out an inhuman shriek, stumbling away from Enid, his hands fumbling with the dagger.

Chaos ensued, Faes of all shapes and sizes emerged from the shadows and behind trees, inkpot eyes wide and soft rosy lips pulled back to reveal pointed teeth.

They were beautiful, dangerous, deadly. And anything but human.

Some fled, while others ran to their prince, the unblemished skin of their delicate hands recoiling back from the dagger, burnt and blackened from the Iron.

They would not be able to help him. Not on their own.

Enid crawled through the crowd of Unseelie to Aneurin, her mind reeling.

Dazed and confused, she untied his Iron bonds, keeping her eyes averted to the ground.

He loved her, he truly loved her.

She pushed the thought away, and helped Aneurin to stand on unsteady feet, desperately dragging him with her through the trees away from the firelight and into the darkness of the night.

Her lungs burned, the cold air biting at her cheeks.

Enid pushed on, fuelled by adrenaline and in the knowledge that should they be caught the Unseelie would spend precious little time on speeches and dramatics.

If there was one thing Enid had learned about the Unseelie court, it was that they were merciless and violent, delighting in the misery and fear of mortals.

She did not dare to stop running, until they reached a cave, the opening concealed from sight by a wall of ivy.

If Aneurin could glamour it to look as though it was a mere rock face, they could rest, recover and sleep undisturbed by the Unseelie Faes.

Only then did Enid dare to look up at Aneurin, his long silver hair hanging loose over his face, pointed ears poking out from beneath the silver strands. His skin was unusually pale, grey eyes rimmed by a deep gold.

In such a weakened state, she was unsure if he would even be able to glamour the cave entrance, but it was the only option they had.

With his limp arm slung over her shoulder, she led him inside the cave, immediately being hit with the smell of damp stone.

Gently, she lowered him to the floor, helping him to lean against the cave wall.

Removing her cloak she folded it up and placed it under his head, stroking back stray strands of hair away from his eyes and behind his ear. His eyes were shut now, and she was glad of it.