The artwork above is not mine.
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Preparations for their search took a few days to complete, but finally, they were ready to set sail for Wendlyn. They had traveled to one of Terrasen's port cities, Suria, where a fast ship was waiting. Aedion and Vaughan were already on board, situating a few of their supplies.
Aelin, Rowan, Darrow, Evangeline, and Elide were gathered at the dock, waiting to see them off. Fenrys stood off to one side, watching his friends offer one another luck and farewells. Lysandra knelt, her emerald green eyes meeting Evangeline's large citrine ones.
"Be good for Darrow," she said. "Scold him if he's being rude."
Evangeline grinned, the movement drawing Fenrys' gaze to the brutal scars on her cheeks. Lysandra had been forced to disfigure the child to protect her from Madame Clarisse's brothel in Rifthold, where they had both once been employed. They still bore the tattoo of Clarisse's brothel, a black snake, although the tattoo was branded over now that they were free.
Aedion appeared beside them, sweeping Evangeline off her feet. He said something inaudible, which Evangeline laughed at. Her red-gold curls bounced as Aedion set her down again. He knelt, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Fenrys pulled his gaze away from the small family and spotted Lorcan and Elide close by.
Their size difference still made him laugh. Lorcan towered over Elide, but somehow, seemed smaller than her. As Fenrys watched, Elide narrowed her eyes and draped her arms around his neck, muttering something that made Lorcan smile.
Fenrys scented Vaughan a moment before the male spoke. "He really does look less of a bastard when he smiles."
"Sometimes I forget that he knows how," Fenrys chuckled.
Vaughan crossed his arms with a faintly amused huff. "It surprises me that Lorcan found someone before you. Even more so that he's married."
"Miracles happen every day."
"Or circumstances prevent us from moving on."
Fenrys stiffened. "Nothing is preventing me from moving on."
Vaughan's dark gaze met his own. "Do you still wake from nightmares and spend hours training to calm yourself down? Have you been with anyone since Maeve? Are you..."
"We all have different ways of coping. You choose seclusion. I choose work," Fenrys interrupted. "And no, I haven't been with anyone since Maeve died, but that's because no one has caught my eye, not because I'm incapable of it."
"I remember when Gavriel would find you half naked and black out drunk in alleyways, and had to smuggle you back to your room before Maeve found out. Did those people catch your eye, or was that just a way of defying Maeve?"
"Some of them caught my eye," Fenrys answered vaguely. "Others were just a form of defiance. Me choosing something for myself for once."
"How many times were you caught?"
"Every time."
"What happened to those people?"
"You know exactly what happened to them."
"And you're telling me there's no reason why you haven't sought anyone romantically?"
Fenrys flashed Vaughan an incredulous look. "You're asking a lot of personal questions for someone who doesn't bother to come around more than once every few months, and hardly spares a word for me."
Vaughan just shrugged and walked away. Fenrys watched his receding figure, aware of Aelin approaching from behind. "What did he say?" She asked.
"He's worried something is wrong because Lorcan is married before me and I haven't slept with anyone since Maeve died."
"Was that his way of offering himself?" Aelin laughed.
Fenrys began to reply, then hesitated. "I honestly don't know."
"Well, close quarters will give you a chance to find out, I suppose. The others are ready. You should go. Good luck, and try to bring Nascha back in one piece."
"That depends on her, just as much as it does me."
Aelin inclined her head, then hugged him briefly. Fenrys started towards the boat as soon as she released him. The Human crewmen lowered their eyes as he passed by. Their scents reached him, carrying the tang of fear and nervousness.
"Haven't seen many Fae in our lifetime," an elderly man said in a thick accent, stroking his white beard. He followed Fenrys to the prow of the ship while the crew prepared to set sail. "Don't mind the Boys. They'll get used to ye before this trip is over."
"It's all right if they don't," Fenrys answered. "Who can blame them when Lorcan is on board?"
"Aye, a broody bastard I've heard Lord Lorcan Lochan is," the man chuckled. "Not at all the sort of person you'd associate his name with."
"Don't let him hear you say that," Fenrys laughed. "Lorcan is very proud of his name."
"I suppose I should be proud of mine then. Captain Silva, at your service, Ambassador."
"Silva?" Fenrys arched a brow. "That means..."
"Forest, trees, wood, whatever ye want to define it as," the Captain laughed. "It's still a strange name for an old sailor like me."
"Not so strange," Fenrys replied. "Your eye color is peculiar. Is it common in your family?"
"Aye, but what do you mean by peculiar? They're just green."
"Light green around the outer part of your iris," Fenrys agreed, "but it fades to darker green, and almost reaches brown around your pupil. They resemble a forest."
"I've never noticed that. I suppose your Fae vision lets ye see those finer details."
"I suppose so."
"Fascinating." Captain Silva straightened. "We'd best be shoving off."
He left without another word. Fenrys braced his hand on the railing of the bow, drinking in the salty sea air. It wasn't long before they were drifting away from the dock and on their way to Wendlyn.
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The days at sea were uneventful, leaving Fenrys bored and agitated. He spent hours just pacing the length of the deck. Occasionally, he shifted into his wolf form, but the crewmen seemed uneasy enough as it was, and the sight of a wolf larger than a small horse had already made two of them threaten to jump overboard. Fenrys remained in his Fae form for the most part.
Currently, he was sitting on the railing of the bow, relishing the soft mist that sprayed his face. The sun was sweltering overhead. He'd already tied his hair back in a bun and removed his shirt. As had most of the crew. Fenrys laughed to himself when several of the younger sailors attempted to show off to Lysandra and were violently warned away by Aedion.
"If you fall off, someone had better make sure Aelin knows I didn't push you," Lorcan hollered.
Fenrys glanced over his golden brown shoulder, catching sight of the male. He lounged at the helm, with Vaughan, Aedion, and Lysandra beside him. Captain Silva was wisely staring at the horizon and not at Lysandra. Fenrys twisted and hopped off the railing, crossing the deck to join them. He sat beside Lysandra and stretched his long legs out in front of him.
"What is your history with Nascha Makatza?" Lysandra asked presently. "The Cadre's, I mean. Why did Maeve send you after her and her brother? How long ago did this happen?"
"Nine years," Lorcan replied. "Nascha was sixteen and her brother was..." He trailed off, glancing at Vaughan.
"Thirty-six," Vaughan answered.
Lorcan nodded. "Maeve told us they were from a very powerful family with a pure bloodline. As soon as she found out they were in Wendlyn, she wasted no time sending us after them, under the order to bring them back alive. If we'd caught them, I'm sure she would've forced them to swear the blood oath. We tracked them to Aklease..."
"Isn't that where she is now?" Aedion interrupted. Vaughan nodded and Lorcan glared at the male. Aedion gestured for Lorcan to continue.
"They already knew we were coming and were making their way to a dock, hoping to escape. We caught up to them and Zeno used himself as a distraction, giving Nascha time to run. Zeno attacked us and put up a good fight. He would have made a good addition to the Cadre. One of his hits came a little too close to Gavriel's heart and Connall reacted on instinct. He ripped Zeno's throat out before we had a chance to stop him." Lorcan's gaze fixed on Fenrys.
"I was hunting Nascha while they dealt with Zeno," Fenrys explained. "I managed to catch her in my wolf form and grabbed her by the leg. I underestimated how powerful she was. She fought me off using her magic, then shifted into an owl and stowed away on a ship already sailing for the Southern Continent. She was injured badly enough that most of us thought she would die, even with her accelerated healing."
"After we returned, Maeve called off the search. I imagine she didn't want us so far from her reach, where we could more easily resist the command of the blood oath," Lorcan finished.
"What is her magic?" Lysandra asked. "That's something we should know before facing her."
"Darkness," Vaughan answered vaguely.
"And starlight," Fenrys added. "I don't know how else to describe it." Vaughan and Lorcan nodded their agreement.
"What happened after she escaped?" Aedion asked. "I imagine Maeve wasn't pleased."
"She wasn't." Fenrys' hand fell to his scarred stomach. Vaughan and Lorcan lowered their eyes. Lysandra's gaze fixed on Fenrys' hand. "Connall and I were punished, because Connall killed Zeno and I failed to capture Nascha, possibly killing her in the process."
"Punished how?" Captain Silva asked, obviously listening in on their conversation. Fenrys didn't answer. Finally, Lorcan spoke.
"She made them flay each other's stomachs open with a whip." Fenrys closed his eyes, sighing as the memory resurfaced. "Fenrys was punished first. Maeve made Connall whip him until the lashes started to reach his guts. Then, she made Fenrys whip Connall, while trying to hold his own guts in. She summoned a healer for Fenrys, but Connall was left to heal over time."
"Why?" Captain Silva narrowed his eyes. "Why heal one and not the other?"
"It was part of my punishment," Fenrys murmured. "Watching my brother suffer, while I was as good as new, minus a few scars. Besides, it would be a little hard for me to serve Maeve in bed if my guts were falling out on her."
"What a bitch," Lysandra huffed, leaning onto Fenrys' shoulder. He gave her a small smile. "Let's hope we have better luck this time."
"We only risk war if we don't," Aedion muttered.