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08 HUNTING A MONSTER
—MONSTERS come in all shapes, in all sizes, in all varying degrees of evil.
A monster to one may be an angel to many, while a monster to the masses may be a saving grace to the few. A relativity derived from perception, morals, and necessity.
So it is a frightening beast, indeed, that which is a monster to all.
The faeries gather in the underground cavern, lining the walled perimeter until there is little to no space left to even breathe, to even think. One surge and the inner circumference of bodies will fall into the pit they've surrounded.
The pit.
Down below, in the dim light, mounded structures of mud create intricate, nonsensical trails. Like a labyrinthian trench system. And beneath that, a vast network of tunnels and chambers hidden from their sights.
All to house the biggest monster Under the Mountain.
—KAZI always wakes Feyre Archeron from her fitful slumber before the Attor arrives at their cell door. He must not see the human girl on the cot, must not see her comfortable enough to close her eyes, must not see the carefully fabricated lie for what it is. So, every time he comes upon them, Feyre is expertly cowering in the corner while Kazi is seated menacingly on the cot.
She is the bigger threat; she must act like it.
This time, the Attor cackles at the sight welcoming him when he breaches the corner. He is in a terribly good mood, one that Kazi is instantly wary of when she sees Dryl and another naga trailing close behind him. This is the first time he's come with back up.
She stands from the creaking cot slowly, crossing her arms. The Attor came for Feyre once before, and the girl had returned to the dungeons a muttering, stuttering mess. Kazi had to work for hours to get the girl to stop repeating a series of convoluted lines filled with words that no longer made sense individually—and even after she'd calmed down, Feyre still lost herself in the riddle from time to time. In her sleep, most usually.
"You're coming with us. Both of you," he barks at them. Feyre hesitates to leave her isolated corner even as he stares her down with glowing eyes. "Get up, filth!"
The girl does not disobey, not with two additional dark faeries at his side to rough her up again.
He unlocks the door stiffly, eyes carefully trained on Kazi standing before him. She hasn't made a move against him or any of the wardens since being locked away—not now when Feyre Archeron is under scrutiny, as well—but he knows what she's capable of. Her lips tug into a feral, satisfied grin, knowing she makes him this uneasy.
Being the one closest to the door, she is apprehended first. She makes no effort to resist, but they are harsh with her shackles, anyway. Dryl and its fellow naga yank her about by her bare arms, scratching her with their scales and talons, bruising her with their untempered strength. She hisses lowly when they make a particularly harsh jerk against her shoulders—sensitive from having to sleep sitting up against the wall for six consecutive days.
