War of Winter (Iron Fey Fanfiction)

Chapter 8 - Cold Blood

The ride back to the palace was quiet, Rowan a bit troubled by what they'd seen and Ash content just to ride in silence beside Crystal. She placed a hand on the saddle bag, relief coursing through her at the feel of the bird inside. They'd caught a bird, squirrel, and Ash a small rabbit. It was a successful hunt, she decided.

   Back at the palace, they left their mounts to the stable boys and headed inside. The palace was already mostly decorated for the ball. Decorations of evergreen adorned the walls. Small faery lights sat in the greenery, making it glow slightly.

   As they passed the ballroom, Crystal had a look inside through the glass doors. She gasped slightly at the sight of about ten trees lining the walls and corners. Somehow the guards had managed to drag in tall Douglas Firs, Fraser Firs, and a few Blue Spruces. Goblins and the guards were working on decorating the trees with colorful balls and a several faery lights.

   "It's like the mortal holiday of Christmas," Rowan whispered in her ear, his cold breath brushing the skin of her neck. She bristled and jumped slightly.

   "Damn it, don't do that!"she hissed, glaring at him. He only smiled.

   "What? Did I scare you?" he smirked.

   She wished she had enough power to freeze him to the wall and leave him there. "No! You merely startled me. Being scared is much different from being startled."Why was her heart pounding so hard?

   "Of course it is," he murmured in her ear again. "Well, I must go see how Edgebrair is fairing with his raiding plans."

   Crystal frowned. "Raiding plans?" she looked back at him and he turned back to face her.

   "Yes, we're planning to raid a dryad camp whose residents have stolen some of our food supplies from the city," Rowan told her. "You're welcome to join, if you like? I would be most honored," he grinned at her.

   "Is that your idea of a date? A raid?" she raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh. He smiled wider in response.

   Something was definitely wrong with her heart.

*****

   A scream woke her from a deep sleep. Crystal shot up from where she'd fallen asleep on the divan in her room, grabbing her knife and glancing around wildly, her battle instincts kicking in. She was alone in her room. The scream had come from down the hall.

   How long had she been asleep? She looked out the window to find the blue moon high in the sky. It was at least late evening, maybe near midnight. After she'd declined on Rowan's offer to join him on the raid, she'd retreated to her room to nap. Apparently a nap had turned into full on sleep.

   Grabbing a second knife, she crept out into the hall to investigate the scream. Guards were hurrying left - towards the throne room. The scream had been one of horror, not pain. It was these kinds of screams that drew Crystal's attention. She'd heard plenty of the pained ones. Following the guards, she entered the throne room, where a small crowd was gathered. The guards were reluctant to touch whatever they were standing over. The three princes were there, Sage looking solemn with his wolf sitting beside him. Rowan narrowed his eyes and craned his neck, trying to get a better look at what the guards were surrounding. Ash just studied the crowd suspiciously.

   "What's going on?" Crystal asked a nearby sidhe - Thistle, she recalled his name was.

   He did not meet her eyes as he nodded towards a small gap in the crowd and Crystal got a good look at the calamity that was once a guard. One side of his face had been horribly mutilated and his eyes popped clean out of their sockets. His tongue had even been stolen. Crystal felt her stomach roil and swallowed down her nausea.

   "He was my brother," Thistle said sadly. "I found him like this, murdered in cold blood," he said. His gaze turned empty and Crystal felt a great effort to hold in the bile in her throat as she caught a glimpse of a strange brand on the other side of Garnet's face, the side that wasn't mutilated.

   The brand was of a dark rose with two crossbones behind it. "Who did this?"she wondered, aghast. Who would dare murder a Winter guard in his own home?

   But she knew the answer as she looked toward his hand to see none other than a small, black rose.