War of Winter (Iron Fey Fanfiction)

Chapter 17 - Omens

Crystal usually did not dream. But tonight, she had a nightmare. She walked down the hall of the ice palace, the moon her only light. She was searching for something, yet she could not be sure what it was. Or who it was. Just then, someone grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her up against the wall. She felt her back pop at the force and made ready to grab her knife.

   But she stopped when she saw two beautiful blue eyes staring into hers. "You did not think I would really hurt you, did you?" Rowan murmured as he pressed his lips to hers, not giving her a chance to respond.

She kissed him back, even though her instincts were screaming at her not to, that this was somehow wrong. She ignored her instincts and let out a groan as his teeth scraped along her jaw. She opened her eyes to look at him and felt her stomach sink to her feet.

"Well, you're wrong," Snare grinned evilly and pushed the blade of his poisoned dagger slowly into Crystal's heart...

Crystal woke up screaming. She looked around wildly, thinking Snare might be in the room with her. She grabbed her knife from under her pillow and gripped it tightly, her knuckles growing white. Once she realized she was alone, she slowly got out of bed, trying to calm her still-racing heart.

  She pulled on black pants and a clean black long sleeved shirt and boots, strapping her knife belt around her waist. She had to find Snare and get information from him. Something told her the dungeon guards were not going to get very far with a faery like that, be him Summer or no.

  She pulled her hair back into a sleek ponytail and crept out of her room. She walked silently down the hall, hoping it wasn't too difficult to find the dungeons. After turning down a few halls and encountering the occasional redcap gang playing cards, she came to a door at the end of one hall. Two guards stood beside it, their black armor hiding their faces from view.

   "I'd like to speak to the latest prisoner," she said firmly, holding her head high. The guards did not move. Then, one nodded and opened the door to the dungeons. Crystal stepped through and partially regretted her decision as the guard closed the door behind her, plunging her into complete darkness. She took a breath and conjured a faery light, blue illuminating the cavern-like surroundings.

   She followed the path through a narrow tunnel, being careful not to touch the walls, which were covered in some sticky green substance. As she ventured farther into the tunnels, she could hear moans and cries of agony and despair emanating from the lower cells.

   She cringed. It smelled awful in here and she did not know which cell Snare was in. There were hundreds of them. Swallowing, she approached the guard at the top of a staircase leading down into the lower chambers - the torture chambers.

   "I am looking for the Summer spy," she said simply, hoping the guard would not be too difficult. He turned his mangled head and looked at her and she fought to wrinkle her nose in disgust. His face looked like it had been badly burned and then mauled by a dog and never healed properly. He grumbled low in his throat and motioned for her to follow him. There was a bit of dim lighting down in the lower cells. Crystal put away her faery light and followed Ugly into the low tunnel, lined with cells both empty and full.

   Most of its occupants were Summer fey, sidhe and non. Although, some of the occupants were of Winter. Traitors and thieves mostly. She shook her head and disregarded their pleading looks as she passed by them.

   The guard led her to a room at the end of the tunnel, lit by lanterns along the walls. Inside the room was a large fireplace, several instruments of torture covered in rust, and a few guards. And in the center of the room was a wooden post, Snare with his wrists strapped to it, shirtless and donning about thirty lashes across his back. Crystal was surprised there was any skin left.

   The guard with the whip paused at her entrance and nodded. "Evening, lady," he greeted cheerfully. "What brings you down here at this hour?" He grinned, showing several missing teeth and possibly what mortals called gum disease.

   "I'm here to speak with the prisoner on the subject of the upcoming war," she said, her hand resting on the hilt of her knife.

   "Well, best of luck to you. All I've been able to get out of him is that Summer is building a weapon that can make the ground spit, or something like that," he said. He folded the whip up and tossed it on top of a barrel. "Feel free to use anything you like, miss," he leered, gesturing to the tools on the wall. "I suggest the scalpel. That always gets them." His grin was possibly the most hideous thing Crystal had seen in a long time.

   She nodded and the guards - all but one - left the room. She approached Snare slowly, as she would a wounded deer, her knife drawn. Snare breathed heavily and Crystal saw that his jaw was clenched, probably to keep from screaming.

   She stepped up beside him and placed the tip of her blade under his chin, making him look at her. She almost smiled when she saw his cheeks streaked with tears. "I need you to tell me what I request of you," she said quietly. She kept her blade where it was, not drawing blood just yet.

   He swallowed and blinked. "Fuck you," he whispered. His eyes burned with a deep hatred she only recognized all too well.

   She shrugged and pulled away from him, going over to a bucket on a low shelf. Steam emanated from a thick black substance inside that she only recognized as tar. A ladle and a large paint brush sat beside it. "We can do this the hard and painful way, Snare, or you can tell me what I want to know," she said.

   Crystal glanced back at the Summer faery. "It's your choice."

   Snare took a breath and looked from the bucket to her. He was silent.

   So be it.

   Crystal took the paint brush and dipped it in. Something inside her did not want to do this, but she had to get information. She heard a hitch of breath behind her as she pulled the brush out, letting the thick tar drip from it.

   She turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes at his fresh tears. "It's your choice, Snare. Really."

   "The...Summer court...has made a weapon inspired by the humans," Snare whispered. Crystal approached him slowly with the tar covered brush, just to intimidate him. "They plan t-to introduce it in the midst of the battles..." he trailed off and glanced away from the brush. His knees shook and sweat had beaded on his skin.

   "Go on," she murmured.

   "It can decimate about fifty fey at a time, maybe more," he said. "It is their strongest weapon."

  "What else?" Crystal was standing beside him now.

   "I don't know - that's all Titania told me of it. She wouldn't let me see it; said it was for my own good." He swallowed again and glanced fearfully at the brush.

   "What else?" she pressed him.

   "They...are planning using guerilla warfare in the beginning - to throw your army off..." His face contorted in pain and he buried his face against his bound wrists. "That's all I know, I swear!"

   "You are a coward," Crystal murmured. She tossed the brush back into the bucket and hurried out of the room, not wanting to look at the calamity that was his back any longer. She winced and clenched her jaw as she heard the bucket being grabbed.

   She ran from the tunnels and from that awful place as she heard Snare's howl of pure agony echo through the chambers.