2. The Fringes

The ash layered over town echoed its shades of grey in the clouded sky.  I peeked out the window, but no new footsteps disturbed the path from the main road to the door of the partially ruined house I found myself locked inside of with a male I couldn't stop touching. Still, as I watched the barren scene before me, I wished Lark would appear with Dusk's sister so we could finish our job. As much as my body craved him and my soul ached for his, Dusk was not just another fae. He'd been singled out by the Winter King, likely for the cargo he carried, and the king wasn't known for his patience. If Lark didn't show up soon, we'd have to move on without them.

A rustle behind me drew my attention, and a quick glance assured that Dusk was still sleeping on the floor, curled around the imprint of my body in the thin layer of grime. I smiled at him in spite of myself, and my heart swelled in my chest, ready to break through my ribs at any moment.  Then, I pushed off the wall and walked into the back room.

I had to stop. I had to. How could I complete my job when all I wanted to do was touch him, kiss him, fuck him? How could I keep him safe until we got to Holly Heart if I couldn't function when I looked at him, or stars forbid, he spoke to me?

I ran my hands over my scalp, bunching hair in my fingers and pulling until it hurt. The pain cut some of the clutter from my mind as I paced back and forth, silent as a dream. My body thrummed with energy as it responded to the heartbeat a room away, and as I pulled hair harder to block it out, images of Dusk's hands tangled in it instead of mine drew shudders from my body. I bit my bottom lip, then hissed as I re-opened the bitemarks I'd forgotten were there. Frustration welled in me. I already couldn't control myself, how much worse would it be when Dusk wasn't sleeping anymore?

My eyes fell onto the crate the king wanted. Partially covered by Dusk's shirt, I could make out a portion of the Summer Queen's crest burned onto the side planks, but otherwise it seemed to be an ordinary box for ordinary things. I frowned. Asking questions wasn't part of the deal, but if the cargo was valuable, perhaps he'd be satisfied if I only delivered half of what he'd asked for. After all, he'd known the risks, he knew there was a high chance of failure; that's why he'd contracted Lark and not simply sent someone from the court. I wouldn't have to risk Dusk's safety, or mine, if he wasn't with me.

I set the pale blue shirt on the table beside the crate and pulled at the lid. It didn't move. I frowned, searching for nails, maybe a latch if I was lucky, but found nothing. I made a face. I could just take the whole thing, but it would slow me down. The box was big and awkward, and looked like it might be heavy, but-

"If you try to steal it from me, I will kill you."

"I wasn't- No, that isn't what I was- When did you wake up?" Idiot, I scolded myself as I plastered a polite, friendly look to my face.

"When you left my side this morning to look for your partner," Dusk said as he slid past me and reached for his shirt. My heart pounded at the proximity, and I stepped back to lean on the door frame. "Though, I admit I'm glad he didn't show up in the night. I'd hate to die in my sleep and miss the opportunity to enjoy leaving this world."

"He wouldn't have killed you, we have a contract to deliver you to the Winter King. He'd have waited until that was signed off on, lest his reputation be damaged."

"Lucky me," Dusk smirked as his shirt slid into place around his torso and he ran a finger over the edge of the Queen's crate. I watched, far too interested in the curve of his finger and the way the tip indented along the edge. I wonder if it would look like that running across my teeth- "So, what were you doing with this, if you weren't planning to make off with it?"

"What I said was that I wasn't planning to steal it from you," I focused my gaze on my own fingers, pretending to clean under my nails.

"And leaving with it while you thought I slept isn't stealing?"

"No, not if I was delivering it to the king, like he wants."

"Ahh," Dusk said as he took a step towards me, setting my blood on fire, "but your contract is for me and my cargo, isn't it?"

"It is." Proud that my voice remained even, I tried in vain not to purr as he took another two steps towards me.

"Then why not deliver us together? Surely it would be less hassle for you and your partner later on." He stood close enough now that I felt the heat of his skin, and I shivered as I used every drop of self control I had not to reach out and touch him.

"I was thinking it would be better if Lark brought you to Holly Heart with your sister. Without the box, that trip would be much easier."

"Is that so," he said as he reached his hand towards my face. My breath caught as his thumb ran over my lip, smearing a small patch of blood. I made the mistake of lifting my eyes to his face. Fuck, but he truly was beautiful. "And if I refused to let you leave me, then what?"

"I don't know," I said softly, afraid to break the spell he wove around me, "it didn't occur to me that you'd object."

"How could I not?" Dusk murmured as he bent his head towards mine, lips grazing my jaw. My vision blurred as my entire body responded. I blinked and found a hook in the ceiling to focus on, even as my hands wrapped around his body and my nails trailed down his back. "What fool would willingly let you leave?"

"Many, it turns out," I breathed as his lips brushed over my pulsing throat and my heart skipped a beat. He groaned into my skin and leaned closer into my body, but I drew my hands around and pressed firmly into his chest, resenting myself for making him stop. "Speaking of leaving, we should go. The Wilds are dangerous of you stay too long, and if Lark hasn't made it here by noon, he will expect us to move on."

Dusk stood straight, and I realized just how small I was beside him as the top of my head barely met his collarbone. He turned from me, leaned against the table for a long moment, then walked past me towards the window. Electeicity sparked around me as he drew close, and the feeling of it dissipating as he grew farther away left me wanting. "You're right, we shouldn't linger. However, you'd mentioned food last night, and I could very much go for some now."

"Yes, absolutely," I smiled, avoiding eye contact, and walked quickly behind the destroyed staircase to where a trap door led to a root cellar. As I descended into the dark, I wondered how in the world we were going to make it when he seemingly had no more self control than I.

***

"I thought we were leaving the Wilds," Dusk protested as I led him carefully through the thick brush of the Fringes. Fifty feet to our right, clear, ash-covered landscape sprawled out as far as the eye could see, contrasting sharply with the blurred, verdant hills forty feet to our left, leaving us caught somewhere in between the two where thick, thriving landscapes adopted muted colours and a thin, dusty covering on every surface.

"We are, but if we stick to the Fringes, we can still use the displacement to our advantage and get to Winter Dark much faster than if we left completely." I paused in my step as I caught a footprint in the soft ground. I frowned and crouched lower in the grasses. "Now, shush. We won't be safe until we cross the border."

Dusk's mouth set into a hard line, though whether it was at being shushed or the thought of danger, I didn't know. It didn't really matter. I forced myself to look away from his lips, something much harder to do than necessary, then called a bit of magic up from my core and sent it out into my surroundings, searching for something useful. Ivy, my namesake, pinged in response to my presence, and I shuddered as dozens of plants lit up for me, small glowing spots of green in the dusky landscape. A few, maybe twenty feet ahead, glowed brighter than the others. I moved towards them carefully, noting trampled grass and disturbed dust along the way. When I reached the ivy, larger leaves cradled small drops of blood.

"Someone's been through here very recently," I whispered to Dusk, who leaned over the crate to see what I was pointing at. "The smallest spatters are still wet."

"I can't smell anything in here," he muttered, "so there's no telling who it is."

"Hopefully Lark or your sister. But, just in case, stick close and stay low. If we are attacked, go into Faerie. That-" I gestured to the splash of colour on our left, "- is the Spring Court. The Winter border is north of here."

"If we are attacked, wouldn't it serve us both if I fought instead?"

"No," My jaw tightened, frustration leaking in. We didn't have time for this right now. "You go directly to the king, and if you're feeling really persuasive, ask him to send someone to help. My job is to make sure you get to Winter, and keeping you safe along the way is how that happens. My staying alive isn't required to fill the terms of the contract."

Dusk's nostrils flared. "Your contract wouldn't matter if you were dead, would it? Besides, it's hardly safer to send me alone into a Court I'm unfamiliar with. I've got a terrible sense of direction in the Dark."

I sighed, my head falling to my chest as I pinched he bridge of my nose and took breaths to calm myself. "Of course you do. But, it would still be safer than staying in the Fringes. You said you can't smell anything in here, how are you going to fight if you aren't used t-"

The twang of a bowstring assaulted my ears at the same time Dusk inhaled in pain. My head snapped towards him and landed on the blossoming red in his shirt's shoulder material, an arrow shaft sticking out the back. Rage filled me. I growled, catching sight of the archer over his shoulder, and sprang towards her as another twang crackled through the air. Dusk cried out as I reached her. The bow in her hand, beautifully made and clearly loved, splintered as I slammed her backwards and pinned her bow hand between us. 

"Blood for blood," I hissed, the hilt of a knife sliding into my palm before I registered reaching for it. I brought it down towards a spot on her neck between the hardened leather armor and the lower curve of her helmet. She twisted away, and my blade gouged the leather instead of her flesh.

She sneered as she looked me up and down."You reek of that traitorous monster. I should put you out of your misery before you can regret soiling yourself with him."

I snarled at her, and pulled at the magic still thrumming in the ivies. Vines shot towards us from the closest plants, twisting around her ankles and snaking up her legs. She kicked them off and used the movements to step closer to me, swinging her damaged bow as she did so. I put my arms up, and a wall of green foliage sprang up, blocking my view of her. Her bow struck my forearm instead of my torso, and I grunted, moving through the leaves to break her elbow. She screamed as bone pierced her skin and blood sprayed us both. I kicked out her knee then, and drove my knife into her spine as her neck exposed itself in her attempt to cradle her arm. She sputtered and gurgled, blood bubbles at her mouth breaking and staining her cheeks red. I kicked her forward and her head grazed the ivy wall.

"Go ahead," I told the plants as they reached hesitantly towards her. "Have her."

The wall dissolved as vines wrapped around her body, forcing their way into her through her ears, nose, and mouth. Her eyes widened in pain a moment before her chest imploded, and I smiled as the ivies rustled beneath her skin, destroying organs and muscles along their way to bringing her flesh back to the earth. In Faerie Dark, after all, death wasn't a graceful endeavor.

Death. Arrows. Dusk. 

I sprinted back to him, and my heart raced as I saw a second arrow in his hunched body, buried dangerously close to where his heart would be. Rage emptied from me, replaced now with dread and panic. 

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" I dropped to my knees felt his neck for a pulse. Faint, but there. I tried to sit him up, but he was heavier than he looked, and blood ran from the wound in his shoulder. I cursed, and the adrenaline from the fight encouraged my frantic mind. How could he be dying when I'd just saved him? 

"Dusk, can you hear me?" I turned his head in time to see his eyelashes flutter, but nothing more. I cursed again and slapped him across the cheek. His eyes opened a fraction. Good enough. I smiled, hoping I looked serene and assuring. "Hey, I need you to stay with me, okay? Stay conscious, stay awake, and for all that is good in the world, please stay alive. Don't let go of that box, no matter what. I'm going to get us to Winter real quick."

He groaned, and I looked around frantically. The archer wouldn't have been alone, so how many more hid amongst the grasses waiting for us? We couldn't go by foot anymore. We needed to move faster or he'd bleed out. The thought broke my heart and nearly brought me to tears.

I stripped in record time, tucking my clothes between Dusk and his cargo before closing my eyes and focusing on my most recent lesson with Lark.

Focus on the way the bones shift, on how they are put together. Don't worry about exterior aesthetics- those seem to fall into place on their own. Concentrate on getting the musculature correct, the bone structure, the poise. Those are the things that matter.

My bones crunched and creaked, my muscles popped and pulled, my skin tore and threaded back together as I pushed magic through my body and forced it to change its shape. The first time I'd shifted, I'd been seven or eight and had only wanted to climb a tree like the lynx did. Now, I called on the strength and ability of the tiger to help me, as I'd done nearly a month ago. Pain coursed through me as bones changed shape, muscles elongated and rearranged, organs moved to new places. I squeezed my eyes shut, but somehow a couple tears still managed to roll down my furring cheek.

I shook out my white striped fur and padded towards Dusk. His head lulled, and as I sank to the ground and nudged his body, he seemed to barely understand what was happening. With the last of energy, Dusk flopped clumsily onto my back. I stood cautiously, afraid he'd tumble off, but after a few quick adjustments to my hips and shoulders, he seemed settled well enough, and I took off through the brush, running as fast as I dared do with an injured, barely conscious rider.

Arrows flew past us a few times as we made incredible progress through the Fringes, but none hit their mark. I resisted the urge to turn around and maul the archers for putting Dusk in further danger, and instinct gave me the edge I needed to outrun them. I veered towards the Spring Court, and stepped over the boundary just as Winter came into view. A quick glance behind said our enemies were too far to see us, but even a sub-par tracker would know where I'd vaulted into Faerie proper; I'd not bothered to try and hide my path. The fading life I carried was too precious to waste time.

I strode across fields of wildflowers without my normal care, crushing tulips and daffodils beneath my paws, ignoring bee stings and clouds of pollen. The temperature dropped a few degrees every foot we passed over, the labored breath from my mouth clouding past us as the ground beneath our feet frosted over. I was overexerted, unused to long treks as an animal and how much energy their bodies needed to function.

We can stop once we pass the border. We just need to cross the threshold. Come on, Aevy, you have to make it.

As I leaped for the border, something slammed into my side, shooting Dusk through the flowers and me tumbling after him. I recovered quickly, turning to the large male who'd assaulted me. He held an oaken spear with a blade made of sunstone, one of the Summer Queen's vanity weapons for high ranking officers, and lunged at me as he found his footing. I growled low in my throat as I ducked and sidestepped, circling him as I considered the best angle to kill him from.

"Surrender the traitor, return Queen Lamiales' property, and I'll set you leave in peace," he said, his voice silken but honest. My growl deepened, becoming less of a warning and much more a threat. He adjusted the grip on his spear, then raised it. "The Queen has no quarrel with you, or the residents of Faerie Dark. She simply wants what is hers returned to her."

I relaxed my posture, but kept my teeth barred and my eyes fixed on the male. My mind raced. My clothes and weaponry were scattered, and as a tiger, most of my weapons would be useless. I needed language, I needed my hands. With a warning growl at the queen's officer, I began shedding the tiger's skin and stepping back into my own. Pain lanced through me as my muscles, already sore and abused, became smaller and more fatigued. My body sagged as exhaustion slammed into me, bringing me to my knees in the frosted brush. Small spots along my ribs and thighs stung in the air, highlighting where the arrows hadn't missed as completely as I originally thought.

To his credit, the officer looked away as my unclothed body became clearly defined, but made no move to come towards me. Afterall, no one in Faerie was totally defenseless, and one didn't climb ranks in the Queen's army if you were naive.

"Please," he repeated, "surrender the traitor and the Queen's property, and I promise no harm will come to you."

"May I know you, so that I may report your promises to the next soldier of your banner who tries to harm me?"

"I am Korrin Alzoi," he said, his voice pleasant in light of my cooperation, "captain to the Queen's infantry. May I know you, so that I may know whose name to praise upon my return to Oaken Hold?"

"I am Aevy Iszildan, niece to the King Yorri of Winter Dark and heir to his crown," I responded, using a gambit I hated playing. I watched as his eyes flickered back to me, taking in my face, my body, before they widened and his pleasant demeanor became reverent and stiff. Looking at the captain, my soul sighed.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for assaulting you on your return home. I also ask forgiveness for those under my command who caused the blemishes and injuries you sustained along your way." Captain Alzoi knelt before me, his head bowed. "I would gladly pay the price for your blood, so that there is no tension between Holly Heart and Oaken Hold."

I sighed aloud this time. "I assure you, no payment is necessary. Rest assured, Holly Heart holds no grudge against Oaken Hold on my account. However," I pointed to Dusk laying disturbingly still on the ground ten feet away, "the soldier who wounded him has paid the price for his blood, but he won't survive without medical attention."

Korrin stared at me for a long moment, confusion dancing across his face. "He's a traitor to his queen, my lady. If he dies on the way back, it makes no matter to anyone."

I refrained from grinding my teeth. "This male is under my protection, and therefore by extension, the protection of the King of Winter Dark. I am taking him to Holly Heart so he can be treated. If you insist on claiming him, join us."

The captain tensed, conflict skittering across his face. I almost felt bad for him, but I really just wanted him to leave. Dusk was far paler than he should be, even accounting for the cold. "He is under the Queen's jurisdiction, regardless of who else offers protection. He has stolen a great treasure from her, and such a betrayal supersedes personal agreements. I'm afraid, your Highness, that I will be taking him with me to be tried for his crimes. He will be subject to the Queen's mercy."

I cringed. I knew better than most what that looked like- Lark had, more than once, been her instrument of mercy for particularly important traitors, or those she couldn't locate to bring back to her court. There was absolutely no way I was letting the captain take Dusk.

I nodded to him, the picture of a disappointed and resigned woman, and stepped aside. Relief washed over him as he bowed in thanks, then walked to Dusk. I followed, gathering my clothes and redressing, as Korrin knelt beside the male laying at his feet, pressing two fingers gently to his throat in search of a pulse. I took a deep breath, part in concern and part to steady myself against lunging for the soldier's throat. After all, he wasn't posing an immediate risk to Dusk.

"Faint, but there. His heart must still be intact. Avi doesn't usually miss, but she missed twice here. He's lucky," Korrin chuckled to himself, "or at least he was earlier. Looks like his luck's run out now."

Rage bubbled inside me as the Queen's captain dared mock the impending death of my...charge? Still, I smiled and laughed at his joke, kneeling beside him and placing a hand on his cheek. My magic, lust, filtered into him gently, and his eyes darkened. "How lucky Lamiales is to have someone like you fighting for her. What a shame you are wasted on her, running after traitors. How would the price for his life be settled? Would you pay the cost for his life, should he die?"

"He has no family," the captain murmured as I leaned closer to his face, "no one cares if he dies, no one would collect that payment. I'll be fine."

"You're wrong, captain." I leaned forward and kissed him, biting his lower lip lightly. He responded eagerly in kind, sucking blood from my wounded lip as his mouth opened for mine. I breathed magic into him as my tongue explored his mouth. He pulled away a moment later, coughing. I smiled, "you're very wrong indeed."

I watched a myriad of emotions cross his eyes before settling on hatred as he clutched his throat, clawing at it as his esophagus collapsed from the toxins in my blood taking root in his body. Deep green lines spiderwebbed from his mouth up his cheeks and down his throat as my poison thickened his blood and deteriorated the delicate tissues of his veins and soft tissues. He reached for me, and I rocked backwards as my muscles remembered the workout I'd put them through earlier. Glancing around, I assessed my options.

Onward was the only one.

I smiled sweetly at Korrin as I grabbed Dusk under the shoulders and dragged his unconscious body the last few feet over the border of Winter. However, the rage that'd boosted me was fading, and I sat back in the frosted grass, hoping the cold might stall the fatigue.  Fifteen minutes later, I managed to get back up to retrieve the crate of stolen goods, and noted Korrin's now-dead body. I wrinkled my nose at him, stripped him of a signet ring, his spear, and a set of keys, then  forced myself back to Winter, collapsing beside Dusk just as fresh snow began to fall.