Skaja moodily landed back in the forest, quickly throwing a three-paneled cloak over herself to hide the cut on her arm. The chilly night warranted the extra protection against the elements, so no one would question it.

She frowned as she weaved around sleeping figures on the ground. All her life, she’d been taught that men were horrible creatures. Awful, selfish, cruel, unkind. The fae slave was anything but those things. Annoying, yes. Confusing, yes. But not terrible.

The only interactions she’d had with men were when fighting or killing them. Her first conversation with a man was...strange...and yielded no answers, only more questions. What magic protected him from her daggers? If he wielded such magic, why had he been stuck in the Pits? How had those men been able to whip him?

And why had he called her Scarlett?

“You look pensive tonight,” a voice said behind her, and she spun around to find Inari sitting beside a fire. She trimmed the end hair off either side of her prized locks, tied the strands of hair together with a leather cord, and attached it to her staff. Dozens of hair bundles hung from the wood in a wide array of colors. 

Her friend carried the staff with her wherever she went.

Glancing around to find only two other valkyries awake and engaged in conversation opposite the fire, she sat beside Inari and gazed into the flames. “I have a lot on my mind.”

“Would you like to share?”

Did she? 

But as she gave a sideways glance in Inari’s direction, she wasn’t sure if she could trust her closest friend with a dangerous secret. Besides, an insistent, desperate need to protect the fae man tugged on her relentlessly.

Ridiculous.

Instead of speaking of the man, she confided in another confusing topic. “Do you ever wonder about your family? Your birth family?”

Inari paused in her task long enough to glance up. Streaks of white paint were smeared across her dark face in celebration of their latest victory. “The thought crosses my mind occasionally. Your family must be heavy on your mind tonight. You have not smiled once since the raid. And you were gone on your flight for a long time.”

“I suppose so,” she murmured to the ground. The fae man’s words tugged on her soul, and she couldn’t help but repeat them. “Do you think my parents truly had the heart to abandon me?”

“Many of us were abandoned. Paula is good and kind to have taken us in.”

“But...doesn’t it hurt? To know your parents hadn’t wanted you?”

Her friend sighed as she finished tying one cluster of hair only to start on the next. “You know dwelling on the past doesn’t help anything. You are wanted here. You, especially. Paula loves that you are a harpy. What I wouldn’t give to have a pair of wings too.” 

“They are burdensome at times,” she replied with a chuckle. “I’m always stepping on my feathers. And don’t get me started on finding a comfortable sleeping position.”

Inari pointed a cluster of hair at her, an exasperated look on her face. “Your idea of a comfortable sleeping position includes taking up all the space. I see no logical reason why your wings need so much room.”

The two of them laughed, releasing some of the pent-up anxiety in Skaja’s heart. The fae man was just that—a man. Devious. Manipulative. Confusing. He seemed kind, but perhaps it was simply an act. All her life, she’d been led to believe they were heartless beasts. Just because he seemed different, didn’t mean he was.

“There,” Inari said as she latched her final hair cluster to her staff and turned it in a full circle as she admired her work. Her mouth turned downward with disappointment. “The one who got away... That one is smart, I’ll give him that much. He likely planned for this day well in advance to have slipped away so soundly. Surprising, too.”

“Surprising?” Skaja opened her wings a little more to feel the heat of the fire on her feathers. 

“He mined using only one hand. The other must be lame. I can’t imagine where he could have gone with only one working hand.”

Lame?

A frown puckered her mouth. When she’d fought him in the Pits, he’d attacked with surprising strength. But then she recalled how he couldn’t hold on very well when she’d transported him out of the ravine. 

“You are obsessing over this man,” she said quickly to cover up her contemplative thoughts.

“And? Have you seen his hair? I’m dying to know what it looks like without dirt in it and a good brushing.”

She rolled her eyes. Unfortunately, Inari wasn’t the only valkyrie with a strange habit. Another enjoyed sleeping with men before she killed them. And one collected the pinky fingernail of each of her victims.

On the other hand, she only killed men out of necessity, especially where the safety of women was concerned. 

Closing her wings to keep the gathered heat closer to her body, she stood and bid her friend goodnight before finding an empty patch of grass to lie on. A sudden weariness washed over her, and her eyes drifted closed. Hours of fitful sleep passed. 

But then suddenly her eyes flew open and she swore under her breath in the darkness of early morning. She’d left the fae man on top of a cliff. How was he supposed to get down?

Slumbering breaths greeted her, indicating no one had heard her cursing her own stupidity. Quietly, she climbed to her feet and tiptoed through the camp. Before she managed to talk herself out of her decision, she leaped into the air and flew back in the direction of the high, grassy cliffs.

By the time the blush of dawn filled the sky, the cliffs came into view. 

As well as the man she’d thought about far more than she was willing to admit. 

****

Calle woke at the crack of dawn, eagerly starting the day despite the weariness dragging on his body. The sky lightened little by little, until the world around him became visible. 

He stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing down at a long, winding river below. His gaze traveled from an expansive forest to the faint silhouette of a city. A familiar city. Oddwaran. 

Many different people lived in the city, from human to fae to forest dwellers. One such person was a family friend named Jarvis, a human he could trust. And another one- or two-day’s journey into the forest was where the man he desperately needed to visit resided. Cian.

His fingers absently trailed over the golden tattoo on his wrist, tracing each of the twelve points of the sun star. The man could work miracles. Getting out of the Pits was already a miracle, and he didn’t dare hope for more. But he needed help and protection, at least until he could figure out the path ahead. 

The skies grew lighter with each passing minute, and he watched the mountain range with hopeful anticipation. His heart quickened. His body thrummed alive. He leaned forward. And then the first ray of sunlight broke over the mountain.

Warmth bathed his face with agonizing relief. He was powerless against the tears trailing from his eyes and soaking his cheeks as a rush of energy entered his worn and weary body. The horizon lit up like a brilliant fire, chasing away the darkness, the pain, the cold, and the hopelessness.

It was beautiful.

****

Skaja’s heart gave a start as she stood a little way behind the fae man, watching him stand as still as a windless night. Tears trailed down his face as he gazed at the horizon. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

The pale pallor of his skin faded ever so slightly. The dark circles beneath his eyes vanished. His previous ill appearance changed into vibrancy and good health.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as her gaze raked across the whipping scars on his back. His bloodied shirt hung from him in tatters, and the brown of his trousers was faint as if he’d worn them for a long time. How much had he suffered in the Pits?

Not able to handle the emotions stirring within her, she spoke. “What are you doing?”

The man jumped at the sound of her voice and quickly swiped his tears away, but he kept his gaze on the mountain range before them. “I haven’t seen sunlight in six years. It’s beautiful.”

Six years?

She gawked at him. That was a long time to never see the light of day. “What awful thing did you do to deserve the Pits?”

At last, he turned to face her and gave her a pained smile. “I loved a woman.”

She searched his face for any trace of a jest but found none. “I’m serious. What did you do?”

A deep, burdened breath left him as he turned his head to face the rising sun once again. “I was born with magic, and my older brother was not.” 

He had mentioned his magic the previous night, and her gaze traveled to the sleeve of his shirt, which hid the magic-hindering brand on his forearm. 

“What happened to the woman?”

“She’s dead. My brother killed her.”

Her feathers ruffled on their own accord as she stared back at him. An aching pain lingered in his eyes as if he were remembering the incident. The thought of his brother killing this woman set her blood ablaze. “So, you’re innocent?”

He nodded, then shrugged. “I burned his face a good deal when I tried to save her. And I embarrassed him in front of many people. But I don’t believe I deserved the Pits for my actions.” 

“You were enslaved unjustly. You gave your portion of food away to other slaves. You protected the virtue of women. You took whippings for others.” She shook her head as she pierced him with a stare. “You are supposed to be a man.”

“I am a man. Have you met no decent men in your life?”

“I haven’t met any men at all.” Her voice took on a warning, dangerous tone. “It’s hard to get to know someone when I’m slitting their throat.”

He looked her up and down, but no fear lived in his expression. “Just how much male blood is on your hands?”

“Quite a bit.”

“And female blood?”

“None.”

His gaze lingered on the swirling purple tattoo on her left shoulder, the one that claimed her as a valkyrie in her clan. Her bare shoulders not only proudly displayed her identity, but it was an easy outfit to work around her wings. 

For a moment, when he opened his mouth, she thought he might ask about the tattoo. Instead, he said, “You stranded me on a cliff.”

“Why do you think I returned?”

An annoying, secretive smile spread across his face, nearly hidden beneath his mountain of facial hair. “That must be why.” His eyes glimmered with amusement. “How do you propose I get down? The cliff is quite steep, and I have no rope to propel me to the bottom.”

When his gaze shifted to her wings, she turned a shoulder to him. She had not thought this far ahead, but she refused to carry him like a pack mule. “No.”

His eyes flickered with contemplation as he edged closer to the drop-off and peered over the side. “The cliffside is quite steep, but I think I can manage the climb down if—”

The ground crumbled beneath his feet, and he yelped before disappearing completely.  

Panic raced through her at his sudden disappearance. Real, terrifying panic. She wasted no time as she ran toward the edge of the cliff and jumped off after him. She tucked her wings close to her, spiraling downward faster than he fell. The ground came closer and closer until she managed to hook her arms beneath his.

Her wings unfurled on either side of her, catching wind beneath her feathers and slowing their descent. Terror still seized her pulse as she glided past the walls of cliffs, over the river, and finally dropped them into a field of knee-high grass.

Breathing heavily, her anger as her guide, she lifted her hand and slapped him across the face. The noise reverberated in the field, mingling with the soft whistle of wind in the long blades of grass.

He stared back at her with a shocked expression, a red imprint growing redder on his cheek. Several moments of silence passed between them as they stared at the other. “You slapped me.”

“Your magic may not allow me to kill you, but I can still slap you.” And kick him, it seemed. Ridiculous magic ward.

“You care.” His smile grew wider as his fingertips trailed across the small wound. “It’s been a long time since anyone has cared.”

Her eyes shot open in surprise before furrowing into a glare. “Now wait one moment... I don’t care one speck about you.”

“Then me falling wouldn’t have made you angry.”

“You inconvenienced me is all.” 

Still, he smiled as he turned his back to her, touching his face with his fingertips. The sight of the sentiment caused her to ball her hands into fists. Was he asking to get slapped again? Because she wanted to, if only to teach him a lesson or two.

But she refrained.

“Thank you for saving my life,” he said suddenly, now gazing toward Oddwaran. “Just now and in the Pits. I never thought I’d see daylight again.”

Barbed words died on her tongue as she stared at him. The man before her was...perplexing. Nothing like her valkyrie sisters. 

Before she thought of a reply, he said, “I can manage on my own now, I think. I don’t have any coin, but there must be some way I can repay you for what you have done for me.”

She blinked several times, his words catching her off guard. Repay? But...but...men were supposed to be selfish and uncaring. 

To hide her growing discomfort, she ruffled her wings and turned her gaze toward the forest to give a standoffish appearance. “There is nothing you can possibly give that I want. However...you’ll likely be eaten by wolves or chupacabras before you reach your destination. I can at least see you that far.”

“Won’t your valkyrie friends miss you?”

She shrugged and risked a glance in his direction to find him watching her curiously. “Most likely. But they are used to me disappearing on a whim.”

The fae man grinned, setting a torch to her annoyance.

“Don’t look so smug.” She shoved him in the shoulder, only to misjudge her strength against the weakness in his body. He stumbled and barely managed to catch himself before falling flat on his face. “Let’s get you something to eat first and then we’ll continue.”

The heavens knew the fae man needed sustenance in his belly.