Chapter 11

Dawn

Three days. Three days passed and I was bruised and bloody from trying to escape nearly every day. That first day I spotted my sunstone dagger sheathed at the hip of one of the guards. The fi rst beating I took was when I tried to steal it back. After that, I marked that guard for death. Every morning the guards tethered our ankles together with steel cuffs on a metal chain and held swords to our throats if we protested. We worked long hours in the dirt with blunted scraps of metal that were an excuse for a tool. Every evening, fi ngers bloody and swollen, we were permitted to wash in the deep river while the guards went into the water with us. If one woman tried to swim away, it would yank the chain of all of our legs and pull us all in with her. I’d thought about a hundred versions of escaping, but the only one that went well in my mind was the one where we worked together. So today, during one of our very brief water breaks from digging, I pulled Sabine and Alexandria aside.

“Tonight, when we bathe in the water, if we all swim away at the same time, we can escape,” I muttered.

Alexandria shot a worried glance over her shoulder at the guards. They were more than twenty paces away, chatting easily with each other with their hands on their bows ready to put an arrow into our chest if we ran.

“You know Claudette and Moira can’t swim,” Sabine told me, seeming to appraise my idea with more seriousness then Alexandria.

I did know about Claudette and Moira. They shook in fear at every wash and clung to the very edge of the shore, only going as deep as their knees.

I nodded. “I’ll have Moira hook her arms around my neck and carry her on my back. I’m a great swimmer. Can you carry Claudette?” I asked Sabine, since that was the order we were usually chained. She might be older than the rest of us but was in no way feeble.

Sabine blew air through her lips. “And if they get an arrow into us before we can get away?”

I winced. “You’re right. I shouldn’t push this on everyone.”

My desire to flee this place seemed to be greater than the others’. They were much more complacent in their lives here. Sure, they complained and fantasized about leaving, but they hadn’t tried anything since I’d arrived. Not like I had. I reached up and rubbed the bruise on my jaw that I’d been given last night for trying to run as the guard was unhooking my ankles to put me in the cave for the night.

But I had to try. Every day I would try. My people were counting on me. The mere thought of the black rain destroying my childhood home in Faerie made tears spring up in the backs of my eyes.

And then there was Zander.

I couldn’t even think of the Northern lord without feeling a tugging in my chest. Something outside of me pulled me to him. It was unnerving and left my heart feeling as bloodied and bruised as my body, so I did my best to block him from my mind completely.

“We should vote,” Sabine finally said. “If it’s unanimous, we make a run for it.”

Alexandria’s eyes went wide, and I reached out and put both hands on her shoulders. “Do you want to get sold to some creepy old fae’s house to be a slave for the rest of your life doing who knows what?” I asked her seriously.

She swallowed hard and shook her head.

“Then let’s vote, because buyers are coming whether we like it or not, and I don’t plan on being here when they arrive,” I told her.

I’d overheard the guards talking about the upcoming auction and it made my skin crawl.

Sabine casually walked over to where the other ladies were getting water by the giant bucket. We weren’t chained until we were released from our cell to start working for the day. That’s how I tried to break free on day one. I’d made a run for it before they tethered me to the other fae—an arrow had whizzed past my ear, nearly taking a chunk out. The guard assured me he’d missed on purpose so that he wouldn’t lose a strong digger but next time he’d take my heart.

Sabine whispered to one of the girls and her eyes went wide. Then the whispering spread, my plan of escape, and one by one the girls went over to speak to the next and peered at me with wide eyes.

I tilted my head high, trying to show them just how strong I was. We could do this. I could lead them out of this. When Claudette and Moira were told, they began to shake their heads in fear, and I stepped over to them, eyeing the guards to make sure they were still distracted and far enough away not to hear our conversation.

“Sabine and I will swim with you on our backs. I will drown before I let anything happen to you,” I assured them. “I’m an excellent swimmer.”

“Me too.” Sabine stepped up next to me and nodded. “I’m a healer. Protecting lives is what I do.”

“Let’s find another way. I hate the water,” Moira said. She was a small, childlike-looking fae with the furry face of a fawn complete with spots and small horns. The urge to protect her was strong within me, and I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake in my plan.

“Moira, when the auctioneers come we will all be sold off and separated. Is that what you want? To go to a permanent unknown location with some slimy old fae?”

Her little brown deer eyes widened as she shook her head rapidly. Reaching for her hands, I took them in mine. “Trust me, okay? I’ve got you. When I give the signal, you jump on my back and hold your breath. I’ll do the rest.”

Tears filled her eyes, but she nodded.

“Time to vote, then,” Sabine whispered as the girls gathered around, getting one last swig of water before we went back out to digging.

I looked at Alexandria and I saw respect and trust mirrored in her gaze. She nodded.

Sabine: a confident nod yes.

Moira: yes.

One by one, the women nodded. Some looked excited, others fearful, but every single one of them looked determined. Even Nysa gave a nod in agreement.

Tonight. We were getting out of this wretched place.

* * *

After over six hours of digging in dry dirt, to say I was covered in dust was an understatement. My mother would keel over of heart failure if she saw the state of her princess and heir to the throne. But I’d found a giant golden nugget which had all of the guards excited. I had gathered that the big boss, who was coming in with the auctioneers, allowed them to take a cut of whatever we dug up, so I’d just made them all very happy. Hopefully it distracted them from what was about to happen.

We walked one by one out to the water where we were to bathe. We always did it clothed, taking the chance to wash our clothes too and only changing into a dry wrap of cloth for sleeping when we got back to the cave.

Which wasn’t going to happen tonight because we were about to be free.

Moira shook like a leaf in front of me as we approached the water, and I pulled on every ounce of courage and strength I had in me for what was about to be done.

The women knew that at my signal we would dive into the water and swim like mad into the deep river. I just had to find the right moment. But before that, there was something I needed to retrieve.

“So I made you a pretty rich man today I assume?” The girls were being a little too quiet and stiff in their movements, so I chatted up the guard so that he wouldn’t be suspicious.

The guard glared at me. “You did.”

I nodded, making a point not to let my gaze drop to my dagger hanging off his waist. “So a chocolate cake delivered to the cave for breakfast tomorrow wouldn’t be too much of an ask?”

The guard looked at one of his buddies, and then all six of them burst into laughter. While he was distracted I mock tripped over my feet and fell onto him, quickly palming my weapon.

“Sorry,” I muttered and then slipped it into the sleeve of my shirt to hide it as I stepped away from him. I felt a rush of relief and adrenaline having the blade back. I couldn’t have left without it.

“Sure thing, buttercup. I’ll have a chocolate cake waiting for you tomorrow for doing your job.” The corners of his eyes leaked as he continued to laugh.

Then we hit the water line and Moira froze.

We were only ankle deep, so I casually grasped her palm and tugged her deeper in with me as the guards pulled their bows and began to chat casually behind us.

“They think we bake cakes now?” one of the guards said, and they all laughed again.

The water hit our knees and Moira tried to stop, but I kept pulling her. I glanced at Sabine to see that she was having to coax Claudette as well.

Come on …

My heart had never beat so fast in my entire life. One by one we went deeper into the water until it was up to our waists. Moira shook like a wet kitten beside me.

“That’s far enough,” the guards said, the water lapping at their knees as they stood watch.

Alexandria, waist deep in the river, pulled out the shared bar of soap and began to wash. We all started to wet ourselves down and prepared for our turn.

The women would sneak glances at me, but it didn’t feel like the right time. The guards’ arrows were nocked in their bows, and they were staring at us. I needed a distraction or something.

The idea came to me as if it had ridden on the wind. “Gold!” I screamed and pointed to the guards’ feet. The one I knew was carrying the nugget and had a special greed for the shiny stuff.

“Where?” he snapped, looking at his feet as the other guards rushed closer to him.

I quickly snuck the dagger out of my shirt and slid it into my boot to hide it and free my hands up to swim.

“Now!” I whispered-screamed to the others. I didn’t think twice as I yanked Moira onto my back and took a deep breath, diving into the water. I heard Moira’s sharp intake of breath too, then we submerged into the cool water. One by one the women crashed under the current next to me and we swam farther out into the middle of the deep river and then downstream, as was the plan.

A few arrows snapped around us, but I kept kicking my legs, coming up only when necessary for breath. Moira would gasp behind me, taking in a deep breath, and then I would dive back down. Some of us were stronger swimmers than the rest so the chain at our ankles was constantly being tugged left and right, front and back. I was pretty sure we were going to make it until I felt something really heavy pull at my ankle—heavy, like the weight of a body no longer moving.

No.

With each kick, I struggled to stay above water now that a body was trying to drag me under, and I breached the water just in time to hear Claudette screaming for help.

No no no.

Sabine?

I pivoted, grabbing for Claudette, who was flailing, and when I got close to her she launched onto me like I was a safety raft. My head submerged before I could get a full breath, and then both Moira and Claudette were frantically pushing me under in an effort to keep themselves afloat.

As bubbles of air left my lungs, I peered into the bottom of the crystal-clear water and found myself staring into the dead gaze of Sabine, an arrow had pushed right through her back and come out her chest.

It’s possible to cry underwater, because I did then. My throat tightened with unrestrained emotion and a sob escaped me as the last vestiges of oxygen fled my lungs.

I’d killed Sabine, and now I was going to drown and take all of the other girls with me.

Not only would my people back in Faerie die for putting their trust in me, so too would these courageous women. The guilt in that moment was enough to kill me without drowning on top of it.

Just as black dots danced at the edges of my vision and I prepared to meet death, I was grabbed underneath my armpits and hauled up out of the water.

I sputtered and gasped for huge lungfuls of air like a fish out of water, and then came face to face with one of the angry guards.

It was Rodrigo. The mean one who never spoke. Every single vein bulged in his face as he dragged me and the other girls to shore with the help of the other guards.

No. This wasn’t happening, no.

Sabine …

I peered at the shoreline as the women fought and screamed against the guards. Some were crying, others just looked helpless. Then I watched as one guard produced a key and unclicked Sabine’s leg cuff, letting her body float lifelessly down the river.

Rodrigo unclicked mine next and grabbed my wet ponytail. “She’s the ringleader. Clearly we haven’t beaten her hard enough. She still has the desire to flee.”

Fear seized me in that moment, and I bucked against him, only to receive a fist to the face. I wrestled in his grip, and then another guard was there striking me to the ground.

“I’m missing that dagger we took off her the day she got here,” a guard roared, and my stomach dropped out as dread filled me.

“Strip her,” the other guard said.

I went ballistic then, flailing and screaming as they tore my clothes and grabbed my waist and armpits searching for a concealed weapon.

“Got it!” another said as he yanked the sunstone dagger from my boots.

No!

“You little witch,” Rodrigo seethed. “Make her regret her disobedience.” He kicked me in the back, and I fell to the ground, arms splayed out.

I tried to get up and got a blow to the ribs for my effort. Every time I tried to stand or fight back, they pummeled me. But I was Dawn Ambrose, I didn’t give up. So I fought back, I tried to stand, I did everything in my power to show them that they couldn’t break me.

But they did.

Before I blacked out, I came to peace with my situation. I would be stuck here forever, never seeing Zander again or saving my people. I was going to be sold at auction and live a life of servitude. They won.

I gave up.