The Marked One

 

As she left with the Fae warriors, she glanced toward the playground. It was empty. The darkening sky highlighted the fires behind her and down the coast. What were they doing? What was this place? The work crew had left the beach; the Fae warriors took her to a street in the prisoner compound that she barely recognized and pointed her to follow the road. One of them turned to her and smeared something on the back of her neck, then turned and left. She reached up to feel the greasy substance on the fine fur on her neck.

“Where’s Erthen?” she asked after she had been checked by the guards.

Fallon reached for her and hugged. “We thought we had lost you. They haven’t brought him back.” Alithea’s jaw set. “What happened?”

“She wanted me to fix up that injured woman on the beach. I sewed up her arm.”

“That injured woman was looking for you,” Fallon said. “She wanted more of whatever you gave her.”

Alithea turned to Fallon. “Was she in pain?”

Fallon shrugged. “She asked for more of what was on the rag you gave her.”

“I didn’t, well, never mind. We need to find Erthen.”

Bebe shook her head as she got down off the bench. “Look out the window. Fae warriors with wolfbear patrolling the street outside. We’re not going anywhere.”

Alithea reached up to her neck. “What is this they put on my neck? The Fae warriors put it there.”

Drindl touched a finger to her neck, then put it up to his nose. “They marked you. Sprint pheromone. We can’t smell it much, but the Sprints can smell you from miles away in a soft breeze.”

She looked at him aghast. “They marked me!” She turned to Alpen who had taken Bebe’s place at the small window opening high up on the wall. “What do you see?”

“I’m trying to time their patrols,” Alpen said and turned back to the window.

Alithea turned to Drindl. “Where did you get that energy you had yesterday? You bribed the guards with it.”

“It’s like a favor. You do something for someone, and you don’t know if you will ever see someone in this place again. We exchange those energy packets.”

“But that was in a fine powder. Do they do that here?”

Drindl shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Alithea turned to Fallon and took his hand. “You are going to have to show your hand. There is something wrong here. I don’t what it is. You need to find out.”

Alpen turned away from the window. “Keep your voice down. The patrol stopped just outside the door.”

They heard a sound from the outside chamber, then the gate opened. It was Erthen!