Venali set his knives back down and looked Raine over one more time, nodding slowly, "We'll try again tomorrow. Let's get you back to the cell before one of the Fae over there decide to come over here and beat you to a pulp." He glanced at the Fae on the other side of the room, who indeed looked like they were questioning beating both of them up.
He motioned for her to follow as he started out of the training room, sure to keep his pace slow enough that she would be able to keep up without injuring herself further.
(I’m really sorry for the hold-up):
Serena exhaled lightly, making sure breathing wasn’t a big issue, before she began to follow Venali. It irritated her that they needed to slow down because of her, but she didn’t voice that aloud.
Instead, she gave the Fae eyeing them a roll of her eyes and said to Venali, “Looks like there are exceptions for Fae beauty.”
(It's ok)
Normally when she commented something, Venali just rolled his eyes, but this time he actually snorted in amusement as he glanced at her. He seemed impressed to say the least, and the amusement was also visible. "Not all of us can be drop dead gorgeous," The Fae replied with a joking grin.
As weird as it was to hear Raine talk to him in any way that wasn't an insult or jab, he found himself actually hoping she would do it more often. It felt right to talk to her, even if she clearly still wasn't any sort of a fan of Fae or him in particular.
“There’s an exception to you, too,” Serena retorted, not wanting to miss an opportunity to make a jab at him. Unfortunately, her insult was false. Venali was one of the most beautiful Faes she had the misfortune of running into, and he knew it.
Since she wasn’t looking at him, she missed the grin, but she felt it in his voice. It felt a little strange, joking with the enemy like that. Serena told herself it was all part of the plan, that she needed to get past his defenses in order to be able to use him. That didn’t make her feel better, either.
“Sure, monster slayer,” He replied, chuckling at her words, “Sure.” Even as a half-breed, he had gotten more than his fair share of high Fae beauty thanks to his heritage. It was the one thing he liked about himself, and it almost made up for being an outcast in both human and fae groups.
The palace looked just as beautiful as they walked back towards the cells, even as the large windows disappeared as they descended down levels. Venali wasn’t bothered by the change, even as they once again passed the guards quarters and reached the rows of cells that had become Raine’s home.
“I’d be a true monster slayer if I slayed one of you.”
Serena had no intention of letting Venali realize walking the distance had slightly increased the pain. She simply kept her arms wrapped around her as she walked, and kept her attention on her surroundings to block out the pain. It would better if she were to focus on a possible getaway.
For starters, she needed to figure out a way to bypass the guards practically looming over them. On top of that, she’d need to get to Alec on time as well. If she failed, there really wouldn’t be another chance at survival.
"Watch your mouth, you're in a palace full of Fae." Venali's words showed just how little he cared though, especially as he added, "Since it can't be me though, I can confidently say I wouldn't care if you murdered anyone here. You'd maybe find the Fae you want to get rid of conveniently alone though."
A sparkle of some mischievous twinkled in his eye and he shrugged, slowing to a stop once they were at her open cell. The door swung open with a single push from him and he motioned for her to step inside, not hiding how he looked over her for any more injuries or pain she was in.
Serena’s posture visibly changed at the mention of the Fae she wanted to badly kill. She ignored Venali’s blatant staring as she stepped inside, and then turned to face him again.
“Tell me about him,” she demanded, ignoring the throbbing in her chest. She remembered the sick look in his eyes, that terrifying grin as he’d raised his scythe to slice them into pieces. Her parents had distracted him enough for her sister to take them away, but she remembered everything down to a z. “Scythe. Where is he? Tell me everything there is to know.”
The twinkle in Venali's eyes vanished as she ask about the Fae she had named Scythe. Now his face was a blank slate of calm, no underlying emotions surfacing at all, just the mask that he wore so damn well. He stopped at the doorway of her cell, glancing around for a moment before meeting her eyes.
"Not now. All I can tell you is he holds a much higher position of power than he did that long ago," His words were calm but firm, showing that there was no arguing him on this subject, "If you want to know more, I would suggest asking to go on a walk around the palace grounds with Arya after dinner. Until then..just get together your questions and behave."
Serena gritted her teeth. She’d waited years to get revenge. She’d wait a little longer. Taking a deep breath to contain her rage, Serena turned around and crossed her arms tighter around her chest.
“Fine,” she huffed. “Will you be there? At the palace grounds. My questions aren’t short. I need to know about that Fae.”
"Yes, I'll be there to answer any questions you have about him, any at all," He replied, nodding once and taking a step out of her cell, "Get some rest Raine, I'll bring you paper and a pencil in a few minutes so you can write down your questions."
Venali slowly closed her cell door after he was out, lingering a moment longer as he watched her before walking off. Absentmindedly he rubbed his shoulder where their matching tattoos sat, searching for paper and a pencil even though he wondered if she even knew how to write.
Serena chewed on her bottom lip as she sat down on the bed. She sighed, removing her headband and curling up on the bed. She didn’t know how to write. Well, she’d been educated a little by her father, but there was only so much you could learn while on the run. She knew the alphabets. She knew simply words. Beyond that, nothing.
Education was a luxury humans were not granted, and anything Serena had learned was mostly wiped from her mind. After all, at the age of ten, she and her brother had lost their family.
Rage filled her again. Serena would kill Scyth, even if it was the last thing she’d do.
(I'm coming down with a case of mild writer's block, so sorry if this isn't as engaged as the other ones, I'll try to do a better job next time)
Venali didn't appear back at her cell for another ten minutes, though as promised there was a pad of paper and a pencil in his hands, as well as a cup that had the same painkillers as she had been given before. "Here you go." Was all he said as he opened the creaking cell door and set the things down right inside, "Rest up." It took him not even a minute longer to close the door and lock it again before he slipped back into the hallways, not even bothering to say goodbye or make any comments.
From the way she was curled on the bed, he figured she didn't want to talk, and it didn't seem to change as he left because he didn't hear any new comments come from her. At least she seemed to be doing what he had asked and resting. If she wanted to learn about the Fae she had named Scythe, she would need the energy to listen.
(It’s okay! I’m going through the same thing, which is why it takes me so long to respond…)
While waiting for Venali, Serena had fallen asleep curled up. She had been a bit tired, especially after their run, so she never woke when Venali came into her cell with the pen and paper.
When she did wake up, she cursed herself for falling asleep through it. He must have thought less of her conviction—then felt pleased. She didn’t want him to know just how badly she wanted Scythe dead, she just couldn’t.
She stared at the pen and paper for a few minutes, up until Arya came with her dinner.
"I brought food," Arya said in a sing-song voice as she walked up to Raine's cell. A smile was faint on her face and she looked happy, genuinely happy, that much was clear from the look in her eyes, "How are you doing?" She opened the cell door easily, walking up to her bed smoothly, and setting the food down next to the other girl's figure.
Venali had spent the afternoon doing whatever tasks his uncle assigned to him, from painfully assigning the fates of the few humans that were brought in to reading through documents and writing responses to other important Fae in the kingdom. All the while he tried to remember everything he knew about the Fae that Raine had shown so much interest in. It was easy to remember the big things, and it was made even easier whenever he passed said Fae in the hallways.
Serena was drinking water when Arya came in, looking far more cheerful, which put Serena on edge a little. Why was the human so cheery, in a place full of Fae?
“Hello, Arya,” she replied in a low voice, eyes on the food, which she picked up to begin eating. “I’m fine.”
She didn’t bother asking Arya how she was. That wasn’t like her. So instead, she said, “After dinner, I need you to take me for a walk.”
"I can do that, where do you want to go?" She asked, the smile fading slightly even as the light in her eyes stayed ever visible, "Around the palace? The gardens? The stable?" Arya rocked on her feet as she talked, moving to the nearest wall and leaning gently on it, "I can take you almost anywhere besides the royal suites or the guest rooms that are being used, one of the perks of being a servant."
The sun was fading quickly, even as Venali finally slipped out of the palace and took up a spot under one of the trees in the gardens. He sighed as he sat, leaning back against the rough bark of the tree and letting his eyes close. This spot was where he spent many a night with his parents, and alone when they were no longer around. Bringing someone to the same spot was going to be a first, especially someone that conveniently hated him.
“The palace,” Serena replied as she dug into her food. Her hands didn’t tremble as she ate, and after a while of the silence, finally spoke again. She didn’t look at the other human as she did, though. “Bring food for yourself next time. If you stay with me while I eat, might as well stuff your stomach.”
After that, she went into her own thoughts. What she’d ask of Venali, considering she could not write. Could only read, but barely. Had never held a pen in her hand because staying in one place for longer than necessary could get them killed.
“I wish I could,” Arya replied, shaking her head, “Servants don’t get to eat until everyone else in the palace has, and Fae eat on their own schedule.” She shrugged, pulling the smile up again and looking at the walls, “Gosh I remember being locked up in one of these. Don’t miss those days.”
The girl went silent when Raine did, her brown eyes locked on one spot on the opposite wall as she drifted into her thoughts and daydreams.
“You were treated worse,” Serena said, though she didn’t really need a confirmation. The only reason she wasn’t ridiculed or hurt was because of the deal she had with the king—or with Venali. “How did you become a servant?”
She couldn’t imagine the hardships of human women in the custody of the brutal Fae. If Serena had been alone, she would have killed herself rather than let herself be taken alive. Then again, their situations were different.
"When Venali was younger, he fought in the war against humans, but only because his uncle forced him to, and even if he was supposed to be killing our kind, he tried to save as many of us as he could. My mother was very very young when the war was going on, and he had come across our families camp one day. Instead of killing everyone though, he just took as many as he could prisoner. Eldon made him pay dearly for that, and I'll let him tell that part, but he managed to get her a job as a servant. I'm a mistake child from some random servant and my mother, the result of a fling. Normally I would've been killed, or sent to auctions, but my mother wanted me to be safe, and begged Venali to let me stay. Somehow he pulled together another job as a servant and here I am," Arya rattled off, a small smile on her face, "I spent several years in here when I was younger, when I was caught stealing food." The girl seemed unbothered by her crazy life, or the story, and if anything she just shrugged and looked back up at the ceiling.
It didn’t matter to Serena if Venali had taken part in the war, or even if he had been forced to kill humans. She didn’t care if he saved a lot of humans, either. Mankind was in this position because of his kind in the first place.
“I have no desire to know his story,” she said flatly, and began to finish the rest of her food. And she really didn’t. She had no reason to think of him as something more than a monster. All she needed to do was get him to lower his guard, and then use him to get herself and Alec out. Nothing else. “I’m sorry for your loss, however.”
"He's not as bad as the rest of them, but he's no saint either. I won't sugarcoat that." Arya replied with another simple shrug, "I wasn't close to my mother, or the family that he gave jobs to, don't worry about saying sorry for something you had no part in." She glanced out at the halls, tapping her leg with her hand and glancing over at Raine every so often, just to see how much more she had left to eat. Clearly the girl was itching to get out of the cell, but it was hard to decide if it was because she hated the memories of it or if it was because she wanted to get walking.
Serena chose not to reply, instead finished her food. Though she wouldn’t admit it aloud, she felt a bit proud at eating with a spoon without spilling anything.
Once she was done, she set the tray aside and stood up. “I’m done,” she said, rubbing her hands together. “Let’s go.”
The other girl nodded, standing up straight and wasting no time as she picked up the discarded tray and led the way to the door. “Anywhere in particular you want to go?” She asked, bumping open the door with her hip and holding it open for Raine, “I know you specified the palace, but where specifically.” Even without a definite answer, she led the way through the halls to the stairs, confident enough in her steps that the guards did no more than scowl and glance at the two of them.
Serena followed after Arya, ignoring the guards that sneered at her. She knew they wanted to rip her to shreds, and she hoped they knew she wanted to do the same to them. One day, Serena reminded herself. One day the humans would take back their lands, and the faeries would suffer under them.
“The palace grounds,” Serena responded, remembering that was where Venali told her to meet him. She didn’t know why she thought he’d help her. It could very well be a trap, but she didn’t care. She needed to know about Scythe. His strengths, weaknesses, how to defeat him.
Arya once again just nodded, changing their path once they got to the main floor and leading her down large vaulted hallways. While the sun had been bright when Venali had led her around before, now it was dimmer, casting a glow onto the floors from the large windows wherever the sun could be seen setting. The girl didn't seem to mind or notice though, just continued ignoring guards and leading Raine along. "The palace ground are huge, I won't be able to show them all to you, but I can show you the best parts," She chattered, oblivious to wether she was listening or not, "The lake is pretty, but it's a ways away, so I'll just show you the best parts of the gardens. Plus with the sun going down it'll look amazing."
(I wrote something that felt really good in a really long time and my browser restarted. Ugh.)
Serena had seen spectacular views from her time running from monsters, but the view she received from the gardens was on par with what she’d already seen. The sun gave off a warm glow, wind rustled in the trees, and flowers gave off an aroma so breathtaking, it nearly took the strength from her legs. The garden was another proof of the faeries’s wealth and absolute power, a promise of protection and peace for those inside the castle walls. But not outside of it.
Instead of feeling the same warmth, it instead ignited loathing inside of Serena. While her kind had suffered, the faeries ate warm meals and took hot baths. While her kind was killed for just being humans, the faeries slept in soft beds and never felt a shred of horror. These things deserved to suffer. They deserved no good night’s rest. They deserved their bloods being spilled and nothing less.
Even Venali? Serena’s mind went blank at the voice that popped in her head. The faerie that helped humans despite being against them? The faerie who’s helping you?
For his own gain, Serena told herself, and with that, shut down any lingering thoughts. She and Venali were connected through life; he was the only one she couldn’t wish death upon.
“Where is he?” Serena asked, tilting her head and knowing Arya would understand what she meant.
"Probably under the tree he's always under, I'll take you to it," Arya replied, shrugging and turning down a small worn trail between two flower beds towards a giant oak tree. The tree was massive, with huge branches going both outwards and upwards that supported hundreds of smaller branches and millions of green leaves, and it clearly had been there for hundreds of years. "If you're ever looking for him and he's not in the palace, he's out here, under this tree or on a bench by the lake." She led the other girl through the multicolored flowers, careful not to step on any, and as they got closer, a Venali shaped figure was sitting just out of view on the other side of the tree, facing the sunset and looking over the rest of the sprawling garden.
Venali didn't even glance over his shoulder at the two as they approached him, just rested his head against the bark of the tree and nodded slowly. "Thank you Arya, I'll bring Raine back to her cell, go get something to eat for yourself," He said, finally glancing at the two of them as Arya stopped a few feet away and nodded in return. Then, just like that, she walked off, leaving Raine and Venali there alone. "Finally, thought you'd never finish eating," He drawled, looking over at the girl and noting the presence of the paper or pencil, "I hope you remember everything you want to ask, I'm not writing it down for you."
Serena scowled and crossed her arms, knowing if she didn’t distract her hands, they’d be around his throat in a second. He was lucky her life depended on her. When she escaped, he’d be the only faerie she’d spare.
“Who’s the Scythe?” she asked without bothering with pleasantries. “I don’t need to know much; I’ve got an idea of what he is. Is he around here, and if so, will he be showing up at the trails?”
