Betrayals of Spring (Forever Fae #2)(59)
I have only heard rumors of the Redcaps only having talons for hands and by the way this one feels up against my head I would say it’s true. The Redcap takes away the blindfold and I narrow my eyes against the light of the outdoors. I blink rapidly a few times to get used to the light and when I do, I am horrified at the sight before me.
There are dozens of Redcaps surrounding me and they all look haggard and defeated. Blood is dried in splotches on their faces and their red eyes have taken on a dull sheen. Their skin is dry and cracking leaving sores in its wake, and the smell emanating from them is absolutely revolting. They all look like sturdy old men, but some of them have brighter red caps than the others. I look down at their hands and they are exactly the way I was told they would be, talons and all. Their pikestaffs measure twice as tall as them and they are all wearing heavy armor along with iron-shod boots. Even with all that armor, they were hasty enough to catch me on horseback. No wonder they are great killers, they’re swift enough to out run a fae horse.
One of them approaches me and I assume him to be the leader, Shamus. His cap is pulsing and sending rivulets of blood trailing down his face. The metallic scent of his victim’s blood is permeating around him and the smell is horrid. It looks disgusting, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from him. He holds a dagger in his hand and holds it like he is about to strike. My heart rapidly accelerates and I begin to sweat profusely. I can feel it running down my back and dripping down from my forehead, blinding me with its saltiness. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for my fate.
The clan leader points his dagger at me and announces across the crowd, “Blood is to be paid with blood. This young lass has taken a clansman’s life, and it must be paid with her own. ‘Tis the blood that will save our clan.”
Before I can protest, he slices the dagger to the bone across both wrists. I hiss in pain as my blood flows rapidly down into the buckets placed below. I welcome the numbness of my limbs for dulling the pain. I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to bleed dry. With my healing capabilities, I know I can heal very quickly.
Shamus, the clan leader, separates the Redcaps into two groups and they each take a turn soaking their caps in my blood. Shamus goes first and soaks his cap. Their world seems to be blurring together as I begin to feel light-headed and dizzy from the steady flow of my blood leaving my body into the buckets below. I refuse to die, I scream to myself.
I summon my magic and it swiftly travels to my wrists, healing them quickly. I close my eyes to breathe a sigh of relief at the same time Shamus gasps in surprise. I open my eyes quickly to see him looking at me in amazement. His cap is now a deep crimson shade of red and his eyes are glowing like the flames of a fire. Did my blood replenish him that much? Gasps erupt around the crowd and they stare at their leader, mesmerized.
“Who are you?” he demands. Again, maybe I should have screamed before who I was.
“I’m Princess Meliantha of the Summer Court,” I announce looking around the crowd. Murmurs and gasps erupt from all of them and they stare at me wide-eyed.
“Why are ye here, and how can ye blood be so powerful?” Shamus asks, speaking above the crowd.
“I was in search of the dark sorcerer before I was taken by you.” His eyes go wide, along with the rest of the clan. By their angry and weary expressions I would say they’ve had a recent visit by the dark sorcerer. Again, he has led me into a trap. I look across the crowd and say, “He has taken something of mine and I want it back.” I glance at the buckets of my blood on the ground and then back to the Redcaps. “My blood has healing magic, and that’s probably why it healed you and made your caps bright.”
The Redcaps continue to soak their caps, and one by one their whole appearances change. It’s amazing to see how they went from haggard, to rejuvenated, in a matter of seconds. Smiles take over their faces and they look at me in sheer amazement. Grishom takes a step forward and hollers across the crowd, “Tis a gift, it is.” He looks at the clan leader, “Ye can’t take the lass’ life. Tis a healer, she is.”
I’m beginning to like Grishom. He has a kindness in his eyes when he looks at me. Relief flows through me as the murmurs across the crowd yell in agreement. Am I going to be set free? Shamus holds his hands up for the crowd to be silent and I shake in anticipation waiting on the verdict. He looks at me and explains, “ Tis many of my men betrayed their clan. Tis the evil of the dark sorcerer that has corrupted their souls. He took many and left us here weak.” The dark sorcerer must have taken them when he came through here. I know how it feels to be betrayed by those you love.
“Am I free to go?” I ask, hopeful.
Shamus shakes his head and furrows his brows in concentration. He looks across the crowd and then back to me and says, “Ye still took a life, but if ye offer ye blood once every new moon then ye shall be set free.”
Every new moon is once a month and offering them blood one time a month for my freedom is a small price to pay. They must really be in desperate need of saving. Never in history have I heard of a Redcap letting a prisoner go. They’re widely known for their murderous ways.
It appears this is going to be my only choice. “I promise to give you blood every new moon in exchange for my freedom,” I answer whole-heartedly. Hollers of happiness explode across the crowd while they dance around in glee. It’s eerie seeing my blood flowing down their faces as they scream in joy. Grishom begins loosening my restraints and helps me away from the table.