Chosen: Book 1 in the Dragon Queen series

The troupe’s carthorse, Oak, snorted in alarm at the sudden arrivals.

“Whoa!” Rea tried to calm the beast, but her own alarm rang clear in her tone.

The four were tall, and ethereally beautiful. They smiled calmly as their long hair flew around them like flags, tugged by a breeze of their own creation. Glimpsed through their hair were their pointed ears; not that I’d supposed ordinary humans could arrive the way they’d done, shifting from a bird to a person in less time than it took to blink. Fae were never seen this far west, but I hardly needed to wonder why they had ventured so far. The fae wanted magic. My fingers curled around Dragon’s feet on my shoulder. They couldn’t have him.

“What do you want with us?” Col jumped down from the back of the wagon to face them. His arms were folded across his broad chest and his face was calm, but I heard the shake in his voice. Shape-shifting fae weren’t the sort of peril the troupe might expect to face on their travels.

“We mean you no harm. We have come to take that which is ours.” The one closest to me at the back of the wagon raised a hand in a gesture of clear command.

Dragon’s weight shifted restlessly on my shoulder. I gripped his feet, cold sliding through me. Brunna moved closer.

“Come with us,” the fae said. She might have looked as though she was talking to me, but I knew she was addressing Dragon. I had no idea how they could see something invisible, but everyone knew the fae could do all manner of extraordinary magic.

“No,” I replied. They couldn’t have Dragon. I raised my hands as though I could ward off the fae.

Brunna stepped forward protectively. From the corner of my eye I saw the other three draw closer, boxing us in.

“No! You shan’t take him!” I put my back to Brunna’s, wondering if I could jump back into the wagon. But hiding wouldn’t save us, not when they somehow knew Dragon was here.

Brunna glanced at me then launched towards the first fae, a blood-curdling cry breaking from her lips, nothing more than a stone snatched from the ground in her hands.

The front-most fae extended his hands, as though he were welcoming Brunna into a hug. Just as the two should have collided, the fae twisted to one side. Brunna seemed to follow, then stumbled and fell to the ground, rolling onto her back.

Dragon’s weight vanished from my shoulder. I spun to see another of the fae turning away, the prize she’d snatched from me still invisible.

I reached into the wagon, my fingers closing around a knife hanging beside the cooking pots. “Let him go!” I spun towards the fae and ran, fury lending me strength and speed, point levelled at the one who had just stolen Dragon from me.

A wind blew around me, slowing my progress, dust blowing into my eyes. “Enough, child.” The voice rang out, infuriatingly calm. I was surprised I could hear it over the roar and rush of my own, battle-fired blood. “You have a good heart. I do not wish to harm you.”

I stabbed forward – into nothing. A shape fluttered into the air. My feet met an unseen obstacle and I fell forward. The knife met something soft. Brunna screamed. I twisted to take the power from the knife. I ended on my back, panting, my legs sprawled over hers.

Four shapes lifted into the blue sky. The fae had become birds once more. And Dragon was with them.

“Are you all right?” Mim rushed over.

“You’re hurt.” Col reached out.

I dropped my knife from clenched fingers into the dirt and knelt up, reaching for Brunna, who winced as she sat up. Blood welled along a long line cut through her shirt from halfway up her arm to her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I meant to strike her, not you.”

“But you drove them off.” Rea’s voice was full of admiration as she joined us. “And they didn’t take him.”

“Yes, they—” I fell silent. Unaware of Dragon, they had misunderstood the fae’s demands. They thought Brunna was the target. My shoulder ached where that warm, familiar weight was missing.

“Or her.”

I turned. Col was facing us, brows lifted.

“Isn’t that the truth of the matter?” He asked. “Our passengers are two does, not a doe and a hart.”

Brunna glanced up, then away. She didn’t deny the truth. “It seemed safest to travel as a boy.”

Col clicked his teeth. I wasn’t sure whether the noise was approval or the opposite.

“You’re probably right,” Mim said. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us.”

Rea sniffed and frowned at the pair of us. “Although I have to wonder why the fae are interested in a Muirland boy – or girl as it may be. Do you have something to tell us?”

“I have no idea what they wanted.” Brunna clutched her sleeve, gripping the flesh together where the blood oozed fastest.

Rea’s gaze settled on me. “I’d have thought they’d be interested in you – you’re the one who can foresee things.”

I got to my feet. “Who knows how a fae’s mind works?” I held a hand out to Brunna. “Come on, I’ll get that cleaned up for you.”

“I have a shirt you can borrow,” Col offered.

“Or a dress, if you’d rather,” Rea added.

“Thanks. A – a shirt, please,” Brunna said, her gaze darting to Col as though she feared he would rescind his offer. “I’d soonest keep my secret, while we’re on the road.”

“Of course – Brun.” Col went about the errand.

I fetched a cloth and a skin of water and we moved away from the wagon so we could talk while I worked. The others hung back, offering privacy.

“They took Dragon,” I said, in case Brunna was as much in ignorance as the others.

She nodded. “I guessed as much. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them.”

“Thank you for trying.” My attention was wrenched from Dragon to Brunna as she pulled off her shirt and the full extent of the damage came clear. My knife had opened up a long gash that travelled up and around her bicep, ending at her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I was aiming for the fae.”

Brunna huffed. “I’m glad your heart wasn’t in it.” She was trying for humour, although there was pain in the creases around her eyes.

“I’ll clean it and bandage it, that’s all I can do.”

“Does it need stitches?” She twisted, trying to squint. I was glad she couldn’t see the worst of it.

I forced myself to look closer at the wound. “I don’t think so.” I hoped my assessment wasn’t prompted by cowardice, but I was very sure I wouldn’t be able to steel myself to dig a needle into her flesh. Maybe I should make sure all knives were kept out of reach in the future – no good to create such wounds if I couldn’t patch them up afterwards. “I think you’ll be all right just with a bandage.”

I folded the cloth and dipped it into the water. Brunna flinched when I dabbed her skin. “Sorry.” I wondered how many more times that word would come out of my mouth before we were done.

“It’s just cold,” she said. And I could see the truth of that – gooseflesh rose where the water travelled.

“Sorry, I’ll be as quick as I can.”

“No. I shouldn’t be a baby. It was just a shock. Do a thorough job.”

I dipped the cloth in the water and began again. I cleaned away the blood that had spilled around the wound and slid down her arm. Fortunately, there was almost none coming out of the wound itself now. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as I’d first thought, just scary-looking.

Rinsing the cloth, I knelt behind her and held the edges of the cut steady while I wiped the blood away and made sure the wound was clean. She faced forward, holding still to make the work easier for me.

“There.” I leaned close to check my work. “I think it’s clean now.”

Brunna craned to look. “Thanks, Alliss.”

“I need to make a bandage.” I turned back to the wagon, supposing I’d cut the hem off my skirt to bind Brunna’s wound.

“Here.” Mim held out a narrow strip of folded linen before I could butcher my meagre wardrobe. “We try to be ready for all eventualities.” Her gaze skipped to Brunna, who smiled in gratitude.

“Thank you.” I took the cloth and turned back.

“Here, I’ll help you,” Mim offered. “Two pairs of hands will be better than one.”

She was right. I couldn’t do everything myself. Mim held the edges of the wound tightly together while I wound the bandage around it. The bleeding had mostly stopped.

“All done.” I bit my lip. Provided infection didn’t set in. They never mentioned things like this in stories. In them, the hero waved his sword around and all foes instantly retreated. What a shame real life wasn’t as simple. “Is that all right?” I knotted the ends. “It’s not too tight?”

“It feels fine,” Brunna promised. She looked past me to Mim. “Thanks.” She stroked the bandage. “It feels good.”

Mim beamed. “I’m glad.”

Brunna watched the Surranera girl walk away, then turned to me and spoke in a low tone. “If they took Dragon, what do we do now?”

“I don’t know.” I glanced away from her, past the wagon to the bright city on the hill. “I have little to barter with now.”

“They might still give you a cure.”

I levelled a look at her such as my father might give me if I said such a foolish thing. Her cheeks coloured and she dropped her gaze. “They might.”

“They won’t,” I said. Everyone knew that: mages never gave anything away.

“You could offer them the necklace,” she suggested, determined not to allow my dream to slip away. “It’s enchanted. It must be worth something.”

I sniffed. Face to face with fae it had done me no good whatsoever. “It’s cursed. I suspect they’d charge me for removing it rather than pay me to take it.”

There was a pause. Brunna shifted. “So, do we just go home?” The dejection in her voice echoed the aching in my chest. I couldn’t turn tail in defeat. Pa was relying on me. The insane idea to follow the fae and steal back what they’d stolen from me flitted through my head. No. Dealing with mages was dangerous enough; I was entirely out of my depth when it came to fae.

I found a smile for Brunna’s sake. “Oh, I don’t think this adventure is over yet. We go on. I’ve got Dragon’s shell in my pack. The mages might accept that. And I do have a little money.” Cold, hard cash worked for most people – and if not the mages, perhaps a more experienced city healer would be able to help.

Brunna grinned. My smile gained strength. This was a setback, that was all. Even without Dragon I’d find a way to help Pa.

I stroked the bandage, smoothing it, not trusting Brunna’s assurance that I’d done a good job.

“It’s fine, I promise.” Her fingers closed over mine, squeezing reassurance.

I met her eyes and nodded. “Of course.” I relaxed enough to tease. “I’ll try not to stab you again.”

She laughed. “If you want to stab me, do a proper job of it next time.”

The shirt Col provided was old and worn, but serviceable, wide across the shoulders even with the bandage to take up some of the room. Brunna tucked it into the waistband of her breeches, wincing when the movement tugged at her wound.

“I hope it doesn’t scar,” I said, although I thought that was a forlorn hope.

Brunna smiled. “I don’t care if it does. I’ll spin a story around it.” She glanced down at her hands, which were marked with the everyday burns and scratches all women wore by the time they reached adulthood. “Getting that was more exciting than cooking scars.”

I smiled, touching the spot on my own wrist that was shiny and pink from where I’d not paid attention when putting bread in the oven one time. Now that the danger of the attack was past, Brunna was treating the attack by the fae as an adventure rather than an ordeal. I’d try to do the same. “Let’s try to keep scars to a minimum, shall we?”

Brunna grinned. “If the fae attack again, I’ll give them a scar.”

“They’ve no reason to attack. They got what they wanted,” I pointed out, my mood slumping. I’d lost my bargaining chip with the mages. But also, I’d lost Dragon, and gained a hollow ache of loss in my heart.

Brunna squeezed my arm. “I don’t see how we could have stopped them.”

“Nor do I.” What could you do against a people who could take the shape of any beast of land or air to get their way? All you could do was avoid them, which we’d singularly failed to do.

Brunna started to walk back to the others at the wagon. “I do wonder, though,” she said. “Why you had a vision about the bandits, but not this.”

“Yeah. So much for my remarkable powers of foresight.” Some good that had done us.

“I suppose it’s because they didn’t harm us,” Brunna continued.

“Maybe.” Except they had – because I felt like I had a limb missing without Dragon’s weight on my shoulder.