"You want to know what I think of my life so far?" I say, addressing nothing but the afternoon air around me as I make my way through the tall grass, looking for Darren. "I think it's been pretty sucky. Yep. Downright hellish actually."

Am I going insane right now? Maybe. I've never been one to talk to myself aloud. But I've also never been trapped in a world of terrifying fairies who either want me gone or dead.

All of them except for Cináed.

Overhearing the milkmaid girl go on about Cináed and I as if we're a thing was... confusing. And it didn't help that Cináed didn't even respond to the idea at all. He was too busy asking for more details about the King on a mortal-killing frenzy. And that's what I should be focused on too. As soon as I find Darren, we're leaving this place. We made it through the forest once. We can do it again.

Memories of the púka's eerie cry replays in my head, but it's interrupted when I notice a grove of trees at the bottom of the hill. The grass hisses as I run through it, scanning the scene for any sign of life. Fiona couldn't have led them very far, and Mino stands several feet taller than I do so he should be easy to spot. I figure that where there are trees and shrubs growing, there might be a stream like the one Fiona mentioned.

As I near the grove, a familiar buzzing tugs on my ears. Several colored lights are hovering in the trees, humming as they sway back and forth. I see an indigo colored orb like the one that spoke to me before, and I start to follow it.

Maybe this one will tell me where Darren is.

The light keeps away from me, like it's leading me further into the trees. My pant leg catches on a bramble and I struggle to get free, watching as the light fades through the branches.

"No, wait!" I call, wincing as sharp briars poke through my pants every time I kick my leg. Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but it seems like the bramble bush is three times as big now, encompassing not just my foot but my entire leg up to my thigh.

The humming grows louder and louder until all I can no longer hear my labored breathing as I use a tree to steady myself. I'm about to ditch the pants and escape in my underwear when the humming abruptly stops. A cold shiver of sweat drips down my spine and I stop tearing at my pant button as I watch the spaces between the trees. All the floating lights are gone, but something tells me I'm not alone.

"Do you wish to be set free?"

Even though I was expecting an intruder, the sudden question still makes me jump—a motion that send the briar thorns deeper into my skin. I ignore the pain, trying to see where the voice is coming from.

"Who are you?" I say. The voice is male, but it doesn't belong to Darren or Cináed, or even Mino.

"Do you wish to be set free, or shall I leave you prey to the briar patch?"

I glance down as another pang stabs my leg. The bush is now growing up my hips, and any hope of ditching my pants is now gone. I'm stuck for good.

"Yes." I say finally, not knowing what else to do. "I want to get out of this."

"I will release you from the briar patch on one condition."

I'm biting my lip now to keep myself from crying out in pain. "What?" I snap. At this point I'll be completely swallowed in sharp briars before any agreement is made.

"You must agree to help prepare the feast for a grand celebration. Once the feast is complete, you will be allowed to return to where you came from."

The pain is too much to care about his qualifications. I nod my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "Whatever, just get me out of here!"

I hear a noise like someone snapping their fingers and the briars recoil from my leg, slithering back into the small clump of twigs they were before. My pant leg is covered in pinpoints of blood spotting through the tan material. I let the air out of my lungs and rest against an ivy covered trunk. But my reprieve is short-lived as the being belonging to the voice steps out from behind a tree.

Pitch-black hair and a trimmed beard frame his pale face, and a pair of icy blue eyes are trained on me as he takes another step closer. The dark cloak draped over his broad shoulders shifts around his boots as he walks.

"And now for your portion of our deal." He says, holding contact with my eyes while I awkwardly button up my pants and brush the hair from my face.

I just nod, not trusting myself to speak.

How can I when the person from my nightmares is standing right in front of me?

He reaches out a hand. 

For a moment I think about running. But after what he did to that briar bush, I know I won't make it out of these trees before he'll catch me. And he'd probably kill me before making a deal for my life a second time.

I expect his marble skin to feel cold, but instead it's soft and slightly warm to the touch. His long fingers entwine with mine in a solid grip as he watches me.

"This way." He says.

He leads me along like an entranced schoolgirl trailing behind a gorgeous model. I'm too focused on placing one foot in front of the other to see the dark chariot and two ivory horses until my godlike captor is helping me up to stand in the chariot beside him.

"Hold on to the railing." He says, glancing at me with a touch of humor in his sharp eyes. My face flushes bright when I realize he's laughing at how awestruck I am right now.

I obediently grab hold of the chariot, pulling my gaze away from his dangerously good looks. The two horses are pawing the ground, tossing their heads in anticipation. I'm just glad they don't look anything like that demented púka. I'm already in enough trouble as it is without adding carnivorous horses to the deal.

The cloaked being snaps the reigns, and the animals launch into a steady gallop. Trees fade into a sea of billowing grass. I look behind us and am surprised that there's no trail left by the horses or the two wheels of the chariot. We seem to be flying across the ground, moving faster than light itself. Scenery is no longer discernible, and the wind forces my eyelids closed.

Standing on a racing chariot next to the mysterious stranger from my dreams makes me feel like I'm either participating in the next Hunger Games, or I'm following Ben-Hur out to battle. Both options leave me with an anxious weight in my gut, along with the premonition that my life has never hung more in the balance than it does now.

<<————>>

Day is sinking into a purple dusk as the chariot slows to a stop. I can't feel my arms or my legs anymore, so the cloaked being has to help me to the ground. The world around me is finally settling back into place now that I'm standing still. Dirt crunches beneath my sneakers, and I slowly raise my eyes to see where I've been taken.

My mouth falls open as my head tips back to take in the giant castle resting within tall walls and guarded by a raised drawbridge and a gate. Now I'm really feeling like I've stepped into a movie scene. The castle structure looks like it's made of black marble and tinted glass, crowned with sharp spires that pierce the sky like knives.

Several people outside the castle walls have stopped what they were doing to stare at us. I glance to my captor, but he's walking over to the horses where a younger boy is already standing with his arms full of brushes.

"Clean them with great care, and be sure to feed them plenty of oats. They performed well today." My captor says to the boy.

I spin around when I feel a pinch on my arm. A shorter woman with her hair tied back is standing beside me. She steps back when I turn on her, but then she reaches to pinch me again.

"This one feels mortal." She says, talking more to herself than to me.

I'm about to slap her when my captor calls to the woman. "Bring her inside and be sure she eats nothing but mortal food. She will be trained with the other cooks to prepare for the feast."

And then the cloaked being walks away followed by a group of people, some wearing armor and holding spears, and others donned in long cloaks to hide their faces. The woman beside me wraps her hand around my arm and starts pulling me along, her fingernails reminding me of the briar patch all over again.

We walk along the wall of the castle, but instead of entering through the main gate, the woman steers me to the left with a sharp tug and we step through a smaller doorway with steps leading down into an underground tunnel. I flinch as a drop of liquid falls on my head from the damp stone above us. Green moss climbs over the cracks and crevices. Its vibrancy reminds me of Cináed's eyes, and for a brief moment my chest feels like it will crack open.

What have I done?

The woman is rattling her knuckles on the gate, and I notice that it's made of glass instead of metal. Someone's face appears through the gaps. Their eyes scan over both of us, resting on me for an uncomfortable amount of time, and then the gate swings in to allow us through. I stare right at the person on the other side until they finally duck and look away.

The thought of Cináed reminded me of the person who matters most to me: Darren. And the sooner I keep my deal with my new captor, the sooner I can make sure Darren is kept safe. I square my shoulders and follow the woman through the dark tunnel. My determination to survive is renewed ten times over. Whatever I have to do here, I'll do it and get the heck back out.

And that's when I step into the dim lighting of a room full of girls, and they all turn with frightened, hollow eyes to stare at me in the doorway. 

<<----------------->>

Just when Roisín thinks she has a plan, she gets herself into more trouble. But that's what happens when you make a deal with a faery! Rule #1: NEVER make a deal with the Fae unless you have the upper hand.

In other news: because Halloween is almost here, I'll be posting daily chapters for the next while. So watch your notifications and be sure to stay caught up! As you've probably learned by now, this story likes to keep us on our toes ;)

Comment below if there are any predictions or recommendations for the next chapter! What are some creatures you would like to see in the Otherworld that haven't been mentioned so far? YOU GUYS ROCK <3