Legend of the Fae: A Highland Fantasy (The Dark Fae Saga Book 1) by April Holthaus Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: April Holthaus
cold air burst into the room like a battering ram.
He looked down into the bailey below, but he saw no movement, and all was quiet. As he was about to shut the window, a flicker of light caught his eye. The light came from within the woods, miles from any cottage. Suddenly the light began to move, as if it was being carried off with the wind. Wolf nudged his head to Galen’s side and began to growl. Something was definitely wrong, and Wolf was trying to warn him.
Swinging his cloak back across his shoulders, he grabbed his sword and quickly left the room. Running down the stairs, he ran out to the stables with Wolf following closely behind.
In the stables was Peter, the stable lad, sleeping upon a pallet of dry hay.
“My Laird, is everything alright?”
“Aye. I am just going to check something. I should nay be long,” he said, as he mounted a horse and rode out the gates.
~ ♥ ~
With frostbitten fingertips and feet that had long since turned numb, Ella walked aimlessly, desperate to find warmth or shelter. For what seemed like hours in the bitter cold, she hiked through the woods with no sign of life other than the occasional hoot from an owl hidden high in the trees. The muscles in her legs started to burn, though she felt frozen to the core.
Harsh, blowing snow stuck to the fox pelt around her, and her hair felt frozen stiff like straw. At every turn wide snowdrifts seemed to block the path she was following, or at least what she considered to be a path. Ella continued weaving past trees and snow-covered bushes until at last her salvation came in the form of an open clearing and the smell of burning wood.
In the corner of her eye, through the silver snow, a dim light flickered. Though she felt frozen to the ground, exhilaration ran through her veins when she saw the orange glow of a campfire burning brightly. All the discomfort of the cold and frost melted away at the sight. Ella’s lips curled into a twisted smile as her teeth uncontrollably chattered. Near the fire, shadows paced back and forth between large white canvas tents. Their voices carried in the wind.
Desperate for the warmth, Ella made her way toward the flames with no second thoughts as to who occupied the small camp. She hid in the dark shadows behind a cluster of pine trees several yards away and pulled down the branches for a better view. She had never been this close to a human before. In fact, she had never seen one at all. With the bright silver moonlight illuminating her surroundings, Ella was surprised to see that they looked much more pleasant then she had imagined. She had expected them to look wretched and beasty. Alaris had described them as savages, but these before her looked nothing of the sort.
Creeping along the outskirts of the camp, she watched and waited. It was hard to get a good look, as they were covered in thick layers of linens and fur, but it was the glistening shine that caught her attention. Strapped to their sides, long swords hung low as the light of the flames reflected off the polished metal. Ella could only presume they were warriors, but determining if they were friend or foe was an entirely different matter.
Before Ella had time to react, a sudden unexpected noise came from behind her; the sound of a twig snapping under one’s foot. Ella’s breathing seized. Ella turned slowly. She expected to find herself face to face with a wild boar, or perhaps a wolf, but the small creature before her was far from what her vivid imagination had conjured. Standing only three feet tall, a young, wide-eyed girl looked up at her.
Ella gasped when the wee lass came into view. She had never seen a babe or a small child before. The little girl had beautiful, long blond hair that glistened in the moonlight, dark eyes, and a pointy little nose. She wore a light grey-colored linen dress that was covered by a heavily dirt-stained plaid cloak. Staring at her as if she’d seen a ghost, the girl remained quiet.
Ella
He looked down into the bailey below, but he saw no movement, and all was quiet. As he was about to shut the window, a flicker of light caught his eye. The light came from within the woods, miles from any cottage. Suddenly the light began to move, as if it was being carried off with the wind. Wolf nudged his head to Galen’s side and began to growl. Something was definitely wrong, and Wolf was trying to warn him.
Swinging his cloak back across his shoulders, he grabbed his sword and quickly left the room. Running down the stairs, he ran out to the stables with Wolf following closely behind.
In the stables was Peter, the stable lad, sleeping upon a pallet of dry hay.
“My Laird, is everything alright?”
“Aye. I am just going to check something. I should nay be long,” he said, as he mounted a horse and rode out the gates.
~ ♥ ~
With frostbitten fingertips and feet that had long since turned numb, Ella walked aimlessly, desperate to find warmth or shelter. For what seemed like hours in the bitter cold, she hiked through the woods with no sign of life other than the occasional hoot from an owl hidden high in the trees. The muscles in her legs started to burn, though she felt frozen to the core.
Harsh, blowing snow stuck to the fox pelt around her, and her hair felt frozen stiff like straw. At every turn wide snowdrifts seemed to block the path she was following, or at least what she considered to be a path. Ella continued weaving past trees and snow-covered bushes until at last her salvation came in the form of an open clearing and the smell of burning wood.
In the corner of her eye, through the silver snow, a dim light flickered. Though she felt frozen to the ground, exhilaration ran through her veins when she saw the orange glow of a campfire burning brightly. All the discomfort of the cold and frost melted away at the sight. Ella’s lips curled into a twisted smile as her teeth uncontrollably chattered. Near the fire, shadows paced back and forth between large white canvas tents. Their voices carried in the wind.
Desperate for the warmth, Ella made her way toward the flames with no second thoughts as to who occupied the small camp. She hid in the dark shadows behind a cluster of pine trees several yards away and pulled down the branches for a better view. She had never been this close to a human before. In fact, she had never seen one at all. With the bright silver moonlight illuminating her surroundings, Ella was surprised to see that they looked much more pleasant then she had imagined. She had expected them to look wretched and beasty. Alaris had described them as savages, but these before her looked nothing of the sort.
Creeping along the outskirts of the camp, she watched and waited. It was hard to get a good look, as they were covered in thick layers of linens and fur, but it was the glistening shine that caught her attention. Strapped to their sides, long swords hung low as the light of the flames reflected off the polished metal. Ella could only presume they were warriors, but determining if they were friend or foe was an entirely different matter.
Before Ella had time to react, a sudden unexpected noise came from behind her; the sound of a twig snapping under one’s foot. Ella’s breathing seized. Ella turned slowly. She expected to find herself face to face with a wild boar, or perhaps a wolf, but the small creature before her was far from what her vivid imagination had conjured. Standing only three feet tall, a young, wide-eyed girl looked up at her.
Ella gasped when the wee lass came into view. She had never seen a babe or a small child before. The little girl had beautiful, long blond hair that glistened in the moonlight, dark eyes, and a pointy little nose. She wore a light grey-colored linen dress that was covered by a heavily dirt-stained plaid cloak. Staring at her as if she’d seen a ghost, the girl remained quiet.
Ella