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The fae was watching her from the top of the hill, the rays of the setting sun spreading out from behind her like a golden halo. Wind whistled as it blew through the empty rib cage of her skeletal horse that still had bits of leathery tissue clinging to its bones. The fae was too far away for Pearl to see her face but she had the creature’s beautiful eyes burned into her brain.
Pearl stumbled to her feet, hunger clawing at her stomach like an angry beast. Her entire body ached: her skin was littered in bruises, blisters were forming and popping on her feet and on the inside of her thumb, dried blood was making her upper lip and knuckles itch, and her muscles were screaming for some warm water to be soaked in or even a bit of rest. Her throat was dry and rough from a lack of water and too much screaming. None of that stopped her from leaving the relative safety of the forest and forging out across the empty field. She held her shield a little tighter and kept her head on a swivel. Pearl hadn’t seen the others she was competing against for a day but that didn’t mean they weren’t nearby. It didn’t mean they couldn’t see her and were just waiting for the perfect moment to put a sword or axe or arrow through her chest. Watchers knew she had done it to enough of them. There was blood under her nails from the death. Her jaw and molars still ached faintly from a well-placed punch the day before.
Still, the fae watched quietly from the other side of the field. Pearl took a deep breath and kept walking. She didn’t dare break into a run, her legs too tired, her throat too dry, and the knowledge that running at the beautiful creature watching her would only leave when faced by such an action. Pearl needed the fae’s help if she wanted to survive.
She crossed the field, carefully avoiding the bramble-filled ditches, the yellowing grass brushing against her legs and nearly reaching her waist at some points. Pearl tried really hard not to think about how easily someone could have laid a trap in the waist-high grass. Then she reached the base of the hill and hesitated despite herself. The fae tilted her head.
“Hello,” Pearl gasped out, a hand pressed to the stitch in her side from climbing the deceptively steep hill. The weeks’ worth of slow starvation and dehydration had taken its toll on her strength; adrenaline only flooded her body when it came to fighting one of the other survivors.
The fae smiled at her, the expression full of too-sharp teeth and twisting pretty pink lips. One of her eyes was glowing a beautiful yellow that matched the crown of goldenrod and black-eyed susans braided into her long red hair. Her other eye was green and blue with a black sclera, almost gem-like in appearance. The skin around it was stained black with little blue lines through it pulsing like a heartbeat. Pearl realized with a sickening jolt in her stomach that sculk had consumed the right side of her face.
“Hello,” chirped the fae, her smile widening. “Is there something you need, Pearl?”
Pearl’s stomach swooped at the fact the fae knew her name and she tried to tell herself that it was simply fear. “I would like your help.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I don’t want to die,” she admitted, hating how shaky her voice was when facing the fae who had set the game into motion.
“Very few people want to,” said the fae, her smile and expression soft. She leaned down and cupped Pearl’s cheek in her hand, her hand calloused and warm. “No one wants to die, certainly not like this.”
Pearl swallowed hard, unable to stop herself from leaning into the touch, her eyes fluttering closed at the comfort the fae’s touch brought. “I’ll make a deal.”
She laughed, the sound ringing through the air like the pealing of little, silvery bells. “You made a deal to be in the game, silly. Need I remind you that if you win, then you’ll never die? I know the fair folk have a reputation for our kidnappings but that wasn’t the case here. You signed up for this.”
“Another deal then,” she said, holding her shoulders straight and her head high. “I want to win and I’ll do nearly anything to make that happen.”
“You can’t barter with your life; that’s already spoken for at this point.” The fae pouted slightly and her fingers drummed a pattern against Pearl’s cheek. “Pity.”
Pearl wetted her lips, praying her voice wouldn’t break. “What about my heart?” she suggested, trying to keep her voice light. “Will you take that?”
The fae’s jewel-like eyes widened and she grinned, leaning in closer to Pearl. “I would take that, Pearl. You’re so smart sometimes.”
“Can I have your name first?” she asked before pausing, thinking through her wording better. “What can I call you?”
“You can call me Gem,” said the fae with a smile.
“Hi Gem,” Pearl said a little breathlessly, her cheeks burning.
“I know that I can’t physically take your heart because you can’t survive with it and then our deal would fall through and I’d have to give it back.” Gem laughed softly. “What help do you want from me?”
She blinked, forcing her brain to think logically despite how hard it was from hunger, exhaustion, and the sweet smell of honey and flowers that hung around the fae. “Food,” Pearl said before correcting herself. “Food and water that is safe for me to drink and that won’t put me in debt to anyone by consuming it. A weapon that I can use against others without hurting myself. A guard dog to keep me safe when I rest—I don’t need it to help me fight, but I need to be able to sleep, cook, and tend to my wounds without worrying that people will sneak up on me.”
“I can’t promise that you will actually win and I’ll still get your heart regardless of if you win or not. I can just give you a leg up.”
Pearl nodded sharply. “Deal.”
Gem smiled, showing off all her sharp teeth hidden behind a soft face and pretty lips. Then, she leaned down from her skeletal mount—the sun’s rays catching on her hair and making flyaway strands look like glowing gold—and pressed a gentle kiss to Pearl’s lips. Pearl kissed back, her chapped and bitten lips moving against the fae’s soft ones, gasping when the fae’s sharp teeth nipped at her lips.
Gem sat up straight again, laughing when Pearl stumbled forward for a moment. “Careful, Pearl,” she said, laughing again. She cupped Pearl’s cheek in her hand, her thumb brushing across the mortal’s lips. “Do you have a bag?”
Pearl nodded and grabbed the satchel hidden under her dark red cloak. “Yes,” she said as she opened it. Her water canteen, ball of fabric strips repurposed into bandages, and fire kit were the only things in it.
The fae reached up, plucked a black-eyed susan from her braided hair, and set it into the bag before carefully closing the clasp. “There will be food in there when you stop for dinner. It will be enough for a few days but once it’s gone, it won’t regenerate.”
“Thank you,” she said quickly.
“Do you have a weapon?” Gem asked, pressing a little kiss to Pearl’s forehead.
“An axe.” Pearl unhooked her axe from her belt, holding it out for the fae to take, fighting back the urge to kneel before her like some knight before their sovereign.
Gem took it with a raised eyebrow at the clunky stone head and rough handle. She tested the weight, clucked her tongue, and sliced her palm across the blade. Black water spilled across the head and handle, reality reforming itself everywhere the water-blood touched. The axehead thinned and became sharper, the material turning from rough stone to smooth, black metal with runes etched into the head. The axe handle became longer and smoother, the wood taking on a dark finish. “Here,” said the fae. “It won’t become dull.”
“Thank you,” Pearl said as she took the weapon back and slid it back into its sheath on her belt.
“A companion? A guard dog?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she tucked a strand of hair behind Pearl’s ear. “Are you lonely here, Pearl?”
“The nights are cold and long,” Pearl told her. “A fire to chase away the darkness would attract the other survivors. I can’t sleep well because I need to be alert for people trying to attack me or steal my stuff.”
“Hm.” Gem tilted her head to the side, chewing on her lip as she thought before dismounting her skeletal horse. The golden grass contrasted beautifully against her deep green skirt, a gentle breeze tugging at the fabric and making the embroidered birds and flowers dance. She had to tilt her head up to look at Pearl. “I need a rib.”
“What?” she asked, feeling like the air had been punched out of her lungs. “A what—”
She smiled, clearly amused. “A rib, silly Pearl. It won’t hurt too much. I don’t want my champion to suffer after I agreed to support your bid for winning the game.”
“OK,” Pearl said as she steeled her nerves. “What do I need to do?”
Gem just grinned, her nimble hand slipping under Pearl’s shirt to slide across her side, making Pearl shiver under the gentle touch. The fae’s fingers danced across Pearl’s lowest rib and she leaned up, kissing Pearl gently before her sharp nails bit into her skin. Pearl had kissed back before gasping in surprise and slight pain. Pearl felt her skin part and bones slide across each other. It didn’t hurt but there was a strange, uncomfortable pressure that made her bite back a whine.
Then, Gem stepped back, a pale bone held in her grasp. “There we go.”
Pearl blinked, struggling to catch her breath, the world spinning around her at the idea of the fae holding the rib she had just pulled from her. “Oh—”
The fae dropped it and as it fell, the bone transformed. It twisted, broke, and rewrote itself. It grew larger, its hard surface turning into thick fur. When it hit the ground, it was a large, white wolf, pressing its black nose against Gem’s leg.
“A companion for you!” Gem said with a smile, patting the wolf’s head. “A guard!”
Pearl knelt immediately, laughing when the wolf pressed its face into her hands, scratching it behind its ears. “They’re adorable.”
“Win for me,” Gem said, her voice soft. She pulled Pearl into another quick kiss before mounting her horse again. “I believe in you, Pearl.”
“I’ll win,” Pearl said, only processing her words as a promise when a spark ran down her spine and Gem’s smile turned sharp.
“Good. I’d hate to see you end up dead and forgotten like everyone else. Especially since your heart belongs to me.” Then, she turned her mount and rode it through the shimmering wall keeping the mortals inside the death game.
Pearl got to her feet and watched the fae go, her mouth strangely dry, her stomach dropping with an emotion she didn’t want to accept as already missing the fae. Then she nodded to herself and patted the wolf’s head. “Come on, Tilly, let’s figure out our next steps. We have work to do.”