Free Beyond the Pale: A Thin Veil Novella (The Thin Veil Book 3) by Jodi McIsaac

moving branches to the side and helping her over fallen logs. They walked for what felt like hours, slowly picking their way through the trees. It grew darker and darker, and finally she asked again, “Brion, where are you taking me?” His only response was to lift a finger to his lips. Her legs and back burned, and she was covered with scratches. The baby, however, seemed to have fallen asleep, lulled by the motion of Kier’s flight into the woods.
    “Here it is,” Brion said quietly.
    “Here what is?” she answered. She could barely see anything around her, just vague tree-like shapes in the darkness.
    “A hidden shelter. Known to but a select few.” He wrapped his hand around the branch of tree, as though he were about to break it off. But instead of breaking, the branch swung down like a lever. With a barely-audible creak, a door appeared in the trunk, just large enough for a person to squeeze through. Brion motioned for Kier to go first. “It can only take one at a time. I’ll be right behind you,” he said.
    Kier stepped gingerly into the tree, maneuvering her belly so that it did not get scratched by the bark. The inside of the tree smelled of moss. As soon as she was through the door, it closed, and she felt the ground beneath her feet begin to descend. She reached out a hand to steady herself, and discovered that the trunk around her was moving, too, as though the whole tree were sinking into the ground. After only a few moments, it slowed to a stop, and the door re-opened.
    She stepped out into a dimly lit room, where Lorcan stood waiting for her.
    For a moment, she stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Then she remembered her brother. “Brion, run!” she yelled into the still-open door, hoping the sound would travel upwards. “It’s a trap!” The door closed and ascended once more, and she turned back to face Lorcan.
    “What are you doing here?” she asked.
    “This is where I live,” he said calmly. “It’s nice to see you again, too.”
    “What do you mean, this is where you live?” she asked. “Why would Brion bring me here?”
    “Because you were on the losing side, and he wanted to keep you safe.”
    “What are you talking about?” she asked. The baby was awake now; Kier could feel her stirring. Just then Brion stepped out of the door, which had reappeared behind her. “I know you think he’s a villain now,” Brion said, nodding toward Lorcan. “But he’s doing what is right for our people. He has more ambition in his little finger than Brogan does in his entire body. You were right to love him. Our parents chose the wrong husband for you.”
    “No,” Kier said, shaking her head. “You’ve been brainwashed.”
    At this Lorcan laughed. “Not brainwashed, my dear. Let’s just say your brother has seen the light. Thank you, Brion. You can leave us now.”
    Brion hesitated. “You swore she wouldn’t be harmed.”
    Lorcan gave him a scornful look. “Of course she won’t be harmed. But she will be made useful.”
    Brion left, and the door disappeared, leaving her and Lorcan alone together. She had once been so comfortable in Lorcan’s presence, but now she wanted nothing more than to get away from him.
    “You did not respond to my letter,” he said, his eyes fixed calmly on her.
    “I burned it,” she spat back.
    “Hmm. Shame. Tell me, how’s the baby?”
    “She’s none of your business,” Kier said through gritted teeth.
    “She? So it’s a girl, is it? How sweet. She is Brogan’s child, no? Or have you taken up his habit of sharing the wealth?”
    “Of course she’s his. Why do you care? What do you want from me?”
    Lorcan steepled his long fingers, bringing them to his lips. “I want many things from you, Kier. It appears I shall never have some of them—faithfulness, for example. But what your brother said was partly true. Now that the commander of the king’s army has decided he prefers my vision of the future to the king’s…well, let’s just say the