Elise could make out a flurry of movement of passengers brawling and women screaming and clawing each other's eyes out. A man was stomping on the head of another, blood spilling out onto the floor. Through the chaos, there was a flicker of a figure in gold. The people moved out of his way, and Elise covered her mouth to hold back her scream. The asshole from her fae card was staring right at her.
Someone grabbed Elise by the hair, and she turned quickly to shove the woman off. People started shouting in the carriage. A man used his laptop to smack the passenger in front of him hard in the back of the head.
Elise crouched down on the floor, shaking like hell and hoping no one would see her. The doors connecting to the carriage opened, and she held her breath, dreading what was coming.
Ivory stag antlers smeared with gold appeared, and the tallest man she had ever seen stepped into the carriage. He was wearing golden armor in delicate interlocking designs. His long white hair hung in a braid down his back and ended in red tips.
He turned to face her, his eyes vivid scarlet under the golden mask he wore. He had twin swords hanging from his back, and eying them, Elise crouched down lower on the carriage floor, pushing back against the wall to get away from him.
Everyone was too busy killing each other to notice the world's scariest fae cosplayer in their midst. His armor got splattered with blood as a woman knocked her own head against the bar on top of the chair.
Golden light shivered out of him, and then all the screaming stopped as everyone in the carriage slumped dead. Elise gagged, terror clawing at her, and waited to meet the same fate. Death by the hands of a creature she hadn’t believed existed. When the killing light touched her, it only made her skin tingle before moving back to the fae staring at her, scarlet eyes wide with confusion.
What the actual fuck is happening?
Another fae covered in woad and blood climbed up through the side door and said something in a guttural, Gaelic sounding language. He noticed Elise cowering and drew a wicked-looking blade.
There was a sharp clang an inch above her head, and Elise peeked an eye open. The golden one's blade slid the other one's away. He hissed out something, an order, judging by the tone, and the black-haired fae drew back in surprise and horror.
The golden fae moved out of the way, and the other fae sprang into action, pulling Elise out of her hiding place. Elise kicked and punched out at him, but it was no use. He dragged her out and pushed her to her knees in front of the golden fae.
His red eyes shone behind the mask as he observed her. Then he cut his thumb on the edge of his blade and smeared his blood along Elise's forehead before sticking it in her mouth and running it against her teeth. Elise tried to spit it out, but he gripped her face, holding her jaw shut until she swallowed. Elise's stomach churned, her mouth tasting of honey and flowers.
With that done, he jumped lightly out of the train and onto a white horse that was waiting outside of the carriage. The black-haired fae bound Elise's hands with a strap of leather, then she was thrown over the front of a saddle. The fae climbed behind her and pressed a dagger to the back of her neck. He muttered something Elise didn't understand but got his meaning clear enough. Don't try and escape, or I'll slit your throat. Elise nodded, too scared to do anything else.
She turned her head and saw the army of mounted fae surrounding the train. As they passed the open carriages, she caught glimpses of what remained of the people who had torn each other apart in the horrifying fit of madness. Elise gagged violently at the sight of so much death and carnage. The people had done it to themselves; the army hadn't left their mounts, only watched.
The golden prince looked at Elise again, his eyes cold. "Take her back to the camp," he said, and she jolted, realizing she could understand him. "I'll deal with her when I return."
"Yes, my prince," the warrior behind her said.
With growing horror, Elise watched the golden prince make an elegant gesture with his hand. The train hummed back to life, doors shutting automatically, as the train started to move back towards London, carrying the vicious madness with it.
3
Elise had always thought of herself as a brave person. She'd nursed her father as he had slowly died without breaking. She'd dealt with her shitty mother trying to crash his funeral, kicking her out of it with as much grace as possible. She'd worked a job where managers frequently demeaned her and had taken it on the chin.
Dangling over a monstrous fae horse, dealing with the fact that mythical creatures had come out of hiding with an army and she was their prisoner…Elise wasn't brave. She vomited in fear as the ground churned beneath her, knowing with every step she was riding towards torture and death. She sobbed, the relentless speed and position she was in making her ribs flare in agony.
It was so dark that she couldn't make out where they were in this countryside she knew so well. Every time she tried to raise her head to look around, a hard hand would push it back down.
The horse eventually slowed its pace as lights came into view. Elise risked turning her head and saw hundreds of torches burning around monoliths.
Stonehenge.
The fae army had turned it into a war camp. They roamed everywhere, erecting tents, whooping war cries, and lighting fires. The stones themselves were lit up with glowing runes and designs.
For one wild second, in the middle of her breakdown, Elise thought how much Chrissy would love to see it glowing with magic.
Fucking magic is real.
She thought about all the times she had teased Chrissy and felt like a total asshole. God, I hope she's okay.
The fae stopped the horse in front of a large red and gold tent, erected closest to the humming energy of the stone ring.
"Back with spoils already, General Fionn?" a voice called.
"Not my spoils. The prince’s. Though don't ask me why he chose this one," the fae warrior behind her said.
Fionn jumped down from the horse and dragged her off. Elise stumbled on numb legs and sagged to her knees, struggling to breathe, her ribs hurting so bad, they had to be cracked. Fionn didn't care. He dragged her roughly into the red and gold tent and slammed her to the ground next to a tall pole.
"Don't move," he hissed, and taking her bound hands, he tied Elise to it like a stray dog. Grabbing her chin in his strong fingers, he lifted her face to the torchlight. His blue, curved eyes were filled with disgust and violence.
"Pray to your gods, pathetic human. I can't wait to see what the prince has planned for you." Elise didn't get any time to process that before his fist struck her, and she hit the dirt.
When Elise woke, it was to an aching head and the rumble of hundreds of hooves slamming into the earth and making it shake. She curled into herself as much as she could, knowing the army had returned. The tent flaps opened, and the prince came in.
Elise pretended to be unconscious and tried to watch him inconspicuously. His black and gold boots walked past and went to a table where a basin of water had been placed next to a stand.
The prince slowly unbuckled his blood-splattered gold armor and hung it up piece by piece. Underneath his breastplate was a black leather jacket and shirt, damp with sweat and blood. He lifted a hand to the golden mask, and Elise's breath caught despite her fear.
He had a straight nose, a sharp jawline, and high cheekbones. His scarlet eyes were large and curved slightly upward at the ends. His mouth was the only soft feature he had, with full lips that were stained with blood.