1-19 R

I nearly fell over.

“The water is there. Drink.”

She didn’t point or even do anything as far as I could tell, but my eyes still moved on their own to the right spot. I shakily grabbed a cup of what I suddenly, painfully, knew to be water. Specifically, water from a mountain spring on a planet several galaxies away from Earth that had dried up about thirty-thousand years ago. It had been collected during the longest day of that world’s primary summer by a mortal and gifted to the Fae of that place in tribute. Its entire history flashed into my mind as if it had always been a part of me, something I’d lived myself. The impossible revelations – how I knew that, that other planets had life, that Fae were everywhere – none of them changed the taste.

Honestly, it wasn’t much different from tap water. At least it was enough to wash the fuzz and the sickly-sweet-but-spicy aftertaste out of my mouth.

“M – My lady.”

The Faeries and servants – both watching, though only one group showed it – froze as the words fell flat.

“Incorrect, child. That is not the nature of our connection, nor is it a correct Name or title. To misspeak is a courtesy I will not allow often. Have those within my House not educated you?”

“L –…” I took another sip of the water and swallowed past the lump in my throat. I still hadn’t turned around to see her. It didn’t feel like she’d moved, but her hand was still in the same place on my shoulder even though I had. “Lady of Sighing Boughs. Lady Highborn.”

I nearly forgot to, but then Agatha’s words echoed in my head. I turned – the weighty hand vanishing during the motion – and bowed.

“Acceptable, if barely. Rise.”

I did.

It was the same Faerie from that day and from the camp. Her expression had barely changed – still a bored almost-frown. She stared so long that I had to fight the urge to fidget, then to flinch when the floor shifted with a cacophony of cracks and pops. A shell of interwoven branches rose around us, walling us off with a sound that felt like it was digging little fingernails into my ears.

I managed to stay still for that.

I couldn’t keep still when she raised an arm in my direction. I’d started to pull away before the slow motion ended right in front of my face, but hadn’t made it far before her fingers twitched in a way that was impossible for bones that couldn’t bend. She wasn’t even touching me, but I could feel something shifting as she curled them around something. I froze as her almost-frown turned into an actual one.

Then she wrenched her arm back and it felt like a knife dragged itself all the way from my tailbone to my nose. I doubled over with a scream and clutched at my face as my eyes flooded with tears. Something inside me felt just that little bit colder, emptier. All I could see between blinks was a pink blur near her. One that had vanished by the time I straightened again and focused on her.

“Know that I do not like being forced to intervene as I have been, for all that having done so serves my own ends. The arms you bear were freely given, yet with this there is a debt owed. It will not linger unpaid. Loss for gain, fleeting thoughts. I will grant part of what you desire. Silence and stillness will break when the moon of your world sits full, so long as the Court of Ash has debt to the heirs of Aufrey. So it is spoken – so it shall be.”

The wood around us shuddered as the air pressed in, branches creaking and floor groaning. The thread of magic that formed flared with a blinding brilliance as its thick ribbon wrapped around my heart.

Another oath. Another promise.

Another tie to the Fae that I had no idea how to break.

She rolled on, uncaring for the panic attack trying to claw its way up my throat at that thought and the worry about what she’d done to think she owed me a debt. The pain had faded so quickly, but it had to be from that.

“Your other half has entered into deals and debts in search of knowledge and ability. She dreams of you and teeters on a precipice near the void, yet for now her pendulum swings to sanity. She may yet create some toy or trinket worthy of your life, in the eyes of the children that hold your leash. You stand at a nexus of disparate paths, where the Weave knots and frays, so nothing to come is certain. It will be interesting to see what happens going forward, regardless of the outcome. Simply know that what you do echoes through to her. Emotions have power, Teresa Aufrey.”

The bored expression broke for the second time. A small, terrifying smile. She dipped her head just the slightest bit as the cage of branches began to rattle, then sank smoothly back into the floor. Her last words came over her shoulder as she turned to leave.

“Do enjoy the rest of this event, child. You are not guaranteed another.”

Two steps. Then she vanished.

Nearly half of those that had clustered around the tables disappeared back into the celebration as she left. Probably Faeries uninterested in watching me alone. It was all I could do to breathe and try not to shake too much as servants rushed in alongside the furor of conversations. I kept my eyes screwed shut and tried to tune it out, but I still caught bits and pieces.

“Sister of the House…”

“…at this?”

“Her?”

“The Highborn…”

“She won’t last. Three shifts…”

Most of it was gossiping about the Lady. I think. A few were definitely sneaking glances or glares at me when I opened my eyes to sip at the alien-water again. That last one made me shiver, but I couldn’t tell who it had come from. Were they betting on me?

Understanding what had just happened was more important than all of that. It hadn’t been rushed, for all that it seemed to have passed in an instant. My gut still lurched every time I let the implications of everything hit me. That Faerie – she was important. Extremely important. And for some reason, she had an interest to me. From what she’d said, she’d had one in Grandpa and Mom too. She’d given me the spear – that was probably one of the only things holding me upright – before this and had seemed disappointed when the ones that took me, well, did. She’d said…something, when she gave me it. It was fuzzy and foggy in my head. Something about doing what someone else had.

About bleeding and breaking and burning.

My skin crawled at that thought. I’d almost been there, earlier. When Fearghal had been touching me. When I dropped the towel.

When he put a collar on me.

I shut that thought down as fast as I could. I had enough problems and anxiety without blowing them up even bigger than they already were. Process those when I was alone, not in the middle of a party with way, way too many people and things around me. The snacks were the perfect distraction. I grabbed the first pastry I saw, one that was oozing a deliciously sweet-smelling jam. Buttery crumbs flaked away as I brought it to my mouth and crunched through the shell. It tasted like…

…I honestly couldn’t say. It was gone by the time I thought to even think about the taste. My stomach was hurting by then, too. There weren’t any crumbs on the floor, no jam smeared on my gauntlets when I wiped at my face even though I vividly remembered something wet squirting out. The table still looked full, but I was sure that I’d just eaten way more than one of the pastries.

Trying to look at the entire tray hurt. My eyes wanted to just slide off when I tried to focus on anything past easy reach, everything blurring and distorting into a stretched infinity when I tried to force it. Looking with the Sight – even for a second – hurt so badly that I nearly fell.

Endless snack table. Literally. Got it.

Not the weirdest thing here.

“First – wait, you’re Human!”

I jolted at that and spun around. My stomach spun too, slower, then lurched in complaint.

The first impression was ruined by me doubling over to try not to throw up and nearly hitting the boy who’d spoken in the face with the spear. He looked almost disappointed when it missed.

He was dressed in green. A very, very familiar green outfit.

“Uh, yes? I am. Is that…”

“You recognize this? That means – uh, yeah. It is. Sorry for scaring you. It’s just that I thought you were, uh,” he stumbled over his words, then groaned and pulled the cap down past his eyes. “You know. Magic. One of the…”

He gestured helplessly, pointedly ignoring a certain word. I looked down at the armor and the spear, and then my painted face in the reflection of a particularly large bowl of juice.

Yeah, I could see it.

I couldn’t really imagine a Faerie acting like he was. It was just too awkward. After that last debacle, I wasn’t going to turn the Sight on again. Or at least, I wouldn’t dial it up enough to see if he was normal like I had with Agatha. He didn’t have that feeling of presence that she’d mentioned about the Fae, either, and they probably wouldn’t be caught dead in an outfit like his. It felt safe to assume that he was Human, probably another servant. He would be the first person talking to me while I was all here that wasn’t a Faerie since this entire mess had started.

The other servants and that girl I’d danced with didn’t count. That cloud I’d breathed in – everything after the balcony felt like how Tammy had described a bad trip.

“I’m not. I’m Human. Probably? Uh, stuff’s a bit complicated and they keep treating me like I’m not one, but that’s just mind games, I think. They dressed me like this because…”

I trailed off. Then shrugged.

“I really don’t know. Like I said, complicated. You?”

I ignored the magic part of what he’d said. The way he relaxed as I left it out made me think that he was a lot more comfortable not knowing I sort of was magic. It wasn’t really a lie. I just didn’t want to risk driving away my first chance to consciously talk to someone that wasn’t either working with or owned by the same people that had tormented me.

“Same. My Mis…” He made a choking sound and twitched. “My Mistress found me when I was cosplaying. She thinks it’s cute.”

It kind of was. He had that kind of face that just fit someone wearing Link’s outfit. With how uncomfortable he clearly was, I wasn’t going to say that though. Just seeing it though – he had to be like me. Or well, new. Someone that wasn’t from decades or centuries ago.

I didn’t think the LoZ games were that old anyway.

“Talking isn’t going to get you in trouble, right?”

He shook his head.

“M – Mistress said to “entertain myself while she talks to my betters”. She’ll call me if she needs me.” He fingered a looping piercing on his earlobe and didn’t meet my eyes. When he stumbled over saying ‘Mistress’, a yellow gem set in it had flashed and he’d twitched.

Maybe my collar wasn’t the worst thing ever. It hadn’t done anything but tug me around.

“If you’re sure. You’re from Earth, right. Or like, now?”

“Uh – maybe? I’ve been here…” he trailed off and his shoulders slumped. “I don’t even know how long. It gets so hard to think and there’s not any real day or night. I’m from the US. Missouri. Skyward Sword had just come out and I was getting ready for a con and this happened.”

I winced and he saw. His face visibly fell.

“You’ve been here awhile. That was years ago. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. It’s – I get it, really.” He adjusted his hat and tried to smile. It looked sadder than before. “I guess it’s been longer than it feels like. I’m – just call me Link, I guess.”

He shook his head when I started to answer, then looked around. Whatever he was looking for wasn’t there since he relaxed a little. His next words came in a whisper.

“Someone told me not to give them my name. He…”

I froze as a sinuous Faerie stepped out of the crowd behind him literally just after he leaned in. She stalked forward as he spoke, a wicked grin splitting her face. The look in her eyes – it was manic. Deadly. Promising something very, very unpleasant if I stopped him before he finished.

“…said that they don’t really own you without it. I just hope…”

The hum of her words was what cut him off.

“My my my, little hero. It seems you’ve found the princess all on your own. Just like in your stories! I wonder where you heard those silly, silly notions. Such filthy lies.”

The ending buzzed.

He started crying as she pressed herself up against him. Clawed hands covered in black chitin wrapped around his waist, visibly tearing into the fabric as she brought her mouth right up next to his earring. The gem in it glowed a sickly amber that matched her eyes. They bubbled in her face, roiling in bands that seemed to bubble in the black shell that wove itself in twin bands from her eyes down to her chin. There were no mandibles, no stingers or antennae, but she looked wasplike.

A long, long tongue flicked out from between her lips. Her eyes didn’t leave mine as it curled around and lapped at his tears. I barely kept myself from retching again. She felt dangerous. And worst of all…

She wasn’t part of Ash.

“There there, young champion. Tell your Mistress; where did you hear such filth?” Just like before, her last words vibrated. The buzz visibly set one of the buckles on his outfit shaking. “It’s not your fault, I promise. No no, don’t cry. You were just misled, right? Let Mistress know and I’ll make it allll better.”

The gem flared. Link’s eyes were downcast as his mouth moved on its own.

“Hiram, Mistress.”

“That troublemaker, hmm? It simply won’t do, oh no no no. Such treasonous words to one of mine is bad enough, but that foolish man tricked you into spreading them to this exiled heiress. How quarrelsome a servant he’s been since your arrival, little Link. Don’t you worry now, that’s all over. Mistress will handle it.”

The boy’s mouth worked for a moment in silence before the earring flared again and he was locked back into silent tears. The unnerving woman sidled out from behind him and gave me a lopsided grin.

“To think that the statue’s newest bauble would find me all on her own! Hello to you, mortal heiress. That stunt earlier was just so exquisite! Few can remind Ash of who they once were, fewer yet so very boldly. The audacity to tug upon the mantle they cower under, even just once – bringing back even the barest flecks for the briefest of moments made this feel like a proper party.”

She was making my skin crawl with the way she stared, waiting for a reply. Then by stepping closer as I tried to figure out what to say and not get distracted by what she’d just told me.

“Thank you, Firstborn.” A pause as I wracked my brain for something else. Nothing Agatha said had really prepared me for this though. The collar around my neck tingled, and suddenly I had words. They felt dirty, but correct. “I do my best to represent Master Fearghal”

“Mmmm, so polite, too? And still glowing with the kiss of Summer! Why, you’re wasted on the statue and whatever he calls his little clique. That little mind of yours is far too vivid for a washed-up wake like this. That fear, the hope, the betrayal – the whole bouquet of your story? The fool would polish you like a simple stone as if what you are is all you will ever be.”

She leaned in close. Too close. I froze up and couldn’t pull away even as she pushed in close enough that I could smell an acrid tang on her. Her eyes roiled, the amber sliding away from massive pupils that hadn’t been there before. They were black, swirling with static in their depths.

I held down the urge to scream as an arm slid over my shoulder and one reached down.

“A flower like you would bloom best in the hands of Spring. Watered. Tended. Wild. Passionate”

The buzz vibrated my teeth at the last words. This was almost as bad as him. Was she going to…?

A familiar, pale hand jerked her away. The chitin of her claws squealed across my armor as she was dragged back, the only sound around us as the music and conversations all fell silent.

“Lantriel.”

“Fearghal now, isn’t it? How nice of you to join me – I was just getting acquainted with the newest attraction. Remove your hand.”

I scrabbled backwards until I hit the table. My heart was in my throat and ‘Link’ looked just as terrified. The two Faeries ignored us both while the onlookers focused in on them. The Ashen Fae didn’t move.

“Might I remind you, Lantriel, that you are a guest in this House. The decorum was set and agreed upon by all involved – your bestial pawing at my possession is not allowed.”

“Is holding a mortal such a crime?”

The other Fae I recognized slid from the crowd, circling around the woman from Spring. The ones who’d caught me.

“She is sworn to our protection, and that of Ash. More than that, she is ours. Do you have no shame, to attempt to steal so blatantly, in full view of the Courts?”

“Pah. I won’t stand for such slander.”

The Faerie’s buzz was loud enough to hurt. Glasses behind me rattled as she turned on her heel and left through the one gap the others had left. She dragged the unfortunate boy along with her. This time, blood was clearly staining the cloth around her claws before they’d vanished in the crowd.

“Promises are to be kept, Seedling. Lantriel and those whores of excess like her shall not touch you no matter how you disappoint. Your showing here has been more than adequate, however, and your loyalty has been noted. Introductions to those of import are done, at least so far as you are involved, so consider yourself free to mingle. Many here will grow familiar to you should you prove a fit investment to represent this House in the coming days. A far more fitting use than the simple plaything Spring would make of you. Do try to prove worthy of this protection when the time comes – the oaths to the Grower are no more eternal than he was.”

The Faeries that had sprung to my rescue dispersed. I was left, for the second time, alone at the buffet table with my heart pounding.

They’d – they’d just stepped in to help me. Maybe – maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

I scratched at my neck.