He had enough sense not to pursue me, and I was allowed to enter the bathroom in peace. It wasn’t until I was squeezing water out of my hair that someone bothered me again. 

“You knew,” I said.

She kept her eyes on the door when offering me the towels, “I told him you’d get angry.”

“And what did he reply?” 

She turned away and put the clothes on a gnome-sized chair beside the bronze tub, “He said he didn’t care.” Of course he didn’t. “But also that he thought your knowing what was happening beforehand could affect your resistance. So he needed to try it this way first.”

“Asshole. He should’ve tried warning me, and if that didn’t work, then do it his way.”

I hated him. I hated him less than Severin but more urgently. He was just as mindlessly selfish and blissfully uncaring about the consequences of his actions as the rest of his ilk, and I’d have to be on my guard around him. I couldn’t allow myself to relax in case he had another one of his brilliant ideas and decided to test it without warning me. 

I got dressed in silence and had forgotten about Briar’s presence in the room until she said Valerien was calling her and excused herself, her form winking out like a candle flame. 

I was pacing in my room — wondering how to escape this place and find Sinéad on my own — when she returned.

“Valerien wants you to join him for breakfast,” Briar announced.

“Does he now? Well, tell him he has to drop to his knees and beg.” 

“I don’t think so,” she retorted. “You have no right to speak to him like that, girlie.” 

I stopped mid-step to look at Briar. She stared back with a stubborn, protective look on her face. 

What did I expect? Not only was she a faery herself, but she was also a loyal servant to a master who’d probably taught her humans were worth less than the dirt under her boots. It was cute how she thought she could stop me, though.

“Great. Then I’ll tell him myself.”

“Wait!” She dropped her haughty glare and ran ahead to block the doorway with her tiny body. “I changed my mind, you can speak to him however you want, but listen to me first, alright?” 

I folded my arms and cocked my hip. I shouldn’t have felt this smug about getting the upper hand, but I couldn’t help it. And considering my morning, I had earned it. 

”Don’t ...” She sighed. “Don’t hate him, alright?” 

“That must’ve sounded more convincing in your head.”

”Well … yes? Look, he’s an ass, but he’s young and stupid and he has a good heart. Even if it doesn’t seem like it at first.” 

She was right on that last point, if nothing else. 

Why was she doing this? Was she acting on orders from a man who couldn’t bring himself to apologize, or was she trying to protect her master?

I didn’t hide my doubt from Briar, who regarded me closely. 

”I know Valerien can be a bit difficult, but it’s not entirely his fault.” 

”Are you making excuses for him?”

She grimaced apologetically, ”I suppose I am! But when the Court of Hunger claimed him, he became different. He was forced to become different. Else they would’ve devoured him, too. Part of why you’re here is so he can stop pretending to be like them. Deep down, he’s a good kid.”

Something about her solemn expression dulled my anger. It was clear that, no matter how wrong, she believed her own words. Maybe she even mourned the person she used to know. I wondered which was worse: to lose someone you cared for entirely, or to watch them change and never be the same again. 

I wanted to ask her about the Court of Hunger and how he’d been claimed by them, why he’d been forced to change, why she kept calling him a “kid” despite him clearly being a grown man …

Then I decided I didn’t give a damn.  

“Fine,” I sighed. “Lead the way.”

The dining room was located on the bottom floor, behind one of the doors in the entrance hall. Grandmother had told me not to eat any food without testing it with iron first, and despite having failed to do so two meals in a row, I was still apprehensive. Though even if this food was enchanted, my choice was to either eat it, or starve.

With that cheery thought in mind, I entered the dining room. 

Just like the parlor, this place was intact and well-kept. It was brightly lit, thanks to the tall windows and the sun hanging high in the sky, with a long table of deep red wood right in the middle of the room. It overflowed with trays and dishes, filled with all sorts of strange offerings that looked mostly edible. The culinary centerpiece was an entire roasted … creature, half-bird and half-rabbit, surrounded by smaller meat dishes and followed in grandeur by some gorgeously decorated small cakes. The only thing that was familiar was a loaf of freshly baked bread wrapped in large leaves. This was fit for a gathering far larger than the two of us.

Valerien didn’t say anything as I sat down at the other end of the table, though I felt his glare. There was a low thud as he shut the book he’d been reading. He put it aside. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said slowly, making sure every syllable was as dishonest as possible. 

“It is quite alright. I do not usually eat this early, anyway,” he replied casually. 

Early? It was past midday. I’d only slept in because I’d been exhausted the previous night.

I looked away and tried to think of something unpleasant to say or find an excuse to leave. Nothing came to mind. 

In front of me was a basket of enticingly bright apples. I reached for one, but quickly reconsidered. I was a simple girl, but I knew my manners, and eating before the host was rude. Besides, even though I hadn’t eaten since the previous day, I still needed to make sure I wouldn’t suffer any dreadful consequences by partaking of this meal.

My reflection stared back at me through a silver vase overflowing with white lilies. She looked quietly terrified. 

“Is something the matter?”

I met Valerien’s gaze for a second, then took another to evaluate the risk of asking, “What will happen to me if I eat any of this?”

“Hopefully, your hunger will be banished and your heart will be full,” he replied mockingly.

“It won’t trap me here forever, then?”

He considered my words. Finding the best way to twist the truth and lull me into a false sense of safety, no doubt.

“There is no reason to enchant this food with such intentions,” he finally said. “You and I have an accord already. Further measures to keep you from breaking your promise are not necessary.” 

“And what about Sinéad?”

“As much as I hate to compare myself to the likes of Severin, the same goes for him and Sinéad. Cursing her food would be redundant when she has already made a promise to him.”

I bit my lip. The reminder of why I was here made my pulse quicken with guilt; I’d let all this other nonsense with Valerien distract me.

“With your natural resistance to such things, I would be surprised if it worked on you at all. But if you still worry, go ahead and try it with iron like you did before.” 

I shook my head. “It’s fine. Whatever.” 

“Enjoy your meal.” 

“You too.” 

Valerien’s lip twitched and he hid his grin by taking a sip of wine. He clearly found our mutual dishonesty funny. 

I felt watched during the entire meal, but didn’t dare look up to see if he was actually paying attention or if I was imagining it. Despite his strangeness — or perhaps because of it — I wanted to speak to him, my curiosity getting harder to ignore like a rash I shouldn’t have been scratching. I stuffed my mouth with food to keep it shut. 

I suppose I should have been impressed with the dishes on offer. The textures and flavors were exotic but harmonious, the meats tender and smoky, the vegetables fresh and taut. But I was no gourmand, and I had greater things to worry about. The only thing that left an impression was the cake, as it was decorated to resemble a bouquet of flowers so lifelike that I wondered what exactly the drops of dew on the tulip petals were made of. The taste was incredible, too, light and airy as if I’d taken a bite out of a cloud. I almost felt guilty for having a slice.

When I reached for seconds, I paused with the cake knife halfway through the third layer.

“How do fae kill each other?” 

Valerien glanced up. “Pardon?” 

“That thing” — I cocked my head at the grilled creature neither of us had touched — “is not a regular animal, and I assume you people don’t use iron. So how did you kill it?” 

“I did not. But it is a simple enough matter of unraveling and absorbing the magic of the creature, leaving its flesh vulnerable.” 

I considered the information, then sat back with my second cake slice. Grandmother had said something similar, hadn’t she? First, cut the magic. Then kill the body. 

“How come you don’t do it to each other?” 

His eyes glinted sharply, but still he replied, “You can drink a thimble of water, a glass, perhaps a bowl. But can you drink an ocean?” 

“Ah, so you take their magic into yourself?” 

“Correct.”

I nodded, reluctantly grateful for his willingness to answer my questions. 

“What if multiple fae tried to kill one? Share the magic load, so to speak?” 

Now his lips curled with reluctance and he drank some wine while staring me down, making me wait for him to speak again. 

“Sapping the magic is only the first step. You must retain it for the ‘death’ to stick, fold it into yourself. But the power of a high fae cannot be absorbed by another for long. One would need, I would guess, at least a few hundred high fae to ‘kill’ one. And even then, without iron, there is no guarantee that the magic will stay put instead of pulling its owner back together over time.” 

Gods, they were hardy like cockroaches. It put into perspective just how powerful a simple iron ax really was, but also made me wonder why. How could a common metal possess more destructive force than a hundred high fae?

Perhaps it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t get to use it on his watch, either way.

I stood up as soon as I was finished eating, “Am I free to go?” 

“I am not keeping you,” Valerien said. “At least not at the table.”

I scoffed and headed for the door. 

“Sidra.” 

I stopped, but kept one hand on the door handle so he wouldn’t think I was in the mood for a discussion.

In what I was starting to think was typical Valerien fashion, he took his sweet time before speaking again: daintily dabbing his mouth with the corner of a napkin, folding it edge-to-edge before putting it aside, adjusting his sparkling cufflinks, sweeping invisible dust off his lap … Once this infuriating ritual was concluded, he stood up from his chair and joined me by the door. 

“I have arranged for a friend of mine to train you in combat while I am gone. They will be here soon.”

“Friend or friends?”

“Hmm?”

“You said ‘a friend’ but then said ‘they’ will be here soon. Which is it?” 

“Both. They prefer ambiguity when spoken of.”

I had no idea what that meant, though I supposed it was like talking about someone whose gender you didn’t know, but even after you met them. It was curious — and also none of my business. 

Valerien tilted his head to the side, casting his gaze down the length of my body in a way that was neither appreciative nor judging, yet deeply uncomfortable. 

“This will be the last time in a while that is yours to do with as you please. If there is anything you need to get done, I suggest you do it now.” 

His inspection of my person and the way he stood a little too close made me wonder, for a frantic second, if he thought I wanted to do something to him. I pushed that thought aside, knowing he couldn’t possibly have meant that, but understanding he probably wanted me to think he did. He was clearly trying to get under my skin. 

“Why will you be gone?” I asked quickly.

“That is none of your concern.”

“Right. And this friend of yours …” 

“Lin. They are a spy for the Court of Beauty, and one of the better combatants in its army. I have told them not to injure you in any way that is permanent or takes long to recover from.” 

How considerate of him, I thought, though not as sarcastically as I would’ve liked. 

It didn’t make sense: why did he have enough awareness to warn his friend not to hurt me, but not enough to avoid the same thing himself? 

“You’re friends with an enemy court’s spy?” 

Valerien quirked his brow blandly, as though my question was too asinine to even consider, “Yes.” 

I wondered which one of them was the idiot in that relationship. Or maybe the Court of Beauty wasn’t the only court Lin spied for. I decided I didn’t care.

“Are you … finished eating?” I asked, too awkward to find a better way to exit the conversation.

“I am. I have been for a while.”

“Oh.”

Implying he’d been sitting there, waiting for me to finish. Why?

Glancing behind him, I realized the majority of the food on the table was untouched. The bird-rabbit-thing was still steaming somehow. 

“You fae waste a lot of leftovers, I take it?”

“Not at all. But we are not the only ones living in this house. Everyone else must eat, too.” 

I was going to say something about him leaving nothing but scraps for his poor servants, but considering we’d barely made a dent in the opulent food on that massive table, it wouldn’t be a fair criticism. 

As Briar said, he didn’t keep them in cages. Perhaps there was something more to that comment, after all. 

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment, and if you don't feel like leaving a comment, consider sharing this story with others! It will help me out a lot! As always, thanks for reading! <3