Val’s brows pinched together. “That makes no fucking sense.”
“You’re right,” I admitted, ignoring the chill in my veins. “It doesn’t. But there’s little I can do about it. I’m lucky he let me go, even if he might come for me later. Maybe I can be ready for him…”
My eyes trailed back to the closet where I’d hidden a stash of whittled wooden daggers. No one, not even Val and Nellie, knew about them. We humans weren’t allowed to carry weapons. Not even to protect ourselves.Fae protect, the decree said. Humans had no need for such things. If we wanted to hunt, we had to find creative ways to spring traps.
But I’d always suspected there was more to it than that. They didn’t want even a glimmer of an uprising. If humans joined together and attacked the fae…well, we could make things difficult for them, but they’d survive. They were stronger and faster than we were, even the common fae. Their wounds healed fast. It waspossiblefor a human to kill a fae, but the chances of it happening were slim to none. Magic killed them much more easily than physical wounds did. There were only three things we could do—stab them in the heart, cut off their head, or burn them. Flames couldn’t kill Oberon, though. As one of the strongest elite fae in the world, he drew power from fire and light.
The fae needed us, though, for more than just farming. After the Mist King trapped us all behind the Great Rift, the female light fae lost the ability to reproduce. So, King Oberon used his mortal wives to birth his offspring.
Maybe I could be prepared for when he came for me…or sent his soldiers to do the deed for him. If I fought back, I could flee. He said I couldn’t survive in the mists, but I’d rather take my chances out there than in here, faced with certain death.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Nellie said quietly, twisting her hands into the shape of wings. “You want to fly away from here, like all the ravens did.”
“Nellie, I—”
Her cheeks flamed. “You can’t do that, Tessa. How could you forget what happened to Father?”
As I stared into my sister’s eyes, the anger in my gut dissipated like smoke on the wind. The mists had not been kind to my father, but it was more than that. If I ran, the king would be forced to punish someone else in my stead. Nellie had been at the chasm. If he hadn’t seen her, he’d heard her name. Val, too. They would both be in danger if I left.
“Don’t worry. I won’t run.” Sighing, I grabbed the mug and drained the rest of it, relaxing at the fire in my belly. The sun beyond the windows was still high in the sky, but there was a slight orange hue to it now, signaling the end of our day.
Mother would be home at any moment, stumbling through the door on weary feet. It would be time for dinner, and then bed. First, we needed to sober Val up so Mother wouldn’t ask questions about—
The door swung open, creaking on battered hinges. Mother filled the doorframe with the scent of wheat and dirt. She wore gray trousers and a grass-stained tunic, as she did every day.
“Mother!” Nellie sprang to her feet, doing a terrible job of hiding the fact that something was going on. She twisted her hands, knuckles stained white. “You’re home. I mean, of course you’re home. It’s the end of the day. We need to make some dinner.”
Mother hobbled into the cottage on tired feet. Ula Baran’s dark golden hair was pulled into a tight bun that sat high on top of her head. Her deep brown eyes bored into me. Even after a day working in the sun, she was flawless, though her hands were rough, calloused, and red. The opposite of King Oberon’s.
“What are you three up to now?” she asked with narrowed eyes.
Val mumbled from where she hunched over the bucket.
“Having a drink.” I lifted my mug. “Val had a tad too much.”
My mother sniffed. “That seems to a regular occurrence these days. Why? Is there something else going on?”
My mother wasn’t fae, but she had the instincts of a hawk. Nothing escaped her notice. We were oozing with guilt, and that delicate little nose of hers hadn’t missed it. I was surprised I’d gotten away with my gem-stealing for so long. Somehow, she’d never puzzled it out. But after tonight, I doubted it would stay that way for long.
“The festival is coming up,” Nellie said with a blush. “We’re just trying to enjoy ourselves while we can. You know, before King Oberon makes his choice. As unlikely as it is, it could be one of us.”
The Festival of Light only happened once every seventy-five years. Most mortal girls never got to experience the excitement of it, of being presented before the fae king. He would choose his next human bride. In return, the fae promised seventy-five more years of protection over Teine. Many of the girls in our village hoped to be picked. They’d spent weeks preparing their gowns, planning their hair.
I couldn’t think of anything worse.
“You should be happy if you’re chosen,” my mother said. But then her eyes softened as she gazed down at poor Val. “I know this is hard for you. Just try not to make this drinking too much of a habit. All right? It’s not good for you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Val said.
“Good.” Mother beamed as if she’d talked the king himself into doing her bidding. “Now, I’ll make us some dinner. Val, you’re welcome to stay here for the night if you’d like.”
My heart ached for Val as she gave a silent nod. She didn’t have a family to go home to, not like I did. As Mother bustled around the kitchen, preparing our nightly feast, I found Val some black tea to bring the life back into her cheeks. We ate well that night, just as we always did. As bad as the fae might be, they did make sure we had food in our bellies and warmth in our hearths. Never cold, never hungry, never alone.
Just so long as we fell in line.
* * *
After dinner, the dreams took me to another world, a place beyond the chasm, where shadows and danger lurked like thieves in the night. I never knew when a dream would come. Weeks would pass without one. Sometimes, they took me to the highest mountain peak, far beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Light. Other times, they showed me the rolling sea, or sweeping hillsides free of mist, or sand hot between my toes.