Working in a dead-end, post office job in the heart of a primarily-Human city, Arya Salcrest cannot let her secret out else she loses her rights and her safety. Norren Sterling, a member of the Council whom she met after a failed museum trip, is det...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Eury wiped the sides of her lips with a paper napkin. Already, her cup of sorbet was smoothed dry. "So, you just barged into his office and demanded for him to stop pushing for the bill," she summarized the long story Arya had begun telling ever since they found this bench. Eury gave a manic chuckle. "Wow. If they say love makes someone stupid, I'm believing it. What are you thinking, Ari?"
Arya ran her fingers against the condensation building up in the side of her own cup. She had requested this dessert when Eury appeared at her front door and demanded to have a whole afternoon out.
It was Juisevon today, so the parks were filled to the brim with humans walking their fluffy pets in leashes and watching their children chuck balls, mechanical boomerangs, or serrated frisbee discs in the air. If there were two fae women eating a delectable treat on one of the numerous metal benches scattered around the park, no one's going to care.
"I just thought I could get through him if I talk to him in person," Arya scooped another spoonful from the melting lump of sorbet inside her cup and forced her numb mouth to swallow it. The sweet traces of the cream left the lining of her throat was a welcome distraction from her shame. "I have never been more wrong. Not only did he think of me as a self-righteous leech who only cared about my own sake, he thought of me as a self-righteous leech for thinking he was doing all this because of his love for me."
Eury snorted. "Yeah, girl," she said. "What kind of horsecrap is that?"
Arya shook her head. "Maybe it was my own fear talking," she said. "But I just can't stand by and watch Norren run himself to the ground."
Eury kissed her teeth. "You're in a tight spot, indeed," she said. "It's not like you're selfish because you don't want the rest of the fae to continue to suffer. You're selfish because you care about him."
Arya had never had anyone summarize her entire situation like that. Hearing Eury say it made it seem so silly and simple, but whenever Arya was alone, it was all she could think about. Norren was a precious soul, a good one who deserved to be protected. There's not a lot of humans like him, or even fae.
He might have flaws, like being so headstrong and passionate about his ideals, but it's not like Arya could blame him either. He had the influence, the power. She could bet he felt guilty about seeing all the wrong in the society he was presiding over and not being able to do anything about it. And so he did. To feel better about himself, he's not going to let it go, even if Arya begged him.
Humans were strange creatures like that. Sometimes, they could be so hideous to make Arya's blood boil and her fists curl with hate. Other times, they could be so pure and bright in pursuing what they think they wanted out of their lives. Passion and greed. Corruption and principles. Two sides of the same coin but never had their difference been presented into the light like this.
The bottom line was that humans fight for what they believe in, whether good or bad, whether it hurt millions or saved them. Where did that leave Arya, Eury, and the rest of the fae? Unlike humans, fae disliked chaos and confrontation. Unlike humans, they were quick to settle with what they're given. Fae developed the skill to stop dreaming and live with the life they were given, whether or not it was to their benefit. And they developed that skill well.
