Gideon Blackthorn | Elf (Archfey), Age: 500+
6’10”, approximately 235 pounds. Pale skin, silver hair. Fine clothing worn for status rather than appreciation. Fangs, but his tongue is sharper.
• Innate ability to manipulate shadow and winter at whim.
• Winter Court Council Member; Renounced Winter Prince.
• Only child of the Erlking and the Snow Queen,11 but has yet to display the bloodlust of either parent.
• Half brother.
• He is arrogant and conniving, and his face is stupid.
Gideon was eyeing a large silver watch. She had mostly meant her commentary the previous night—he did look dangerously like their father. Pale, angular, and seemingly all limbs. He possessed the coldness but lacked the cruelty of the Erlking, and as she settled across from him, keenly aware of her own family resemblance, she dared to hope she lacked it too.
“I am late,” Avery admitted, securing the belt around her as she had the night prior. She didn’t care for the texture of the weave. It was strong, but there was something about the way it brushed against her fingernails that made her bones hurt. “And I could not possibly comprehend the demands on your infinite time, so I would be wise to not let it happen again, lest thecouncil revoke its generosity in light of my deep ingratitude.” She mockingly punctuated “ingratitude,” chewing each syllable before spitting it at him.
The watch and car door simultaneously snapped shut. He swallowed slowly, soothing the nerves she might have frayed. “10:30 wasyoursuggestion.”
“And I would have hated to get off on the right foot on my first day,” said Avery. “What sort of precedent would that set?”
“A cooperative one.”
“Exactly.” Avery waved a dismissive hand. “And no one wants that.”
“Do you ever tire of your own voice?” It was more warning than question.
“No, I rather liken it to music.”
“I’d rather like you to stop talking.”
Avery flexed her fingers defensively, palms toward Gideon, before sitting back without a word.
The Archfey took a deep breath of the following silence, and as he leaned back, the electric carriage began to smoothly glide down the streets.
Avery took in the sights as best she could from the darkened window, gazing through curtains of rain. She could see strange panels on the roofs that briefly glowed a soft blue wherever droplets of rain hit. She spotted occasional windmills, and even waterwheels on some of the buildings they passed, and, despite herself, she smiled curiously.
Were the humans using the elements to provide energy to their homes? The Dutch, of course, had been famous for their use of wind—and perhaps lesser known to the English at the time, Persia had incorporated wind pumps for food production since the eleventh century, if not prior. It was resourceful for a community, though not terribly profitable for any kind of capital gain.
It was a pleasant surprise to see how they’d grown. Something she could not have truly imagined for the London she’d left behind. It was infinitely cleaner—greenerwith all of the extra gardens that filled in every little space and stretched up some of the taller buildings. How it all came to be was amarvel she made a note to inquire about.
She became aware of the hard stare Gideon had set on her.
An inquiry, of course, for some other time. For some other person. Perhaps her new neighbor, should she prove trustworthy with anything beyond a cup of tea.
“You wanted to see the body.”
Avery’s attention shifted fully to him.
“It is contained within a secure room so that you may examine it in peace. It would have caused too much attention and too many questions with the humans if we’d moved it to one of our personal facilities. Still, we will have one of our own guarding the door to prevent interruptions and prying eyes.”
Avery just stared at him.
“Detective Inspector Lahiri is well respected within Scotland Yard, so it should not raise any eyebrows. He’ll be assisting you with any hiccups you encounter with human law enforcement, but as a denizen of our world, you needn’t worry about speaking out of turn with him. He smiles too much, but you may find him amusing. A talented jinn who has abstained from using nearly any magic for the past twenty years.” Gideon let another beat of silence fall between them. When Avery again gave no input, he asked, “Is this acceptable to you?”
Avery turned back to the window, giving a wordless thumbs-up with a cock of her head and pursed lips as if she was making a far less amiable gesture.
“No adorable comment to any of that?”
