“Gods, Tally, what crawled up your butt?” Hemlock said, her tone causing his back to go straight.
“We have guests. You know how I feel about guests,” was all he said.
She huffed, pointing her spoon at the rest of her crew. “You all need to get on board. The green mamba,” she looked over at Emerald, who glared at her. Hemlock blushed as she whispered to Emerald, “I got more, don’t worry,” before she turned back to her crew. “Her and her boy toys are all welcome and have an all-access pass to our stead.”
I hated the term ‘boy toys’, but before I could correct her statement, the forever sour girl slammed her cup onto the table. “What the fuck, Hemlock! First you invite them into our stronghold, then you lose a fight for the first time, and now they get an all-access pass to everything?! Have you lost your fucking mind?!”
“You forgot making besties with the person who almost killed her.” Kisha provided, but she winked at Emerald.
Hemlock dropped her spoon in her bowl with a loud clunk and sat back in her chair. Her entire demeanor changed from a silly crazy girl to a cold, hard killer. One that has killed brutally and doesn’t mind doing it again. “Do you want to fight me?” Her voice was cold and detached, like she didn’t care one way or the other. Kisha started to chuck and swing in her seat.
The sour girl stiffens, eyes fluttering as her cheeks flushed. “I… I… I didn’t” She stumbled over her words, fear coating them as she looked down at her hands.
“No?” Hemlock paused, looking around the table to see if anyone else wanted to. When no answer came, she continued. “Then I guess you sit thefuckdown and do what you're stationed to do, Elisha.” Oh, the sour girl has a name.
“I just…” Elisha started. The guy next to her with the almond eyes slipped his hand over hers.
“I think what Isha is trying to say is that we should at least be cautious.” When Hemlock raised her eyebrow, he continued, “Maybe have Kisha read them?”
That made me and the guys pause. Read us? What the fuck does that mean?
Hemlock looked at all of her group, then back at us. “Why don’t you all tell my crew what your fae magic is and we can get over this hump fast.”
We all looked each other up and down, wondering what the fuck she was talking about. I mean, we all had some indicators of fae blood in our ancestry; Zayden & Emerald’s hair, Rykons skin and hair, my eyes… but I don’t think any of us know of a magical power that we had.
Emerald looked like she was about to talk to us when Kisha’s squeaky voice came out. “They don’t know.” Hemlock looked at her then back to all of us again. Gone was the hardened killer/leader. Back was the silly woman that said ridiculous things.
“Shit on a log! Get the fuck out of here?! None of you have worked with your powers?” Again, Emerald looked like she was going to say something, but Kisha again beat her to it.
“I can feel the vibrations of them being used, well, except for that one.” She pointed to me. “I don’t think they even knew they were using them.”
“How is that even possible?!” Hemlock was still floored as the rest of the crew looked at us with suspicion.
This time, Emerald was able to talk. “We are from Onisea. The fae are no longer welcome and the current King doesn’t like magic users.” That was saying it plainly. If they caught someone doing magic the Priest of Light would determine if they were worth saving and torture you as penance, or they would say you were a lost cause and the King gave you to his sister to ‘get rid of’. Either way, you’re getting your skin flayed. No magic was worth that.
“Wow. Well, I guess we will need to have Kisha do a reading on you anyway, so that you know the secret weapon you never knew you had.” She looked excited while Kisha already looked exhausted.
“Do you all have fae blood?” Emerald asked, trying not to sound like she was probing for information.
Hemlock smiled, “Yes my, gooby goo,” Emerald glared something fierce at her and she waved it off. “All of us were brought here as children because we had fae magic in our veins and unimportant families.” Her eyes glossed over, thinking about something in the past, before she shook her head and her crazed smile came back. “My magic-”
“Hemlock!” The guy she called Tally barked, but she just ignored him.
“is Luck.” She finished, and Emerald gave her a quizzical look.
“By luck you mean…?”
Hemlock turned to Emerald and laughed, “Well, I call it luck but I guess the proper term for it was ‘magnified instincts’. It was how I was able to hold my own against you in a fight while you have obviously been much more trained than me.”
“My magic lets me know, or better yet, gives me the feeling of what to do next to ensure my survival. It’s also why no one has been able to beat me in a fight… well, except you, my assassin bunny.”
Emerald shook her head at the name but leaned forward. “So when we were fighting, it would tell you the moves you needed to do to block me, but is there a lag time? Like a second that it needs to think and communicate it to you?”
Hemlock screamed and laughed, shocking those of us not in her crew and used to her antics, as she pointed to Emerald and talked to her crew. “Now, do you see why I wanted her in the crew? Fucking valuable, this one is. So fucking valuable.” Then she pouted, “and you all want me to ruin our budding relationship with lies!” She stuck her tongue out at her crew members who all just rolled their eyes.
Her chest heaved up and down the more upset she got, and she looked about ready to blow. Emerald took hold of the situation by grabbing her shoulder. “It’s fine. No harm, no foul.”
Hemlock searched her eyes and found whatever she was looking for because she smiled and pointed to Tally. “Talican can see very long distances.” He made a sound in the back of his throat at her telling us his business, but she shut that down with a look full of warning. “Kisha can tell what other’s magic’s are, Rath has earth magic, Elisha has a green thumb and can grow anything anywhere and Samlo can make sand illusions. There, now we can learn yours and we will all be even.” She smiled at her crew. “Good?”
