My mouth dropped open in shock. That had to be a huge fortress if it fit the entire city and didn’t even get in the way of the star opal mining operations.
When we reached the end of the bridge, it sloped downwards and left us at the beginning of Starshine District. Harpina headed towards the area full of apartments that I’d noticed upon my arrival here. I looked around as we walked, taking in the architecture so unique to this city, or maybe the kingdom. The swooping lines and curves instead of hard edges were a favorite of mine, and I loved the way they seemed to make the buildings flow more naturally, more in tune with nature.
We left the main road, turning onto a side street that snaked around several corners before inclining up a small hill. Halfway up the hill we came to a stop outside a tall building that was teal and bronze, with swooping lines making up the front. The door to the building was surrounded by glass that extended up half the height of the building, with a burst of metal lines in bronze running across it.
“What are we doing here?” I asked Harpina as we entered, giving her a side eye. Her face was grave when she looked at me, making me frown in confusion.
“In Sunrise, you didn’t see much of what went on with the Fae there, and it wasn’t until you went to Dusk you saw how bad it can get. But even then—” She swallowed hard, eyes closing momentarily as if to brace herself. “You haven’t truly seen. What was done to you and your friends, it was horrible. I would never think to dismiss or belittle that. That isn’t what I’m trying to say.”
She took my hands in hers, squeezing hard, as her eyes beseeched me—maybe for understanding, maybe for grace. Either way, I nodded slowly, still very confused but willing to go along with it, and she let out a soft sigh. She led me by the hand to a door on the 5th floor. Knocking, we waited for whoever livedhere to answer. The door opened slowly, only being shoved wide when they spotted Harpina.
“Harpy!” The girl smiled, and it took everything in me to not react. She had been…maimed, was the only word I could think of. She was missing an eye, a glass replacement sitting in its place now. One of her arms was also missing and deep scars ran from her shoulder, across her chest and down, disappearing below her shirt—like an animal had clawed deep.
“Tesha!” Harpina smiled widely, hugging her quickly. “How are you doing?” The girl smiled wider than I would have been capable of in her circumstances.
“Oh, the usual. What brings you here?” She gave me a curious look as she waved us inside and I forced a smile on my face as we stepped into her apartment.
“I was hoping you’d be willing to talk to Asteria here about your experience.” Harpina looked over at me. “She was from a small village originally, so though she saw the occasional whipping and heard rumors, it was only more recently she experienced firsthand how corrupt some of the Fae have become. She’s blaming herself for some actions despite them not being her fault. I want her to get a more well-rounded view of what is actually happening out there.”How in the Otherworld?
“You make it sound like I don’t understand the way humans are treated by Fae. I’ve lived with anger over it my entire life. You think I’m blaming myself? I’m blaming Cyrus for what happened.” I put my hands on my hips as I faced off with Harpina.
“Asteria, come on.” She shook her head. “You think I don’t see the way you blame yourself for Emmie? Or for trusting Cyrus not to hurt you? You may be angry, sure, but you’re placing the blame on yourself more than you’re willing to admit. And as long as you do that, you’re going to be focused on the wrong things.”
“Oh?” I scoffed. This was why I avoided friends for so long, they were able to see too deeply. “And what should I be focused on?”
Harpina was smiling, and so was Tesha, and I looked between them, confused. “Harpy likely brought you here for two reasons. One, to help you see the bigger picture, and two, to get you to admit that what happened isn’t your fault.” Tesha gave Harpina a fond look. “A lot of humans live with that same rage you do, but we’re forced to hide it deep. By the time we get here, we’re so used to it, we bury it all, letting it fester. Sometimes, it just takes someone rubbing you the wrong way to let it out. Admitting the truth will help you come to terms with it a lot faster.”
I looked bewildered at Harpina, who shrugged at me with a smirk. “You’ve been twitchy and anxious about what’s going on with Dusk but won’t admit it.”
I took a deep breath as I collapsed on Tesha’s sofa. She gave me an understanding look and smiled softly. “I get it, trust me. It took me months to admit what happened to me, and that none of it was my fault. I was assigned to Dawn Kingdom. I’d grown up in Dun Ailinne in Day Kingdom, a city that had plenty of punishments dished out that I’d witnessed. Still, I wasn’t prepared for the brutality in Dawn.”
Tesha swallowed hard, her eyes shifting down to where her arm would have been. My heart bled for her. My scars were all internal, but she had been maimed in vicious fashion. I couldn’t imagine the pain she had experienced.
“My twin sister and I had been separated, and I was desperate to find her. I ended up sneaking around the castle, mapping a way out so I could escape and somehow get myself to Sunset Kingdom so I could look for her. But I got caught.” Her voice was hollow, sending chills down my spine. I’d been looking for a way to escape too, and it brought to vivid light what could have become of me if things had gone differently.
“King Tariq was sure I was a spy, and despite me swearing I wasn’t, they didn’t believe me. I explained about my sister—” A tear fell down her cheek, and she brushed it away quickly. “They tortured me for information. I had never experienced anything beyond a lashing before, and this was much worse than that. They brought in the commander of their armies to help—he shifts into a large bear. He’s the one who did this.” She gestured to her chest where the deep scars lay—explaining why it looked like an animal had clawed her.
I was horrified. I had seen humans who’d been tortured in Dusk, but in a limited capacity. Nothing like the extended torture she went through—and nothing like being mauled by a bear shifter.
“But then, they brought out my sister.” My heart sank into my stomach as realization dawned. Tesha nodded gravely. “They were still certain I was a spy, so they contacted King Tieran, claiming they had a traitor spy and that my sister likely was too. It was enough to hand her over, and they dragged her out, torturing her in front of me. When I couldn’t tell them anything they wanted to hear, they killed her and made me watch. That fucking commander came in, shifted, and sliced her open.”
My eyes closed in horror. So, it wasn’t just Cyrus. I knew King Tariq was just as corrupt, but this was well beyond that. I didn’t have words for this. I’d lived with my rage all my life, knowing humans were cattle to the Fae, unable to be free, to make their own choices, being whipped and degraded—but I could never have envisioned the brutal torture and forbidden magics being used on us. They had to be stopped.
Liviana’s visions indicated I would help accomplish that—somehow. I wasn’t sure how exactly that was possible. I was only one human—but I was determined to find a way. Tesha’s story only firmed my resolve. Harpina was right, in my anger, I’d been focused on Cyrus—but this was so much larger than that.
The whole world was at stake if we didn’t fix the balance. That would start with getting rid of assholes like Cyrus and Tariq and freeing the humans everywhere.
“I screamed and screamed when they killed her, called them all sorts of filthy names, and it enraged the commander. He tore my arm off in retaliation. The king looked at him like a misbehaving child. He merely sighed and ordered them to stem the bleeding, so I didn’t die before they got their information.” She sneered at the memory, and I joined her, still unable to believe the lack of empathy these Fae had.
“If it wasn’t for King Calix, I would be dead. He raided the place, saving me and a bunch of others.” Tesha smiled fondly. “I owe him everything. Unfortunately, with my arm and my eye—” She hadn’t mentioned how she had lost her eye, but given what shehadshared, I could only assume the details were gruesome. “I’m not able to fight. I help the Resistance in other ways though. Namely, taking in those who are too hurt, either physically or mentally, to get on their own two feet right away. I help rehabilitate them and integrate them into society here. For many, they’re untrusting and twitchy for a while, and it helps to have a human being the one to help them. Someone who’s been similarly affected, and not a Fae.”
I had hated all Fae before and could certainly imagine the difficulty many would have around Fae when first arriving here. I still hated many now—those corrupted ones leaning towards chaos, or who were already all in—but I had slowly realized Fae were just as complicated as humans during my time in Dusk. There were terrible ones like Cyrus, but then there were ones like Kian who helped get me out. If there hadn’t been, I would have likely been one of those who wouldn’t let Calix help them.
“But what happened to me wasn’t my fault.” Tesha reached over, grabbing my hand. “And what happened to you wasn’t yours.” My hand shook, her words stirring up all sorts of feelingsI didn’t know what to do with. I knew she was right, that Cyrus was the one at fault, and it made me angrier that I’d take on his guilt as my own. It brought angry tears to my years as I tried to bury the fire rising.
“Say it, Asteria.” Tesha whispered, and I raised watering eyes to meet hers.
“It’s—” I choked, the words not coming. I tried again, clearing my throat. “It’s not my fault.” It felt like the words were ripped from my soul and as the tears fell like rain, Harpina and Tesha were there, holding me steady through it.
