She swallowed nervously and looked around, realizing we were all staring at her, and seeming to wilt a bit from the attention.
“And what’s happening, exactly?” I asked gently, leaning forward to give her one point to focus on.
Her eyes were swelled with unshed tears, hands shaking as she wrapped a finger in her dark blonde hair and pulled on it a bit with her fingers, “Night has been increasing their attacks on other kingdoms. And the king isn’t just killing their Fae, he’s taking humans. Any humans he’s taken are never heard from again. It’s been happening with increasing frequency over the past few years or so. And it’s becoming more frequent lately. Neither Dawn nor Dusk has been able to figure out why, and apparently, King Calix isn’t interested in negotiating.”
I listened with wide eyes, my hand shooting to my necklace. My fingers tracing along the crescent moon and the stars. Night had always been the kingdom I’d wished I could know more of. I loved the night sky and the wide-open freedom of it. But if this was true, I was lucky beyond all measure that Night didn’t show on Placement Day. If they were taking humans, then I needed to stay as far away from the monsters in the Night Kingdom as possible.
“Why wouldn’t he just come to the Placement to get humans; why take them from other kingdoms?” A rough-looking boy in the back asked. He had clearly been living in bad conditions, with unkempt black hair, a gray shirt riddled with holes, and black pants that had faded several shades.
The blond girl nodded eagerly. “Exactly. Which is why they’ve assumed they’re all dead. If he wanted slaves to do work, he could just show up. This is darker—something malicious. They’ve tried looking for them, and nothing is ever found. Not a trace.”
The words landed heavily, echoing my own thoughts. The trepidation and fear it stirred in me felt like another passenger in this wagon, it was so palpable.
“What’s your name?” I asked the blonde to distract myself.
“I’m Emmie. And this is Eris.” She pointed to the brunette girl beside her. “We grew up together and were lucky enough to be placed together. Both our parents worked in the Dawn Kingdom’s palace. We bonded over our “E” names.” She laughed lightly.
Where Emmie had no problem speaking with me and the others, Eris seemed to be more cautious, looking shyly through the curtain of her light brown hair, but her gray eyes flashed with something harder—something made of granite. I knew not to underestimate that look in her eyes, not when it spoke of past experiences that shaped and molded someone into something new, something stronger. She may be quiet, but she was definitely not meek.
They’d had to deal with the royals and court for the past twenty-one years, I couldn’t forget what that could do to a person. Having now seen the royals in person, coupled with the stories of how humans were treated at court, my respect for them rose. Human slaves for the nobility dealt with being used by them, frequent whippings, or even being killed for doing something as innocuous as accidentally dropping something in front of the wrong Fae. I couldn’t imagine the fear of living with that hanging over my head. I’ve never even been near Sunrise Kingdom’s palace.
“I’m Asteria.” I told them, getting a smile from Emmie and a grunt from Eris, who clearly couldn’t care less. “Were the people at court—“ I cut myself off, biting my lip, remembering that I didn’t know these people well enough to pry.
But Emmie just laughed lightly, picking up my dropped thread. “Horrible and catty and always playing some kind of game? Yes.”
She bumped Eris with her arm in a playful move. Eris smiled slightly at her before going back to glaring at me. She didn’t seem to like me encroaching on her friend’s attention if that glare was anything to go by.
“That’s terrible. I hope I’m nowhere near the palace.” I shivered, an ominous feeling rising in my gut.
“Good luck with that.” Eris snorted, her voice was soft yet hard, that spine of steel she possessed coming through. I flinched, but Emmie reached across and grabbed my hand.
“It’ll be okay.” She reassured me. “Just remember the most important rule of court.”
I eyed her nervously, gripping her hand like it could somehow save me from the future. “What’s that?”
“Never trust anyone.” She smiled sweetly, despite her words. “Everyone is out for themselves, especially if they can improve their positions. Humans can gain favor from their masters and earn more luxuries or better duties. And you never know who is loyal to who.”
A bump in the road dislodged our grasping hands as the wagon rattled, and I glanced out the window. Rain started to pour down, matching my ominous feelings perfectly. The wagon bumped again as the rain turned the dirt road to mud.
I swallowed hard, thinking of walking into the environment Emmie came from. “That sounds awful. My parents worked at a vineyard, so there was never anything like that there. The people mostly helped each other.”
I looked down thinking of the girls of my village, who werealways the exception. Their cattiness was mostly targeted at me, leaving me the odd one out. Verin’s targeted attacks only cemented that.
“Let me guess, except for the girls around you?” Emmie asked knowingly. I looked up at her, shocked, and raised a brow in her direction.
“I grew up in court, remember? I know how to read a person.” Emmie laughed casually. “And you’re gorgeous. Everywhere, but especially at court, people are jealous and covet beauty. I can only imagine the girls of a small village wouldn’t be any different when they saw the competition.”
I groaned, putting my head in my hands, “It wasn’t only that, but—I’d hoped at least that going to another kingdom would take me away from that kind of thing.”
“There’s no getting away from that. Use it. Beauty is a tool you can wield.” Emmie smiled kindly, but there was an undercurrent to her tone that spoke of a cunning nature that lurked beneath the surface. I supposed she must have had to develop that with what she’d dealt with in Dawn.
I looked at her skeptically, but she pressed. “Trust me, a beautiful woman can get more in life from a man who’s enamored with them. It’s rare the Fae ever want humans, especially when the Fae are so much more ofeverythingthan we are. More beautiful, more magical, more experience, more education—there’s no end to the list. But your beauty is comparable to a Fae, and you have this opportunity. That’s rare! You could live a good life.”
“It’s true.” Eris sniffed, looking down her nose at me, “Humans have to take whatever advantage we can. And at court? There are opportunities to rise that you would never expect. Don’t turn your nose up at any opportunity you’re presented with.” She raised an arched eyebrow at me.
That was saying something from the girl literally turning hernose up, but I stopped to truly consider her words. Was she one of those who’d kill to have a Fae interested in them? I could only assume so.
Still, the very thought disgusted me. These Fae owned us. My body wasn’t truly mine, it was theirs. I would keep whatever scrap of it that was mine. They took everything else, they couldn’t have that too.
