—
Silas sets upthe tea and I heat the water for both of us. He pulls crackers and an apple from his cabinet and places them on the table. He looks to me.
“Apologies. I only have enough lunch for one.”
“This is great, thank you.” I take a sip of the lemon-ginger tea. “Last time I was here, I thought you were lucky for taking lunch in private. But perhaps it’s for protection.”
Silas stares down at the table. “I wouldn’t like tellers, either, if I were a faerie.”
“But as a halfling, the fae…”
“Tolerate us. Most privileges are just arbitrary advantages established and doled out prior to our birth. It’s a system of luck, not morality.”
“And we can become Unluckie at any time,” I say. Benji was the least tattooed young servant at the coronation. An hour later, he was the most indebted. Observing my own arms, I can still visualize how they looked when the king paid off half my debt before Dominik returned it.
Slipping on my moth ring, I wait until he puts on his owl one—a symbol of our sworn oaths.
“You cannot pay off another’s debt until you have paid off your own,” I say. “This leaves the fae safe, the faeries controlled. Yet all halflings have about two rings, and still typically thrive.” I meet his eye. “Why not just pay off the debt with so little left?”
Silas leans back. “You are astute.”
“I am determined.”
“The tattoos are reminders of who we are.”
“The halflings choose two rings?”
He tilts his head to listen. Despite our oaths, we dance in dangerous territory. He lowers his voice. “They choose not to be targets. A fae who accidentally perceives another fae in place of a halfling can lead to two deaths.”
They…cannot tell.Without the tattoos, they cannot tell the difference between halfling and fae.
Silas withdraws his hands. “I’ve said too much.”
“Wait.” I lean forward. “Please, it’s just—I have this…brother. He’s a little brother to me in every way but blood, and I need to help him. You just saw him.”
He looks away. “I did.”
“You know the debt will drain everything from him, and soon they may send him to the mines. He’s a hard worker, but his luck has turned, as you said. I want to do it legally—provide for him.”
“He won’t inherit your debt.”
“But someone else will, and I’d like to not burden them or Benji. How can I ensure the balance becomes null?”
“You can’t.”
I deflate, heart sinking. Whatever the next step is, it’s too far for him. So I nod, standing. Silas does not look at me. He just stares at the table, wringing his own hands. Crumbs scatter across the surface; the tea has gone cold. His shoulders sag, and before me, I do not see the terrifying teller, the heartless halfling. I see a weathered creature who bestows bad news on hundreds of faeries each day, his only reprieve being a silent lunch.
“If you’d ever want to swap peace for company, let me know,” I say.
Those sun-spotted hands stop twisting. “Why would you offer that after I’ve turned you down?”
“Because you stand with one foot in Illusion and another in Reign. And only lately have I appreciated how difficult that must be.”
Silas gives a rueful smile. “Lunch would be nice.”
Nodding, I depart, hope blooming anew. While I am gathering enemies in every House, and at every level, I may as well find allies, too.
Chapter Thirty-one
