“Lirin, you can field this one,” Ronit says. “I’m going to find drinks and something for us to eat.”
My ears perk up at the mention of food.
Lirin sits beside me. I catch that dragon fruit scent that is so distinctive, and then he sighs.
“The Fae aren’t like Nightmare. In Nightmare, hierarchy is based on who is stronger and more dangerous, right?”
“Yes, with the strongest being at the top of the food chain.”
“Exactly. In Faerie, you are born into a class, and you can go up and down the ranks just by helping out others or doing something to get people to like you. But if you weren’t born lucky, you ended up being considered less than. People who work and farm, who die in wars, who entertain in bed and courts.”
My shoulders tense. “So, you never really had a chance, then?”
“No, we never had a chance,” he says pensively.
“So, why do you want to go back?”
Lirin splutters; he starts saying something several times, but in the end, he just falls silent.
“I don’t want to go back. I love the ocean. I want to be free, but I want to go home, and my home is the Black Death Ocean.”
Reed's admission must be huge because Lirin sucks in air, and Canto swears in a language I don’t recognise.
“You’re just saying this now?” Canto shouts.
“You all want to go back to how things were. I like the ocean; I love the freedom. Fighting with Leaf, exploring. I don’t remember much about living in Faerie, but what I do remember was miserable. Let’s stay here or go home.”
“Those oceans are not our homes; they are our prison,” Canto growls.
Reed stiffens. “I’ll be back.”
I want to call out to him, to stop him, but when I move, Lirin puts a hand on my leg and stops me from going anywhere.
“Just give him a few minutes to calm down,” Lirin whispers.
I ease myself back onto the sand and listen as they all grumble to each other.
To be honest, I don’t understand it. Finding somewhere that is safe, that is beautiful, and isn’t full of creatures that want to kill you sounds amazing. Why go back to where people treat you so terribly?
Why do I want to go back to Nightmare?
Better the devil you know, isn’t that the human expression? Nightmare wants to kill me, but this world hates me, too. Even here, the people wandering past, making comments, do not go unnoticed. The parents hush their young, the middle-aged humans didn’t bother.
I don’t belong anywhere.
“Eat this.”
Ronit passes me something long and warm. I think it’s wrapped in paper, but I recognise cheese, meat, sauce, and mustard from the smell, and something else.
“What is it?”
“A hot dog.”
“They eat dogs?” I yip.
“Not real dogs, it’s just called a hot dog, and, no, I don’t know why.”
“What is this flavoring? I can smell everything else but-”
