“For every fae they drag to the gallows, they take a handful of humans to their dungeons, never to be seen again. Such formidable beings with their arcana, they seem to be completely overtaken by human persuasion, apparently. Too weak to ignore our dark agendas,” Maria said derisively.
It was obvious that Maria held no love for her fae ruler, and she wasn’t shy about sharing her thoughts on the matter. She reminded me so much of Magda. She had fire and a desire to help and protect those she cared about. It was inspiring.
I took off my cloak and hung it up on the tall coat rack that stood beside the front door.
Maria quickly went into the back and returned with two aprons for Thea and me to wear. “We can talk later. Now, let’s get to work.” She tossed the aprons at us.
I nodded, put on the large apron, rolled up my sleeves, and got to work.
*
A few hours had passed when we stopped for a quick bite to eat and some tea before carrying on into the early afternoon. Maria, Thea, and I all sat in silence as we processed our morning. I couldn’t stopthinking about the sheer number of women I had helped treat, almost all of whom were at some varying stage of pregnancy. Their mental well-being was as varied as their physical health. Some were quite coherent, whereas others were in another realm entirely. Maria had shared her opinions on the use of fae arcana to keep the women they used as surrogates young and “operational,” and to say she was not a fan was putting it lightly.
“How long have you been a healer in this community, Maria?” I asked as I finished up my tea.
“Personally, I have been a healer for sixty years. My family has provided the healers of this quarter for generations, dating back to when the first humans occupied these lands after the conflict with the Obsidian Court. This was not how I wanted to spend my life, but I was the only girl born to my mother, so I had no choice.”
My heart hurt as Maria shared her story. It felt all too familiar. Maria explained that magic existed in very few human bloodlines through a distant fae relative. In those bloodlines, the ability to use it existed only in women and girls. This was why healers in all the human settlements were women. This also explained how it forced the women of her family into their roles. They had no choice but to serve as healers. Sure, they could leave, but walking away, leaving hundreds of people in their community without care, was a callous decision that was very rarely made.
“I overheard one of the guardians at the palace talking about their surrogate and that she had to be close to two hundred years old now,” I said. “I believe her name is Annika. Do you know her?”
Maria looked at me with a sad and tired expression. “Yes, I know sweet Annika. She has been here longer than several families. It’s quite sad, really.”
“How many fae children has she had over the years?”
“At last count, she was well over one hundred pregnancies. Only one of those was her own, a child who has long since died of old age.” Maria’s fists grew white as she clenched her apron. “Everyspring solstice, when the fae come around to gather her, I do my best to intervene on her behalf. I’ve begged and pleaded for them to leave her be. She has long since lost her mind and has no clue who she even is anymore. At this point, death would be a mercy for her. But every year, they ignore me, some years more painfully than others, as they herd up the child-bearing women of this quarter like cattle for the slaughter.” Maria’s face reddened as she shared the horrors that the fae put her people through.
“The king abused our generosity and turned it into a sacrifice that every household must make to stay here. If they play nice, they allow these families to remain without issue and let them have one child of their own whenever the king deems it acceptable. Those who fight back are beaten or killed for their efforts. The women disappear and are never to be seen again.” Maria took a long sip from her cooled tea. “We cannot continue to live this way. Something has to change.”
Thea smiled ruefully at Maria. “I agree. Something has to change. But what?”
Maria looked at Thea and began to whisper. “Maybe the Obsidian Court wasn’t the evil one. What if this is all backward? I know that history says they enslaved humans, but what King Julian is doing to us is no different from what he accused the Obsidian Court of doing. And he’s supposed to be the righteous one? I’m not convinced that what King Julian claims about the dark high lady and lord is true.” The energy in the room shifted at Maria’s words.
I was still figuring out the etiquette of this court, but I knew enough to know that this was a dangerous conversation to be having with someone I didn’t know. If the wrong person overheard and was desperate enough to gain the king’s favour, we would all be executed.
“Have you ever successfully healed anyone of the psychosis from long-term exposure to fae arcana?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.
Thea coughed as she swallowed the bite of her bun she had just taken. The look on her face was one of annoyance at the change of direction.
“There have been a few times when I thought I was close, but the line between bending and breaking the mind is a fine one. It is a battle I have yet to win.” Sadness filled Maria’s voice as she continued. “I have watched the women of this village be used up with zero regard for their health, safety, or dignity. They may not matter to the fae, but they matter deeply to me. One day, I will figure it out. My only hope is that I can figure it out before I leave this plane of existence.”
Our talk was interrupted by a clamour at the front door. Someone burst in, shrieking as the bell over the door rang. Maria, Thea, and I all got up together and ran out past the blue curtains to see what the matter was.
“Please, someone, help my baby! He isn’t breathing!” the panic-stricken woman cried.
My skin grew cold and my chest tightened at the sight before me. Immediately I was taken back to that emotional, stormy night in my cottage. The sounds around me muffled, and all I could hear was a high-pitched ringing in my ears. Everyone moved in slow motion as they ran to the woman and brought her to the back. Thea’s face was right in front of mine seconds later.
“Aurelia! Aurelia! What’s wrong?” Thea’s small, cold hands were on either side of my face.
The shock was like a bucket of cold water. I shook my head, coming out of my trance. “A bad memory. That’s all. I’m fine.” I shook off Thea and headed into the back to assist Maria.
The small baby was swaddled in several blankets. His lips were blue, and his skin was a light shade of purple. Running on frantic energy and emotion, my arcana built within me like pressure that needed to be released. My limbs were buzzing as I pushed Maria away from the baby and covered the child with my body, wrappingmy arms around him. I closed my eyes and let my arcana envelop me. I could feel and see all the energies and auras around me. Focusing on the baby beneath me, I could see a faint white aura surrounding a blurry black void. As if the void were beckoning to me, I let myself fall into it. The floor dropped out from underneath me, and I was slowly falling into a vast emptiness.
Within the void was a slight, shimmering figure. I grabbed it, recognizing the feeling of tiny fingers. My hand grasped the little hand and pulled the shimmering figure toward me. I clutched the figure close to me. Its warmth and light thrummed against me. A voice whispered into my ear, “Breathe.” Recognizing the voice from the essence testing, I let loose a deep breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding and opened my eyes.
Immediately I heard the sobbing sounds of the boy’s mother, followed by the ear-piercing wail from a small being beneath me. I leaned back and saw a pink, wailing baby held in my arms. I looked around the room, beaming from ear to ear at having saved the baby. I was taken aback when I was met with a room full of shocked, concerned, or outright scared faces. I grabbed the baby and stood up straight. I slowly walked over to the boy’s crying mother and passed him back to her. “It was a close call, but he’s all right now.”
The woman held her healthy baby in one arm and, with the other, reached out to hug me tightly. “I don’t care what you did. Thank you for bringing my baby back to me,” she whispered in my ear.
