The Queen's Choice
“It also said he’s a pirate. If that’s true, then we’d better head for Sheness. It’s hard to be a sea devil without a sea, and it’s the only port in the Warckum Territory.”
“But what if he’s not at port?”
“Then we’ll wait and ask around about him in the meantime. We can’t follow him onto the water.”
“And if he doesn’t make port in Sheness?”
She tied her dark hair back in its usual fashion, automatically assuming a more businesslike air.
“You worry too much, Anya. With that big a reward on his head, you can be sure he’s hitting the ships in and around Sheness, and hard. Besides, the city’s practically a paradise of women and liquor. Where else would he go?”
I grinned and rolled my eyes, quite able to imagine Zabriel indulging himself. He rarely did anything in moderation. “So that’s what pirates do with their free time?”
“It’s all well and good to plunder loot, but the reward is in spending it,” she explained with a grudging smile.
“I hope they spend some of it on baths.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
We both laughed, slipping back into a familiar pattern with each other. As Shea made final adjustments to her hair, I studied her, suddenly thinking this quest very unfair to her. She was going to a lot of trouble to find a Faerie she’d never heard of before I’d crawled, bleeding, into her life to take advantage of her family’s hospitality.
“You don’t have to come with me, Shea. You could stay here in Tairmor. This is where you’re from, after all.”
Her eyes met mine. “We’ve been hiding in Tairmor for all of four days and you think it’s safe for me here? If I stayed, it would only be a matter of time before I ran into someone who recognized me and was willing to turn me in for the reward money I’d bring. Besides, I couldn’t settle down to a comfortable life while my family wastes away in the Balsam Forest. The best thing is to keep traveling, and you’re the best way for me to do that.”
I wasn’t entirely appeased, but I didn’t argue with her. She’d proven herself reliable, and in my heart of hearts I was loath to lose her companionship.
I started to stand, but Shea laid a hand on my arm. “If I stay with you, Anya, I don’t want any more surprises. So is there anything else you’re not telling me?”
“I think that’s it.”
“You think?”
I sighed. “I’m not purposefully hiding anything else from you. But let’s face it. My life’s been nothing but a series of surprises this last month. I can’t guarantee there won’t be more.”
“Well, at least being on the road with you isn’t boring!”
* * *
We had been given a double bunk in one of the more private rooms at the shelter—Luka Ivanova had indeed requested we receive the best accommodations Fi could offer. We shared the room with a few others, but it was far less crowded than the rest of the sleeping areas, and the well-stoked fire provided more than adequate warmth.
Shea was asleep before I could say good-night to her, but the crashing sound of water that permeated Tairmor kept me awake, reminding me painfully of my lost ability to connect with my element. Too sore to have claimed the upper bunk, I lay on the bottom one, contemplating the dying embers in the fireplace and trying to sort things out in my head. Thatcher More was wanted by the law, I reasoned, and he wasn’t a bad person. Technically, Shea was a criminal evading capture, but that didn’t make her morally bankrupt. Zabriel couldn’t be a different person, not the way I feared. It just wasn’t possible.
My thoughts wandered, and I tried to picture my life once this journey was over, once Zabriel had been found and hopefully returned home to become King of the Fae; once I knew whether or not Illumina was safe, and what had happened to Evangeline. Where would I live? What would I do? I didn’t know which Davic loved more, the Faerie Realm or me, but either way, I couldn’t ask him to leave it to keep me company. He had a family to consider—a mother, a father, a little sister. Though my stomach tightened at the thought of letting him go, I couldn’t expect him to join me. And his happiness would be fleeting if he did, for his very spirit was anchored in Chrior.
Indisposed to sink into self-pity, I focused on Shea. Maybe she and I would set up somewhere together and find a way to help her family. My past was irrecoverable, but hers did not have to be. Given her devotion to my cause, she deserved that same support from me. Although a stable, loving future with a human family was as ethereal as a child’s daydream, it was comforting enough to still my mind and allow me to drop into slumber.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE STREETS OF TAIRMOR
Early the following morning, I approached Fi at the front desk to inquire about Evangeline. My spirits dropped when the founder of the Fae-mily Home shook her head, her short dark hair bouncing incongruously with her regretful expression. But then she paused, one hand rubbing her forehead, and my hopes rose again.
“There was a girl,” she said in her soft, high voice. “The hospital brought her here—she just wandered into their care, so they passed her along. She was tall like you say, with pale blond hair. The right age, too, though you wouldn’t have known it by looking at her.” The wide space between Fi’s brows creased sadly. “Such a waif she was. And sorely confused. Never even told us her name.”
“Do you remember what happened to her?” Despite the grim description Fi had given, excitement flushed my face. If Evangeline were alive, I would find her.
“I don’t. She was here for a few days—maybe two weeks ago—then gone without a word. I can’t wrap my mind around her injury, either. There are just so many faces and tragic tales that come through my door.... It’s hard to keep track of them all. But like most who find their way to me, she was in no shape to be on her own.” Fi offered a rueful smile that tugged at my heart. She was among the sacred few in this world who devoted their lives to helping others, yet never viewed themselves as doing enough. “You can ask the other guests, though. Someone might recall her better than I do.”
“Are there any other shelters around here?”
“None like this one. Mine’s the only recuperation home for Fae in the entire city. But there are human shelters in these parts where the needy can find a free meal and a bed. Truth be told, we’re in a pitiable neighborhood.” Fi’s blue-green eyes, crinkled at the edges from years of worrying about those under her care, crinkled a bit more. “I can’t direct you to any places off the top of my head. I’m sorry to be such poor help!”
“No need to apologize.” I reached out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze, a gesture I’d seen Ubiqua make a million times. It felt clumsy coming from me, but my aunt’s brand of comfort worked; the strain seemed to lift a little from Fi’s frame. “You’ve been more help than you know. You’ve given me hope.”
Fi smiled, though the expression was tentative, and I realized she wasn’t used to being thanked. Seized with curiosity about how this warmhearted woman had come to live among the humans, I raised the issue.
“This shelter does such important work. How did you come to be in charge of it?”
She blushed. “It’s a bit of a story. I was born in Chrior but raised here in Tairmor. I wanted to move back to the Realm when I was a youth and study to be a medicine mage, but I kept encountering hurt and sorrowing Fae in the Territory. I knew I was in a better position than most to go about setting up a safe haven for our people in Warckum, so I made it my business to help as best I could. I was struggling something fierce when Luka Ivanova took note and made my efforts count. He’s the one who set me up here and gave me a true chance to make a difference.”
I nodded, pondering Luka Ivanova and his motives. The Lieutenant Governor seemed almost too good to be true. But questions about him could wait for another time.
“I’m glad you had the inclin
ation to do what you do. It really does make a difference.” I gave her my gentlest royal smile. “I’d best be on my way now, but thank you again, for everything.”
With a nod, she bustled off, and I hurried to the dining hall to locate Shea. I found her with one foot on the bench of a table, talking with a pair of young Fae men, neither of whom appeared concerned that she was human. She was laughing and joking, more than a match for the two of them. Noting my approach, she used the distraction afforded by my arrival to steal a bowl of pudding from one of her new friends.
“I’m going for a walk,” I announced. “I think Evangeline was here, and not too long ago. I’m going to scour the area and see if I can find her. There are plenty of alleys that could offer a place to sleep, and a few human shelters, as well.”
Shea swallowed an enormous mouthful of pudding and shoved the bowl into its original owner’s hands. After giving the men a sweet smile, she moved a few paces away with me, though there wasn’t much worry about being overheard. The men had drifted back into dialogue with one another, our private matters of little interest to them.
“Just let me get my coat from the room.”
“Please don’t come with me, Shea. You shouldn’t be out on the streets—you could be recognized, and that’s not a risk you need to take right now. I’ll be fine by myself.”
Shea scowled, but didn’t argue. “You’re still healing, so don’t overtax yourself. And make sure you’re back before dark. Otherwise I’ll assume the worst and send out a search party.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I jested, giving her a salute worthy of Constable Farrier. She narrowed her eyes, the top half of her face attempting a scowl while her noncompliant lips flicked upward in a smirk. Nevertheless, she managed to convey that her warnings had been seriously given.
I took only fifteen minutes to layer my clothing and return to the front entry, leaving the Anlace and my money pouch behind. Given the neighborhood surrounding the Fae-mily Home, I wasn’t about to risk losing my most important resources. Stepping onto the street in front of the shelter, I drew my cloak close about me, the chunk of bread I held in one hand serving as breakfast. Nothing about my surroundings looked familiar, so I decided to walk west, having no desire to squint into the sun. Despite the brightness of the morning, it was cold, and my breath formed wispy tendrils of frost that reminded me disconcertingly of a Sepulchre’s glow.
The farther I went from the Fae-mily Home, the dirtier the streets became, the more derelict the homes and businesses, and the more frazzled my nerves. Broken windows were boarded over rather than repaired, and garbage was dumped into the alleys. I suspected the only reason the main street wasn’t cluttered with refuse was because of the people in shabby coats who huddled together on street corners around trash-heap fires. The air was heavy with a scent that was both fetid and intriguing—more than once I tentatively inhaled an odor despite its putrescence, only the darkest recesses of my mind able to imagine the source.
With no particular idea of how best to approach my task, I stepped into every shop I passed and peered into every alleyway, intending to blanket the other side of the street on my return. After covering a good ten blocks, I came to a shelter intended for humans. It was more run-down than the place Fi operated—probably lacking the financial support of a donor such as Luka Ivanova—but the smell of food hung heavy in the air, and a plethora of patrons were lined up for a free meal. I studied the hungry who waited outside, then walked through the front door and past the serving stations to check those sitting at the tables. Plenty of girls with blond hair and blue eyes were bent over their food, but none of them held up upon closer examination. Spotting a frazzled-looking woman whose job seemed to be directing traffic—from the street, through the food lines, on to the tables, then back out the door—I approached to tap her on the shoulder.
“Excuse me. Do you have any sleeping rooms?”
She gave me a squinty-eyed glance, jowls jiggling, before returning to her task, pointing and waving her arms to keep people moving, and on occasion curtly calling out a name.
“You must be new,” she said when she accepted that I wasn’t going to leave. “We don’t open the rooms until late evening. Too many people, not enough beds. We wait to see who sorts things out on their own and who’s left over. So if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll have to come back later.”
The heartless logic of her words was in stark contrast to the charity being doled out around me, and I realized that one of the impediments to solving the plight of the needy was in determining whether they were to blame for their condition or deserved aid. In my mind, and in the minds of the benevolent, the two weren’t mutually exclusive. Nonetheless, when those with plenty would not deign to help their fellow man, those with little to spare shouldered the task in their stead, steeping together kindness and asperity to create a bitter brew that rose near to goodwill. I sighed and pushed these thoughts from my mind, for they were of no use to me in my search.
“Actually, I’m looking for a friend of mine. Her name’s Evangeline. White-blond hair, blue eyes, very thin.”
“Honey, everyone here is thin. But that name doesn’t sound familiar to me.”
“Thanks anyway.”
I made my way past the poor and the homeless, darting into the street just in front of two men who were being shuffled out in the wake of their meals. Though my search was proving more difficult than I had anticipated, I wasn’t ready to give up, and I hurried to the other side of the street to resume scouting shops and alleyways. At some point, I became aware that the men from the human shelter were still in my vicinity, although they were lagging behind. Coincidence or potential threat? Given the number of people on the street and the safety to be found in daylight, I shrugged off the feeling and continued my explorations.
I peered down another disgusting alley and was just about to walk away when I saw movement against the wall under a mound of old packaging materials.
“Hello?” I called, stepping forward, thinking it was likely a false lead, an animal rather than a person. “Anybody there?”
A blond head poked through the pile, then someone scrambled out of the trash and scuttled away. My heart fluttered in my chest. While I couldn’t be certain fortune was favoring me, there was a definite possibility I had stumbled upon my missing friend.
“Evangeline!” The young woman stopped, rubbing her forehead with the palm of her hand, but the noonday sun glared down at a blinding angle, interfering with my vision. “It’s all right. It’s Anya.”
I moved toward her, hands held out to my sides, palms up, to show her I meant no harm. If this was Evangeline, she would surely come to me; if not, I was probably terrifying an already-traumatized beggar.
“I’m staying at the Fae-mily Home. You remember Fi, don’t you? Tell me, is your name Evangeline?”
“Need some help there, miss?” said a gruff male voice from behind me, arresting my movement and making the hair on the back of my neck bristle.
I swiveled to see the two men from the human shelter, starkly aware of the mistake I’d made in dismissing the feeling they were trailing me. I glanced back at the skinny, indistinct girl, who was now covering her mouth with her hands, her shoulders hunched as though she wanted to disappear. Her reaction, more than anything else, told me I was in trouble.
“No, everything’s under control,” I firmly told them. “That girl over there is my friend. I came to get her, so we’ll just be on our way.”
Except for a slight height difference, the men were practically indistinguishable from one another—brothers, without question, and well-known in these parts, if anything could be gleaned from the girl’s reaction. Mousy gray-brown hair covered their heads like greasy helmets, and their features were pushed and pulled in various directions by scars that shone like trophies.
The taller one leaned against the wall, using one arm
to prop himself up.
“Oh, that’d be just fine, but this here alley’s done been closed. If you want out, you’ll have to pay the fee.”
My stomach seemed to shrivel. Almost every means of protection that came to mind had been taken away by the hunters who had robbed me of my wings. I could try to run toward the girl and the opposite end of the alley, but the way was crowded with trash. And even if I was fast enough to reach the street, I harbored no misconceptions that anyone in this district would bother to help me. Without my magic-induced fleet-footedness and strength, my situation was dire.
“What fee?” I asked, chewing on my lip.
The second man stepped closer to me, his eyes examining my form as though counting the pockets in my clothes.
“How much have ya got?”
“Very little.” Having left my money pouch at the Home, I had only a few gold pieces shoved into the pocket of my jerkin. Opening my cloak to retrieve and extend my meager holdings, I added, “Be my guest. I’d be remiss if I didn’t donate to the intellectually backward.”
I winced internally, knowing I shouldn’t have let sarcasm slip into my response, yet unwilling to completely let go of my dignity. Fortunately, my assessment of the brothers was accurate. They had no clue they had been insulted.
“That’s it?” the taller man griped, picking at his scalp and flicking whatever specimens he removed at the ground while his brother took the coins from my hand.
I nodded, inching sideways to bring the young woman into my peripheral vision. She was still there, thanks be to Nature. If I’d found Evangeline, I couldn’t afford to lose her.
The men didn’t like my movement, and the short one gripped my right forearm, yanking me toward him. My shoulder snapped and burned, as though it had popped in and out of its socket, and I gritted my teeth, trying to prepare myself for a pummeling. But the thug only wanted a look at my hand.
“That’s a purty ring you’ve got. Bet it’s worth a bit of shine.”