COAL: The First Three Chapters
For this Week's #SaturdayScenes, I'm reposting All eight scenes (the first three chapters) in one post. I won't be posting any other scenes on my blog, but I am looking for reviewers. If you are enjoying what you've read and would like to join my review team, leave me a comment and I'll send you an e-copy.Chapter One
Coal held the newly forged sword at arm’s length. The sentient weapon vibrated in his grasp, urging him to attack, but he tightened his sweaty hands around the leather hilt and ignored the foreign impulses. He’d been forging swords and practicing with the completed weapons long enough to know when to attack and when to bide his time and let the fight come to him.
Grigory, the master swordsmith, advanced. Coal parried, stepping aside and swinging his sword with all of the skill he’d gained from the two years of working the forge. Grigory fell to the ground, effortlessly rolling beneath the sword, before bouncing back to his feet.“Is she overwhelming you?” Grigory asked as they faced each other. They had been dueling for the past hour. Sweat dripped from Coal’s forehead, back, and arms, but just like every other time they’d dueled, the master swordsmith showed no sign of exertion. “She’s restless.” Coal wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “But I’m in contr—” Grigory rushed forward with an arcing swipe. Coal raised his sword to meet the strike. For a moment, their strengths were equal. His sword vibrated with glee as Coal threatened to overcome Grigory.Forcing the sword’s excitement to the back of his mind, Coal focused all of his strength into his upper body and pushed outward.Overwhelmed, Grigory leaped back.During the two years of forging swords and sparring with the master swordsmith, Coal had never had the strength or skill to complete such a move. For an instant, he let himself—and the sword—enjoy their accomplishment. He was so distracted by his small victory that he almost didn’t notice when Grigory spun round, his left leg heading towards Coal’s knees. Coal dove away, Grigory’s boots just skimming his leg. He rolled over frantically, to find a sword pointed at his neck. Grigory lowered his blade. “You were distracted.” “I almost had you,” Coal said with an intense rush of pride and confidence.“You did not,” Grigory said, scratching the eye patch over his left eye. “You’ve been slow and lazy all morning.”“But I finally completed the block.”“Not with any speed. You’re gaining strength and height, but that’s nothing to be proud of. What is the point of winning the bind if you are beheaded a moment?”Coal let Grigory’s words sink in while he caught his breath. “You’re right. I’ve been a little distracted. I’m supposed to meet Princess Chalcedony soon.” He glanced at the sun, trying to gauge the time. It hung low in the morning sky, but the springtime rays were much stronger than they were when he’d arrived. Time for him to go.Grigory lifted the eyebrow above his remaining eye. The other had been gouged out 200 years ago when he served as a soldier instead of a swordsmith. “How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”Coal bit his lip while he pretended to think about the answer he already knew. “Two months.” Grigory took the sword from Coal’s hands. It would be presented to Chalcedony on her coronation as queen. Magic reinforced the silver shaft, and its black leather hilt emanated heat and welcomed touch. By far, it was the best sword they’d forged. “Before you go, I have something to ask you.” Grigory kept his shoulder-length black hair tied in a low ponytail and his beard trimmed. Both elven and dwarf blood coursed through his veins. As the only known half-breed of his kind, he had the height of an elf and the thick, muscular build of a dwarf.“What is it?” Coal asked. The way Grigory spoke made Coal wonder if he’d done something wrong, besides being too distracted during the fight.“I’m getting older,” Grigory said. “I need to choose a full-time apprentice, and it needs to be soon. Do you want the position?” Coal’s breath caught in his throat. Had he heard right? “I thought I was just helping out until you found a full-time apprentice?”“Well, you’ve passed the two-year audition, and now I’m offering you the job.”“But humans can’t do magic.” It was one of the first things Coal had learned when he’d arrived in the fey realm eleven years ago. Powerful swords were impossible to make without magic. It made the swords stronger, lighter, and prevented someone else from using it. “I’m half dwarf and half elf,” Grigory said. “For years, my master refused to teach me because he didn’t think a half-breed could make a great sword. Now, I am the best swordsmith in Everleaf. It’s what’s inside that makes a good swordsmith. I believe you could be one of the greats.”Coal had been coming to the forge almost every day for two years, but he was allowed to come and go as he pleased. With a full apprenticeship, he’d eat, breathe, and sleep smithing. He’d have to move out of his home. “I don’t know, Grigory. I need time to think about it.” Coal enjoyed forging swords. He especially loved practicing with them, ensuring they would endure battle, but he didn’t know if he wanted to make it his life’s work.“Your childhood friend is soon to be queen. She will not have time, or tolerance, for a lovesick human.”Coal was hurt, but not surprised by Grigory’s words. No one said anything to his face, but he heard the servants and soldiers gossiping about him and Princess Chalcedony when they thought he wasn’t listening. “You’re right, but give me time. It’s not easy choosing one life over another.”Grigory’s eye softened. “You and the future queen still have much growing to do. Decide soon. I won’t wait long.”Coal glanced back towards the rising sun. “It’s time for me to go.”Grigory waved his hand as if to swat a fly, before he turned back to the forge. Bees and butterflies as big as his hands buzzed around Coal’s ankles while he walked through a meadow of red, yellow, and blue wildflowers that separated the forge from his home. He felt guilty for not accepting Grigory’s offer, but as he approached his home, the guilt faded and a smile grew across his face. He lived in Legacy, the biggest tree in the fey realm, with his best friend Princess Chalcedony, her staff, and a handful of ambassadors from every part of the realm.At 850-feet tall and ten times as wide as Grigory’s modest home, Legacy seemed to be larger than life. Residing inside of a living, sentient thing made him feel like he was a part of something remarkable. The moment he saw it years ago, Coal knew he’d made it home.“Legacy.” Coal touched the coarse bark of the oak tree and instantly felt the life thrumming inside it. “Is Chalcedony back?”There are so many here today. How am I supposed to keep track of any one person? Legacy said, its voice full of annoyance. Legacy was neither male nor female, but its voice sounded female nonetheless. “Come on, Legacy. Is she in her room?”The tree gave an exaggerated sigh as the breeze rustled its leaves. When last I bothered to listen, she was in her office and she was asking for you. “Thanks,” Coal said, relieved to hear that Princess Chalcedony had returned. He removed his hand and approached the two female sentries guarding Legacy’s main entrance. Like all of Everleaf’s elven soldiers, they wore a dark green shirt with black sleeves and black pants.“Where are you going?” asked the taller of the two, who had light green eyes. She stepped in his way, blocking the door. “The servant’s entrance is around the back.”“I’m not a servant.” Coal held the sentry’s gaze. He’d never seen these two before, but he’d done this dance countless times over the years. He was a human in a world where humans were mostly banned and thought of as violent, ignorant, and greedy. His stomach churned as he faced the sentry, but he stood his ground. If he showed fear, it only made the taunting worse. “No.” The other sentry stood a head shorter than her partner, but where the other was slender, she was more muscular. “He’s not a servant. He’s just human trash.”He swallowed. “Let me through.”“Or what?” The taller sentry placed a hand on her sword. “You’ll tell the princess I was picking on you?”“I don’t need the princess to protect me,” he snapped. “I can take care of myself.” “Calm down, Sophia,” the shorter sentry said. “Let him through. Today will be his last day here anyway.”“What are you talking about?” Coal narrowed his eyes, his pulse quickened. This was not part of the usual bullying.“Don’t worry about it,” the sentry said, pulling the green-eyed sentry away from Coal. “I apologize for my partner. Her great-great something or other died in the human and fey wars.” “Well …” Coal deepened his voice, his attitude bolstered by the change in her tone. “Don’t let it happen again.”“Of course not.” The shorter sentry bowed. “Again, I apologize.”Coal walked past the sentries and through the entrance, deciding they had only been trying to scare him. But why would she say it was his last day here?Once he entered the grand hall separating the entranceway from Chalcedony’s offices, he understood why Legacy sounded upset. Staff bringing food from the kitchen and filling mugs with milk, juices, and mead crowded the hall with bustling energy. Almost every race of fey had gathered in the hall—or at least every race of fey that ventured out in the daytime—elves, giants, dwarves, satyrs, nymphs, and even a few trolls. Coal touched the wall and said to Legacy, “The ambassadors aren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.” It had been quiet for the past three weeks. However, now that Chalcedony had returned from the human realm, fey from every corner of Everleaf came to meet with her. Obviously, they decided to come early, Legacy said. Disappointed, Coal broke the connection with the tree. Before she’d left on her last training trip, Chalcedony had said she had something special planned for the two of them. Her duties came first, though. If she had to work, she wouldn’t have time for him. He peered into the crowd, searching for the path of least resistance. Finding it, he lowered his head, stepped out of the safety of the entranceway, and walked into the congested gathering. The smell of goat sausage and fried eggs wafted towards him, making his stomach rumble with hunger. He’d awakened before the kitchen staff, and only had time to eat an apple before he’d left for Grigory’s.“Did you really think you were going to walk by me without speaking?” A deep voice said behind him. Coal twisted round, and looked up into the grey eyes of the eight-foot tall, tawny-skinned giant named Octavius. “Soon…” Octavius winked one of his gray eyes at Coal, “I hear you’ll be reigning next to Chalcedony.”“Princess Chalcedony and I are only friends.” Coal lost his appetite. Humans were considered weak. If Chalcedony took on a human mate, she would be considered weak also. The day had started full of promise. He’d looked forward to spending time with Chalcedony, but his plans were quickly unraveling. With the giants and dwarves here, it would be impossible for her to slip away. And, for the second time today, someone had reminded him he didn’t belong. “Don’t look so insulted.” Octavius grabbed Coal’s shoulder. “My great-great-grandmother was human. I’d consider it an honor to have a human reigning beside the queenling.” “Hmph, that would never happen,” said Ambassador Eli. The dwarf seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, his head a mass of dark curls. “Humans are exiled for a reason. They are violent, greedy, and, above all, parasitic.” He stared at Coal with light blue eyes and sneered.Octavius shook his head and clicked his tongue. “No, giants are humans, only taller. That’s why we can’t wield magic. And there is nothing extraordinarily violent or parasitic about us.”“Stop it with the myths. That’s like saying dwarves are human, only shorter,” Ambassador Eli said. “If your brother heard you speak like that, he’d have you whipped.” The temptation to stay and listen to Octavius and Ambassador Eli argue nearly overpowered him, but the idea of seeing Chalcedony pulled much stronger. They were too busy debating the differences between humans and giants to notice Coal slip away.
Coal stood outside of Chalcedony’s thick wooden door and straightened his brown pants and the white shirt he wore underneath his green jerkin. He ran a hand over his braids and noticed one of them had unraveled. He cursed under his breath as he re-braided his kinky textured hair as fast as he could before he knocked on the door.“Who is it?” asked a gruff voice from inside the room. It was Chalcedony’s royal advisor, Madoc. Coal was convinced that Madoc’s primary goal in life involved making Coal miserable.“It’s me,” Coal said in his most formal voice. “Legacy told me that Chalcedony is looking for me.”The door opened, and Princess Chalcedony stood on the other side. “Legacy’s right. I am looking for you.” She wore a black sleeveless shirt and matching pants that were only a few shades darker than her brown skin. Coal bowed, bending low at the waist while happiness surged in his chest at the sight of his oldest friend. “How can I help you, Princess?” he asked.“Come in.” She stepped back from the door, her muscular arms flexing as she motioned for him to step into the room. “Since when do you bow, or call me princess?”Since last week, when Madoc lectured me for ten minutes about properly addressing a future queen, Coal wanted to say, but instead, he kept quiet. The less he said, the less Madoc could use against him when Chalcedony left.Once he stepped in the room, he saw there were three other fey sitting around the table in Chalcedony’s office. Madoc sat closest to the door, scribbling on a sheet of paper. He scoffed at Coal before he turned towards the stack of papers. “If I am no longer needed, I’ll be retiring to my room,” said Binti, the female waif who had been sitting at the end of the table. She had a jumbled network of tiny blue veins that showed underneath her pale translucent skin. As she stood up from the table, the loose pink dress she wore buckled around knobby knees before she pulled it down. Binti and her twin brother acted as a tether between the two realms. If a rogue fey used magic in the human realm, her brother felt it. Through the link the siblings shared, her brother would let Binti know. Then, Binti would alert Chalcedony in the fey realm.“Go ahead,” Princess Chalcedony said. “Thanks for your help.”Binti nodded briefly at Chalcedony as she walked away from the table and towards the door. Coal shivered as she passed. The waif lowered the temperature of any room by five degrees just by her presence. They were rumored to be children of reapers sent into the physical world to live until they replaced their parents as harvesters of souls. Motion next to Chalcedony caught his attention. Coal followed behind Chalcedony while his mind raced. She chattered away, but he couldn’t focus. Several moments passed before he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me we were going to the human realm?”“It was a surprise. Surprise!” Chalcedony wore a mischievous grin that made her red eyes sparkle.In any other situation, Chalcedony’s good mood would have been contagious, but he’d been in the fey realm since he was five, and he’d never left Everleaf. He didn’t know whether to be scared or excited.“Why are we going? I’ve never asked to go there.” The fact that Madoc had not argued about Chalcedony taking him worried him. If he knew anything about the elf, it was that he hated Coal. Most especially, Madoc hated Chalcedony to be seen with Coal outside of Legacy. His disapproval had grown more venomous over the past year. “Are you going to leave me there?” he asked, recalling what the sentries had said.Chalcedony stopped and faced Coal. “Why would you think that?”“You didn’t answer my question.” His heart raced while he waited for a response.“More and more of my work is there. It’s so different. Human tech can be destructive, but it’s amazing. Every time I go there I think of you, and I wish you could see it. That’s why we’re going.”“What about Madoc?”“Don’t worry about him. Do you really think I’d just leave you in the human realm without telling you?”“No, I don’t. It’s just—”“Coal, I’ve been tracking rogue fey in the human realm and dealing with serious situations for three weeks,” she said with desperation in her voice. “I want to have fun. I swear that is the only reason we’re going. I swear on my mother’s sword.” She held his gaze.“How are we going to the human realm without Tetrick? Don’t you need him to phase us there?”Chalcedony shrugged and continued walking. “No, we don’t need Tetrick.”“Are we taking the dragons?” Coal asked, his curiosity piquing. “No, we’re not flying. We’re taking the horses most of the way.”“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Coal asked as they entered the stable. “Nope.”He smirked. “I didn’t think so.”“Just relax,” Chalcedony said. “You’ll have fun. I promise.”
“Are you really going to let them go to the human realm alone?” Ambassador Eli asked Madoc, once Chalcedony and Coal had left.“She may only be seventeen, but she’s smart and one of the strongest in her line. I doubt anyone can hurt her, except for a queen.”“Are you sure you’re not overestimating her?” Ambassador Eli asked.“I may be, but there is only so much I can do.” Madoc faced the dwarf. Many dwarven ambassadors had passed through Legacy, and every one had hated the bureaucratic process, except for Ambassador Eli. To Madoc’s surprise, the dwarf seemed just as concerned for Everleaf as he was for protecting his people’s fortunes and trade routes. Ambassador Eli stroked his chin with a short, hairy finger. The dwarf had never worked in the mines so he was slim, instead of bulky and muscular. “I’ve been hesitant to bring this up, but you should know that most fey in Everleaf have begun to talk about the queenling and her human boy. There are rumors he is destined to become her lover and rule beside her.”“I am well aware of the rumors, but that will never happen.”“What are your plans for him? I expected you to have gotten rid of him long before now.”“Chalcedony is supposed to leave the boy in the human realm while they’re there.”Ambassador Eli exhaled. “That’s a relief.”Madoc turned back towards the window. Chalcedony and the boy were on horseback, leaving through the gates. “But she lied to me. She is not going to leave him there. She is still too attached to him.”“Then, you need to get rid of him,” Ambassador Eli said, his voice lifting.Madoc watched them until they disappeared from sight. “I can’t. The boy will play a significant role in Princess Chalcedony becoming a formidable queen.”“How can you be so sure?” Ambassador Eli asked, his tone full of doubt.“I had a few truthsayers look into it. They all said the same thing. He’s meant to stay until he decides to leave on his own.”The dwarf scowled. “Isn’t it your job to make her a great queen?”“Like I said, I can only do so much. I’ve shown her the best and the worst duties of being a queen, yet she remains a child. Her mother and grandmother …” Madoc hesitated, searching for the correct phrase, “had lost their innocence by her age. She is too happy, and it’s all tied to the boy. Once he’s gone, she’ll lose her innocence. Besides, I can’t kill him without her suspecting. She is young, but intuitive. Out of resentment, she may hurt Everleaf. But if the thing she loves leaves on its own, then that is a different game altogether.”“The boy obviously worships her. He’ll never leave without coercion.”“Ambassador Eli, I’ve been doing this for centuries. You have my word. The prophets have reassured me he won’t be around much longer.”
Chapter Two
On horseback, Coal followed Chalcedony away from Legacy, through the town square and into the royal forest. After a few miles, they came upon a lake. “We can leave the horses here. We have to walk the rest of the way.” She bent down and put her hands in the water. “Remember this place?” “Yeah.” The sound of waves falling onto the shore mingled with the chirping of the birds and created a melody, making Coal feel like they were the only people left in the world. “We used to get in so much trouble for using your portal to come here to swim.”“Well, we’re a little bit ahead of schedule. Do you want to go swimming?” “We didn’t bring any swim clothes.” She gave Coal a wicked grin. “Never stopped us before.”“That was a long time ago.” Coal glanced nervously at Chalcedony’s chest before he quickly averted his eyes. “We’ve changed since then.”Chalcedony tilted her head to the side. “We haven’t changed that much.” She walked towards the lake and took off her clothes. At least she was wearing underwear. “You’re trying to get me killed, aren’t you? What if Madoc is watching?”“Don’t worry about Madoc. He promised he’d let me do anything I wanted today. And right now, this is what I want to do.”It had been a while since he’d been swimming, Coal thought, as he stripped down to his underclothes and followed her into the water.
After being picked up and thrown into the water more times than she counted, Chalcedony ran out of the lake and sat on the grass. It had been a while since she’d done anything merely for fun, and she was glad Coal had warmed up to the idea of going to the human realm. The rift that had been growing between them over the past few months had finally closed.Coal left the lake and sprinted towards her. She was seventeen, one year older than Coal, and until recently, she’d always towered over him. Her growth had slowed, and she would look this way for the next fifty years. But Coal continued to grow, and surprisingly, he’d caught up to her. His ebony skin glistened in the midmorning sun as he stood above her. “You give up?” He laughed, one dimple forming on each cheek.Madoc’s Rule Number Eight: Never Admit Defeat. So, she changed the subject. “One of your braids has come undone.” Chalcedony sat up and patted her lap. “Come here. I’ll re-braid it.”He appeared as if he was going to refuse, but sat down and laid his damp head on her lap anyway. She undid the rest of the braid before passing her fingers through his thick hair to remove any kinks. She grabbed a small section and separated it into three before she began. “It took you forever and a day to learn how to braid. You were the worst student,” Chalcedony said as she worked.“I didn’t want to learn. I liked it better when you did it.”“You have gotten better, though.” “I didn’t have a choice. You’ve been too busy to do it,” Coal said.“Madoc thinks it’s beneath me to braid my own hair. He most definitely didn’t like it when I braided yours.”Coal tensed beneath her fingers at the mention of Madoc, so she changed the subject. “I love how your hair makes a halo around your head. For years, I tried to get my hair to match yours. But it’s only darker, not curlier.”“Mmm,” he murmured, sounding content and halfway asleep.She couldn’t blame him for being suspicious about this trip. He’d been correct. She was supposed to leave him in the human realm. Agreeing to leave Coal behind was the only way she could get Madoc’s approval to bring him along with her. Her coronation was in two weeks, and she needed to relax. Coal was the only person she relaxed with because he was the only person who didn’t expect her to be perfect. Lying to her advisor wasn’t something she did often, but there was only so much arguing she could do.Coal’s even breathing told her he’d fallen asleep. She’d forgotten how having his hair braided lulled him to sleep—once she’d learned how to avoid painful tangles.She bent down and whispered in his ear. “I’m finished, Coal.”He turned his head, but he didn’t open his eyes. She placed her hand on his forehead and studied his delicate lips, wondering if they were as soft as they seemed. She forced the thought out of her head and stood, causing Coal’s head to drop from her lap and fall onto the ground.“Ouch.” He patted the side of his head. “What’s wrong?”“I’m sorry.” Chalcedony staggered towards her clothes before she dressed. “We need to go. It’s getting late.” Kissing Coal was the last thing she needed to be thinking about. She stared ahead, avoiding Coal’s gaze. Everything’s complicated enough.
“What’s wrong, Chaley?” Coal asked. Her relaxed, playful mood had vanished. What had happened while he slept? What had startled her?“Nothing’s wrong,” Chalcedony insisted. “We just need to hurry.”“Which way?” Coal asked, happy to be off the horse and traveling by foot. His butt and inner thighs were beginning to chafe from the saddle. Chalcedony pointed to a bridge about a mile away through a small opening between the trees. “It’s just over the bridge. I’ll race you.”She sprinted away before he answered. Relieved she had cheered up, Coal didn’t think to run after her until she had already left.Halfway to the bridge, his legs burned and begged for him to stop. But instead of slowing, his pride pushed him faster and closer to Chalcedony. She twisted her head and grimaced when she saw him nearing. Chalcedony hated to lose. Elves were natural runners and predators, unlike humans, but he’d been running with Chalcedony and other elves for as long as he’d been here. He’d never won, but it never stopped him from trying.He broke through the trees and into a clearing. The bridge was only a few feet away. With fewer trees, he was able to run fast enough to pass Chalcedony. Looking to the side, he saw she was half a step behind him. He glanced back towards the bridge, just before colliding into it.Chalcedony was on the bridge a fraction of a second later.“I beat you,” he gasped. “For the first time, I beat you.”“You nearly killed yourself trying to do it.” She stood next to him, steady and calm. A thin layer of sweat prickled the skin above her top lip, but she wasn’t breathing nearly as hard as him. “I still beat you.” Chalcedony stepped behind him with a knife at his throat before he thought to move or defend himself. “If we were fighting, you would have won a battle but lost the war. You no longer have any strength to combat me.” The metal was cold and sharp against his neck. Coal sobered, his breath finally under control. “Is that what you think?”The knife pricked his skin. “Yes.”He grabbed Chalcedony’s wrist and twisted, the knife fell to ground. Then he pushed her onto the grass. “Hasn’t Tetrick taught you not to underestimate your enemy?” he asked, standing above her, feeling cocky and triumphant. Chalcedony swung her legs around, sweeping Coal’s feet out from under him and sending him crashing onto his back beside her. She rolled onto him, laughing and straddling him with her knees. Her long, dark hair hung over the side of her face. “Are we enemies?”“Madoc says everyone is your enemy,” Coal answered.“Is he right?” she asked. “Are you my enemy?”Coal lifted himself onto his elbows and gazed into her eyes. “Chaley, I would die for you.”She bent down and touched her lips to his. She tasted salty, but the kiss was sweet, and it awakened a hunger that had been brewing for longer than he wanted to acknowledge.
One kiss couldn’t hurt, right? Chalcedony thought, but then, she lost herself in the sensation. Coal’s hand brushed through her hair and sending tingles through her body.“Princess!” someone shouted from behind. Chalcedony leaped off Coal. A royal guard stood a few feet away with his sword drawn. “Are you okay, Princess?” the guard asked, looking from Chalcedony to Coal, and back again. Bren, she remembered. One of Madoc’s personal lackeys. He had ash-blonde hair with tawny-colored skin. His face was twisted in disgust and anger emanated from his pitch-black eyes.Coal stepped slowly in front of Chalcedony. She wanted to tell him to stop. Bren was more likely to hurt Coal than her, but she didn’t want to take her focus away from the guard. She felt for the hilt of the knife she hid underneath her shirt. “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking over Coal’s shoulder. “I was sent to patrol the forest.” His hands shook, but he never lowered his sword. “Are you going to attack me?” she asked with a haughty toss of her hair, hoping to draw his attention away from Coal. Bren flicked his gaze towards his weapon before he lowered it. “I’m sorry, Princess. Of course, I would never hurt you.” Chalcedony relaxed, released the knife, and stepped out from behind Coal. “Since when do we patrol the forest?” she asked. This forest hid the door to the human realm, but it was not guarded. Only a select few were supposed to know it existed. Patrolling would only attract attention. Instead, an invisible barrier that prevented anyone from entering without permission protected the forest.“Um,” Bren stuttered, his eyes lowered.“Madoc sent you, didn’t he?” “He … um, I was sent to patrol the door,” Bren answered. She closed the space between the two of them. “Look at me,” she ordered. He met her gaze. “Are you lying to me?”“No, Princess. I was assigned to patrol the forest today. I didn’t know you would be here.”She studied him, searching for a lie. She was not a mind reader, but Tetrick had taught her to look past a fey’s surface to recognize emotions and truth. Chalcedony saw fear, embarrassment, and disappointment, but there was no indication of a lie. Perhaps Madoc had set him up.“Leave my forest before I have you banished for spying on me,” Chalcedony ordered.“Princess, I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t know you would be here,” Bren said, shaking.“Leave now!”“Yes, Princess.” He placed his sword in its sheath and stalked away. Once Bren disappeared between the trees, she walked towards the bridge. “Are you alright?” Coal reached for her arm, but she flinched and moved away. If she wanted Coal to live, she could never let him touch her again.
Coal followed her over the bridge. “Shouldn’t we talk about what happened?” “No. I shouldn’t have done that.”He was about to argue with her, but everything was different, wrong. The air became denser, making it harder for Coal to breathe. The trees, the grass, and even the sun were less vivid. It was as if he were looking through a smudged window. “Chaley, where are we?” Chalcedony met his gaze. “We’re in the human realm.”“I didn’t see any door.”She placed her hands on her hips. “If it could be seen, everyone would know where it was.”He turned in a slow circle, drinking in all he saw. The tree’s brown bark was dull and washed out. The green leaves were watered down and muted. The grass cracked and moaned underneath his feet as if it were dying of thirst.He had never stopped to listen to the everyday sounds of life; they’d always been in the background. But the singing and harmony of the forest had disappeared. This terrible silence made him feel as if something were missing. The human realm, Coal decided, was a weak, lifeless version of the fey realm. “Chalcedony, stop. I don’t understand. How did we get here?”She frowned, gazing into Coal’s eyes as if deciding something. “Few fey or humans know this. You have to keep it secret.” “By now, you know you can trust me,” Coal said. She scanned the forest, as if she were scared someone would overhear her. Satisfied they were alone, she said, “During the war, humans and fey decided to separate themselves so we couldn’t destroy each other.”“I’m not stupid. I know that part.” His anxiousness over the new environment was giving away to agitation.“They also created portals to connect the two realms, because, in spite of all the war and death, complete separation seemed unfathomable. Also, giants are humans. Every now and then, a giant will have a normal human child, and they wanted to be able to take those children to the human realm if they needed to.”“Ambassador Eli said giants weren’t humans.”“Giants used to give birth to humans on a normal basis, but now that humans and giants don’t interact as much, it’s rare.”“Why haven’t I heard of the portal before?”“Because if everyone knew, the human realm would be overrun with rogue fey,” Chalcedony said.He decided on another random question. “Why does the air smell so different?”“Their technology pollutes the air.” Chalcedony walked through the forest. The ground was littered with broken tree branches that snapped underneath her feet. Coal marveled. He was in the human realm, his birthplace. Despite his curiosity and excitement, the image of the two of them kissing kept replaying in his mind. As he followed behind her, he wondered when it would happen again. “Wait.” She stopped so abruptly that he almost bumped into her. She pulled a pouch from the pocket of her pants, placed her hand inside of it. Her fingers came out of the bag covered in a multihued powder. She recited a few words before she placed it in her mouth. Slowly, her long, sharp canine teeth widened and shortened. They lost their edge and became flat. Her slim pointed ears curved. Her large red eyes dimmed and turned black. She had changed into a human. For a moment, Coal did not recognize the person standing in front of him. His vision adjusted as if it was adapting to the dark, and he saw past the illusion. She had swallowed glamour. Humans would look at Chalcedony and see the false image. For him, it was transparent, merely an overlay, barely hiding her true features. “I’ll be glad when I can change my teeth and ears. Tetrick says I should be able to do it soon. Then I won’t have to use glamour every time I come here. Do I look human enough?” she asked.“Yes,” he answered. “But it’s not as if I’ve seen many.” “Oh, right.” Chalcedony rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, let’s go look at some humans.” She held out her hand. “We haven’t gotten to the fun part yet.” He stared at her hand for a moment before he grabbed it and let her pull him out of the forest.Cars. He remembered them from his childhood. Red, yellow, blue, green, black. They sped by one after the other, leaving metallic fumes in their wake. Slowly he remembered other things, forgotten memories of concrete, laughing and running, and a woman’s touch—soft and tender. “Stay close.” Chalcedony’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Are you okay?” she asked, staring at him intently.He tried to put what he saw into words, but the memories were gone just as quickly as they’d appeared. “I’m fine.” He looked around in an attempt to anchor himself. They were waiting for what he knew was a streetlight. “Where are we going?” he asked. “A coffee shop,” Chalcedony said. “It’s not far.” When the cars stopped, he followed Chalcedony across the street. As they walked, Coal studied the people’s faces. Most avoided eye contact, but some stared directly at him and smiled. “We’re here.” She stopped at a building with a sign that read “Ground Beans.” “It’s a coffee shop. I figured this would be a nice place to sit and relax.”Coal shrugged, noting the hesitation in her voice. “This is your adventure. I’m just along for the ride.”She stood a little straighter, and he followed her into the shop. Coal sat in one of the wooden chairs next to a window while Chalcedony ordered. The noonday sun beamed through the windows and the smell of coffee and baked bread permeated the air. Chalcedony brought him coffee and a cream-filled pastry. For the second time that day, he was reminded how he hadn’t had breakfast. He ate the pastry in three quick bites. He’d expected for it to be bland, like the dull colors of the human realm, but it tasted sweet and flavorful. “I never get to do anything like this.” Chalcedony bit into her pastry, chewed, and then swallowed. “I hunt rogue fey, and then, we immediately go back home.” She leaned back and smiled as the sunlight danced on her face.“Why did you bring me here?” he asked.Chalcedony stared out of the window at the crowded street. “I wanted to show you this. Most of the people here are college students. Look at how easy they live and how happy they are. They’re a few years older than us, but they have no responsibilities. Their only job is to go to school. That’s it.”Coal noticed half of the people in the shop had devices in front of their faces and wires connected to their ears. They didn’t look happy. They spoke in high, grating voices, a sharp contrast to the husky and almost guttural sounds he had grown used to in the fey realm.“I dream about running away and living here—maybe just the two of us,” Chalcedony added. “Why can’t we?” Coal asked. He liked living around magic and being in the fey realm, but if living in the human realm meant that he would be able to be with Chalcedony, he would do it a thousand times over. He reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away. “Too many of my fey would die while Tetrick’s mother and Queen Isis fought over Everleaf.”“Why can’t you just leave everything to Madoc?” Coal asked, trying to hide his embarrassment at her rejection.“No male shall rule. You know that. The other queens have only left me alone because it’s against the law to rage war against a queenling. Besides, my mother made it clear before she died that my duty would always be to rule and protect Everleaf. I’ve never had an option, and neither will my oldest daughter. I’m cursed to reign, just as Madoc is cursed to serve.”“Hi,” squeaked a small child wearing a pink dress and a tiara. Surprised, Coal and Chalcedony stared at the child, speechless. “Hi,” Chalcedony said, the first to recover.“Are you a fairy princess?” the girl asked.Chalcedony laughed nervously. “Why?” “Because you have pointy ears. I’m a princess, too.” The girl tapped her tiara and swung her waist-length jet-black hair from side to side. “I’m not a fairy, though. Are you?” Chalcedony glanced briefly at Coal. “What’s your name?”“Elizabeth. I’m six.” The girl smiled, showing a large gap where her two front teeth should’ve been. “Where did you come from?” “I am from the land of the fey,” Chalcedony said with a low mischievous tone.“Fey like a fairy?” Elizabeth’s eyes were wide with joy. “Can I go there with you?” “Elizabeth!” Someone shouted from across the shop. A woman, an exact copy of Elizabeth, only taller and plumper, walked towards them. Behind her sat a baby strapped in a high chair banging a piece of bread against a plate. “Momma, look. She’s a fairy. See. She has pointy ears,” Elizabeth said when the woman reached their table.“She does not have pointy ears,” her mother said with a strained smile before she faced Chalcedony. “I’m so sorry. She says some of the most incredible things sometimes.”Chalcedony said, “That’s alright. She’s not bothering us.”“Let’s go, Lizzy.” The woman pulled Elizabeth towards the table where the baby sat.Chalcedony spun towards Coal. Her eyes glowed with elation. “I’ve been to the human realm dozens of times. I’ve never met another human besides you who saw through glamour. Never!”
Madoc sat in his office, hunched over his desk, trying to find the source of the pollution in the giants’ water supply. He’d gone out himself to track the cause, but had found nothing. If it had only been poisoned once, the giants probably would have ignored it, but it had happened three times. They blamed the dwarves who lived and mined in the mountains upstream. Thankfully, neither the giants nor Madoc proved the dwarves had anything to do with it. The last thing they needed was a war. A slow, hesitant tap at the door brought Madoc out of his thoughts. “What is it?” he asked, welcoming the distraction.Bren stepped into Madoc’s office. “Sir, I’m checking in from the forest.”Madoc leaned forward in his chair. “I’m listening,” “They were there,” Bren began. “I was hiding as you recommended, but when I saw them in a … questionable position, I had to interrupt and make sure the princess was not being harmed.”“What do you mean questionable position?”Bren cleared his throat. “They were … they appeared to be kissing.”“It’s either they were or they weren’t.” Madoc suppressed a smile, amused by Bren’s obvious discomfort. Bren paused and lifted his head. “They were kissing, sir.”A slow grin crept across Madoc’s face. Well, they finally crossed the line. “What did the princess say when you interrupted them?”“She was surprised and asked where I had come from.”“Did you tell her I sent you?” “I told her you had told me to patrol the forest.”“And she believed you?” Madoc asked.“Yes.”“Good.” Few of his guards were so good at lying. “Did you tell anyone else about this?”“No, sir,” Bren said, recoiling as if he’d been insulted. “Of course not.”“Well.” Madoc sat back in his chair. “Don’t feel like you have to keep it a secret.”Bren grimaced and narrowed his eyes in confusion. Madoc crossed his arms across his chest. “I want you to spread this rumor of them kissing. It may be a helpful catalyst to get the human out of this realm.”Bren nodded. “Yes, sir. I understand.”“Good. You’re dismissed.” After Bren left, Madoc closed his eyes. He tried to predict where this relationship with Chalcedony and Coal would lead. It could only end one way: nowhere. He wanted to kill the boy to ensure that, but he trusted his prophets. They rarely foresaw anything, so when they did, he listened and obeyed. He felt the change in the air. He had no idea what was coming, but he was looking forward to watching it play out.
Chalcedony couldn’t stop staring at Elizabeth. The girl reminded her so much of Coal at that age. “Chalcedony,” Coal said. She turned towards Coal. For a moment, she’d forgotten he’d come with her. “You okay?” he asked.“I’m fine.” Coal was trying to look comfortable. But she’d known him for too long to be fooled. His shoulders were squared as if he was waiting for someone to start a fight with him. He gripped his mug as if it was the only thing between him and death.“You don’t like it here, do you?” Chalcedony asked.“No,” he answered without hesitation.“Why?”“I’m not sure. I was homeless before you found me. Maybe that has something to do with it. When we first arrived, I remembered a woman. I think she was my mother, but then she left me.” Coal changed the subject. “What are we going to do about the kiss?” She rubbed the back of her neck. She could dodge the question again, but he would just keep bringing it up. Besides, he was right. It needed to be addressed. “There is nothing we can do about it. Madoc will kill you if …” she trailed off. “We have to forget about it.” She glanced at the ground, willing the memory of their kiss away. “We’re best friends. That’s all we can ever be.”“Queen Isis, in the south, has a human mate and no children.” He stared at his cup.“She’s a hundred years older than me. No one doubts she’s strong enough to fight for her lands. I don’t have that luxury.”“Why don’t you fight for what you want?” Coal pressed.She couldn’t let herself even think about being with him. The thought felt like a betrayal to her mother and all she’d worked for since birth. “Why did we have to grow up? It was so much simpler when we ran around Legacy all day without—”“Without wanting to kiss each other in the middle of it,” he said with a crooked smile.“No.” She laughed despite herself. “When we were younger, we spent all day together without everyone gossiping.”He sobered suddenly. “Are you going to leave me here?”“I told you already. I would never do that. Do you want to stay?”“No, I hate it here,” he responded as if she’d accused him of stealing something.“Don’t worry about it.” Yes, it would solve everything, but the thought of being without him scared her. Out of the corner of her eye, Chalcedony saw Elizabeth waving goodbye as her mother hustled her out of the door. “Are you finished?” Chalcedony asked, standing. Coal placed his cup on the table and stood.“Yes.”“Let’s go.” Chalcedony hurried out of the shop. Just as they bounded onto the street, Elizabeth and her family turned the corner. Chalcedony walked faster.“Are we leaving now?” Coal matched Chalcedony’s pace.“Not yet.”“Then, where are we going?”“You’ll see,” she answered, but she didn’t really know herself. She wanted to talk to the girl again.As Chalcedony expected, Elizabeth and her family didn’t live far from the coffee shop. Humans drove most places, but not if they lived on a college campus. Elizabeth’s mother unlocked the door to their apartment and stepped in. Chalcedony followed, waited a few moments, and knocked.“Why are we here?” Coal asked, with an impatient, accusatory tone.“Shh.”“No. Why are we here?” She knocked again, ignoring his burning gaze.“Oh, hi? Did I forget something at the restaurant?” Elizabeth’s mother asked, recognition showing in her eyes.“Yes,” Chalcedony said. “Can we come in?”“Um.” She eyed Chalcedony and Coal. “What do you want?”Before she lost her nerve, Chalcedony brought the pouch of glamour from under her shirt and blew the powder into the woman’s face.
Coal held the newly forged sword at arm’s length. The sentient weapon vibrated in his grasp, urging him to attack, but he tightened his sweaty hands around the leather hilt and ignored the foreign impulses. He’d been forging swords and practicing with the completed weapons long enough to know when to attack and when to bide his time and let the fight come to him.
Grigory, the master swordsmith, advanced. Coal parried, stepping aside and swinging his sword with all of the skill he’d gained from the two years of working the forge. Grigory fell to the ground, effortlessly rolling beneath the sword, before bouncing back to his feet.“Is she overwhelming you?” Grigory asked as they faced each other. They had been dueling for the past hour. Sweat dripped from Coal’s forehead, back, and arms, but just like every other time they’d dueled, the master swordsmith showed no sign of exertion. “She’s restless.” Coal wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “But I’m in contr—” Grigory rushed forward with an arcing swipe. Coal raised his sword to meet the strike. For a moment, their strengths were equal. His sword vibrated with glee as Coal threatened to overcome Grigory.Forcing the sword’s excitement to the back of his mind, Coal focused all of his strength into his upper body and pushed outward.Overwhelmed, Grigory leaped back.During the two years of forging swords and sparring with the master swordsmith, Coal had never had the strength or skill to complete such a move. For an instant, he let himself—and the sword—enjoy their accomplishment. He was so distracted by his small victory that he almost didn’t notice when Grigory spun round, his left leg heading towards Coal’s knees. Coal dove away, Grigory’s boots just skimming his leg. He rolled over frantically, to find a sword pointed at his neck. Grigory lowered his blade. “You were distracted.” “I almost had you,” Coal said with an intense rush of pride and confidence.“You did not,” Grigory said, scratching the eye patch over his left eye. “You’ve been slow and lazy all morning.”“But I finally completed the block.”“Not with any speed. You’re gaining strength and height, but that’s nothing to be proud of. What is the point of winning the bind if you are beheaded a moment?”Coal let Grigory’s words sink in while he caught his breath. “You’re right. I’ve been a little distracted. I’m supposed to meet Princess Chalcedony soon.” He glanced at the sun, trying to gauge the time. It hung low in the morning sky, but the springtime rays were much stronger than they were when he’d arrived. Time for him to go.Grigory lifted the eyebrow above his remaining eye. The other had been gouged out 200 years ago when he served as a soldier instead of a swordsmith. “How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”Coal bit his lip while he pretended to think about the answer he already knew. “Two months.” Grigory took the sword from Coal’s hands. It would be presented to Chalcedony on her coronation as queen. Magic reinforced the silver shaft, and its black leather hilt emanated heat and welcomed touch. By far, it was the best sword they’d forged. “Before you go, I have something to ask you.” Grigory kept his shoulder-length black hair tied in a low ponytail and his beard trimmed. Both elven and dwarf blood coursed through his veins. As the only known half-breed of his kind, he had the height of an elf and the thick, muscular build of a dwarf.“What is it?” Coal asked. The way Grigory spoke made Coal wonder if he’d done something wrong, besides being too distracted during the fight.“I’m getting older,” Grigory said. “I need to choose a full-time apprentice, and it needs to be soon. Do you want the position?” Coal’s breath caught in his throat. Had he heard right? “I thought I was just helping out until you found a full-time apprentice?”“Well, you’ve passed the two-year audition, and now I’m offering you the job.”“But humans can’t do magic.” It was one of the first things Coal had learned when he’d arrived in the fey realm eleven years ago. Powerful swords were impossible to make without magic. It made the swords stronger, lighter, and prevented someone else from using it. “I’m half dwarf and half elf,” Grigory said. “For years, my master refused to teach me because he didn’t think a half-breed could make a great sword. Now, I am the best swordsmith in Everleaf. It’s what’s inside that makes a good swordsmith. I believe you could be one of the greats.”Coal had been coming to the forge almost every day for two years, but he was allowed to come and go as he pleased. With a full apprenticeship, he’d eat, breathe, and sleep smithing. He’d have to move out of his home. “I don’t know, Grigory. I need time to think about it.” Coal enjoyed forging swords. He especially loved practicing with them, ensuring they would endure battle, but he didn’t know if he wanted to make it his life’s work.“Your childhood friend is soon to be queen. She will not have time, or tolerance, for a lovesick human.”Coal was hurt, but not surprised by Grigory’s words. No one said anything to his face, but he heard the servants and soldiers gossiping about him and Princess Chalcedony when they thought he wasn’t listening. “You’re right, but give me time. It’s not easy choosing one life over another.”Grigory’s eye softened. “You and the future queen still have much growing to do. Decide soon. I won’t wait long.”Coal glanced back towards the rising sun. “It’s time for me to go.”Grigory waved his hand as if to swat a fly, before he turned back to the forge. Bees and butterflies as big as his hands buzzed around Coal’s ankles while he walked through a meadow of red, yellow, and blue wildflowers that separated the forge from his home. He felt guilty for not accepting Grigory’s offer, but as he approached his home, the guilt faded and a smile grew across his face. He lived in Legacy, the biggest tree in the fey realm, with his best friend Princess Chalcedony, her staff, and a handful of ambassadors from every part of the realm.At 850-feet tall and ten times as wide as Grigory’s modest home, Legacy seemed to be larger than life. Residing inside of a living, sentient thing made him feel like he was a part of something remarkable. The moment he saw it years ago, Coal knew he’d made it home.“Legacy.” Coal touched the coarse bark of the oak tree and instantly felt the life thrumming inside it. “Is Chalcedony back?”There are so many here today. How am I supposed to keep track of any one person? Legacy said, its voice full of annoyance. Legacy was neither male nor female, but its voice sounded female nonetheless. “Come on, Legacy. Is she in her room?”The tree gave an exaggerated sigh as the breeze rustled its leaves. When last I bothered to listen, she was in her office and she was asking for you. “Thanks,” Coal said, relieved to hear that Princess Chalcedony had returned. He removed his hand and approached the two female sentries guarding Legacy’s main entrance. Like all of Everleaf’s elven soldiers, they wore a dark green shirt with black sleeves and black pants.“Where are you going?” asked the taller of the two, who had light green eyes. She stepped in his way, blocking the door. “The servant’s entrance is around the back.”“I’m not a servant.” Coal held the sentry’s gaze. He’d never seen these two before, but he’d done this dance countless times over the years. He was a human in a world where humans were mostly banned and thought of as violent, ignorant, and greedy. His stomach churned as he faced the sentry, but he stood his ground. If he showed fear, it only made the taunting worse. “No.” The other sentry stood a head shorter than her partner, but where the other was slender, she was more muscular. “He’s not a servant. He’s just human trash.”He swallowed. “Let me through.”“Or what?” The taller sentry placed a hand on her sword. “You’ll tell the princess I was picking on you?”“I don’t need the princess to protect me,” he snapped. “I can take care of myself.” “Calm down, Sophia,” the shorter sentry said. “Let him through. Today will be his last day here anyway.”“What are you talking about?” Coal narrowed his eyes, his pulse quickened. This was not part of the usual bullying.“Don’t worry about it,” the sentry said, pulling the green-eyed sentry away from Coal. “I apologize for my partner. Her great-great something or other died in the human and fey wars.” “Well …” Coal deepened his voice, his attitude bolstered by the change in her tone. “Don’t let it happen again.”“Of course not.” The shorter sentry bowed. “Again, I apologize.”Coal walked past the sentries and through the entrance, deciding they had only been trying to scare him. But why would she say it was his last day here?Once he entered the grand hall separating the entranceway from Chalcedony’s offices, he understood why Legacy sounded upset. Staff bringing food from the kitchen and filling mugs with milk, juices, and mead crowded the hall with bustling energy. Almost every race of fey had gathered in the hall—or at least every race of fey that ventured out in the daytime—elves, giants, dwarves, satyrs, nymphs, and even a few trolls. Coal touched the wall and said to Legacy, “The ambassadors aren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.” It had been quiet for the past three weeks. However, now that Chalcedony had returned from the human realm, fey from every corner of Everleaf came to meet with her. Obviously, they decided to come early, Legacy said. Disappointed, Coal broke the connection with the tree. Before she’d left on her last training trip, Chalcedony had said she had something special planned for the two of them. Her duties came first, though. If she had to work, she wouldn’t have time for him. He peered into the crowd, searching for the path of least resistance. Finding it, he lowered his head, stepped out of the safety of the entranceway, and walked into the congested gathering. The smell of goat sausage and fried eggs wafted towards him, making his stomach rumble with hunger. He’d awakened before the kitchen staff, and only had time to eat an apple before he’d left for Grigory’s.“Did you really think you were going to walk by me without speaking?” A deep voice said behind him. Coal twisted round, and looked up into the grey eyes of the eight-foot tall, tawny-skinned giant named Octavius. “Soon…” Octavius winked one of his gray eyes at Coal, “I hear you’ll be reigning next to Chalcedony.”“Princess Chalcedony and I are only friends.” Coal lost his appetite. Humans were considered weak. If Chalcedony took on a human mate, she would be considered weak also. The day had started full of promise. He’d looked forward to spending time with Chalcedony, but his plans were quickly unraveling. With the giants and dwarves here, it would be impossible for her to slip away. And, for the second time today, someone had reminded him he didn’t belong. “Don’t look so insulted.” Octavius grabbed Coal’s shoulder. “My great-great-grandmother was human. I’d consider it an honor to have a human reigning beside the queenling.” “Hmph, that would never happen,” said Ambassador Eli. The dwarf seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, his head a mass of dark curls. “Humans are exiled for a reason. They are violent, greedy, and, above all, parasitic.” He stared at Coal with light blue eyes and sneered.Octavius shook his head and clicked his tongue. “No, giants are humans, only taller. That’s why we can’t wield magic. And there is nothing extraordinarily violent or parasitic about us.”“Stop it with the myths. That’s like saying dwarves are human, only shorter,” Ambassador Eli said. “If your brother heard you speak like that, he’d have you whipped.” The temptation to stay and listen to Octavius and Ambassador Eli argue nearly overpowered him, but the idea of seeing Chalcedony pulled much stronger. They were too busy debating the differences between humans and giants to notice Coal slip away. Coal stood outside of Chalcedony’s thick wooden door and straightened his brown pants and the white shirt he wore underneath his green jerkin. He ran a hand over his braids and noticed one of them had unraveled. He cursed under his breath as he re-braided his kinky textured hair as fast as he could before he knocked on the door.“Who is it?” asked a gruff voice from inside the room. It was Chalcedony’s royal advisor, Madoc. Coal was convinced that Madoc’s primary goal in life involved making Coal miserable.“It’s me,” Coal said in his most formal voice. “Legacy told me that Chalcedony is looking for me.”The door opened, and Princess Chalcedony stood on the other side. “Legacy’s right. I am looking for you.” She wore a black sleeveless shirt and matching pants that were only a few shades darker than her brown skin. Coal bowed, bending low at the waist while happiness surged in his chest at the sight of his oldest friend. “How can I help you, Princess?” he asked.“Come in.” She stepped back from the door, her muscular arms flexing as she motioned for him to step into the room. “Since when do you bow, or call me princess?”Since last week, when Madoc lectured me for ten minutes about properly addressing a future queen, Coal wanted to say, but instead, he kept quiet. The less he said, the less Madoc could use against him when Chalcedony left.Once he stepped in the room, he saw there were three other fey sitting around the table in Chalcedony’s office. Madoc sat closest to the door, scribbling on a sheet of paper. He scoffed at Coal before he turned towards the stack of papers. “If I am no longer needed, I’ll be retiring to my room,” said Binti, the female waif who had been sitting at the end of the table. She had a jumbled network of tiny blue veins that showed underneath her pale translucent skin. As she stood up from the table, the loose pink dress she wore buckled around knobby knees before she pulled it down. Binti and her twin brother acted as a tether between the two realms. If a rogue fey used magic in the human realm, her brother felt it. Through the link the siblings shared, her brother would let Binti know. Then, Binti would alert Chalcedony in the fey realm.“Go ahead,” Princess Chalcedony said. “Thanks for your help.”Binti nodded briefly at Chalcedony as she walked away from the table and towards the door. Coal shivered as she passed. The waif lowered the temperature of any room by five degrees just by her presence. They were rumored to be children of reapers sent into the physical world to live until they replaced their parents as harvesters of souls. Motion next to Chalcedony caught his attention. Coal followed behind Chalcedony while his mind raced. She chattered away, but he couldn’t focus. Several moments passed before he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me we were going to the human realm?”“It was a surprise. Surprise!” Chalcedony wore a mischievous grin that made her red eyes sparkle.In any other situation, Chalcedony’s good mood would have been contagious, but he’d been in the fey realm since he was five, and he’d never left Everleaf. He didn’t know whether to be scared or excited.“Why are we going? I’ve never asked to go there.” The fact that Madoc had not argued about Chalcedony taking him worried him. If he knew anything about the elf, it was that he hated Coal. Most especially, Madoc hated Chalcedony to be seen with Coal outside of Legacy. His disapproval had grown more venomous over the past year. “Are you going to leave me there?” he asked, recalling what the sentries had said.Chalcedony stopped and faced Coal. “Why would you think that?”“You didn’t answer my question.” His heart raced while he waited for a response.“More and more of my work is there. It’s so different. Human tech can be destructive, but it’s amazing. Every time I go there I think of you, and I wish you could see it. That’s why we’re going.”“What about Madoc?”“Don’t worry about him. Do you really think I’d just leave you in the human realm without telling you?”“No, I don’t. It’s just—”“Coal, I’ve been tracking rogue fey in the human realm and dealing with serious situations for three weeks,” she said with desperation in her voice. “I want to have fun. I swear that is the only reason we’re going. I swear on my mother’s sword.” She held his gaze.“How are we going to the human realm without Tetrick? Don’t you need him to phase us there?”Chalcedony shrugged and continued walking. “No, we don’t need Tetrick.”“Are we taking the dragons?” Coal asked, his curiosity piquing. “No, we’re not flying. We’re taking the horses most of the way.”“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Coal asked as they entered the stable. “Nope.”He smirked. “I didn’t think so.”“Just relax,” Chalcedony said. “You’ll have fun. I promise.”
“Are you really going to let them go to the human realm alone?” Ambassador Eli asked Madoc, once Chalcedony and Coal had left.“She may only be seventeen, but she’s smart and one of the strongest in her line. I doubt anyone can hurt her, except for a queen.”“Are you sure you’re not overestimating her?” Ambassador Eli asked.“I may be, but there is only so much I can do.” Madoc faced the dwarf. Many dwarven ambassadors had passed through Legacy, and every one had hated the bureaucratic process, except for Ambassador Eli. To Madoc’s surprise, the dwarf seemed just as concerned for Everleaf as he was for protecting his people’s fortunes and trade routes. Ambassador Eli stroked his chin with a short, hairy finger. The dwarf had never worked in the mines so he was slim, instead of bulky and muscular. “I’ve been hesitant to bring this up, but you should know that most fey in Everleaf have begun to talk about the queenling and her human boy. There are rumors he is destined to become her lover and rule beside her.”“I am well aware of the rumors, but that will never happen.”“What are your plans for him? I expected you to have gotten rid of him long before now.”“Chalcedony is supposed to leave the boy in the human realm while they’re there.”Ambassador Eli exhaled. “That’s a relief.”Madoc turned back towards the window. Chalcedony and the boy were on horseback, leaving through the gates. “But she lied to me. She is not going to leave him there. She is still too attached to him.”“Then, you need to get rid of him,” Ambassador Eli said, his voice lifting.Madoc watched them until they disappeared from sight. “I can’t. The boy will play a significant role in Princess Chalcedony becoming a formidable queen.”“How can you be so sure?” Ambassador Eli asked, his tone full of doubt.“I had a few truthsayers look into it. They all said the same thing. He’s meant to stay until he decides to leave on his own.”The dwarf scowled. “Isn’t it your job to make her a great queen?”“Like I said, I can only do so much. I’ve shown her the best and the worst duties of being a queen, yet she remains a child. Her mother and grandmother …” Madoc hesitated, searching for the correct phrase, “had lost their innocence by her age. She is too happy, and it’s all tied to the boy. Once he’s gone, she’ll lose her innocence. Besides, I can’t kill him without her suspecting. She is young, but intuitive. Out of resentment, she may hurt Everleaf. But if the thing she loves leaves on its own, then that is a different game altogether.”“The boy obviously worships her. He’ll never leave without coercion.”“Ambassador Eli, I’ve been doing this for centuries. You have my word. The prophets have reassured me he won’t be around much longer.”
Chapter Two
On horseback, Coal followed Chalcedony away from Legacy, through the town square and into the royal forest. After a few miles, they came upon a lake. “We can leave the horses here. We have to walk the rest of the way.” She bent down and put her hands in the water. “Remember this place?” “Yeah.” The sound of waves falling onto the shore mingled with the chirping of the birds and created a melody, making Coal feel like they were the only people left in the world. “We used to get in so much trouble for using your portal to come here to swim.”“Well, we’re a little bit ahead of schedule. Do you want to go swimming?” “We didn’t bring any swim clothes.” She gave Coal a wicked grin. “Never stopped us before.”“That was a long time ago.” Coal glanced nervously at Chalcedony’s chest before he quickly averted his eyes. “We’ve changed since then.”Chalcedony tilted her head to the side. “We haven’t changed that much.” She walked towards the lake and took off her clothes. At least she was wearing underwear. “You’re trying to get me killed, aren’t you? What if Madoc is watching?”“Don’t worry about Madoc. He promised he’d let me do anything I wanted today. And right now, this is what I want to do.”It had been a while since he’d been swimming, Coal thought, as he stripped down to his underclothes and followed her into the water.
After being picked up and thrown into the water more times than she counted, Chalcedony ran out of the lake and sat on the grass. It had been a while since she’d done anything merely for fun, and she was glad Coal had warmed up to the idea of going to the human realm. The rift that had been growing between them over the past few months had finally closed.Coal left the lake and sprinted towards her. She was seventeen, one year older than Coal, and until recently, she’d always towered over him. Her growth had slowed, and she would look this way for the next fifty years. But Coal continued to grow, and surprisingly, he’d caught up to her. His ebony skin glistened in the midmorning sun as he stood above her. “You give up?” He laughed, one dimple forming on each cheek.Madoc’s Rule Number Eight: Never Admit Defeat. So, she changed the subject. “One of your braids has come undone.” Chalcedony sat up and patted her lap. “Come here. I’ll re-braid it.”He appeared as if he was going to refuse, but sat down and laid his damp head on her lap anyway. She undid the rest of the braid before passing her fingers through his thick hair to remove any kinks. She grabbed a small section and separated it into three before she began. “It took you forever and a day to learn how to braid. You were the worst student,” Chalcedony said as she worked.“I didn’t want to learn. I liked it better when you did it.”“You have gotten better, though.” “I didn’t have a choice. You’ve been too busy to do it,” Coal said.“Madoc thinks it’s beneath me to braid my own hair. He most definitely didn’t like it when I braided yours.”Coal tensed beneath her fingers at the mention of Madoc, so she changed the subject. “I love how your hair makes a halo around your head. For years, I tried to get my hair to match yours. But it’s only darker, not curlier.”“Mmm,” he murmured, sounding content and halfway asleep.She couldn’t blame him for being suspicious about this trip. He’d been correct. She was supposed to leave him in the human realm. Agreeing to leave Coal behind was the only way she could get Madoc’s approval to bring him along with her. Her coronation was in two weeks, and she needed to relax. Coal was the only person she relaxed with because he was the only person who didn’t expect her to be perfect. Lying to her advisor wasn’t something she did often, but there was only so much arguing she could do.Coal’s even breathing told her he’d fallen asleep. She’d forgotten how having his hair braided lulled him to sleep—once she’d learned how to avoid painful tangles.She bent down and whispered in his ear. “I’m finished, Coal.”He turned his head, but he didn’t open his eyes. She placed her hand on his forehead and studied his delicate lips, wondering if they were as soft as they seemed. She forced the thought out of her head and stood, causing Coal’s head to drop from her lap and fall onto the ground.“Ouch.” He patted the side of his head. “What’s wrong?”“I’m sorry.” Chalcedony staggered towards her clothes before she dressed. “We need to go. It’s getting late.” Kissing Coal was the last thing she needed to be thinking about. She stared ahead, avoiding Coal’s gaze. Everything’s complicated enough.
“What’s wrong, Chaley?” Coal asked. Her relaxed, playful mood had vanished. What had happened while he slept? What had startled her?“Nothing’s wrong,” Chalcedony insisted. “We just need to hurry.”“Which way?” Coal asked, happy to be off the horse and traveling by foot. His butt and inner thighs were beginning to chafe from the saddle. Chalcedony pointed to a bridge about a mile away through a small opening between the trees. “It’s just over the bridge. I’ll race you.”She sprinted away before he answered. Relieved she had cheered up, Coal didn’t think to run after her until she had already left.Halfway to the bridge, his legs burned and begged for him to stop. But instead of slowing, his pride pushed him faster and closer to Chalcedony. She twisted her head and grimaced when she saw him nearing. Chalcedony hated to lose. Elves were natural runners and predators, unlike humans, but he’d been running with Chalcedony and other elves for as long as he’d been here. He’d never won, but it never stopped him from trying.He broke through the trees and into a clearing. The bridge was only a few feet away. With fewer trees, he was able to run fast enough to pass Chalcedony. Looking to the side, he saw she was half a step behind him. He glanced back towards the bridge, just before colliding into it.Chalcedony was on the bridge a fraction of a second later.“I beat you,” he gasped. “For the first time, I beat you.”“You nearly killed yourself trying to do it.” She stood next to him, steady and calm. A thin layer of sweat prickled the skin above her top lip, but she wasn’t breathing nearly as hard as him. “I still beat you.” Chalcedony stepped behind him with a knife at his throat before he thought to move or defend himself. “If we were fighting, you would have won a battle but lost the war. You no longer have any strength to combat me.” The metal was cold and sharp against his neck. Coal sobered, his breath finally under control. “Is that what you think?”The knife pricked his skin. “Yes.”He grabbed Chalcedony’s wrist and twisted, the knife fell to ground. Then he pushed her onto the grass. “Hasn’t Tetrick taught you not to underestimate your enemy?” he asked, standing above her, feeling cocky and triumphant. Chalcedony swung her legs around, sweeping Coal’s feet out from under him and sending him crashing onto his back beside her. She rolled onto him, laughing and straddling him with her knees. Her long, dark hair hung over the side of her face. “Are we enemies?”“Madoc says everyone is your enemy,” Coal answered.“Is he right?” she asked. “Are you my enemy?”Coal lifted himself onto his elbows and gazed into her eyes. “Chaley, I would die for you.”She bent down and touched her lips to his. She tasted salty, but the kiss was sweet, and it awakened a hunger that had been brewing for longer than he wanted to acknowledge.
One kiss couldn’t hurt, right? Chalcedony thought, but then, she lost herself in the sensation. Coal’s hand brushed through her hair and sending tingles through her body.“Princess!” someone shouted from behind. Chalcedony leaped off Coal. A royal guard stood a few feet away with his sword drawn. “Are you okay, Princess?” the guard asked, looking from Chalcedony to Coal, and back again. Bren, she remembered. One of Madoc’s personal lackeys. He had ash-blonde hair with tawny-colored skin. His face was twisted in disgust and anger emanated from his pitch-black eyes.Coal stepped slowly in front of Chalcedony. She wanted to tell him to stop. Bren was more likely to hurt Coal than her, but she didn’t want to take her focus away from the guard. She felt for the hilt of the knife she hid underneath her shirt. “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking over Coal’s shoulder. “I was sent to patrol the forest.” His hands shook, but he never lowered his sword. “Are you going to attack me?” she asked with a haughty toss of her hair, hoping to draw his attention away from Coal. Bren flicked his gaze towards his weapon before he lowered it. “I’m sorry, Princess. Of course, I would never hurt you.” Chalcedony relaxed, released the knife, and stepped out from behind Coal. “Since when do we patrol the forest?” she asked. This forest hid the door to the human realm, but it was not guarded. Only a select few were supposed to know it existed. Patrolling would only attract attention. Instead, an invisible barrier that prevented anyone from entering without permission protected the forest.“Um,” Bren stuttered, his eyes lowered.“Madoc sent you, didn’t he?” “He … um, I was sent to patrol the door,” Bren answered. She closed the space between the two of them. “Look at me,” she ordered. He met her gaze. “Are you lying to me?”“No, Princess. I was assigned to patrol the forest today. I didn’t know you would be here.”She studied him, searching for a lie. She was not a mind reader, but Tetrick had taught her to look past a fey’s surface to recognize emotions and truth. Chalcedony saw fear, embarrassment, and disappointment, but there was no indication of a lie. Perhaps Madoc had set him up.“Leave my forest before I have you banished for spying on me,” Chalcedony ordered.“Princess, I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t know you would be here,” Bren said, shaking.“Leave now!”“Yes, Princess.” He placed his sword in its sheath and stalked away. Once Bren disappeared between the trees, she walked towards the bridge. “Are you alright?” Coal reached for her arm, but she flinched and moved away. If she wanted Coal to live, she could never let him touch her again.
Coal followed her over the bridge. “Shouldn’t we talk about what happened?” “No. I shouldn’t have done that.”He was about to argue with her, but everything was different, wrong. The air became denser, making it harder for Coal to breathe. The trees, the grass, and even the sun were less vivid. It was as if he were looking through a smudged window. “Chaley, where are we?” Chalcedony met his gaze. “We’re in the human realm.”“I didn’t see any door.”She placed her hands on her hips. “If it could be seen, everyone would know where it was.”He turned in a slow circle, drinking in all he saw. The tree’s brown bark was dull and washed out. The green leaves were watered down and muted. The grass cracked and moaned underneath his feet as if it were dying of thirst.He had never stopped to listen to the everyday sounds of life; they’d always been in the background. But the singing and harmony of the forest had disappeared. This terrible silence made him feel as if something were missing. The human realm, Coal decided, was a weak, lifeless version of the fey realm. “Chalcedony, stop. I don’t understand. How did we get here?”She frowned, gazing into Coal’s eyes as if deciding something. “Few fey or humans know this. You have to keep it secret.” “By now, you know you can trust me,” Coal said. She scanned the forest, as if she were scared someone would overhear her. Satisfied they were alone, she said, “During the war, humans and fey decided to separate themselves so we couldn’t destroy each other.”“I’m not stupid. I know that part.” His anxiousness over the new environment was giving away to agitation.“They also created portals to connect the two realms, because, in spite of all the war and death, complete separation seemed unfathomable. Also, giants are humans. Every now and then, a giant will have a normal human child, and they wanted to be able to take those children to the human realm if they needed to.”“Ambassador Eli said giants weren’t humans.”“Giants used to give birth to humans on a normal basis, but now that humans and giants don’t interact as much, it’s rare.”“Why haven’t I heard of the portal before?”“Because if everyone knew, the human realm would be overrun with rogue fey,” Chalcedony said.He decided on another random question. “Why does the air smell so different?”“Their technology pollutes the air.” Chalcedony walked through the forest. The ground was littered with broken tree branches that snapped underneath her feet. Coal marveled. He was in the human realm, his birthplace. Despite his curiosity and excitement, the image of the two of them kissing kept replaying in his mind. As he followed behind her, he wondered when it would happen again. “Wait.” She stopped so abruptly that he almost bumped into her. She pulled a pouch from the pocket of her pants, placed her hand inside of it. Her fingers came out of the bag covered in a multihued powder. She recited a few words before she placed it in her mouth. Slowly, her long, sharp canine teeth widened and shortened. They lost their edge and became flat. Her slim pointed ears curved. Her large red eyes dimmed and turned black. She had changed into a human. For a moment, Coal did not recognize the person standing in front of him. His vision adjusted as if it was adapting to the dark, and he saw past the illusion. She had swallowed glamour. Humans would look at Chalcedony and see the false image. For him, it was transparent, merely an overlay, barely hiding her true features. “I’ll be glad when I can change my teeth and ears. Tetrick says I should be able to do it soon. Then I won’t have to use glamour every time I come here. Do I look human enough?” she asked.“Yes,” he answered. “But it’s not as if I’ve seen many.” “Oh, right.” Chalcedony rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, let’s go look at some humans.” She held out her hand. “We haven’t gotten to the fun part yet.” He stared at her hand for a moment before he grabbed it and let her pull him out of the forest.Cars. He remembered them from his childhood. Red, yellow, blue, green, black. They sped by one after the other, leaving metallic fumes in their wake. Slowly he remembered other things, forgotten memories of concrete, laughing and running, and a woman’s touch—soft and tender. “Stay close.” Chalcedony’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Are you okay?” she asked, staring at him intently.He tried to put what he saw into words, but the memories were gone just as quickly as they’d appeared. “I’m fine.” He looked around in an attempt to anchor himself. They were waiting for what he knew was a streetlight. “Where are we going?” he asked. “A coffee shop,” Chalcedony said. “It’s not far.” When the cars stopped, he followed Chalcedony across the street. As they walked, Coal studied the people’s faces. Most avoided eye contact, but some stared directly at him and smiled. “We’re here.” She stopped at a building with a sign that read “Ground Beans.” “It’s a coffee shop. I figured this would be a nice place to sit and relax.”Coal shrugged, noting the hesitation in her voice. “This is your adventure. I’m just along for the ride.”She stood a little straighter, and he followed her into the shop. Coal sat in one of the wooden chairs next to a window while Chalcedony ordered. The noonday sun beamed through the windows and the smell of coffee and baked bread permeated the air. Chalcedony brought him coffee and a cream-filled pastry. For the second time that day, he was reminded how he hadn’t had breakfast. He ate the pastry in three quick bites. He’d expected for it to be bland, like the dull colors of the human realm, but it tasted sweet and flavorful. “I never get to do anything like this.” Chalcedony bit into her pastry, chewed, and then swallowed. “I hunt rogue fey, and then, we immediately go back home.” She leaned back and smiled as the sunlight danced on her face.“Why did you bring me here?” he asked.Chalcedony stared out of the window at the crowded street. “I wanted to show you this. Most of the people here are college students. Look at how easy they live and how happy they are. They’re a few years older than us, but they have no responsibilities. Their only job is to go to school. That’s it.”Coal noticed half of the people in the shop had devices in front of their faces and wires connected to their ears. They didn’t look happy. They spoke in high, grating voices, a sharp contrast to the husky and almost guttural sounds he had grown used to in the fey realm.“I dream about running away and living here—maybe just the two of us,” Chalcedony added. “Why can’t we?” Coal asked. He liked living around magic and being in the fey realm, but if living in the human realm meant that he would be able to be with Chalcedony, he would do it a thousand times over. He reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away. “Too many of my fey would die while Tetrick’s mother and Queen Isis fought over Everleaf.”“Why can’t you just leave everything to Madoc?” Coal asked, trying to hide his embarrassment at her rejection.“No male shall rule. You know that. The other queens have only left me alone because it’s against the law to rage war against a queenling. Besides, my mother made it clear before she died that my duty would always be to rule and protect Everleaf. I’ve never had an option, and neither will my oldest daughter. I’m cursed to reign, just as Madoc is cursed to serve.”“Hi,” squeaked a small child wearing a pink dress and a tiara. Surprised, Coal and Chalcedony stared at the child, speechless. “Hi,” Chalcedony said, the first to recover.“Are you a fairy princess?” the girl asked.Chalcedony laughed nervously. “Why?” “Because you have pointy ears. I’m a princess, too.” The girl tapped her tiara and swung her waist-length jet-black hair from side to side. “I’m not a fairy, though. Are you?” Chalcedony glanced briefly at Coal. “What’s your name?”“Elizabeth. I’m six.” The girl smiled, showing a large gap where her two front teeth should’ve been. “Where did you come from?” “I am from the land of the fey,” Chalcedony said with a low mischievous tone.“Fey like a fairy?” Elizabeth’s eyes were wide with joy. “Can I go there with you?” “Elizabeth!” Someone shouted from across the shop. A woman, an exact copy of Elizabeth, only taller and plumper, walked towards them. Behind her sat a baby strapped in a high chair banging a piece of bread against a plate. “Momma, look. She’s a fairy. See. She has pointy ears,” Elizabeth said when the woman reached their table.“She does not have pointy ears,” her mother said with a strained smile before she faced Chalcedony. “I’m so sorry. She says some of the most incredible things sometimes.”Chalcedony said, “That’s alright. She’s not bothering us.”“Let’s go, Lizzy.” The woman pulled Elizabeth towards the table where the baby sat.Chalcedony spun towards Coal. Her eyes glowed with elation. “I’ve been to the human realm dozens of times. I’ve never met another human besides you who saw through glamour. Never!”
Madoc sat in his office, hunched over his desk, trying to find the source of the pollution in the giants’ water supply. He’d gone out himself to track the cause, but had found nothing. If it had only been poisoned once, the giants probably would have ignored it, but it had happened three times. They blamed the dwarves who lived and mined in the mountains upstream. Thankfully, neither the giants nor Madoc proved the dwarves had anything to do with it. The last thing they needed was a war. A slow, hesitant tap at the door brought Madoc out of his thoughts. “What is it?” he asked, welcoming the distraction.Bren stepped into Madoc’s office. “Sir, I’m checking in from the forest.”Madoc leaned forward in his chair. “I’m listening,” “They were there,” Bren began. “I was hiding as you recommended, but when I saw them in a … questionable position, I had to interrupt and make sure the princess was not being harmed.”“What do you mean questionable position?”Bren cleared his throat. “They were … they appeared to be kissing.”“It’s either they were or they weren’t.” Madoc suppressed a smile, amused by Bren’s obvious discomfort. Bren paused and lifted his head. “They were kissing, sir.”A slow grin crept across Madoc’s face. Well, they finally crossed the line. “What did the princess say when you interrupted them?”“She was surprised and asked where I had come from.”“Did you tell her I sent you?” “I told her you had told me to patrol the forest.”“And she believed you?” Madoc asked.“Yes.”“Good.” Few of his guards were so good at lying. “Did you tell anyone else about this?”“No, sir,” Bren said, recoiling as if he’d been insulted. “Of course not.”“Well.” Madoc sat back in his chair. “Don’t feel like you have to keep it a secret.”Bren grimaced and narrowed his eyes in confusion. Madoc crossed his arms across his chest. “I want you to spread this rumor of them kissing. It may be a helpful catalyst to get the human out of this realm.”Bren nodded. “Yes, sir. I understand.”“Good. You’re dismissed.” After Bren left, Madoc closed his eyes. He tried to predict where this relationship with Chalcedony and Coal would lead. It could only end one way: nowhere. He wanted to kill the boy to ensure that, but he trusted his prophets. They rarely foresaw anything, so when they did, he listened and obeyed. He felt the change in the air. He had no idea what was coming, but he was looking forward to watching it play out.
Chalcedony couldn’t stop staring at Elizabeth. The girl reminded her so much of Coal at that age. “Chalcedony,” Coal said. She turned towards Coal. For a moment, she’d forgotten he’d come with her. “You okay?” he asked.“I’m fine.” Coal was trying to look comfortable. But she’d known him for too long to be fooled. His shoulders were squared as if he was waiting for someone to start a fight with him. He gripped his mug as if it was the only thing between him and death.“You don’t like it here, do you?” Chalcedony asked.“No,” he answered without hesitation.“Why?”“I’m not sure. I was homeless before you found me. Maybe that has something to do with it. When we first arrived, I remembered a woman. I think she was my mother, but then she left me.” Coal changed the subject. “What are we going to do about the kiss?” She rubbed the back of her neck. She could dodge the question again, but he would just keep bringing it up. Besides, he was right. It needed to be addressed. “There is nothing we can do about it. Madoc will kill you if …” she trailed off. “We have to forget about it.” She glanced at the ground, willing the memory of their kiss away. “We’re best friends. That’s all we can ever be.”“Queen Isis, in the south, has a human mate and no children.” He stared at his cup.“She’s a hundred years older than me. No one doubts she’s strong enough to fight for her lands. I don’t have that luxury.”“Why don’t you fight for what you want?” Coal pressed.She couldn’t let herself even think about being with him. The thought felt like a betrayal to her mother and all she’d worked for since birth. “Why did we have to grow up? It was so much simpler when we ran around Legacy all day without—”“Without wanting to kiss each other in the middle of it,” he said with a crooked smile.“No.” She laughed despite herself. “When we were younger, we spent all day together without everyone gossiping.”He sobered suddenly. “Are you going to leave me here?”“I told you already. I would never do that. Do you want to stay?”“No, I hate it here,” he responded as if she’d accused him of stealing something.“Don’t worry about it.” Yes, it would solve everything, but the thought of being without him scared her. Out of the corner of her eye, Chalcedony saw Elizabeth waving goodbye as her mother hustled her out of the door. “Are you finished?” Chalcedony asked, standing. Coal placed his cup on the table and stood.“Yes.”“Let’s go.” Chalcedony hurried out of the shop. Just as they bounded onto the street, Elizabeth and her family turned the corner. Chalcedony walked faster.“Are we leaving now?” Coal matched Chalcedony’s pace.“Not yet.”“Then, where are we going?”“You’ll see,” she answered, but she didn’t really know herself. She wanted to talk to the girl again.As Chalcedony expected, Elizabeth and her family didn’t live far from the coffee shop. Humans drove most places, but not if they lived on a college campus. Elizabeth’s mother unlocked the door to their apartment and stepped in. Chalcedony followed, waited a few moments, and knocked.“Why are we here?” Coal asked, with an impatient, accusatory tone.“Shh.”“No. Why are we here?” She knocked again, ignoring his burning gaze.“Oh, hi? Did I forget something at the restaurant?” Elizabeth’s mother asked, recognition showing in her eyes.“Yes,” Chalcedony said. “Can we come in?”“Um.” She eyed Chalcedony and Coal. “What do you want?”Before she lost her nerve, Chalcedony brought the pouch of glamour from under her shirt and blew the powder into the woman’s face.
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