Page 16 of A Fae in Finance
“Do you meanguacamole?” the guy next to him asked. The guy next to him had a ridge of horns on the sides of his face, like a triceratops.
“I know not. It is made with avocado.” Perhaps feeling that his audience required more context, he added: “My uncle who works at the Bronx Zoo showed it to me. You mash it up with a lemon and some pepper flakes.”
Even the night had gone silent.
“Everyone likes guacamole,” the guy next to him said.
I had the strangest sensation, like my entire body was ossifying where I stood. I could do nothing but stare.
“She partook of our food,” the Princeling said, implacable as the tide. “My people sowed the seeds and harvested the grain.”
Jeff threw his hands up. “So what? You know she didn’t mean to!”
“I did not make this rule,” the Princeling replied. “It is an old magic. If she tries to leave, it will not end well for her.”
For the first time, Jeff looked around the table and saw the sharp faces of the inhuman strangers he’d eaten with. “Well, what do you want from her?”
The Princeling pointedly ignored this question. My heart beat wildly.
Through the roaring in my ears, I managed to form a coherent thought:Whatdoeshe want from me?
“It is what the old magic requires. The lady stays,” the Princeling said, serene.
Jeff frowned at me, taking me in.
“You have Wi-Fi here, right?” he said to the Princeling.
My jaw snapped shut.
“Of course,” the Princeling said, in a tone that conveyedHow did you think we had been communicating with you?
“Miri, I’ll see you on the call tomorrow,” Jeff said. He turned to the Princeling. “She needs to be on the call, okay?”
“She will continue to work on our deal, and I shall not harm her,” the Princeling said, which was:
A. horrifying,
B. more than Jeff had asked for, and
C. too specific for my liking.
The Princeling looked at Sahir. “There is a room for her in the Court, in the central corridor. You will find her name upon the door.”
“But I can’t stay! I don’t belong here! And… and I have a cat,” I said, crying in earnest now.
Everyone ignored me. The Gray Knight had approached Jeff and held a hand out to him. He took it without looking at me again, and she hoisted him onto his horse.
Sahir grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the table. I tried to fight free, but his hand was iron around my biceps.
“What did you do?” I sobbed. There was already snot running along my upper lip. I could feel it cooling in the night air.
“Don’t speak,” he said. “And stop crying, now.”
Whether it was magic, or just shock, I did.
“What did you do?” I repeated, stumbling over my feet as he dragged me away. His face was frozen in something between terror and determination.
“I have done many things, Miriam,” he said, walking faster. I twisted my shoulder but he didn’t loosen his hand. “Chin up, eyes forward,” he added.
