Page 81 of A Fae in Finance
He logged off. Levi followed a moment later. I stared at my screen, feeling frustrated and useless.
This was my job. I was literally hired to edit documents and put together slides and models. I had no right to feel so… angry.
I did as Jeff bade me and sent the document to the Princeling and the Gray Knight in PDF and PowerPoint formats with a quick note. Then I stood up and went to the window, staring outside at the dancers still spinning in wild widening gyres below. They tossed their heads up and let the blue illumination of daytime hit their cheeks—but, as ever, there was no sunlight to warm their skin.
Chapter 14
In Which I Educate Sahir About Wordplay
I planned to discuss taxes in this class. I’d put together a list of basic information about them—what they do (in theory) and the way they worked in the United States specifically. I thought if faeries understood how humans collectively pooled money for the kinds of resources that they could just build with magic, they might understand the monetary system a bit more. I sat in the cafeteria a few minutes before class, reviewing my list and keeping an eye on my emails.
Guess how much money you owe, my notes said.You might be wrong.
Kellen burst in, panting. His wide white wings vibrated at a speed better suited to a hummingbird, throwing gusts of air about the room and scattering the papers in front of me.
“Lady,” he exclaimed, “I beg your assistance! In exchange, I will provide you with one service. Unless you do not want a service, because humans do not exchange favor for favor.”
I looked up. “Hi, Kellen,” I said. “Are you okay?”
“Okay?” Kellen shrieked. “OKAY? What is OKAY? I amoverwrought.” He flung his hands up and—I assumed accidentally—whacked one with his fluttering wing. He brought them back down, wincing.
“Humans actually do exchange favor for favor,” I corrected. “We just—it’s just not as explicit.”
Kellen wrung his now mildly injured hands, beside himself.
“But that’s not relevant,” I added hastily. “Kellen, do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
While Kellen made a noise like a teakettle, the cafeteria doors opened again. Sahir, Lene, and Gaheris came in as a group. Sahir carried his work laptop; Lene carried Doctor Kitten; Gaheris carried nothing.
Momentarily distracted from Kellen, I said, “Oh, I didn’t know you were bringing Doctor Kitten,” hoping she’d note my displeasure.
“I have made an ERROR,” Kellen said before she could respond, his face twisted in anguish.
The Gray Knight came in behind him, Caraya and a few new students in a gaggle at her back.
“Okay, what was the error?” I asked. The doors swung open a fourth time, and a steady stream of faeries settled themselves. Kellen stayed next to me, rocking slightly.
“I went through the portal,” he said. “I still do not know what ‘okay’ is.”
“Oh.” I shoved down the wash of jealousy. It wasn’t Kellen’s fault I would explode if I tried to go home. “What happened when you went through the portal?”
“I SAW A WOMAN,” he exclaimed, and sank onto the nearest stool.
“Okay.” I stopped. “Kellen, I don’t understand what the error was?” I said, more a question than a statement. His wings had calmed to sad, uncertain, occasional flaps.
“And I do not understand ‘okay’!” he snapped, and seemed disinclined to continue.
I looked around the room. We were about half full.
The Princeling had come in and conjured his silver throne, looking uneasy. His wings hung over the side, drooping. He seemed tired.
The Gray Knight stood behind him, her expression unreadable and her arms crossed.
“Start the class,” the Princeling ordered.
“Okay, just give me a second,” I said. “Kellen and I were finishing—”
“Start the class, Lady of the True Dreams,” the Gray Knight said, her voice colder than the Arctic wind. I glanced at her; her eyes were as remote as stars.Thiswas the Princeling’s enforcer, staring me down. For a brief moment I missed the smiling version of the Gray Knight.
