Page 98 of A Fae in Finance
Aram cleared his throat. Everly had ducked under his arm and buried her face against his side. “The human is right, of course.”
Just like the flash of a watch reflecting sunlight on a wall, the rage died. I felt foolish, and dull. I leaned back and picked up my chair. “I’m so sorry.” I sat down again.
Sahir’s arms remained suspiciously vine-y, but he managed to maintain a corporeal form. “Do not apologize.”
“You cannot go home,” Grumps said, staring at me. His eyes were so old, his features so subtlyoff. Just slightly too sharp, slightly too wide. I felt further from humanity than I ever had. “You will die in the crossing. So you must seek another answer.”
Aram cleared his throat.
Everyone turned to him.
“I know of one who may have an answer,” he said, staring at a point above my right shoulder. “A friend from youth and companion through many trials. A man of honor and decency. A great and powerful magic user from a line of great and powerful magic users. And the only man alive who mighttrulyunderstand the magic behind your imprisonment in Faerie.”
I fought down my desire to strangle him to death, revive him, and then strangle him again. He’d probably taken drama class with the Gray Knight and the Princeling; it wasn’t his fault the school systems in Faerie only taught Suspenseful Reveals and Dire Predictions.
“Who is this person, good-brother?” Sahir asked, probably sensing my murderous intent through our incontrovertible soul bond or something.
“Roman, of the Wild Fae,” he said. The stillness that fell over the table felt foreboding.
“The Princeling promised to introduce me to Roman, if I complete the tasks he has set out for me,” I said.
Aram’s keen eyes found mine. “What was your bargain, child? The exact phrasing.”
My forehead furrowed. In books, people always remembered prophecies and bargains.
“I don’t remember,” I said. “Let me check my emails.”
I pulled my phone out and searched for emails to the Gray Knight.
When I found the relevant chain, I held the phone out across the table. Sahir took one look at Aram’s expression and took the phone from me. He cleared his throat, sighed for effect, and read it out:
You will teach my people of humans, whenever they ask and whatever they ask, for ten years. For that period, you will also retain your job—this should be manageable for you. And if you can complete both of these tasks to my satisfaction, then all of my resources will be laid at your feet.
Aram nodded. “And he told you that his resources included Roman?”
“Yep.”
“The bargain is poorly worded,” Aram said, looking at Grumps. “I imagine the Princeling did not expect the human to think about it overmuch.”
Grumps shrugged. “The bargain provided him with an immediate service, and”—he glanced at me—“I assume you work as many hours as Sahir?”
“More, usually,” Sahir said.
“Then by keeping her in her job, he has effectively ensured she will have no time to search for an escape.” Grumps took another helping of yogurt. That dude probably had a fantastic gut biome. Did the Fae have a similar anatomy to us? Did they host gut bacteria?
“If Roman is truly the Princeling’s best guess—” Aram cut himself off.
But Rijska had lost patience. “If Roman is the Princeling’s best guess, then the poor girl hasno reasonto wait over nine more years in this…state”—she gestured at me, which I took mild offense to—“when you can end her anticipation with an introduction!”
But Aram shook his head. “Would it were that easy, love,” he said. “As you remember, Roman passed through our home some days ago. He did not share with you his destination, but I will do so now. He has taken a project in the Queen’s realm, the restoration of some ruins at the edge of her sacred wood. He anticipates that he will stay in her realm for…” He counted on his fingers. “I think two human years at least.”
“You mean past the Queen’s soldiers on the roads?” I clarified.
He nodded. “Yes, and in the heart of a Court where a human can be destroyed on sight.”
This was displeasing information.
“And you think Roman will know how I can avoid exploding myself?”
