Page 17 of Drawn in Blood
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Chief Thornsten continued, as he checked his watch, “I have some business to attend to.”
Otto nodded. “Of course, Chief, good to see you.”
Chief Thornsten turned to walk away.
“Why would he say that?” Ember asked once he was out of earshot. “They don’t know that it’s the Fae, do they?”
“No, they don’t,” Otto replied, as he shook his head, “but prejudice, like Chief Thornsten and many others on the island have, runs deep.”
Ember shook her head as she furrowed her brow. They walked past Hidden Moon, and Ember noticed the heavy presence of the Guard around the shop. She couldn’t imagine how anyone could be so cruel. Chief Thornsten was submitting these beings to a trial of public opinion, and it wasn’t fair.
“Why do they hate them so much?” Ember asked, as she kicked a rock in front of her.
“I don’t know that it’s so much that they hate them,” Otto replied, “but they don’t understand them. Their magic is different, and instead of learning about them and trying to understand, they deem them as less than. They feel like their blood makes them superior.”
Ember sighed as she crossed her arms. “That’s just dumb,” she huffed.
Otto let out a gruff laugh. “I agree, Mo Chroí. We can’t change how people think, but we can stand up for what we know is right.”
The sky burnedruby as Ember laid on the grass and soaked in the last of the Sunday afternoon. Thea would be by any moment, and Ember was a bundle of nerves. Maia laid on her stomach fast asleep, and Ember absentmindedly ran her hand across her back as she did her best to calm her racing thoughts.
“Em! Thea will be here soon, are you ready?” Fen called from the back door.
Ember turned around and smiled at her foster brother as she pushed herself off the ground. “As I’ll ever be I guess,” she breathed. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
Fen had on his Rukr hoodie and a pair of pajama bottoms, complete with flannel slippers on his feet. He looked down at his outfit and furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” he asked, as he motioned at his shirt.
“A little informal for company, don’t you think?” Ember replied with a laugh.
Fen waved his hand as if to dismiss her. “I’m sure it’s fine.”
The two walked through the back door and into the kitchen where Eira had a pot of tea brewing, the dishes from dinner bobbing to a fro in the sink. Eira walked in from the dining room and narrowed her eyes in Fen’s direction.
“Fenrir James, go put on real clothes right now,” she scolded.
Fen huffed as he rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he mumbled under his breath and headed up the stairs taking them two at a time.
“Ember love,” Eira called, “would you set the den up for tea? Thea shouldn’t be much longer.”
Ember nodded as she grabbed the tray of cups and the pot of tea and carried them into the den, almost getting knocked over by Fen as he came scrambling down the steps.
“Need some help?” he asked eagerly, taking the cups from her hand. They walked into the den, setting everything on the coffee table in the middle of the room. Otto came in with Maeve hanging around his neck, quickly dropping her on the couch beside them. She jumped up on the cushions, twirling in her dress as the sun from the open window lit up her face.
“What do you think, Ember?” she squealed, as she leapt off the couch. “It doesn’t have any holes or anything!”
Ember laughed as the girl danced around her. “It’s beautiful, Maeve.”
Eira walked into the den next, holding a plate of scones. Before she could set them down, a knock sounded at the door.
“Oh, that must be Thea.” She smiled, turning back around, and bustling toward the door. She left the room quickly and stepped into the foyer. Ember listened as the door opened, and Eira greeted the woman behind it. She let out a loud gasp, and the sound of glass breaking echoed through the air. Otto’s eyes widened as he rushed into the foyer, but his footsteps stopped abruptly, almost as soon as he got through the door. Ember’s eyes met Fen’s, and he gave her a shrug, but worry clouded his face.
“Ember love,” Eira said shakily. “Ember, please come here.”
Ember furrowed her brow as she walked toward the door that led to the foyer, chewing on the inside of her cheek.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, as she stepped over the threshold. “Who’s at the?—”
Her eyes went wide as her heart thundered behind her ribs. Suddenly, her knees felt weak, and her legs felt like they might give out at any moment. Her head spun as she grippedthe banister behind her, and all of the breath was immediately sucked from her lungs.
