A Sacrifice of Names

Chapter 7

"She truly is a lost cause."

Despite the obvious insult, the voice reminded Earie of a warm summer's day. The eyes of the fae woman said voice belonged to brought her back to the azure sea she had seen only once before in her lifetime, during a vacation with her housemates. That memory was now nothing more than a distant dream.

Perfect. The woman standing in front of her could only be described as such, exactly as one would expect from a pureblood fae. Her name was Innogen, Earie learned, and she was here on Keely's request to help out with the aforementioned lost cause.

Aka her.

Earie sighed in defeat, lowering the stick she had been given to the ground. A few beads of sweat stuck to the back of her neck, the heat of the sun burning against her skin.

"Remind me again why it is necessary for me to learn to fight? You're acting as if I will be brought to some kind of war zone."

Innogen shrugged. She didn't look like she had been affected by the hours of training at all. That blonde hair was still pushed back in a perfect, intricate braid. It made Earie want to groan. Innogen was exactly that person that would turn heads without ever having to do anything for it.

Keely's glamour might have made her look like a proper, pureblood fae, but Innogen undoubtedly stole the spotlight.

"Who knows what you will find there. Maybe not a war zone, but I heard the fae there do not shy away from a good fight."

Daleagh, the Court of Shadows. Keely had tried to gather some information about the place. Many of the books she had brought back told about how the place had been destroyed after the disappearance of the Horned King, and that under the prince's reign it had been rebuilt, but never regained its former glory.

Both courts were now but a shadow of what they once had been.

Nonetheless, Earie could not help but look around everywhere they went. The picturesque buildings, the beautiful gardens, and many hills. Weakened or not, Aves was still bewitching in her eyes.

"I'm quite sure I won't be brought there to fight."

"No? Have you ever ended a night with a little too much ale in your body?" Innogen was again challenging Earie, trying to make her attack without having to bark more instructions in her direction. "You just have to bump into the wrong person and they would try to floor you without warning."

That, Earie decided, was definitely not much different than it was back home. The pub fights she had witnessed on her nights out obviously had resulted in some broken noses and bruised jaws, but part of her did not want to think about bumping into the wrong fae around here. Especially not if they had the same kind of strength as Innogen.

She would stand no chance.

"I need a break," Earie admitted, her chapped lips begging for a little water.

She had already given in to the food here days ago, no longer able to ignore her empty stomach. Despite that, she was still careful, preferred plucking her own fruits, and watching closely as Keely cooked. Earie knew better than to let down her guard. The fae were and would always be tricksters, twisting the truth in whatever way they could to their own advantage. So far the food had not done her any harm.

Their wine, however, she swore never to touch. Not that Keely had offered her any, but she had decided it was better to be safe than to be sorry.

The grass beneath her bare feet looked awfully inviting. Back home she would have loved to come to a place like this with a good book, make herself comfortable against a tree and just dream away with a good story.