Fractured - #1 of Court of Chaos

Part Two

I was elbow deep in flour and elderberry jam when Solenna strolled through the kitchen door the following afternoon. The kitchen servants had showed up early to make the various baked goods that would be served at the festival tonight. Solenna, like many other servants, clutched their cloaks tight, as if they could somehow disappear beneath them.

"It's the most wonderful night of the year," she mocked in a regal tone.

"I've never been so happy to be on kitchen duty," I mumbled.

"Rub it in, why don't you," she rolled her eyes, tugging on her sleeves as she removed her cloak.

"Maybe if you didn't burn half the bread yesterday, you'd be in here too." I sent her a childish smirk.

She simply rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, wrapping an apron around her waist before tying it in the back. Another abrupt clapping noise turned all our attention towards Vivienne at the front.

"At least you managed to show up in uniform," she said, eyeing us all up and down. "The first course is to be served in ten. Get to it, ladies."

Solenna slumped with her elbows down on the counter next to me, and I teased her with flour on her face to get her to move. She tucked the tips of her ears just under her hair.

"It never gets any less intimidating, does it?" She asked.

Solenna had arrived only three years ago; much later than I had. She didn't speak much about the land she came from, but I knew they were all the same. Lesser Fae had been pushed to the edges of the land long ago, and those settlements were borderline uninhabitable. They were smart; it was all part of their plan. Slavery had been outlawed centuries before I was even born, but indentured servitude was the new (trick) trade. After all, what's a few hundred years to an immortal if they had the promise of liveable lands once their contract ended? That was the deal, if they didn't magically find you guilty of a crime that extended your contract—or worse. I felt my gaze go out of focus as I ruminated for a quick moment on what life looked like before. This was better. It would always be better.

"The plate, Arya," Solenna stared at me blankly.

"Right," I felt my cheeks go red, "Lost in thought, sorry."

I tucked the last of the baked goods in the roaring oven before leaning back against the counter. Even those of us sheltered by the doors of the kitchen glanced warily at the threshold, as if a giant claw would grab us and force us out into the festival.

"Stealing some for yourself?"

I turned to my right to see Vivienne glaring at me, and followed her gaze to an extra tray of elderberry rolls.

"Gods be damned, Solenna," I whispered the words barely audible. I didn't even need Vivienne to yell at me to tell me what to do next; I gripped the edge of the silver tray and huffed towards the door.

It wasn't until I got up the steps that I saw just how charming the festival was. Soft glowing lanterns filled with fireflies lined the stone walls and arches of the courtyard, and a luminous fountain spewed glowing water from its spouts. Pastries, fresh fruits, and edible flowers lined the tables on all three sides of the courtyard.

Some of the guests were dancing by the violinists while others sat perched against the marble columns, seducing their partner for the night.

High Fae didn't truly look much different than us other than the clothes they wore, and slightly more accentuated ears. You could catch a glimpse of tattoos that ran up the lengths of their arms, only a shade or two darker than their skin. Their bone structure was stronger, but it was their gaze that truly gave them away. It was the power that radiated behind it; the power we didn't have. Each power was unique, but I only knew what I had heard from whispers in the kitchen and tall tales from my mother.

There were rows of tables filled with guests, drinking and merry, oblivious to our presence. I eyed the long table in the front, where the Royal Family sat. High King Silas had yet to produce an heir, or a wife for that matter, but his mistress Dianthe sat proudly in her chair with her chin turned up to the crowd. As if she were irreplaceable; untouchable. She was seated next to SIlas' right hand man; Alaric. The head of his armies and soldiers, made up of the male Lesser Fae they conned into coming here.

At the brooding far end of the table was Silas' bastard brother, Dorian. After the death of their father, Silas hadn't cast him out completely. He ruled the trade kingdom of Edessa at the southern border of the island. I had passed through that very place before I was brought here. Dorian was wedged between two people I didn't recognize, but the circlets that rested on their heads deemed them important.

I realized I had been staring too long as his bright gold eyes made contact with mine, and I tried my best to look aloof as I continued to look for my friend. I saw him whisper to the person next to him out of the corner of my eye before rising from his chair, but he walked in the opposite direction.

I scanned the crowd for Solenna's signature bun, but she was nowhere to be seen. It seemed as though I would have to scold her later for roping me into a job that wasn't even mine. I made sure to stick to the sides of the courtyard, trying my best not to be seen. If there was any night to avoid the gaze of a High Fae, it was tonight.

I set the silver tray down silently in the back corner of the courtyard. My eyes continued to scan the room, but it was a gruff voice behind me that caught my attention. I knew that voice from anywhere.

Silas.

I turned and squinted through the dark to see the High King with his grip stern around a mass of servant robes. I would have kept my thoughts to myself if I hadn't seen that black bun. My heart sank into a dark pit in my chest: Solenna.

My mind was screaming to stay put; to turn around and go back inside the kitchens and pray she made it back too. But my legs betrayed me as they began to move towards her. Towards him.

"It would be an honor, you know," she heard him pur. Solenna was rigid.

I tried my best to play the role of Vivienne. "I need you back in the kitchens." My voice was borderline squeaking and didn't have a drop of authority in it, but it caught Silas' attention nonetheless. I was careful not to say her name, lest he ask for her later. He only half-turned to me, as if debating what to do next.

"I'm in need of her services tonight," he brushed off. "She's dismissed from the kitchens."

"Tell that to the desserts she just burnt," my voice felt too bold for my body. "I'll be sure to return her to your service after she's corrected her mess."

A sharp breath left my chest as he let go of her arm, instead gripping those ice cold fingers around my own neck. I was lifted off the ground before I could even grasp what was happening. I looked pleadingly towards Solenna, but she was gone before I could even register it.

"You know better than to test me on a night like tonight," he gruffed, but I had no air left in my lungs to respond. I felt the light start to drain from my limbs, from me. Even with my own hands scratching at his grip, I felt my muscles begin to turn to slush. I had heard only folklore and tall tales to base the High Fae's powers off of, but Silas was quite literally draining the life from my body; melting it.

"Is Dianthe boring you already?"

I felt a flicker in his grip, but he did not let go. I felt my skin start to gray and go slick with sweat.

"She must be horrible to bed if you prefer a servant girl."

The noose around my light force was lifted, and I dropped roughly to the ground.

"Aren't you straying a little far from your master, mutt?" Silas spat.

"Aren't you straying a little far from your whore, your majesty?"

I tried to turn my head, to get any grip on the ground, to get away. I heard footsteps lead away from me, and when two hands gripped my shoulders, I prepared to see the face of the monster himself. Instead, I was met with bright blue eyes framed by tan skin and hair so blonde it was nearly white. A circlet sat atop his hair, and I recognized him as one of the people who sat beside the bastard brother.

"Let's get her to Delphine," he spoke, looking up at someone else.

I opened my mouth to thank him, but darkness started slipping over my vision, until I collapsed.