Taken

Chapter 11 (Part 2)

But... what about language? The books in the other room told me English wasn't the only language here, but it was the one that I had seen being used the most. Among Cedric and his men, Silas, and his mother, and with Penelope when she had approached me and now with the note she had left behind.

"Does everyone here speak and write English? And have pointed ears?" I couldn't help but add as my eyes landed on the points of hers. They peeked through the silver strands of her hair that were pulled back into a low ponytail.

She scoffed as she opened her bag and reached inside. "You humans always take. It's why your world is in ruins. Hopefully, the Blood Stone will die along with it when there's nothing in your realm left to take," she mumbled under her breath as she pulled out a few bundles of clothing. "English, as you call it, is the common language of the fae. The same humans who tried to take our advancements without the means to sustainably power them, also took our tongue when they left."

"By sustainable means, you mean magic, right?"

"All nature holds magick, including yours, but humans weren't meant to weld it."

I couldn't stop myself from scoffing derisively as I leaned back against the table. "No, just to hide it."

She stopped removing the contents of her bag to look me in the eyes. "Yes. Which is why I choose to place the fate of this realm in a human I just met. In your body. Humans weren't gifted by Nature like Fae. Why would you be? All you do is destroy it."

I ground my teeth together, tired of how she spoke of humans. "So the chances of me even being able to do little party tricks aren't great, are they?" It was a bit embarrassing to admit that I had spent a little too much time between tasks trying to move dead leaves on the ground, so I kept it to myself. It wouldn't have been if it had actually worked.

She sighed, her eyes softening with pity. "No, they aren't. But if it happens that you can, my offer still stands."

Though I had initially been excited at the prospect, party tricks weren't going to help me with the target she had painted on my back. In fact, they would illuminate it to create a beacon if the wrong person noticed a human doing something she shouldn't be capable of.

"As for the ears," she continued, reaching into her bag once again. "Yes, all fae have pointed ears. Which is why I got you this while I was out." Pulling out a small velvet pouch, she opened the cinched top to empty a ring onto her palm. "Here, put this on," she said, holding it out toward me. "It'll glamour your ears to appear like ours."

I pushed off the table and made my way toward her. Coming to a stop near her outstretched hand, I lifted the golden ring from her palm to inspect it. The delicate band held a single stone, an emerald. It was surrounded by engraved leaves that tapered off the further they reached down the sides of the band. The inside of the ring was inscribed in the same language I saw written on the spines of the books in the living room.

Instead of doing as she had instructed, I kept it pinched between my fingers in the air between us. "Is this another lie to make me take something I would otherwise say no to?" I asked, unable to keep rancor from seeping into my dry tone.

She let out a soft exhale as she grabbed the edge of the counter in her hands. "No, Greysi, it's not. It's exactly what I told you it is. I'm sorry for lying to you about the Blood Stone, but that stops here. No more lies. Hopefully one day you can come to see why it was necessary and not hate me for it."

My eyes narrowed on her. "Does that mean your ready to explain Silas's reaction this morning?"

Her face grew shuttered as she straightened her shoulders. "That is for you and Silas to discuss when he is ready."