A Court of Beasts and Shadows >ACOTAR Fanfic

Chapter Forty-Four

My life was a complete and utter mess.

I didn't know how to deal with my life, with Savitr, Bryaxis and Tamlin, being a mass murderer.

God, all I wanted was to rest. To sleep, for at least two hundred years, without any drama in it.

Within an hour, Savitr had sent out sentries to hunt Tamlin and I down, and with Savitr already knowing we were gone, Tamlin had decided to winnow the both of us to safety.

To the human lands.

I still didn't like humans, Eris had taught me everything after he had rescued me, and he had taught me that humans were nothing more than insects that could be crushed so easily.

Seeing them in person, I believed him.

They were so...ordinary, with no power at all radiating from them, only weakness. I ignored every single one of them, keeping my pointy ears hidden under my hood.

Tamlin had murmured to me to keep whatever feelings I had for humans to myself, that a Fae would not be welcome among humans. I had merely ignored them, keeping my head down.

"We need a place to stay for the night."

I looked sideways at Tamlin, who wore gloves to cover his metal hand. "Which tree are we occupying tonight?"

Tamlin scoffed, grabbing me by the arm. "I don't know what Eris Vanserra taught you about humans, but don't judge them, when you have never met them."

"I don't have to meet one, seeing one is enough proof that they are a useless plague on this earth, that the world has no need for."

Tamlin growled lowly.

***

I had no idea why Tamlin wanted to go into a tavern, but I followed.

The tavern stank of sweat and ale, and the rags that the humans wore didn't surprise me. The uneven tables and benches for sitting at reeked of sweat and I did my best to breathe through my mouth.

A female wearing a tattered grey dress walked over to us and I looked away as she spoke.

"What can I get ya?"

"Two drinks please" responded Tamlin and when the female walked away, I made eye contact with Tamlin. "We're supposed to find the Cauldron, and you want to get drunk?"

Tamlin shrugged, placing two gold coins in the female's hand when she came back over with the two drinks. "If we're not going to survive this, I'd rather be drunk when I die."

Fair enough.

I grabbed the drink and sniffed it. It smelt...odd. Not like the ale that Eris used to drink. I took a sip and almost coughed it back up. It tasted...wrong.

"Mortal food and drink has a different taste to Fae food and drink, because we have a higher tolerance, and we need richer food."

I took another small sip. It wasn't as bad the second time. But I wondered how the mortals ate their food without wanting to throw it back up.

Tamlin got up to go find the tavern owner to ask for a place to stay. I stood up when I was done the drink and brought it up to the bar and left it there. I turned around when I felt a rough hand on my shoulder.

It was a mortal man, in his thirties at least, who wore a dirty grey shirt and black pants with a tankard of ale in his hands. He eyed me with lust, and I glared back with hatred.

"Hey, lassie, why don't you show your face? Is it as beautiful as the back of you?"

One moment he was standing, the next he was thrown over the bar counter.