Unfortunately for this woman, I’m used to targets running from me.
“Stop,” I command, my voice unearthly.
Immediately her body halts, her shoulders trembling. When she looks over at me, a silent tear slips down her cheek. The sight of it breaks my heart.
“Please, you have no idea what he’ll do if I talk,” she pleads.
He?
“Let’s sit down,” I suggest, my voice soothing despite the glamour.
Robotically, she moves to the small couch, more tears following the first. When she looks at me, I can see the resistance in her eyes, but she can’t do a damn thing about it.
“What’s your name?” I ask, sitting next to her and taking her hand. It’s already clammy with sweat.
She stares down at her hands in her lap. “Gaelia.”
A human woman with a fae name.
“Were you born here?” I ask.
Drawing in a shaky breath, she nods.
“What do you do in the palace?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
She peers over Des, who’s still leaning in the room’s entryway, before returning her attention back to her lap. “I work in the royal nursery.”
My eyes move back to the bruise on her wrist. Again, the impression it’s left on her skin makes it look as though a tiny hand squeezed it too hard. A child’s hand …
I force my gaze back to her. “Why does your king believe you know something about the disappearances?” I ask.
Her expression crumbles, her eyes and mouth pinched as she cries. “Please,” she begs again.
Gaelia looks at me with agony, and I can tell this is her last ditch effort to stop the rest of the conversation from unfolding. She’s pleading for my humanity with her eyes, but she doesn’t know that I have no more control of the situation than she does.
I press my own lips together, my eyes stinging. I don’t want to do this to her. She’s not a criminal, just the last in a line of humans that were once slaves in this world. She’s a victim, one who’s had the misfortune of working in the wrong place at the wrong time. And thanks to me, she’s probably going to suffer for her forced confession.
My eyes flutter as I repeat, “Answer me,” the siren is heavy in my voice.
She draws in a deep, stuttering breath. “Some of the babies in the royal nursery are the children of the sleeping warriors.”
“The women in the glass caskets?” I ask.
She nods. “They are unlike the other children under our care,” she continues. “They are … peculiar.”
Fae in general were peculiar; I can’t imagine what an oddity among the fae looked like.
“Peculiar how?”
Gaelia begins to openly weep even as she answers, “They are listless, almost catatonic at times. They don’t sleep, they just lay in their cradles, their eyes focused on the ceiling. The only time they do anything at all is when, is when …” She touches the bruises on her chest, “they feed.”
Her fingers curl around the neckline of her blouse, and she pulls down the edge of the material. I lean in to get a better look. Beneath the material, extensive bruising covers her chest. Among all the dark discoloration are strange, curving cuts.
Bite marks.
I rear back at the sight. Now that I’m looking, I see the little puncture marks where their teeth split Gaelia’s flesh.
“And when they feed,” she adds, “they prophesize.”
Prophecy. Even earth has supernaturals that can prophesize … but children prophesying? This is peculiar.
Not to mention the fact that said children are gnawing on humans.
“How old are these children?” I ask.
Gaelia is beginning to rock in her seat, holding her arms close to her. “Some are as old as eight,” her lips tremble over each word. “The youngest is less than three months.”
“And which ones prophesize?”
Her eyes focus on something on the floor. “All of them.”
All of them?
“Even the three month old?” I ask skeptically.
Gaelia nods. “She speaks and feeds like the rest of them. She told me you and the king would come. She said, ‘Bare them no secret, tell them no truths, or pain and terror shall be your bedmates, and death the least of your fears.’” She releases a shaky breath. “I didn’t believe her. I hadn’t even remembered her warning until you mentioned you wanted to ask me some questions.” Her arms tighten around herself. “They all show me so many things, so many horrible things …”
“Is that normal?” I probe. “For a child that young to even be talking?”
More tears. “No, my lady. None of this is normal.” Gaelia’s shaking, which had died down somewhat, begins all over again.
“I don’t understand, what is so terrible about telling me this?” I ask.
She hesitates.
“You’re going to have to tell me, one way or another,” I say. “It might as well be on your own terms.”
She covers her mouth with her hand, her sobs beginning anew. I hear her whispering to herself, “Forgive me. Forgive me.” Her rocking has increased.
“Gaelia.”
Slowly her eyes move to mine, and she drops her hand from her mouth. “He doesn’t want to be found,” she whispers. “The children tell me he is making many plans. That he is wary of our king, the Emperor of the Evening Stars,” she says, her eyes moving to Desmond. “But that he fears no others.”
“Stop,” I command, my voice unearthly.
Immediately her body halts, her shoulders trembling. When she looks over at me, a silent tear slips down her cheek. The sight of it breaks my heart.
“Please, you have no idea what he’ll do if I talk,” she pleads.
He?
“Let’s sit down,” I suggest, my voice soothing despite the glamour.
Robotically, she moves to the small couch, more tears following the first. When she looks at me, I can see the resistance in her eyes, but she can’t do a damn thing about it.
“What’s your name?” I ask, sitting next to her and taking her hand. It’s already clammy with sweat.
She stares down at her hands in her lap. “Gaelia.”
A human woman with a fae name.
“Were you born here?” I ask.
Drawing in a shaky breath, she nods.
“What do you do in the palace?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
She peers over Des, who’s still leaning in the room’s entryway, before returning her attention back to her lap. “I work in the royal nursery.”
My eyes move back to the bruise on her wrist. Again, the impression it’s left on her skin makes it look as though a tiny hand squeezed it too hard. A child’s hand …
I force my gaze back to her. “Why does your king believe you know something about the disappearances?” I ask.
Her expression crumbles, her eyes and mouth pinched as she cries. “Please,” she begs again.
Gaelia looks at me with agony, and I can tell this is her last ditch effort to stop the rest of the conversation from unfolding. She’s pleading for my humanity with her eyes, but she doesn’t know that I have no more control of the situation than she does.
I press my own lips together, my eyes stinging. I don’t want to do this to her. She’s not a criminal, just the last in a line of humans that were once slaves in this world. She’s a victim, one who’s had the misfortune of working in the wrong place at the wrong time. And thanks to me, she’s probably going to suffer for her forced confession.
My eyes flutter as I repeat, “Answer me,” the siren is heavy in my voice.
She draws in a deep, stuttering breath. “Some of the babies in the royal nursery are the children of the sleeping warriors.”
“The women in the glass caskets?” I ask.
She nods. “They are unlike the other children under our care,” she continues. “They are … peculiar.”
Fae in general were peculiar; I can’t imagine what an oddity among the fae looked like.
“Peculiar how?”
Gaelia begins to openly weep even as she answers, “They are listless, almost catatonic at times. They don’t sleep, they just lay in their cradles, their eyes focused on the ceiling. The only time they do anything at all is when, is when …” She touches the bruises on her chest, “they feed.”
Her fingers curl around the neckline of her blouse, and she pulls down the edge of the material. I lean in to get a better look. Beneath the material, extensive bruising covers her chest. Among all the dark discoloration are strange, curving cuts.
Bite marks.
I rear back at the sight. Now that I’m looking, I see the little puncture marks where their teeth split Gaelia’s flesh.
“And when they feed,” she adds, “they prophesize.”
Prophecy. Even earth has supernaturals that can prophesize … but children prophesying? This is peculiar.
Not to mention the fact that said children are gnawing on humans.
“How old are these children?” I ask.
Gaelia is beginning to rock in her seat, holding her arms close to her. “Some are as old as eight,” her lips tremble over each word. “The youngest is less than three months.”
“And which ones prophesize?”
Her eyes focus on something on the floor. “All of them.”
All of them?
“Even the three month old?” I ask skeptically.
Gaelia nods. “She speaks and feeds like the rest of them. She told me you and the king would come. She said, ‘Bare them no secret, tell them no truths, or pain and terror shall be your bedmates, and death the least of your fears.’” She releases a shaky breath. “I didn’t believe her. I hadn’t even remembered her warning until you mentioned you wanted to ask me some questions.” Her arms tighten around herself. “They all show me so many things, so many horrible things …”
“Is that normal?” I probe. “For a child that young to even be talking?”
More tears. “No, my lady. None of this is normal.” Gaelia’s shaking, which had died down somewhat, begins all over again.
“I don’t understand, what is so terrible about telling me this?” I ask.
She hesitates.
“You’re going to have to tell me, one way or another,” I say. “It might as well be on your own terms.”
She covers her mouth with her hand, her sobs beginning anew. I hear her whispering to herself, “Forgive me. Forgive me.” Her rocking has increased.
“Gaelia.”
Slowly her eyes move to mine, and she drops her hand from her mouth. “He doesn’t want to be found,” she whispers. “The children tell me he is making many plans. That he is wary of our king, the Emperor of the Evening Stars,” she says, her eyes moving to Desmond. “But that he fears no others.”
