A Sacrifice of Names

Chapter 9

"It's been a while since I last danced." Innogen said with a dreamy chuckle, reaching out to grab one of the little pastries Keely had been working on all day to keep herself busy and her mind off yesterday's sudden intrusion by the prince's guards. The green-skinned fae leant forward to peck her lips against Innogen's forehead, mumbling something akin to her not having to worry and that she had another batch ready in the kitchen and she didn't have to hamster it all down in one go.

Innogen replied with a wolfish grin painted across her lips.

Earie couldn't help but feeling like she was losing this battle. Keely had invited Innogen over to discuss a plan for the regent's ball, because while her glamour on Earie was certainly impressive, it was up to Innogen to actually get her into a dress.

Earie had continued to protest. The ball was just a formality, used by the regent to give his gratitude to the fae who made the sacrifice to move to the Court of Shadows. Not voluntarily, but according to Keely he liked making it look like that.

This regent didn't exactly sound like a swell guy. Earie found herself comparing him to an average politician whose intentions were mostly selfish. Most of the pureblooded fae did seem grateful for what he had done for them after the Faerie Queen's disappearance, but if she had to believe Keely's words there were also a lot of lesser fae who had their own opinions about him. Something she never went into detail about, which was perhaps for the best.

When asking Innogen what she thought about him she had merely shrugged, but the pained look in Keely's eyes said enough.

"I still don't understand though." Innogen pointed a delicate finger into Earie's direction. "They put a glamour on you when you were a babe, took you to Talamh, and now you can't remove that glamour yourself? You still don't feel a spark of magick in the tips of those fingers. How do you plan on keeping that hidden from the regent during the ball, or the prince's men after that for that matter?"

There it was again, the dreaded interrogation. Earie's cheeks flustered a little, and she was quick to avert her eyes. It was almost as if it had become more difficult to lie ever since she had been brought to these lands. She had woven so many untruths over the past two weeks, had tried to puzzle together a backstory that sounded plausible enough.

Sooner or later someone would notice the little flaws.

She didn't exactly want to think about what could happen at the ball. If she had to shake the regent's hand then so be it, but her plan was to draw as little attention towards herself as she possibly could. That also meant she had to make sure she was not seen by Brenhin or any of the other Court of Shadows guards.

"It is like you say. The fae are weakened, are we not?" It was the only explanation she could come up with. "How many years ago was I taken from here? I forgot about this place, about you. I forgot about myself. I was just a babe. Someone put that glamour on me."

A thoughtful look appeared on Innogen's features. "Then why could they not remove it when you returned to us?"

Silence.

"I..." Earie had no explanation for that, for any of it. Keely had never asked, and she doubted those women she had first encountered in that dark chamber had even bothered before dumping her on Keely's doorstep.

The pale brows above Keely's ochre eyes had slowly started to furrow together into a frown.

"They asked me to do something with a glamour. I thought... I thought they wanted me to put one on you." There it was. Suspense silenced the room completely, and for a moment Earie could only hear her heart hammering inside her chest.