A Court of Hearts and Stone

4. Absorbing Knowledge

The artwork above is not mine.

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"In there is the kitchen. The servant's quarters are behind it," Celosia said as they wandered through the house. "Is that where you will be staying?"

"No, I have a room of my own elsewhere," Evren replied.

"Eris has never hired a Human before. Only Lesser Fae serve in this house. What is your position?"

"I'm not a servant," Evren maintained a flat tone. She wasn't sure if this female was trying to provoke her or not. "Like I said downstairs, I'm an attendant of sorts. I'll be attending to a few matters for the High Lord."

"What matters?" Celosia paused, looking back at her.

"Private ones."

Celosia's gaze drifted over her. Evren crossed her arms under that analytical stare. She met it, refusing to be frightened. She had been trained to kill High Fae. Deadly, dangerous ones. By the looks of her, Celosia was neither deadly nor dangerous. Evren could kill her with ease.

"Eris always did have interesting taste," Celosia sniffed.

"I'm not his whore, if that's what you're thinking."

"I'm not even sure what I'm thinking. You carry so many different scents about you. Most are male, so I would assume..."

"My line of work involves my hands and my mind, and that is all you need to know," Evren said coldly. "And I am no whore. Least of all a whore to a Faerie."

Celosia smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It seems Humans never change. As touchy as ever, and just as prejudiced."

They walked on. Evren followed a few paces behind Celosia. "Your sense of smell intrigues me," Evren said at last. "I know Fae have heightened senses, but to what extent?"

As much as she hated the thought of living and interacting with these creatures she despised, she had to admit that it could prove useful. She'd be able to learn more about their ways and abilities, more than she could just from watching and killing them. The more she knew, the easier her kills would be and the sooner she would be out of here. She would take this meager play at revenge and then carry out the end of her original plan.

"We can see further than Humans. We can hear better. We can smell better," Celosia said.

"That doesn't answer my question."

Celosia paused and faced her again. "Using my sense of smell alone, I can tell that you are a Human female. You are not on your cycle. You have been around one male in particular for an extended period of time, but you recently interacted with another and Eris. I can smell horse and foliage on you, leading me to believe you have been in the woods traveling on horseback for some time. You also smell of jasmine and sandalwood, so I imagine you must bathe occasionally and you favor more rich fragrances."

"With my hearing, I know that you are forcing your voice to sound flat and cold. If you spoke normally, I think your accent would suggest that you come from the northern part of the Mortal Lands, somewhere close to where the Wall used to be. Your footsteps make very little sound, so I believe you are used to being quiet. It is a part of your daily life. Every move you make is meant to be as quiet as possible."

"And as for seeing..." Celosia came closer. She took Evren's chin in her slender fingers and tilted her head from side to side. "Your eyes are cyan, but most would call them sea green. However, I can also make out hints of silver, maybe even a slight bit of purple, towards your pupils. We are able to differentiate colors better than Humans."