Night Snack (3rd month of Autumn, 5th day, 4th hour, night)

  Aya woke up late at night. At least, that's what her sense of time told her — the room had no windows. She lit the lamp and ate the cold soup and bread. Ixi also woke up and sat beside her. Aya fished a chunk of sinewy meat out of the soup and gave it to Ixi. She chewed for a second and spat it out. Aya picked it up and threw it into the chamber pot. She fed Ixi with magic and went back to sleep.

  Bathing

  Someone had been knocking on the door incessantly. Aya opened her eyes.

  "Aya, are you awake? May I come in?" said a woman's voice from behind the door.

  Aya yawned, sat up in bed, and lit the lamp. Ixi leapt into the air, attempting to fly, but struck the wall and tumbled down. Aya scooped her into her arms and said, "Come in."

  The lock clicked, and the door opened. A tall, beautiful elf woman stood in the doorway. She wore a simple maid's dress, her shiny dark-blue hair gathered into a bun. Ixi hissed warily.

  "Ixi!" said Aya, covering her mouth. "She's not used to strangers."

  "Oh my, she's cute!" exclaimed the woman. "Please don't bite me, sweetie. My name is Xia. The Master told me to take care of you. Let's wash you up and then go eat something, shall we?"

  "When will the Master speak to me?"

  "Later, Aya. He's busy now. We've got the whole day ahead, so let's get you clean and pretty."

  "Can I take Ixi with me?"

  "But of course. Let's wash her too!"

  "Thanks."

  Aya stepped out of the room and almost bumped into a guard — the silent warrior from yesterday. The four of them walked down the corridor, drawing curious looks from passersby. The bathing room was warm, with a pleasant, herbal scent. Two baths stood in the middle, one already filled with water.

  "Take off your shoes here," said Xia.

  The guard took a position by the door.

  "What are you doing? You can't stay. Leave," said Xia.

  The guard shifted uncomfortably.

  "The girls are going to bathe. Leave this instant."

  "But Xia..." the guard began.

  "No, no, no — not unless you marry her! I mean them... Oh, you get me. Go away!"

  The guard sighed and exited.

  "Afraid of little girls, unbelievable! Men worry too much. Now, undress — both of you. Can she bathe?"

  "I think so."

  Xia tested the water.

  "Warm. Then get into the bath. I'll be back in a minute."

  Aya undressed and got into the water with Ixi. She reached to remove the medallion, but Ixi clutched it, and Aya let it stay. Xia soon returned and helped them wash. Fifteen minutes later, they were drying off with towels.

  "Quite a scar you've got. Has someone stabbed you?"

  "Yes — Raku's men."

  "Poor girl. Why did House Raku attack you?"

  "They were feuding — I mean, my Master and Master Raku. I don't know why. The warriors said House Raku has been unhinged lately, attacking everyone."

  "What was your job in the mansion?"

  "Cleaning, mending, serving — but mostly cleaning. I grew up as a house servant. Lately, we lacked soldiers, and I was drafted as a support mage."

  "Poor girl. Who are your parents? Are they alive?"

  "No. They were already dead when this started. My mother was a servant. She died when I was small. I never knew my father."

  "Are you of age?"

  "Yes, since the summer."

  "Let's dress you up."

  Aya was given a simple linen dress and soft house shoes. Ixi received a child's tunic. To her great annoyance the tunic flattened her wings.

  "What a nice medallion. Did you give it to her?"

  "Yes."

  Ixi had been struggling to remove the tunic but only got tangled in it.

  "Let's make slits for her wings. Come," Xia said.

  "What about my clothes?"

  "Don't worry. You'll get them back washed."

  They went to a room where several girls sat sewing. Xia explained what they needed, and the girls stopped their work to help. Soon, Ixi's tunic had a tidy, overlocked opening in the back.

  "Try flying," Aya said.

  Ixi took off and hovered for a moment before landing. The demonstration drew several gasps from the girls.

  "She understands speech, doesn't she?" said Xia.

  "Yes. But she speaks only one word — my name."

  "That's a start. I'm sure she'll learn in no time," said Xia, ruffling Ixi's hair.

  Ixi hissed.

  "Oh, sorry, love," said Xia, pulling her hand away but still smiling. "Let's eat, Aya. Say thank you to the girls!"

  "Thank you," mumbled Aya, scooping Ixi up.

  Aya Tells Her Story

  Aya and Ixi sat at the common table in the lounge. Xia went to talk to the cook, leaving them waiting. Every person entering the lounge paused in the doorway to give them a look. At first, Aya tried extra hard to look unassuming, but then grew tired and began ignoring them. Xia returned, loftily balancing three plates. There was bread and vegetables for Aya and Xia, and several kinds of meat for Ixi.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "This is fried deer, pig jerky, this one is smoked, some kind of bird, and this one is salted — I don't know what it is, bear?"

  "That's too much. She eats little."

  "I'm interested to see what she likes. Don't worry, it won't go to waste."

  A servant girl brought three mugs and a jug.

  "Thank you," said Xia, all smiles.

  The girl bowed and left.

  "What is your job, Xia?"

  "I look after the mansion, make sure everything's clean, stocked up, you know."

  "Everyone respects you."

  "We try to be good to each other. Was it not so in your house?"

  Aya remembered her old home. No one paid her much attention there. Today's treatment might be the best day of her life, if not for her uncertain status. What was different about House Mink? She took in the room. Guards from patrols came, bantered, flirted with the serving girl, finished their food, and left. The atmosphere was relaxed, despite the outsiders' presence. As if copying the room's mood, Ixi became calm and completely focused on her plate.

  "I was an orphan. The servants were strict but understanding. I never disobeyed and never got punished. The master could be harsh in anger, but he never noticed me."

  "Did you love your master?" Xia asked, her tone serious.

  "I... admired him. He was proud and strong. I believed he alone could protect us."

  "Did he have children?"

  "His only son died, and soon after, his wife. He kept a concubine after that, but she bore no children."

  "I see. I've been told he died in battle. Tell me how it happened."

  "We rode all day. The pursuing patrols disappeared, and we thought Raku had left us alone. In the evening, we saw a warband approaching. They split in two, flanking us. Our mares were overburdened and exhausted. We saw a walled ruin ahead, and decided to hold there."

  She paused. Xia was watching her closely. Looking into her blue eyes, Aya thought about what she could or couldn't say, and what Xia herself hadn't said.

  "We were too slow. They caught up with us by the wall. Had we reached the gates, we could have held the place, but in the open, there were just too few of us. We stood under the wall, exchanged fire, used our mares as shields. We had some archers and mages, they had the same — only more and better. They could have killed us from afar, but apparently, they wanted it over quickly. Pikemen and swordsmen crushed us. I don't remember how I fell. I woke up among corpses. By my side was a grave fairy. I fed it my magic, and it became bound. Other fairies attacked me. I zapped a couple, Ixi scared away the rest. I gathered supplies and went north."

  Aya paused and realized the room had become silent. Even the sound of spoons clinking against dishes had quieted. Ten or so elves listened to her story.

  "What was that wall?" Xia asked.

  "An ancient necropolis, abandoned and ruined."

  "Can you show it on the map?"

  Aya shrugged.

  "I'm not good with maps. I went north for three days. It should be about 30 leagues south of the place where I was captured. That's all I know. I passed a morass, if that helps."

  "Maybe we should ask Lord Kemi. That's a long walk — it must've been hard on you. Did you encounter any dangers?"

  The unspoken part of the question was that she was short and thin, too weak to be covering such distances.

  "I strengthened myself to keep walking. For two nights I met no one. On the third evening, the snow fell, and I saw a patrol. They didn't notice me. It became colder. I walked all night and stopped for a day, but it was too cold to sleep. I made a fire. A raven appeared in the sky, and I decided to keep walking. In the evening, Lord Kemi's patrol caught up with me."

  "Quite a journey you had. But I am glad you made it. Let's find you a better room for tonight, shall we?"

  "Will the Master speak to me?"

  "He will, soon. I'll let you know."

  Inwardly, Aya sighed. Ixi's plate was empty. She had eaten everything without any indication of what she liked best. She liked meat — that much was clear.

  Xia and Kedi Discuss Aya

  Kedi stood over the map when Xia entered. She was still in a servant's dress, her hair tied up.

  "Don't let our neighbors see you like this," he said.

  "You dislike my new look?"

  "It has a certain charm, I admit. But you know the nobles — judgment and gossip. Did your plan work?"

  "Mostly. She saw through me in the end."

  "Did she guess who you are?"

  "No, no, just that I was gauging her."

  "I see. So, anything new?"

  "Some things, yes. First, the situation in the South is worse than we thought, and House Raku is in the thick of it. We need to watch the South closely."

  "That much we could guess."

  "Yes, yes, just a confirmation. The problem with the girl runs deeper. She is not a spy, I'm sure — her story is just too ridiculous. But she's abnormal in other ways. First, she grew up as an orphan, obedient and timid, yet all of a sudden, she is assertive, heads to Torkei, and demands freedom at all costs. I bet she's thinking of escaping right now."

  "Have you told the guards?"

  "No. Why? She is not stupid. She knows she won't get far in the linens I gave her. But I can tell she hates being locked up."

  "Why Torkei?"

  "Ah, that is exactly as she says — 'freedom.' Of Torkei, she knows nothing but its title of a 'free city.' She has no idea what it takes to survive there. She knows what an average southern girl would: the great free city of Torkei, the Copper River, dwarven merchants, and so on. In short, it was the only destination she knew that promised freedom."

  "That's madness. Are you sure she isn't lying?"

  "Reasonably sure. As for madness, being ill-informed is as good as being mad, wouldn't you agree? Anyway, there's also the matter of House Mink's last stand. She tells the truth, but not the whole truth. She was seriously wounded in that battle. Her clothes were soaked in blood. She has a cut in her jacket and a matching scar on her side. The problem is, if it happened three days ago, the scar should still be a festering wound."

  "Had someone healed her?"

  "Definitely. But she omitted that from her tale, which means she's hiding something. And indeed — who could have healed her if all her clansmen perished?"

  "She could have used a magic item, something from Mink's stock."

  "Unlikely. She would have carried it with her, don't you think? Such items cost a fortune. Instead, she carries her master's bloodied handkerchief. Have you sent it, by the way?"

  "Yes, I expect the reply tonight. What if Raku's men healed her and sent her as a spy?"

  "With a grave fairy in tow? That's not a way to blend in. Besides, spies aren't made overnight from clueless girls. They'd rather kill or capture her."

  "Have you asked her directly about the wound?"

  "No, not yet. The wound doesn't matter that much. What matters is the fairy."

  "What about it?"

  "That's the best part. She's the sweetest, toothiest familiar I've ever seen — and so much more than that. She understands speech without the connection. She acts independently. She is fully aware. In short, she behaves more like a child than a fairy."

  Kedi frowned. Rarely, if ever, had he seen Xia so excited.

  "You don't mean to say she's literally her child?"

  "No, of course not. I think what she describes is more or less true. She saw a fairy, 'felt an attraction,' and 'fed it her magic.' No ritual, no tools, nothing. For a village girl like herself, that might seem plausible. For a trained warlock, that's nonsense. If she knew how wrong it sounded, she would have prepared a better story."

  Kedi drummed his fingers on the table.

  "I see two possibilities here. One — she's a magical prodigy who stumbled upon a new kind of magic. Two — she's someone's game, a plant. If it's the first, we should keep her for ourselves. If it's the second, we get rid of her. Do you agree?"

  "Partly. I'd say we keep her in both cases. If she's someone's game, we can uncover it and use it to our advantage. Have you sent for Negli?"

  "Yes. Kemi will bring him tomorrow. I hope the matter is worth the hassle."

  "He'll be grateful, you'll see. Any warlock worth his salt would love to study her."

  "If we're keeping her, how do we do it?"

  "It's best we convince her. I want her to open up. Keeping her captive won't bing any good. I'll talk to her tonight and come up with the plan."

  "Good. By the way, can we agree to keep all this a secret? I don't want the rank and file worrying too much."

  "That might be a problem, my love. I talked to Aya in the lounge — people heard us."

  Xia made a guilty face, but Kedi knew her too well. She pretended to be sorry just to cushion his annoyance. Somehow, it worked despite him being aware. He sighed resignedly.

  "If they know, they know. Let's construct a tale. I want it to sound like a wild rumor — vivid and unbelievable. We'll ask her to play along."

  "Brilliant. I agree," Xia said with a happy smile. "Will you tell Kemi?"

  "Yes, as soon as they are back. Prepare a room for Negli."

  Xia left. Kedi stood looking at the map for some time, his concentration disrupted. With such intensity the patrols couldn't continue, someone had to be reassigned. He decided to finish tomorrow and rolled up the map.

  Room

  The new room Aya was given was almost comfortable, with a larger bed and a small window. It was already dark outside. Xia came and said that her fate would be decided later.

  "The master sent for a mage well-versed in summoning and familiars. He wants to examine your friend. The master has also informed the Tower of the fall of House Mink. As soon as your story is confirmed, you will be set free."

  "So I am a prisoner."

  "Aya, you have to respect the house that gave you shelter. We lock you up because we don't know how dangerous you or your friend might be. We can't risk our people just because you feel trapped."

  "All right, I'll wait," said Aya, knowing full well her opinion didn't matter.

  Xia left, locking her in for the night. Aya snuffed out the light and spent the evening thinking about her predicament. Supposing she escapes, how long would she last without supplies and warm clothes? Her thoughts ran in circles until she reminded herself of the dream girl and her idle ways.

  To stop brooding, she lit the lamp and began teaching Ixi words. Today, they learned door, table, cup, and bed. Although the fairy struggled with pronunciation, she understood the task well.

  "You'll learn to speak soon," she said in the way of encouragement. Do fairies need to be encouraged?

  Gradually, the house grew quiet, and Aya fell asleep.