Page 26 of With Wing And Claw

Unfortunately, it soon turned out the task was significantly larger than her patience.

She’d never paid much attention to the archives; information was generally provided to her whenever she needed it, sent her way by the tireless army of mages working in this realm of parchment. Now, surrounded by looming shelves and unintelligible labels, she found herself wishing for the first time in her life that she’d spent a few more hours with these dusty tomes in her hands – because surely this would have been much, much easier if at least she’d known what to make of cryptic drawer labels such as4225 gr. c. 56b…

Perhaps it would be a better idea to find the unknown Rhodia, dangers be damned. If they made a bargain to guarantee the accuracy of the information, at least she could stop wasting time on—

‘Oh,hereyou are,’ a brisk female voice said.

Thysandra whipped around, grabbing instinctively for the nearest dark leather surface.

A distinctively wingless, suspiciously human-looking silhouette had appeared at the end of the aisle, drawn sharply against the frosted-glass windows. For a single heart-stopping moment, Thysandra thought it might be Naxi, having escaped her locked rooms in gods-knew-what unholy way … and then the reality of her observations came punching through, shattering that hope-like fear with something that felt worryingly like disappointment.

The silhouette was too tall. Her hair too sleek and blonde. Her voice hadn’t sounded remotely like Naxi’s, either, too blunt and too bitter.

She didn’t lookyoung, exactly, this unknown human woman; she stepped closer with a tired determination that suggested several decades of disillusionment. All the same, there was no trace of old age to be found in her appearance. No wrinkles. Not a glimpse of grey in her long, pale hair. Really, she wore that sense of agelessness that Thysandra only ever saw on immortals … but that didn’t quite make sense, did it?

Then again, neither did that greeting.Here you are– as if Thysandra was some disobedient child caught sneaking off into forbidden places.

‘Beg your pardon?’ she cautiously said, trying to figure out whether there was any danger she could be overlooking before she got rid of the unwelcome interruption.

‘I’ve been looking for you.’ The human woman slowed her steps, then leaned sideways against the cabinets, crossing her arms. She was almost as tall as most fae. ‘Your demon friend said you’d be around here, but it’s a nightmare finding anyone in this maze. This is not the right aisle if you’re looking for grain stores, by the way.’

Thysandra barely even heard that last sentence.

Yourdemon friend.

Naxi. What game was she playing this time, sending humans for … well, for what? It didn’t seem likely that this willowy girl – or woman, whatever she was – was standing here with the intent to violently usurp her. Then again, it seemed highly unlikely any humans would still be roaming the island in the first place; hadn’t Emelin announced that she’d send all of them back home immediately?

‘Who the hell are you?’ Thysandra blurted out, realising a moment too late that High Ladies should probably ask for their information in more dignified ways.

‘Inga.’ As if that were the only answer she needed. ‘I’m one of your former slaves, in case that helps.’

Her manners weren’t those of a former servant. If anything, they were the manners of a woman who couldn’t wait to take up a sledgehammer and smash the walls to pieces – a vaguely alarming thought even if she looked entirely unarmed.

Thysandra slowly stepped away from the drawers and straightened to her full height, deciding that perhaps this matter did deserve her undivided attention for the few minutes it took her to get the other woman out of here. ‘And what exactly are you doing here, when all humans should have long since left the island by now?’

‘Not all of them,’ Inga said curtly. ‘There’s a few hundred exceptions, as a matter of fact. Some of us don’t have anywhere else to go, you see.’

What in the world?

But before she could so much as ask a single question, the servant – no,formerservant – gave a scowl and tucked a handful of blonde hair aside, revealing …

Fae ears.

That explained a number of things.

‘They don’t take kindly to half fae on the human isles,’ Inga said, her voice flat. ‘Honestly, they don’t even take kindly to half fae onthisbloody island, but at least I know people here. There’s others like me, too. Half fae. Quarter fae. Full humans whose families have lived here for so many generations they have no clear place of origin to return to. We’re not cattle, you know. We have a community you can’t just tearapart.’

Thysandra realised a moment too late her mouth was still hanging open; the retort she’d hoped would emerge had not, in fact, done so.

‘So.’ Inga shrugged. ‘I’m here to tell you to do something about us. Happy to offer some suggestions, if you need them.’

Suggestions?

It took all she had to restrain her voice. ‘What exactly do you—’

‘We’d like full citizen’s rights, first of all.’ A blistering glower. ‘Meaning that it would become legally punishable to murder or assault us, just to name one thing. And that you’d have to pay us if you’d like for us to keep working. A more decent place to live than the hovels in which you’ve been housing us would be appreciated – shouldn’t be a problem, honestly, now that gods-know-how-many of you have fought themselves to death for the glorious sake of tyranny. Figure you should at least have some castle rooms available.’

So much for the servant’s manners. ‘Do you have the faintest idea of the uproar it would cause if I were to—’