"I'm not a servant." Coal held the sentry's gaze. He'd never seen these two before, but he'd done this dance countless times over the years. He was a human in a world where humans were mostly banned and thought of as violent, ignorant, and greedy. His stomach churned as he faced the sentry, but he stood his ground. If he showed fear, it only made the taunting worse.
"No." The other sentry stood a head shorter than her partner, but where the other was slender, she was more muscular. "He's not a servant. He's just human trash."
He swallowed. "Let me through."
"Or what?" The taller sentry placed a hand on her sword. "You'll tell the princess I was picking on you?"
"I don't need the princess to protect me," he snapped. "I can take care of myself."
"Calm down, Sophia," the shorter sentry said. "Let him through. Today will be his last day here anyway."
"What are you talking about?" Coal narrowed his eyes, his pulse quickened. This was not part of the usual bullying.
"Don't worry about it," the sentry said, pulling the green-eyed sentry away from Coal. "I apologize for my partner. Her great-great something or other died in the human and fey wars."
"Well ..." Coal deepened his voice, his attitude bolstered by the change in her tone. "Don't let it happen again."
"Of course not." The shorter sentry bowed. "Again, I apologize."
Coal walked past the sentries and through the entrance, deciding they had only been trying to scare him. But why would she say it was his last day here?
Once he entered the grand hall separating the entranceway from Chalcedony's offices, he understood why Legacy sounded upset. Staff bringing food from the kitchen and filling mugs with milk, juices, and mead crowded the hall with bustling energy. Almost every race of fey had gathered in the hall--or at least every race of fey that ventured out in the daytime--elves, giants, dwarves, satyrs, nymphs, and even a few trolls.
Coal touched the wall and said to Legacy, "The ambassadors aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow." It had been quiet for the past three weeks. However, now that Chalcedony had returned from the human realm, fey from every corner of Everleaf came to meet with her.
Obviously, they decided to come early, Legacy said.
Disappointed, Coal broke the connection with the tree. Before she'd left on her last training trip, Chalcedony had said she had something special planned for the two of them. Her duties came first, though. If she had to work, she wouldn't have time for him.
He peered into the crowd, searching for the path of least resistance. Finding it, he lowered his head, stepped out of the safety of the entranceway, and walked into the congested gathering. The smell of goat sausage and fried eggs wafted towards him, making his stomach rumble with hunger. He'd awakened before the kitchen staff, and only had time to eat an apple before he'd left for Grigory's.
"Did you really think you were going to walk by me without speaking?" A deep voice said behind him. Coal twisted round and looked up into the gray eyes of the eight-foot tall, tawny-skinned giant named Octavius.
"Soon..." Octavius winked one of his gray eyes at Coal, "I hear you'll be reigning next to Chalcedony."
"Princess Chalcedony and I are only friends." Coal lost his appetite. Humans were considered weak. If Chalcedony took on a human mate, she would be considered weak also.
The day had started full of promise. He'd looked forward to spending time with Chalcedony, but his plans were quickly unraveling. With the giants and dwarves here, it would be impossible for her to slip away. And, for the second time today, someone had reminded him he didn't belong.
"Don't look so insulted." Octavius grabbed Coal's shoulder. "My great-great-grandmother was human. I'd consider it an honor to have a human reigning beside the queenling."
"Hmph, that would never happen," said Ambassador Eli. The dwarf seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, his head a mass of dark curls. "Humans are exiled for a reason. They are violent, greedy, and, above all, parasitic." He stared at Coal with light blue eyes and sneered.
Octavius shook his head and clicked his tongue. "No, giants are humans, only taller. That's why we can't wield magic. And there is nothing extraordinarily violent or parasitic about us."
"Stop it with the myths. That's like saying dwarves are human, only shorter," Ambassador Eli said. "If your brother heard you speak like that, he'd have you whipped."
The temptation to stay and listen to Octavius and Ambassador Eli argue nearly overpowered him, but the idea of seeing Chalcedony pulled much stronger. They were too busy debating the differences between humans and giants to notice Coal slip away.
Coal stood outside of Chalcedony's thick wooden door and straightened his brown pants and the white shirt he wore underneath his green jerkin. He ran a hand over his braids and noticed one of them had unraveled. He cursed under his breath as he re-braided his kinky textured hair as fast as he could before he knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" asked a gruff voice from inside the room. It was Chalcedony's royal advisor, Madoc. Coal was convinced that Madoc's primary goal in life involved making Coal miserable.
"It's me," Coal said in his most formal voice. "Legacy told me that Chalcedony is looking for me."
The door opened, and Princess Chalcedony stood on the other side. "Legacy's right. I am looking for you." She wore a black sleeveless shirt and matching pants that were only a few shades darker than her brown skin.
Coal bowed, bending low at the waist while happiness surged in his chest at the sight of his oldest friend.
"How can I help you, Princess?" he asked.
"Come in." She stepped back from the door, her muscular arms flexing as she motioned for him to step into the room. "Since when do you bow, or call me princess?"
Since last week, when Madoc lectured me for ten minutes about properly addressing a future queen, Coal wanted to say, but instead, he kept quiet. The less he said, the less Madoc could use against him when Chalcedony left.
Once he stepped in the room, he saw there were three other fey sitting around the table in Chalcedony's office. Madoc sat closest to the door, scribbling on a sheet of paper. He scoffed at Coal before he turned towards the stack of papers.
"If I am no longer needed, I'll be retiring to my room," said Binti, the female waif who had been sitting at the end of the table. She had a jumbled network of tiny blue veins that showed underneath her pale translucent skin. As she stood up from the table, the loose pink dress she wore buckled around knobby knees before she pulled it down.
Binti and her twin brother acted as a tether between the two realms. If a rogue fey used magic in the human realm, her brother felt it. Through the link the siblings shared, her brother would let Binti know. Then, Binti would alert Chalcedony in the fey realm.
"Go ahead," Princess Chalcedony said. "Thanks for your help."
Binti nodded briefly at Chalcedony as she walked away from the table and towards the door. Coal shivered as she passed. The waif lowered the temperature of any room by five degrees just by her presence. They were rumored to be children of reapers sent into the physical world to live until they replaced their parents as harvesters of souls.
Motion next to Chalcedony caught his attention. He was drawn to the blonde, blue-eyed elf standing next to Chalcedony.
Tetrick.
Chalcedony had spent the past two years with the high-born elf. He was appointed by his mother, Queen Tasla, to teach Chalcedony how to patrol her part of the human realm for fey who were there illegally. "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to escort you, Princess?" Tetrick asked.
As usual, the royal elf paid Coal no attention. Coal didn't know if it was better to be ignored and made to feel like he wasn't worth a second thought, or to be constantly ridiculed and belittled like Madoc treated him.
"No, thank you, Tetrick," Chalcedony answered.
"You should let him escort you," Madoc said with a tone that suggested it was more of an order than a choice.
"No," Chalcedony said with such intensity
that her long, sharp incisors were visible. "But thank you anyway," she said to Tetrick, her temper back under control.
"Very well, Princess." Tetrick bowed, and then the elf disappeared as if he'd never been there.
"You should have let him take you," Madoc said.
"Take you where?" Coal asked. "I thought we had plans for today."
"We do." Chalcedony's red eyes were wide with joy. "It's a surprise. But first, go get your clothes. Then, I'll meet you upstairs in my room."
"What clothes?" Coal asked, confused. She'd changed from all business to playful so quickly it took Coal a moment to adjust.
"The ones you brought back with you from the human realm."
Coal hesitated. He was five the last time he'd worn those clothes. "Why?"
"You should not question a princess's orders," Madoc said.
Chalcedony huffed and turned to Madoc.
"You're dismissed, Madoc," Chalcedony ordered.
Madoc shot Coal a hateful look before he bowed towards Princess Chalcedony and left the room.
"Don't worry about him. He's in a bad mood."
"He's been in a bad mood for eleven years," Coal said. "I think it's safe to say he just really hates me."
"He doesn't hate you. He treats you just like he treats everybody else."
"Really?" Coal asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, he may dislike you a little bit. Go, and meet me upstairs."
"But--" he began.
"No more questions or you'll spoil the surprise. Just go get them." Her voice was full of joy and mischief. He'd missed it. He'd missed her.
Coal bit his lip, stifling his next question before he left the room.
What could she possibly want with his human clothes? They were all he had that proved where he'd come from, but he hadn't touched or thought about them in years.
Coal stood at Chalcedony's bedroom door a few minutes later, holding a ragged shirt and a pair of pants.
The door stood open, but the room seemed empty until Chalcedony stepped from behind her dressing screen. He almost dropped his bundle when he saw her wearing a pair of blue pants and a yellow shirt. Human clothes.
"What are you wearing? How did you get those?" he asked.
"Jeans and a T-shirt, the items you have in your hands, are very common clothes in the human realm."
"But why are you wearing them?" he asked.
"It's a surprise. Give me yours, and I'll fix them for you."
She took his clothes, placed them on her bed and whispered over them. As she spoke, the holes in the shirt became smaller until they disappeared. The material stretched, becoming longer and wider. She worked the same magic with his pants.
"Wow, you could be a tailor. That'll come in handy if the giants do decide to attack the dwarves."
"Ha ha." Chalcedony smiled in triumph. "Tetrick taught me this two days ago. I'm discovering more abilities the closer I get to my coronation."
He'd always been jealous of Chalcedony's ability to wield magic. Over the years, he'd gotten much better at hiding his envy, but still, every time he saw Tetrick and Chalcedony together, the jealousy and longing returned. Tetrick was strong, powerful, and able to phase in and out of most places anytime he wanted. He was everything Coal wasn't.
"Fine, you can lengthen clothes, but why do we need to wear them?" Coal asked.
"Stop asking questions and relax. I promise you won't be disappointed."
She waved her hand and an invisible force pushed him backward. She'd learned to move things years ago, but it wasn't until recently, that she'd moved anything heavier than a sheet of paper.
"Okay, okay. I won't ask any more questions. I can walk the rest of the way myself."
"Thank you." She lowered her hand, and the force disappeared from his chest. "Be careful back there. I don't want you ending up somewhere you shouldn't."
Reluctantly, but of his own free will, he walked behind the screen with his clothes.
A wave of nostalgia washed over Coal as he remembered the last time he'd ducked behind the screen. It served as Chalcedony's secret portal and her escape route if Legacy was ever invaded, which hadn't happened in over one hundred years. It was one of the best kept secrets in Everleaf. As children, they would travel through the screen pretending to hunt for treasure in the forest while everyone slept.
"So, what do you think?" Coal walked out from behind the screen. He didn't like the feel of the stiff fabric against his skin, but the clothes fit.
She stared, eyes narrowed.
"Did I put them on right?" he asked, feeling self-conscious under her intense gaze.
"You look fine." She smiled. "You look really good, actually."
"Um, thanks." If she liked them, he decided, they couldn't be all bad. "So are you going to tell me why we're dressed like this?"
"Nope." She wrapped a black cloak around her lean shoulders and then handed him an extra one lying on her bed. "Wrap up. I don't want anyone asking too many questions."
Coal followed her out of the room while he tried to hide his excitement and curiosity. His joy disappeared when he saw Madoc at the bottom of the stairs talking to Ambassador Eli. He turned when he saw Chalcedony and Coal.
"You're not taking your shadows?" Madoc asked, cocking his bushy black and gray eyebrow.
"I know how to protect myself."
"Your pride will get you killed. Take your shadows. I'm sure they would appreciate the exercise."
She rolled her eyes. "No. You have to start trusting me."
"Traipsing through the human realm without your shadows is not something a queen would do."
"We're going to the human realm?" Coal blurted.
"Damn it, Madoc!" Chalcedony exclaimed. "I told you it was a surprise."
Madoc shrugged. "Take your shadows."
Chalcedony answered with a sneer before she stormed out of Legacy.
Coal followed behind Chalcedony while his mind raced. She chattered away, but he couldn't focus. Several moments passed before he asked, "Why didn't you tell me we were going to the human realm?"
"It was a surprise. Surprise!" Chalcedony wore a mischievous grin that made her red eyes sparkle.
In any other situation, Chalcedony's good mood would have been contagious, but he'd been in the fey realm since he was five, and he'd never left Everleaf. He didn't know whether to be scared or excited.
"Why are we going? I've never asked to go there." The fact that Madoc had not argued about Chalcedony taking him worried him. If he knew anything about the elf, it was that he hated Coal. Most especially, Madoc hated Chalcedony to be seen with Coal outside of Legacy. His disapproval had grown more venomous over the past year.
"Are you going to leave me there?" he asked, recalling what the sentries had said.
Chalcedony stopped and faced Coal. "Why would you think that?"
"You didn't answer my question." His heart raced while he waited for a response.
"More and more of my work is there. It's so different. Human tech can be destructive, but it's amazing. Every time I go there I think of you, and I wish you could see it. That's why we're going."
"What about Madoc?"
"Don't worry about him. Do you really think I'd just leave you in the human realm without telling you?"
"No, I don't. It's just--"
"Coal, I've been tracking rogue fey in the human realm and dealing with serious situations for three weeks," she said with desperation in her voice. "I want to have fun. I swear that is the only reason we're going. I swear on my mother's sword."
She held his gaze.
"How are we going to the human realm without Tetrick? Don't you need him to phase us there?"
Chalcedony shrugged and continued walking. "No, we don't need Tetrick."
"Are we taking the dragons?" Coal asked, his curiosity piquing.
"No, we're not flying. We're taking the horses most of the way."
"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Coal asked as they entered the stable.
"Nope."
He smirked. "I didn't think so."
"Just relax," Chalcedony said. "You'll have fun. I promise."
"Are you really going to let them go to the human realm alone?" Ambassador Eli asked Madoc, once Chalcedony and Coal had left.
"She may only be seventeen, but she's smart and one of the strongest in her line. I doubt anyone can hurt her, except for a queen."
"Are you sure you're not overestimating her?" Ambassador Eli asked.
"I may be, but there is only so much I can do." Madoc faced the dwarf. Many dwarven ambassadors had passed through Legacy, and everyone had hated the bureaucratic process, except for Ambassador Eli. To Madoc's surprise, the dwarf seemed just as concerned for Everleaf as he was for protecting his people's fortunes and trade routes.
Ambassador Eli stroked his chin with a short, hairy finger. The dwarf had never worked in the mines so he was slim, instead of bulky and muscular. "I've been hesitant to bring this up, but you should know that most fey in Everleaf have begun to talk about the queenling and her human boy. There are rumors he is destined to become her lover and rule beside her."
"I am well aware of the rumors, but that will never happen."
"What are your plans for him? I expected you to have gotten rid of him long before now."
"Chalcedony is supposed to leave the boy in the human realm while they're there."
Ambassador Eli exhaled. "That's a relief."
Madoc turned back towards the window. Chalcedony and the boy were on horseback, leaving through the gates. "But she lied to me. She is not going to leave him there. She is still too attached to him."
"Then, you need to get rid of him," Ambassador Eli said, his voice lifting.
Madoc watched them until they disappeared from sight. "I can't. The boy will play a significant role in Princess Chalcedony becoming a formidable queen."
"How can you be so sure?" Ambassador Eli asked, his tone full of doubt.
"I had a few truthsayers look into it. They all said the same thing. He's meant to stay until he decides to leave on his own."
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