Becoming Fae

“We have a few places that look promising,” Blaine said, handing Mal and I something to eat that was greasy and on a stick. “Easy access to water and the hunting will be good for a little while still. Long term food supply might be a problem, though.”

“Hopefully we don’t have to wait for long before Gluttony sends us usable information on Ambrosia,” Mal said before taking a bite.

“Or we get one of our own in there,” I added thoughtfully. “Either way, we should consider options for the long term, just in case this turns into a waiting game. And I really need to talk to Naz. Have you seen him?”

“Not since yesterday,” Blaine shook his head as I started eating. “He and Rollie do tend to set these people on edge, so they try to limit how much time they force their presence on the masses. Is this about the Celestial I saw with Rollie earlier?”

“His name is Harmondius, and no. I should probably let him know sooner or later, but no. I need to know what’s going on in the Demon Lands. The Pits in particular,” I said. “I don’t like not knowing what’s going on and I sure as heck don’t like not knowing what I’ll be walking into when we get there.”

“I could send a few hounds,” he offered.

“I like them being close. They can smell people coming before anyone else does,” Mal shook his head.

“I agree,” I said around a mouthful of food. “What is this?”

“Rat,” he answered.

Mal froze halfway to another bite, and I felt my eyebrows shoot up.

“Gross,” Mal muttered.

“No kidding?” I asked Blaine.

“Nope. It’s the one thing that there’s a lot of in a city,” Blaine shrugged.

“It’s shockingly really good,” I said, taking another bite. “A bit gamey, but still.”

“Is there nothing you won’t eat?” Mal looked at me as I chewed.

“Skunk. Never again,” I shuddered. “Occasionally, Gary and I had to live off-grid for a while. When you can feel your stomach digesting your spine, you stop being picky.”

“Gross,” Mal repeated as Blaine chuckled.

“Priss,” I muttered, finishing the last of it and tossing my stick into a nearby fire and reached for the rest of Mal’s. “Give me that.”

“Gladly.”

“Ben is organizing the first groups that will be going to another town or village to find supplies right now, but we need to know where to go for what goods,” Blaine said, walking with us through the camp.

“Bangar is the textile capital in this region,” Mal said. “We can get material to make clothes and shoes. It’ll be cheaper that way and a lot of people are getting bored with nothing to do.”

“There’s plenty of time between now and the colder weather,” Blaine nodded.

“With it being near to harvest season, we should be able to buy directly from farms, if we can find the money,” Mal continued.

“Use the money my parents have been setting aside for me,” I said.

“Are you serious?” Mal looked at me with wide eyes.

“Set aside enough for us to live on for a while once this is over with, but there’s no way I could spend all of that in an entire lifetime,” I nodded. “It might as well be put to a good use, right? I’ll let my parents know when we get back to the castle later. Now, what about the medical supplies?”

“Most of it is for long term sickness and such, so we could get a fair bit at any apothecary in any town or village,” Mal answered. “Once we move to the forest, it would be safe to assume the number of injuries related to building shelters will climb.”

“There’s a cleric village not far away, if we fly. Now that there’s a fourth person with wings in this outfit, we should be able to get a decent number of supplies from there, right?” I asked.

“You think it’s wise to trust him?” Blaine asked.

“To carry bandages and herbs? I think he’ll be fine,” I rolled my eyes.

“That’s not what I meant,” he pursed his lips.

“I know what you meant,” I smirked. “And I didn’t say I trusted him, but if he wants our help, he’s going to have to pull his weight, just like everyone else. Who knows? Maybe he’ll prove to be an asset.”

“If you think it’s safe to bring him in, I’m not going to argue, but he did attack you not that long ago,” Blaine pointed out.

“He was acting on the information he had been given. It’s not on him that it was bad information, because he trusted the source,” I said. “He made a mistake, and he’s admitted it. Now, he’s asked for help because he has no other place to go.”

“I’ve made my point,” Blaine shrugged. “Ben has a similar opinion, though he’ll likely be more vocal about it.”

“And I’ll tell him the same thing,” I nodded. “Until he gives us a reason not to, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on his character. I would like to point out that he came to someone that he was told his whole life was an abomination that deserved nothing more than death and asked for help, knowing it was unlikely at best. We can afford a bit of respect for that, at least, right?”

“I suppose, when you put it like that,” Blaine nodded.

“We’ll be addressing everyone about it later, so if you could spread the word to meet by the wagons on the far side of the camp, that would be great,” Mal said.

“There’s a lot to be addressed, actually,” I said. “Do you have the locations marked on a map or something?”

He smiled and handed me a folded map.

“I know you don’t want this, but you’d make a hell of a leader, Fae,” he smiled. “People are already talking about how hard you’ve been trying to make things better for them, but it’s good that you came out here today. I think it’ll help them feel more at ease about this whole situation.”

“It was Mal’s suggestion,” I smiled. “And I’m glad I came out here today, too.”

“Wish I could have avoided the rat, but it’s been a good day so far,” Mal agreed.

“Fae!” Ben called as Blaine veered off to go do something else.

“Ben,” I nodded. “How are things going?”

“Slower than molasses,” he groaned. “People want to help, but they don’t want to help to the extent we need them to.”

“Their scared, Ben. I don’t blame them for being hesitant,” I nodded in understanding. “I take it that arranging the parties for supply runs isn’t going well.”

“Not really, no,” he heaved a frustrated sigh.

“Blaine said that there are a few places that are promising for a new location for us, so maybe once we get out of here things will change,” Mal suggested. “Fae pointed out that the weather will be turning soon, so maybe if we get material, the work of making shoes and clothes will help people feel more... productive.”

“Yes, that is turning into a problem. Restless demons that are nervous and anxious is a recipe for disaster with a city full of fae that hate us so close,” Ben agreed.

“How are the foxes feeling about being so near the hounds?” I asked.

“Tense, but the mutual need for the same things seems to be keeping everyone civil for the most part. There are spats here and there, but nothing Blaine and I can’t handle,” he answered. “It’s the kids I’m concerned about.

“What about them?”

“Foxes are curious, Fae. Fox kits are even more so. They’re mischievous little rascals. Harmless, but the fae of Royal City have made it no secret that they don’t mind throwing stones at children who were just wanting to play with a ball too close to their precious streets,” he snarled, flashing orange fur and sharp teeth for a second before the glamour slipped back into place. “If a fox kit gets hurt badly enough, there will be retaliation, and not just from its den. The entire community will rise up and that’s a lot of foxes.”

“Right. The sooner we figure out where to move to, the sooner we can get everyone away from this powder keg before it explodes,” I nodded. “There’s a few announcements that need to be made later today, but once that’s done, I think we all need to sit down and make things happen instead of asking for them to be done.”

“I heard about that,” he narrowed his eyes. “And the Celestial.”

“Benefit of the doubt, Ben,” I laughed.

“If that’s what you think is best, then fine, but I don’t trust him,” he crossed his arms.

“I never said I trusted him,” I rolled my eyes.

“If you had gone to him for help, he wouldn’t have given you the same courtesy he’s getting,” Ben said.

“It’s called ‘being the bigger person’,” I tilted my head to the side.

“You certainly have that going for you,” he looked pointedly at my wings. “You think he has wing envy?”

“Why would I care?” I chuckled and shook my head. “Anyhow, you wouldn’t happen to have seen Naz, have you?”

“Nope. Kind of weird, actually. I usually see him with some of the more determined people that are wanting to learn to fight in the mornings, but he wasn’t there today,” he answered. “You think we should be concerned?”

“Not yet,” I hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll see if Rollie might know. They’re usually together a lot through the day, so he may have an idea.”

“If anything, just miss a few of his history lessons. I’m pretty sure he’ll come hunting you down,” he laughed. “I’m actually shocked he hasn’t already. News of our new angel pal has spread like fire in a tinder box.”