Page 7 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

Door after door opened and faces peered into the softly lit hallway, the firelight from the lanterns placed every few feet along the walls reflecting in their wide eyes.

Warmth spread in her chest when hesitant smiles lit some of the younger ones’ features, and when Fiona, one of the youngest additions, squealed and ran for them, Lessia let the warmth fill her entirely, shrugging off the last remnants of haunting memories.

She opened her arms and lifted Fiona up, hugging her tight. “You been up to no good, little one?” she whispered before setting her down.

Fiona looked up at her, eyes rounded and feet planted firmly as she mock-glared back. “Always.”

Lessia grinned at her while tucking a strand of dark hair behind Fiona’s delicately pointed ear, careful not to touch the wide scar weaving up her neck. “Good, I’d hate for it to get boring around here.”

Turning to the rest of the children, she searched for a new face, as another one should have arrived this morning. When she came up blank, she frowned and turned to Kalia, the oldest and the first child she’d ever offered a room here.

Now twenty-one, Kalia ran this place, and Lessia couldn’t be more grateful for her help. Kalia was a kind soul, and most of the children trusted her immediately, making their transition and Lessia’s life easier.

She’d met Kalia when they both were living on the streets of Vastala, and Lessia hadn’t forgotten how the girl risked her life when King Rioner’s men came for her. Even if her efforts were in vain, as soon as Lessia got out and was settled here, she’d sent one of the men now in her employ back to Vastala to find her.

Kalia had been living here ever since.

“He’s not doing too well,” Kalia said softly, ripping Lessia from her thoughts.

She gestured for Lessia to follow as she started walking toward the farthest bedroom.

Glancing at Amalise, who nodded and began shuffling the rest of them to bed, Lessia followed. Unease roiled in her gut as Kalia pushed the door open, and a small body lay curled up on the bed, facing the wall.

The boy was skin and bones, the clothes Kalia must have offered him hanging off his skinny shoulders. He didn’t react when they entered, his eyes vacantly staring into the white wall beside his bed.

Even if he looked and smelled clean, his raven hair was matted, falling far past his shoulders, indicating how long he’d roamed the streets of Vastala.

Too long.

Lessia sat down on the creaking mattress and lit the lantern beside the bed, nodding for Kalia to leave them, her eyes sweeping the bedroom as Kalia quietly left.

The room wasn’t much, but it was clean.

There were two beds, one still empty—the boy he would share this room with hovering outside to offer them privacy—and two small desks, each with its own chair. A worn rug covered the floor, and by the ends of the beds stood two small cabinets to store any belongings they might have. Not that this boy would have had much to bring with him, based on the state they’d found him in.

Her nostrils flared as she thought of the reason he’d been living on the streets. While the humans had learned something after the devastating war a century ago and finally treated most members of their society decently, the Fae hadn’t evolved at all.

King Rioner’s family still ruled the kingdom with an iron fist—as it had for millennia. The nobles and wealthy merchants were the only ones living comfortably, and the rest were left to fend for themselves as best they could.

And half-Fae…

Well, Lessia definitely preferred it here in Ellow. Even if humans didn’t particularly care for them and often looked down upon them, they at least didn’t leave half-dead children in the streets.

When the boy shifted, Lessia realized she was gripping the blanket beneath him so tightly she’d nearly pulled it—and him—off the bed. Drawing a breath to calm herself, she released her hold and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

He didn’t react—didn’t shy away from her touch—but didn’t lean into it either.

It was as if she weren’t even here.

“I know what you’re going through,” she said softly. “I lived on the streets of Vastala before I came here as well.”

A chill raced down her spine as memories from her time on the streets flashed before her eyes. She’d been so consumed by guilt when she’d fled her family home that she hadn’t dared use her magic for years. Instead, she’d done what the older half-Fae did—looked for scraps outside taverns, begged on corners, and tried to stay far away from King Rioner’s sentries.

The sentries liked to terrorize them, and while they weren’t allowed to kill without reason, when they grew bored as they marched through the usually quiet streets, they had no qualms about pitting half-Fae children against each other for food, clothing, or even blankets.

The boy’s eyelids creased ever so slightly, so Lessia forced herself to continue. “I know the horrors you went through, but I promise you, you’re safe now. It will be overwhelming,and humans can be strange sometimes, but you’re safe here. We’ll protect you, keep you warm and fed, and when the time comes, if you want to leave, we will help you find work, help you build a life.”

She held her breath as the boy moved to lie on his back, his light gray eyes shifting between hers. When he remained quiet, she gently squeezed his shoulder. “Will you tell me your name?”

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