Page 43 of Sweetling
“You’ve been to Mullon before?”
“Oh yes, many times now. I don’t believe they consider me a friendly face, but a familiar one now at least.”
Molly couldn’t help a snort. “I reckon you’re right. A fae and his unicorn riding into town to buy sugar would be something to see.”
“Indeed, especially since I don’t eat sugar.”
Another surprised snort. “You don’t eat anything.”
“No, I do not. Fae have no need.”
“But still you’d order mead.”
Allarion’s gaze slid to her as they walked. Under the bright autumn sun and wide azure sky, he didn’t seem so terribly otherworldly. Oh, he was still pale and unnerving with his black sclera and veins, but in the bright light of day, he wasn’t so imposing.
The sun glinted off pieces of his starlight hair, glistening like spider silk. His eyes, too, the irises at least, sparkled in the sunshine, as brightly as the gems they resembled. Without all the shadows carving him up into stark lines, he looked like…just a man.
A tall, purple-gray man, yes, but a man.
“I like the smell. The sweetness. It reminds me of you.”
The humor drained from her, and she felt her cheeks heat in a furious blush. Molly looked away, unhappy to seem a coward, but unable to hold that intense amethyst gaze.
Fates, when he says things like that…
She hadn’t determined if he knew what he did when he said things like that, romantic things that would make most women swoon. Sometimes she thought yes, surely he must; the fae were known for their cleverness, and Allarion hadn’t disappointed. Yet, there was another side to him, something almost as guileless as the house.
Part of her wanted to believe he meant what he said.
The other was quick to remind her,He bought you.
Yes, there was that. A thorn in her boot and not something she could forgive.
They lapsed into silence, the green countryside rolling around them.
Molly had never been out this way. In truth, the furthest she’d ever traveled was from her village in the far north of the Darrowlands down south to Dundúran. Since living with Uncle Brom, she’d hardly ever left the city.
It was a much different experience, strolling the packed-earth country lane as opposed to walking the cobblestone streets of Dundúran. This place was so vast yet so quiet. She was used to the hustle and bustle of the city.
When she wanted to escape the noise of the tavern up in her room, she still opened the window to listen to the street performers or chatter of their neighborhood. Many a night Molly spent embroidering, keeping her fingers and mind busy as she listened to snatches of gossip and song. Those quiet moments to herself hadn’t truly beenquiet—she hadn’t known the meaning of the word until coming to Scarborough.
There was a stillness to the land, even with the breeze rustling through the leaves and grass. The clouds rolled overhead silently, and the flowers unfurled and followed the sun in quiet.
As she listened, though, she began to hear more. Birdsong, mostly. And the quietness of it wasn’t bad—she actually rather enjoyed it.
Although, not when it gave her mind time to wander—and wonder about the fae walking alongside her.
Finally, she pushed her question past her lips. “What truly brought you here, to the Darrowlands?”
He made a considering noise. “That’s a deceptively simple question. There are many reasons. For protection. To fulfill a promise. To escape the reach of our Queen. And of course, to find a mate.” He looked over his shoulder to grin mildly at her. “Many of the otherly folk who came to the Darrowlands for a new life began talking of finding a human mate, and after seeing their success, I began to consider it for myself.”
Molly cleared her throat and chose to pursue the much less dangerous line of questioning—a potential magical despot. Even humans had stories of enigmatic, all-powerful Fae Queens, but their names had long been lost to history.
“Was your queen very bad?”
His face returned to that grim set she’d become used to, and Molly almost regretted her question.
“She is cruel, yes. A disgrace to her foremothers and her people, who suffer under her rule.”
