Page 32 of The White Stag
“You have magical drinking powers and don’t need it. That’s a hangover potion. In about thirty minutes, I’m going to let out a really vile belch and feel better. So try not to judge me.”
“Why did you get out of bed? Everyone else is still passed out.”
“I feel totally solidarity with menopausal women about six hours after drinking. It’s like I roast from the inside and the ball sweat is a serious problem. So I took a cold shower, made this potion, and came out here to research rare Fae who are immune to poison.”
“You think that’s me?
“I’m not sure. Your body seems to be fighting off the iron quickly now that you aren’t getting dosed with it daily. Every person in this room has an embarrassing story about the first time they got drunk. I thought a massive minotaur was a sexy woman who was into me and tried to hit on them. Instead, I got my ass thrown through a wall.
“Finnan started earlier than I did. He sneaked into a pub and spilled his drink on a centaur’s tail.Neverdo anything involving their tails. They are super sensitive about them. The whole pub started brawling, and Finnan got banned. He tried to return twenty years later because he thought they had forgotten. As soon as they saw him, they booted him out. I love that story.”
“What about Cyrus?”
Oisin squeezed me and nuzzled my hair with his cheek. It just felt so lovely.
“No one knows. Even drunk, he won’t tell us. I’m sure it’s mortifying. Cyrus doesn’t say anything he doesn’t want to say. He’d probably tell you, though.”
I wasn’t going to make Cyrus talk about anything he didn’t want to because he’d never make me do that. But Iwascurious about Oisin’s research. He was interested enough to come out here and look after everything that had happened to me since I got here.
“Did you find anything about what I might be in there? There’s a tattoo showing up on my shoulder, and it itches like hell.”
“Not really. There are several species of venomous Fae, but they are only immune to their own poison. They all react the same to iron. Your Da is a manticore, so he’s venomous. We’ve thrown down and gotten drunk with both your parents. He’s gotten messy too. You are fairly drama-free when you drink. It means something, but I don’t know what.”
I picked up one of the books from the table. It had a hardback cover and ornate gold text, but that wasn’t what got my attention. It was the title. I opened it up and flipped through the beautifully illustrated pages.
“This is a book of fairy tales?”
“I know. Cyrus has been digging into actual Fae creatures when he’s not plotting to kill Alastair. He’s looked at all known Unseelie creatures that are fire signs. Unfortunately, we don’t have answers, so I decided to look into mythology.”
“Aren’t they all just morality tales wrapped up in magic to teach lessons to young children?”
“Some of them. Some of the human fairy tales are just horrific stories to vilify women and excuse sketchy behavior from men. The originalSleeping Beautywas a total shit show until it eventually got sanitized over the years. The magical creatures in human fairy tales are all real and based on the Fae.
“Not actual Fae people, though. The Hags aren’t really interested in cursing mortals over jealousy because they think they are younger and prettier. Also, mermaids aren’t interested in anything with legs. They think it’s gross. I know mermaids were your favorite when you were a kid, but they don’t even remotely look like how humans think.
“Anyway, if the humans based their magical creatures on us, what did we base ours on? When the Fae were mingling with humans, we told them our stories, and they became myths in the human realm too. They had to come from somewhere. I think they existed once. The stars determine what kind of Fae you will be based on what was going on with them when you were born. Despite centuries of peopletryingto figure out how to predict that so they have the exact Fae child they want, it’s impossible. What if our mythological creatures were real Fae that the stars haven’t given us in so long that we think they are myths?”
I chewed on my lower lip. It was an excellent theory, but it was also absolutely terrifying. You didn’t want to be different in the foster system. Every time I got to a new foster home, I was quiet and meek while I learned the lay of the land. If they wanted a quiet, well-behaved child, that’s what I was. If they needed me to be outgoing and friendly, that’s what I gave them.
The only reason I even had a personality as an adult with opinions about what I did and didn’t like and felt comfortable voicing them around certain people was because my monsters had helped me when I was a child.
I didn’twantto revert to saying what I thought people wanted to hear. I didn’t want to eat things I didn’t like because I didn’t think I could say that I didn’t. I’d done that in the foster system, and I’d done that at Alastair’s house. I never wanted to do it again. I didn’t really intend to when we got to the Unseelie realm, but I absolutely didn’t want to be so different from everyone that there was no one else like me in that entire realm.
“Did you find anything?”
“Not really. I was obsessed with these stories when I was younger. I still am. They make movies and television shows about them all the time. I couldn’t think of any off hand that are supposed to be immune to poison. I was reading through this book of fairy tales my Ma got me. I got nothing.”
“Maybe it is nothing,” I pointed out. “I’m descended from royalty, right? I’m guessing no one has ever given anyone in my family iron pills before. I’m also thinking my mother is a queen because she’s very powerful. It could just be genetics and nothing weird. I don’twantit to be something weird. My shoulder has been itching. Can you see what it is?”
I broke out into goosebumps as Oisin ran his fingers over my shoulder.
“I can’t tellwhatit is, but it’s big. These marks are a big deal to the Fae. They give an idea, but some aren’t super obvious. Everyone wants theirs to be big. A small mark generally means a weaker Fae. We aren’t this all-powerful, superior race. Some Fae are weaker than others, and that’s okay. There’s a place for them. If it makes you feel better, it’s not the same in the Seelie realm, and I’ve heard Alastair and his family have kept his all hush-hush and only announced his Fae form when the time came.”
Hearing shitty things about Alastair always distracted me from anything I might be worried about. I snuggled back into Oisin and rubbed my face against his chest. It was just so lovely when he squeezed me.
“Something tells me his Fae mark isn’t the only tiny thing he’s ashamed of,” I said.
Oisin chuckled.
