CHAPTER 7

A brilliant light consumed Sparrow's form and reshaped smaller before fading. A fluffy white cat with Sparrow's green eyes looked up at her.

Sparrow squatted down and wiggled on her haunches.

Faye pointed at her. "Don't you fucking miss and scratch me."

The small white cat leaped, landing on Faye's shoulder.

Faye shifted her shoulder. "Get off me, hooker."

Sparrow swatted the side of Faye's head.

Faye pointed at her, and Sparrow froze with her paw up, poised to swat her again. "Do it again, and I'll stuff you in a bag."

The white cat narrowed her eyes but lowered her paw.

Faye got in line with Sparrow on her shoulder. It looked long but went quickly as each traveler went to the next available cashier. There were a dozen of them separated by low dividers along a long counter. It didn't take long before Faye stood before the cashier. "Two tickets to Anaria, please."

The young woman was a day-blood. She eyed Faye's index finger as Faye slid silver marks across the counter to pay their fare.

"Where's your owner?"

Faye plastered on her fake smile and gestured at Sparrow.

"Looks like a cat." The young woman slid the silver marks back to Faye.

Sparrow leaped to the counter, scratching the woman's hand hard enough to draw blood. A flash of light enveloped her, reshaping and faded as quickly as it came. Sparrow now crouched in front of the cashier. "The fuck did you call me?"

The cashier held her hand with a look of terror.

An older woman came to stand in front of the cashier. "So sorry for the misunderstanding." She held out two ticket stubs to Sparrow as the cashier retreated out of sight to a back room.

Sparrow took the tickets. "Thanks." She bit off the word, standing to her full height, and turned. Hopping down from the counter, she linked arms with Faye.

Faye leaned toward Sparrow as they walked, speaking in a low tone. "You didn't have to scratch her."

Sparrow snorted, "And she didn't have to be a bitch, but here we are."

"You don't have to act like them because of me."

Sparrow snorted, closing the subject. She was technically in the right since the cashier insulted her and refused her pet's payment. But just because she could, didn't make it right.

They entered a small platform where a man collected their tickets. "Which village are we going to this morning?"

"Alexander," Sparrow answered, taking the man's offered hand.

Faye closed her eyes as they phased. It was done in an instant, but the dizziness lasted for a few moments after. They stood on the small landing platform at the outskirts of their village.

The man inclined his head at them. "Ladies." Then vanished.

Travelers to their little village were rare, so they didn't have to hurry off the platform out of fear of getting knocked over by the next set of people.

"Are you coming home or going to Vash's?" Faye asked, stepping off the platform.

"I need to clean up, so he doesn't think I'm a complete heathen."

"It's too late for that hooker."

They walked to their home, a small cottage twenty minutes outside town.

"I'm starving, so don't take forever in the shower." Sparrow bounded through the front door, disappearing into her room at the end of the hall.

"You just ate," Faye called down the hall as she closed the front door standing in the room that doubled as their kitchen and dining room. She took off her coat, laying it over the closest chair at the small wooden kitchen table. She went to her room halfway down the hall. She had a simple bed beneath the large window with a view of the forest. Picking out what to wear, she crossed the hall to her bathroom. She showered quickly and dressed after drying off. Faye leaned closer to her bathroom mirror, inspecting the golden streaks through her irises. They shimmered, reflecting the light differently than the black of her eye. She could only hope the streaks would heal in time and her eyes would return to their original color.

"Bitch."

Faye backed away from the mirror and yelled, "Hooker." A game of echolocation she and Sparrow used since childhood.

"Come on. I'm starving," Sparrow whined.

It sounded like Sparrow was already outside. Faye headed down the hall to the kitchen. The petite blonde stood outside. Her wavy golden hair gleamed in the sunlight. Throwing on her boots, Faye shouldered the large backpack she'd set out for herself the night before. Meeting Sparrow outside, the two began walking back to the village.

"Cough up some details, bitch. You've had that stupid grin on your face all morning." Sparrow snorted at her and did her little hop before trying to hook Faye's ankle with her foot.

Faye took a longer step avoiding Sparrow's efforts. "I don't have details. I don't remember."

"Did he bite you?"

"No. At least I don't think so."

"You don't remember?" Sparrow deepened her voice and lifted her hand at Faye, pressing her fingers together, opening and closing her hand to mimic talking. "Faye, I love you." Then she made kissing noises biting at Faye's neck with her fingers. Laughing, Faye shoved Sparrow away.

"You have to remember something. Just tell me. I need to know." Sparrow pleaded as they walked.

Faye turned toward Sparrow and sighed. "I remember his eyes. He has fangs. They're just flashes."

A mischievous glint lit in Sparrow's eyes. "Does he have good lips?"

What were good lips? Faye remembered his mouth. His lips looked smooth and firm. His bottom lip was fuller than the top. No facial hair. "They're guy lips."

"But do you want to kiss them?"

"Is that the measure for good lips?"

Sparrow nodded, quaking her lip.

Exhaling, Faye conceded. "He has good lips."

Sparrow squeaked, hugging Faye's arm. "What you need is to get laid. There are brothels with vampires. You could pretend he's your dream guy."

At Faye's silence, Sparrow made a rude noise, waving her hand dismissively. "You can borrow my ring. They won't even know."

"No, thank you."

"It would be an early birthday present." Sparrow insisted.

Faye narrowed her eyes. "My birthday was literally yesterday."

"Fine, a second gift. A late present! Me and Vash could get you a nice looking one. They must have ones with long white hair. I think they're ones that glamorize too. He could look just like your Shadow Prince."

"One, he's not the Shadow Prince. Two, you're talking about a person, not a dress."

Sparrow dropped Faye's arm. "One, I'm talking about a well-paidwhorewho does this for a living. Two, there are two Pure Bloods. The High Queen and the Shadow Prince. You are dreaming of the male variety, and that's the Shadow Prince, bitch."

Faye didn't respond.

They walked in silence as the buildings of their small village came into view.

Sparrow turned toward her. "Are you going to Aunty Clara's house to give the little beasties candy?"

Faye grinned. Sparrow rarely went back to the orphanage they were raised in, while Faye went back at least once a month. Bringing supplies to the old woman who'd been like a mother to her and treats for the Anarian children. Ones she knew were rarely adopted.

"We were little beasties once."

"And did anyone bring our asses candy?"

"Didn't you want someone to bring you candy?" Faye laughed as Sparrow split off to the coach that would take her back to the main station.

"I'll tell Vash you said hi. See you at home bitch." Sparrow raised her arm as she yelled over her shoulder.

Faye turned and made her way to the altar in the middle of the village. A small stone pedestal held a brazier lit with hellfire. A magical flame that burned blue and extinguished when the spell ran its course.

She purchased a prayer from the nearby stand taking the small, folded paper with beautiful script to the brazier. The prayers were to The Creator, a man who lived long ago and shaped the realms. People still worshiped him as a god even after his death eight hundred years ago. His daughter, the High Queen, now ruled Necromia.

The Crumbling occurred long before Faye was ever born. It was a force that manifested after The Creator died. Many believed The Creator's magic faded with his death, undoing the realms he created.

Faye bowed her head as expected. She didn't believe magic faded or that these prayers to The Creator would save them. He was long dead. She purchased the prayer to help the young family who sold them. It allowed them to keep their dignity instead of asking for handouts.

She opened her eyes, tossing the prayer into the hellfire, hoping they reached someone among the living who could stop The Crumbling.

Leaving the altar, Faye leisurely walked along small window displays in the open market. Alexander was a meager village, even for Anaria. There was no extravagance here.

Faye turned into the shops that purchased the potions and ointments she made, collecting their orders for next month.

Purchasing a bag of caramels and hard candies, she made her way to the far side of town to a place she and Sparrow once called home. It had an official name but would always be Aunty Clara's house to them. Named for the elderly woman who ran the place.

The age of the house began to show. The screens ripped in some of the windows. Instead of replacing them, they were shut tight. The small green yard gave way to dirt over the years, and the few plants that grew out of the corners of the property were wildly overgrown. Faye frowned. The house seemed so much bigger when she played here as a child.

The smaller children squeaked and called for others as she approached. She came here every month for the past seven years. All the little ones crowded around her as she sat on the creaking swing set in the front yard. She held the bag of candy out for the children.

Echoes of "Thank you, Faye" came as they all took their piece and moved away so the rest could get their treat as well. After they moved away to different parts of the yard with their snacks, some of the older children approached her.

Movement caught Faye's attention. Aunty Clara stood on the porch. The plump white-haired woman waved her arm over her head for Faye to come inside.

Faye hurried up the stairs, smiling brightly. She kissed the elderly woman's cheek. "How are you doing?" Faye gently rubbed Aunty Clara's hands. "Are your hands still bothering you?"

The old woman huffed, pulling her hands away. "Don't worry about me. I'm old, you know." She reached into her pocket, removing a small red envelope. "Happy birthday." The old woman pressed it to Faye's palm, curling her fingers around it.

Faye's brows came up. Aunty Clara had enough to worry about without giving her marks as a gift. "I don't need this. You should buy something for the kids." She tried to put the envelope back in the old woman's pocket.

She slapped her hand like she did when she was a child. "That's good luck marks. You keep it." She gave Faye a stern look and walked into the house.

Faye smiled and followed Aunty Clara in the house, slipping the gift into her back pocket. She would buy something nice for the kids with whatever she gave her.

The floor creaked as Faye entered the kitchen. Halls branched off the large room leading to the many bedrooms. The white walls began to peel, blisters of paint pulling away from the wall exposing the wood beneath it. It was old but filled with love. Faye's memories with Aunty Clara were what made this place her home.

Faye loved her and how she never looked at her as less than because she didn't carry a shard. She brushed her fingers over the large dining table that had been a fixture as long as she could remember. It was worn and scratched, showing its age. Sparrow carved their names in one of the legs when they were girls. Something Aunty Clara didn't know about until after they'd moved out and one of the younger children saw it while playing hide and seek.

Smiling, Faye moved to the cabinets and restocked the supply of potions and ointments. After Faye was satisfied, she pulled a chair, sitting at the table.

"Sparrow still with the wing boy?" Aunty Clara asked over her cup of tea, her day-blood shard always gleaming as she gossiped.

"She's still with Vashien." Faye laughed, wondering when she would learn his name. Sparrow did go through a lot of men, but she'd been with Vash for a couple years now.

Aunty Clara nodded to herself. "He's a good boy if he can get that one to settle down. She's so wild. You should get married too. You're pretty, you know. Don't wait until you're old like me."

Faye smiled at the elderly woman. She was always trying to marry her off, claiming it was so she didn't have to worry about her. When Faye would explain she didn't want to be married, Aunty Clara would argue with her that she was too headstrong. Faye stopped insisting she would never marry and just nodded to save the ten minutes of lecturing.

Faye listened to Aunty Clara tell her about the children and the trouble they were getting into. Talking through the day as Faye helped her prepare the evening meal.

Aunty Clara pulled back the curtain peering at the sky. "The sun is going down; you should go home before it gets dark. It's not good to walk in the dark by yourself, you know."

Faye stood, giving the old woman another hug. "I'll see you next month. Send one of the older ones if you need me sooner."

Aunty Clara waved at her. "I'm okay. Stop worrying. And take some food home. You're so skinny. It's not good to be too skinny, you know."

The children followed her to the gate of the property before running back to the house to wash their hands for dinner. Aunty Clara stood on the porch watching her until she was past the bend in the road, out of sight. Faye smiled, making her way back to her cottage.

She would set out her herbs on the drying rack and turn in early tonight. The sun began to set over the forest, casting long shadows as Faye walked.

The breeze shifted the treetops making the shadows sway at her feet. Memory of his dark gaze and different shadows filled her mind. He saw her, cherished her in spite of what she lacked.

Faye pushed the image away, ignoring the soft feelings that bloomed in her. She wouldn't allow herself to linger on useless fantasies. Not when reality dug its claws into her day after day. Reminding her of the pain that awaited her if she continued down this path.

Men like him didn't exist, not for women like her.