EL BK5 | Chapter 28 - Anxious Human, Strange Fae, Failed Pet. (Patreon)

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My new master’s room is the biggest I have ever seen. It spans the length of three rooms and has two separate sleeping quarters. A small dining table is set beside the window bay, and there is a fire hearth on the opposite wall. There is a sitting space in between the two sleeping quarters, and this is where Master Achaicus has requested I remain. I sleep upon the daybed but am expected to dress and bathe in the bathing chambers with the door closed. This is because Master Achaicus’s other Pet, Mr Walsh, is afraid to see me unclothed.

Two days ago I had been changing from my night garments in the early morning, before our master awoke, and stood undoing the sleeping corset when Mr. Walsh appeared from his room. Still in his night clothes, he stumbled across the living space. His ashen brown hair was unkempt and his eyes only half open. Should the Master have seen him in such a state, I expect he would have been lashed.

He tiptoed past our Master’s room toward the bathing chamber. It was not until he was half way to his destination that he noticed my watching him. His attention travelled up from my bare feet touching the rug, to my waist and chest. In that instant his muscles locked, his eyes grew wider and his face turned hot red. He took an involuntary step back and met my eyes briefly before stumbling backward over one of the dining chairs.

The ruckus was enough to draw Master Achaicus from his chamber. He arrived in cream night pants with a sword in hand and his long silken hair in a flowing tangle around him. His emerald eyes burned with fury, like a god ready to defend his home. Finding no intruder, he first helped Mr. Walsh to his feet, then turned to me.

Surprise flickered over his stoic features before understanding dawned. He, unlike the human man, was not afraid. However his expression settled into careful neutrality before he spoke, “Halle. Please cover yourself.” 

It was a strong command, certainly stronger than my former Master Hartwin’s despite being an entire three words. My arms all but spasmed toward the dressing robe in their haste to follow the instruction. 

Our Master exhaled a soft breath, and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Charles, are you alright?”

“Just… fine…” he groaned, dragging himself from the clutter of chairs with no grace. Were male pets like this?

“Anyone would think you had never seen a woman before,” Achaicus continued, chastising. 

“I forgot she was here, what was I supposed to do? Knock on my door before I left?”

“Showed some decorum,” our master corrected blandly. He pushed the hair back from his face with one hand, and the muscle beneath his smooth skin shifted. As fair as all Fae may be, Master Achaicus was particularly handsome. His face has an elegant arrangement, and his eyes are as green as forest fire. 

In the early hours of the morning, the shorter strands of his hair kick out from his face and taper back in at the sides, while the full length of it falls in a cascade over his muscular shoulders. He wears no rings, or adornments, but small gemstone studs twinkle in his ears. When he moves it is with eternal grace and his muscled stomach is rather pleasing.

Realizing I was staring, I lowered my gaze respectfully. 

“We should just give her my room, I’ll sleep on the couch,” Mr. Walsh continued.

“It’s a day bed, not a ‘couch’ and she has not earned a room yet. Let’s not anger the courts further,” Achaicus muttered, before returning his attention to me, “In future, please dress in the bathing chamber to avoid this.”

“Okay,” I agreed without hesitation.

“Thank you.” 

Odd that he should say such words.

Our master left us to attend to his duties, leaving Mr. Walsh and I to eat our breakfast in silence. He has been quite unable to look at me since. The human man is extraordinarily tall. Standing at a height greater than our Master’s, he is most commonly well above the heads of the other Fae and easy to spot. 

From what I can assert, he has no great combat skill, nor is he above average intelligence. He was not gathered as an infant as I was, but collected as an adult. Having been among the Fae for almost a decade, he is well accustomed to their nature, but strange in his fidgeting. 

Of course I cannot speak anything against that, for I am also strange in my fidgeting. I failed Master Hartwin as I am ‘unstable’, and ‘unskilled’. My combat grades rank only one point above a failed mark, my emotions control is poor, and I failed to complete the 134th exam within the time limit. Minna earned the highest rating, Leela was awarded second highest due to her unique performance, and Pippa was ranked 3rd. Anything below such is almost pointless, save for the fact that it grants you your life to pass. 

If it weren’t for Master Achaicus, I would have been discontinued. I will do better for him.

“Halle, is it?” Mr. Walsh asked tentatively over breakfast. 

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry about before, I didn’t mean to walk in, out? On you…” he rubbed the back of his head in an awkward gesture.

“It is quite alright,” I reassured politely.

“Right, how’s your ankle?”

I glanced down to the plaster surrounding my ankle. The Fae can mend any injury, but failure earned me no medical treatment. It was only Master Achaicus’s influence that allowed me ‘human’ grade treatment. There is a belief among these Fae that fault requires consequences, punishment of sorts, and this was mine. I was granted no reprieve from training, and expected to still keep up despite the cast. Any additional faults would be counted against me, regardless of the state of my injury. 

It made me nauseous to think of it in truth.

“It is well supported,” I answered with careful choice in words.

“It was a bad fall. Pretty impressive you made it to the end of the course at all. I don’t think I could have done it.” 

“It is required for our training,” I mumbled, certain he was being modest.

“It looks intense,” he agreed, as if he himself had not also passed the same exam. Perhaps he had not..? Surely it wasn’t possible.

“... What was your passing rank?”

Charles hesitated, teetering between the truth and what he thought he should say, “Ahhh… I didn’t go through the traditional ‘Pet’ training.” he admitted at last. 

My brow furrowed, “Then how did you come to be Master Achaicus’s Pet?”

“My best friend turned out to be a god, so I got some perks,” he laughed, although the sound was not happy but nervous. “Anyway, I should get going. I have ancient Fae tomes to look through.” He pushed his chair away from the table without finishing eating. 

“Yes. Our master has mentioned as much. He wishes for me to accompany you.” 

A flicker of unease crossed the man’s face, and he floundered for an excuse. Even here I was unwanted… 

“No no- that’s okay.”

“If it is our Master’s wishes I must. He suggested I am to help you navigate…” I murmured, trying and failing to keep the disappointment from my voice. This man did not want me around any more than one wishes for carnival folk. I am a passing entertainment, my prolonged presence was no doubt a displeasure to him, afterall, why should a Fae need two pets?

Mr. Walsh gave a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, “Okay, yeah, he probably wants us to stick together…”

“I will do my very best to be of assistance,” I stated, hoping to reassure his worries.

*** 

Hohenblut Castle is a grand structure. Archways lead to corridors, lead to courtyards, lead to archways. At the top of any major intersection between corridors there are small wooden plaques indicating which direction to go to reach your destination. It can take quite some time to learn, and even longer to travel. If you are in the courtyard at the correct time, you might catch one of the horse drawn shuttles that run north to south, and east to west, Mr. Walsh and I were not so lucky. We missed both, and had to walk the entire way from the residential wing, to the academia wing. 

The journey took close to an hour and past several curious eyes. My continued existence was a miracle and Mr. Walsh was the only human man to set foot in a Fae castle since the time of cooperation—a point in Fae history where they were forced to unite with humans against a greater threat. By the time we arrived at the towering building the library is housed in the sun was quarter way past the horizon, mid-morning, as I had explained to Mr. Walsh.  

It is a purpose built structure with hand carved embellishments around the entry doors, windows, cornices and around each of the supporting pillars. If you look at them in the correct order, they tell the story of the realms collapsing, and the dark time that followed. Vanir and Asir blend up the sides while Fae meet with the Man from the Storm. He is rumoured to be the ancestor of the Klein lineage, though none can say for sure, it is said that he appeared from a storm, shrouded in darkness and saved a group of lost Fae from certain death. 

His blood introduced power to the Kleins that none had seen before, they could but speak and others would obey. It is the first record of commands. Later that power would grant them dominion over other families when the monarchy collapsed… I wonder if Master Achaicus might know of the tale? 

Lost in my thoughts, I wandered up the steps and through the double doors into the library almost without noticing. Charles stopped ahead of me, craning his neck back to look upward. The interior of the library stretches upward to a clear glass ceiling. Light shines down and casts a thousand glittering shards off the polished gemstones set as decoration on every balcony, and into the chandeliers hanging from above. 

Sweeping mahogany stairs to both the left and right lead upward. They wrap around every level, all the way to the top. One has to be careful not to fall from anywhere too high. Some have perished that way as it is a considerable distance back down, and the red carpet flooring does little to cushion against the unforgiving stone beneath it. 

Desks with orange lamps fill the centre areas, but there are more among the shelving as well. The ground level is most commonly used. All commonly available information is accessible here, basic family lineages, combat manuals, guides for herbs and smithing. It is quiet, although not deathly so. On this day there were children studying, just the five of them for the entire castle all but one chewing on their feather quills as their teacher told them off one at a time. The tiny Fae beings are as rare as hens teeth.

They were learning how to write on this day. It would take them some time, Fae develop far slower than humans, and their learning reflects that. They might spend years learning the alphabet, and then years more learning second and third alphabets. If I were lucky, and survived to my own graduation, I might one day have my own. 

My attention lingered on them as we passed, two little girls and three little boys, heirs to their family lines… 

“Ahhh, any idea where to start?” Mr. Walsh spoke, but I didn’t hear it properly in my distracted state. 

“Forgive my pardon, could you repeat that?”

“Where do you think we should start looking?” he repeated, looking bewildered at the sheer number of shelves.

“The information on foreign adversaries is located on the second and third level,” I explained, beginning to lead him up the right hand staircase. 

Enemies are necessary information to study. One needs to know how to kill Fenrir wolves, Vanir, Selkies and Witches, but it is also not information that should be easily accessed. As Pets we are of course permitted to learn of such things. It is the weaknesses of Fae that we are not to learn of in full or until we are very well advanced, and even then, it is only so that we might better protect our masters from harm.

“What kind of information are you hoping to find?” I asked when we reached the second level.

Mr. Walsh delayed in answering, his slate grey eyes gaining flickers of red as he scanned the shelves. “... Are there any books that contain witch’s spells? Or like any journals taken- ‘stolen’ from witches?”

I nodded, “There are. They are this way-”

He caught my arm as I began to move, “No, we need to avoid those.” The sudden sternness in his voice startled me, “I need information on counter curses. Ways to seal spirits, and more information about why the witches were sealed.”

“…Then you wish to know about the human uprising?” I asked tentatively. His grip on my arm was beginning to hurt. 

His irises pulsed between soft red and clear gray for half a second before settling on his natural gray. He released my arm one finger at a time like he was prying it off, and nodded, “Yeah, I guess so. I need to know what kind of things they bind to, how, and why. Is there information like that here?”

I nodded, “There are records on the Human - Fae wars. Those include accounts of other species' involvement as well. But they are on a higher level, and Master Achaicus will need to grant us his permission to look.” 

Mr. Walsh grinned, suddenly boyish in his expression, “I thought we could just break in.”

My heart raced, but I kept my expression neutral. Breaking into the upper archives was punishable in many unpleasant ways.

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