Chapter 22 In Which I Receive a Performance Review #3
Eventually, I came to the portal. It was exactly where we’d left it that morning, a glittering haze against the deepening blue of the sky.
I stood for a moment in front of it, my eyes closed and my cheeks turned up toward the setting sun.
I held my hands out, palms up, as if to catch the rays in my fingers.
I let myself enjoy the air, and the sky, and the sounds of people around me, for as long as my frozen ears could tolerate it.
When they became so cold they hurt, I sidestepped home.
After a lazy early evening spent napping with Doctor Kitten on my bed, I woke in time for dinner.
I passed Lene’s door on the way to the dining hall but didn’t knock, choosing instead to let myself be swept along in a crowd of faeries.
We entered as a group and formed an orderly line by the serving area.
Milo must have been off, because three people I didn’t recognize stood at the three stations.
I took my tray and slid it along the counter, stopping at each one. None of the servers looked surprised to see me, and none looked angry either. I smiled my thanks as the first handed me a grain bowl, the second handed me a purple salad, and the third handed me a moderately sized slice of pie.
I sat at an empty table near the doors and picked up my fork, relieved to have these moments of silence.
Sahir joined me just as I finished my salad, putting his tray opposite mine and sitting across from me. “How do you feel?” he asked, his eyes wary.
“How does she feel about what?” Lene asked, sliding into the seat next to me. She had two pieces of pie on her plate. Gaheris sat down across from her, with three pieces of pie and absolutely no vegetables.
“I think I’m happy,” I said. “They weren’t very nice to me, were they?”
“Happy about what?” Gaheris asked.
“I quit my job,” I said, twirling my fork around my fingers.
“Congratulations,” he said, smiling at me.
“They were not very nice to you,” Lene affirmed darkly. “And further, this is a relief for me and Doctor Kitten. Now we do not have to listen to that odious man while we are trying to sleep.”
I snorted. “I’m sorry about that,” I said.
She shrugged, starting in on her pie. “Water passes beneath the bridge.”
“Does this mean we can spend our time in more important pursuits?” Gaheris asked, staring intently at me.
“Sure,” I said, feeling generous. “What are more important pursuits?”
“Perhaps we can find a way to give you wings,” he said. “I did not want to say anything while you were so unhappy with work, but I am sure you would like wings.”
“Is that an option?” I asked, diverted.
“I highly doubt that it is an option,” Sahir said, looking a bit alarmed. “Human bone density is wrong for wings, Gaheris, which you would know if you ever listened in science class. And if it is an option, we should see a specialist about it.”
“Maybe with my free time I’ll take a faerie science class,” I said.
Sahir glared at Gaheris. “You can join her,” he said, “as you clearly need a refresher.”
I giggled, relief making me heady. “Sahir, do you think I could invite my other friends to Faerie, if I don’t give them any food?”
He turned his glower on me. “I am sure you can do whatever you like, Miriam, but why would you not meet them in the mortal realm, where it’s safer?”
I thought about the way I’d felt when I first touched the magic barrier in my window.
And I thought about how much I’d like my friends to meet Lene and Gaheris, who didn’t seem up for another visit to the mortal realm in the near future.
“I think my friends would like to see Faerie,” I said.
“It’s special to us, the way our realm is special to you. ”
He grunted in reply and started eating his purple vegetables, because Sahir was the most responsible person in our friend group.
Another shadow fell over us.
“May I join you?”
I looked up, though I didn’t need to; I would always recognize the Gray Knight’s voice. I glanced at Sahir, who shrugged, as if to say Your choice.
“Yes,” I decided.
She sat next to Sahir, and I looked at her. Her gray eyes were hooded, but her chin tilted up defiantly. She didn’t have a tray of food with her.
“Miriam, I have chosen to apologize for my role in extending your sojourn into Faerie,” the Gray Knight said.
“Thank you for the apology,” I said, though extending your sojourn was perhaps not how I would describe feeding you faerie food without your knowledge.
We looked at each other.
She cleared her throat. “I heard you speaking. You have left your job? You will not be closing our deal?”
I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. “I can assist you from here, if it is required,” I said. “But I will no longer be at the bank. And I suppose this means I have broken my agreement with the Princeling.”
She hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose,” she echoed. She twirled a lock of silver hair around her finger.
“You told me once before that you thought I could work in the Court,” I said to her. “Do you think a position could be created for me?”
She shrugged. “If you had a compelling argument for it.”
I looked behind her, at Chad and Milo eating at another table. There were no faeries sitting with them.
“I want to be a human-faerie liaison,” I said. “I feel that the Princeling has great need of a human to help him understand human… things.”
“This is not news, lady,” she said drily.
“I could educate faeries about humans, and humans about faeries,” I said, testing out the idea. I pictured myself formalizing the human classes. I imagined standing with a projector and a PowerPoint, explaining electricity or zippers to a roomful of faeries.
“You could.” Her face gave nothing away.
From over her shoulder, Chad waved at me. I smiled back at him.
“I would like to,” I said.
She shrugged again. “We can work together on a proposal for the Princeling. I do not think he would reject the opportunity to offload the human-related portions of his work.”
Another opportunity to sit next to her at a desk, to bend our heads close together over a computer screen or printed document.
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate your offer of assistance.”
“This sounds nice,” Lene said. “But have you considered sitting in a tree and watching people pass below?”
“No,” I said. “I haven’t. Maybe I’ll take a little time off and do that, too.”
“If we could give you claws, it would be easier to climb a tree,” Gaheris told me.
I laughed. Sahir laughed. The Gray Knight smiled reluctantly. Lene hadn’t been listening.
And together we enjoyed a very pleasant dinner.