“I struck a deal and obtained another.”
“Struck a deal, huh? Well, that’s not extremely vague or anything. I bet you’re not in any hurry to give me the details.”
“Just like you have your secrets, I have mine. And the entirety of my past isn’t something I’m comfortable talking about over a campfire.”
“Secrets?”
“Oh, Silas, I’m too hungry to get into it with you,” he sighed dramatically, fanning his hand over his face.
I snickered. “Fair enough. So tell me then, what is the percentage of fae who don’t come out with powers?”
“Very low. They are shunned in society, and even you, someone who isn’t even from this world, could deduce that.”
“Yeah. Lanette gave me a mouthful earlier.”
Rufian tittered, then broke into a tickled laughter as he flipped the fish over on the other side to cook.
“What’s so funny?”
“Boy, you didn’t really think this plan through, did you?”
“What plan?”
“Traveling to Mavriel alone… using a disguise charm to blend in with the enemy. The charm only warps appearances, leaving you with other racial matters to deal with on your own. And let’s not forget its reliability, or lack thereof. Between the fragility of the charm and its simple probability of being snatched or stolen, you were only prolonging the inevitable—being captured and used for experimentation and enslavement. Usually in that order. And then the obvious second issue.”
“Which is?”
“Looking like a fae is one thing—pretending to be an actual fae is another...”
“But according to you, being a fae is something that cannot be taught. So I was fucked no matter what I did. Unless there’s an item that could fake magic.”
He scoffed. “If only. It’s something I’d never crossed in my decades of living in Thalian. Besides, the amount of power required would kill you. Remember, a non-fae using magic doesn’t have mana, therefore, they must use their life-force, something humans are limited with by default. Outside of potions and charms and all of Thalian’s other mystical artifacts have to offer, you’d have to rely on your soul for the energy. Which means no access to weaving spells from scrolls and dabbling in enchantments. But having magic isn’t the deal-breaker here. As I’ve mentioned, not all fae are blessed. So we must resort to what we have, and what we know. You are a low-leveled Thalian with no magical blessings. So being a mere fae swordsman or brawler will compensate for you being low leveled and not magically inept.”
“A swordsman?”
“A simple swordsman.”
“Or a brawler… why not both?”
“Given your background, I’d choose one or the other, preferably brawler. Besides, you have Enrage that multiplies your physical strength. That will make you appear more tolerable among your counterparts.”
I snorted. “No magic, but I could punch a hole clean through your chest.”
He chuckled. “Better than nothing. Remember that fae look down on the weak.”
“And the banished, right?” I said changing the topic. “Rufian, how well did you know your sister?”
“Well enough I suppose,” he said as he started to separate the fish in two.
“So what did she do to get banished?”
He gave me a side eye. “Did she tell you she was banished?”
“Yes…” I lied, hoping he wouldn’t spare me any details.
He smirked. “You’re a bad liar too, hero.”
I rolled my eyes. “All right. She didn’t. Antatha did when I’d first visited her while you were getting your freak on.”
“She shouldn’t have said anything. Speaking of condemnations is—”
“Forbidden, I know. But it’s just you and me here, Rufian. And I’m pretty damn sure you don’t give a rat’s ass about the rules of the High Order.”
“This is true, but that tale is something Jezz should tell you, not me. Out of her lips alone. If she hadn’t told you much, then it seems only fair to suspect she didn’t want you thinking differently of her.”
“So that close, huh? Well, I feel like that’s pretty one-sided considering she said she was the only child.”
“I take no offense!” he tweeted. “My god, the many times I’d denied her as well!”
I deadpanned him. “Sounds like a common practice among siblings.”
“When you’re an outcast, the shameless pit is bottomless!”
“I just want to know what she did that was so bad she got punished for it.”
“Punished?”
“Yeah, the whole being a wolf thing. She said someone put a curse on her.”
