Honna stumbled forward, after Meechi pushed her toward the throne a little too hard, and Meechi had to physically stop herself from trying to catch her from falling to her knees.

“That’s quite enough of that, Meechi. I know you don’t understand empathy, but you could at least pretend to be civil within these walls.” Stevano glared at her. His eyes looked black and beady from the sunlight shining through the large windows behind his throne.

He turned to Honna with a faux half-smile. “Forgive the way you’ve been treated to this point, young lady. Unfortunately, assassins know nothing but violence. Though, most can suppress their true nature far better than this beast,” he said, jestering to Meechi with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Honna stood slowly with an exaggerated wobble, like she was too frightened to support her weight.

There was no way that this girl, that barely blinked at being attacked earlier, was suddenly so frail. She was acting. And she didn’t even know why she was doing it. Meechi held her breath to keep from smiling or reacting in any way.

“My name is Lord Stevano.” He leaned forward with his arm on his knee, examining her more closely from the marble pedestal his throne sat on. “Please, tell me your name, girl.”

Meechi growled and rolled her eyes. She hated the way he talked to all the new humans, like they were ignorant children. Though, to be fair, most of them were usually hysterically crying on the floor by the time she’d brought them before him. Not that she hurt them. She didn’t need to. Her mere presence had most crumpled in fear. Even Stevano kept his distance.

“Honna Dione, sir,” she answered in a soft, meek voice.

“Well, Ms. Dione, I’ll make the assumption that Meechi hasn’t explained anything that’s about to happen to you?”

Honna cringed away. “I don’t want to be a slave. Please don’t hurt me.” She made a panicked, whimpering sound.

Meechi bit the inside of her cheek to fight the laughter and barely caught it. Luckily, Stev would probably just think she was making fun of the poor girl.

Stevano glowered at her. “I have half a mind to assign her to you. Make you learn common decency,” he snapped.

“Not if you want ’er to survive the night, ye won’t.”

Stevano rubbed his forehead. He was far too used too used to being immediately obeyed. “Did you succeed with your assignment?”

She took the satchel from around her neck and stepped forward to hand it to him. He took it from her, ignoring the shaking in his hand, and opened the flap. “Excellent,” he whispered, setting the satchel down in his lap and folding his hands over it protectively.

He turned his attention back to Honna. “Now, as you have probably figured out, this is not the human world.” He paused to allow the information to sink in. “You are still on the same planet but there are pockets, sections of this world are hidden from humans.”

Honna gasped. “Are you not human?”

Meechi screwed up her face in feigned disgust in an attempt to hide another smile. This girl had definitely missed her calling as an actress.

“We are called the Fae. Magical beings of many various races,” he announced proudly, holding his arms up high and gesturing around them. “This is the light realm, to which I am ruler.”

Meechi could only guess at what funny quips were running through Honna’s mind. She found herself excited at what she might say next.

“So you are like a king?” Honna asked innocently.

He nodded eagerly, his ego clearly over-flowing. “Yes. I do all within my power to keep peace in this realm. Over the centuries, it has become unavoidable for a few humans to accidentally find out of our existence. Just as you will be given the choice, the others were offered to stay, under certain conditions.”

“I can just live here? In this—Fae realm?” Honna asked, looking around them like he had. “I won’t be a slave?” This question seemed to hold an earnest interest.

Smart girl. She’s not only playing him, but leading the conversation. Ol’ Stev may have met his match in the art of manipulation. ...I wonder if she’s manipulating me as well.

“Not as a slave, no, but as a worker.” He waved for her to come closer. She did, but only a step, again pretending to be too afraid to go further. “You are very fortunate that it was a servant of the light realm that brought you over. Had she been with the dark, you probably would’ve likely been instantly killed.”

Oh yes! How magnanimous we are, Meechi growled inwardly.

“You do have a choice though.” Scero set a large leather bound book on a pedestal he dragged from the back of the room. “You can either stay in the Light realm as a worker for the Fae, doing menial jobs such as cleaning or cooking, or you can have your mind wiped of our existence and go back home, completely unharmed.”

Honna seemed to think it over. “If I stay, will I have the freedom to go places? Like to the ocean? I’ve never seen it before, living in the cities all my life.”

“Yes. As long as your Fae guardian allows it, you may go almost anywhere you like. All you have to do is sign the book.”

Honna rubbed her chin, making it clear she was considering her options. “Will I be allowed to eat proper meals and not be harmed in any way?”

Stevano’s smile faltered. “You will be fed, I can assure you of that, but no one can guarantee your safety here. Your guardian will have the right to punish you if you break any laws, and the Fae world is one full of danger, but no one is allowed to harm you without reason.”

He stood and walked over to the book.. “Those who have decided to stay will tell you that the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. Humans have been known to develop small amounts of magical talents themselves after living among the Fae for so long. Other’s long for thrill and excitement. Some simply stay to break away from their old lives.”

“Just send her home. She’s obviously useless,” Meechi complained.

“Enough,” Stevano shouted. “Do not speak again or I will have you removed from the room.”

Honna walked quickly over to the book and took the feather pen from the inkwell beside it. She scribbled her name on an empty line, below the dozens of other signatures.

Stevano clapped his hands together once, the sound echoing off the walls. “Excellent! Welcome to the light realm. Meechi, take your new servant to your quarters and get her dressed and informed.”

“What?” She threw her arms up animatedly. “I thought you were joking about that. I don’t need a worker. Give her to someone else.”

Honna whimpered. “She won’t hurt me will she?”

Stevano’s silver eyebrows fixed into a furious wrinkled line above a searing glare. “You will do as I command, assassin. Remember your place. It’s high time you learned to respect other beings.”

Meechi squared her shoulders, like she was holding back the urge to fight him on it. “Yes, my lord.”

He kept his eyes trained on Meechi. “Young Honna, while I do not deal with the proceedings of workers, if you are harmed by your guardian ask my personal guard Scero to escort you to me at once.”

They both nodded once to his words and turned to walk away. As they passed by Scero he held out a scroll to Meechi. “Your next assignment,” his deep voice boomed in the silence.

She took it and inclined her head to him, then turned back to Honna. “Get moving, human.”

Honna picked up her pace. “Yes, mam. Sorry.”