QUEENTIA
VEDA
The outpost the monsters had taken us to was…small. Cramped. I think it was underground, but I couldn’t be sure. More than a few cultures had bases in the sewers, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if the fey had done the same.
I looked around groggily, but I couldn’t do much. I was still tied down, and the fey’s drugs or whatever were making me dizzy. It took me a minute to realize I wasn’t tied to the beast any more, but a cold stone table.
“Veda,” the fey known as Maeve said kindly as she smiled over me. “How are you feeling?”
I gulped. “Um…I’d prefer not to be strapped down, actually.”
She patted me apologetically on the shoulder. “An unfortunate necessity, I’m afraid.”
“Um…for what?”
“For your transformation, of course.”
Was it just me, or was her smile getting creepier? “Right. When you say ‘transformation,’ you mean…”
The beautiful fey’s face crinkled into a frown. “Honestly, dearest, you’re almost making me regret choosing you to receive this gift.”
I shook my head as much as I could in the restraints. “No, that’s not it at all! I mean…” I scrambled to work through my fear and excitement to unravel her riddle. “By transformation you mean using the toy maker. Obviously. I’m just wondering exactly what kind of transformation.” I gulped again, remembering changeling horror stories. “I’m…I’m not going to be turned into a monster, right?”
Maeve put her finger to her lips. “Hm. Well, I suppose that depends on your definition of monster. Outside Domina, many would call you a monster just for those pretty little ears.”
“…I just meant I would prefer to remain mostly human.”
“Oh, okay.“ She nodded sagely. “Duly noted. We’ll try to keep you mostly human.“
Something about the way she said that made me worried. “Right. But if I could get a more specific—”
“We’re putting you in the toy box now,” the fey said, cheerfully ignoring me. She pushed on my torso, sliding me along the table until I fell into something that seemed disturbingly similar to a coffin.
“I-I’m still not sure about this—”
“I am.” The Maiden of Wind and Snow smiled at me, a smile that seemed like the first real one I had seen from her. “You’ll do fine…Honored Chosen.”
Then she shut the lid, and the toy box hummed to life.
It was then that I discovered the reason for the restraints. Clarke’s method of modding someone—which the majority of the city uses—included a heavy dose of painkillers, or simply putting the patient asleep.
However, these drugs have side effects, and can interfere with the process.
So the fey don’t use them.
I screamed so much that my vocal cords snapped under the strain.
Then the toy box healed them. And they snapped again.
Behind the Scenes (scene 145)
The fey’s honorifics for their new culture will be explained later.
I know this one is short (really short), but there will not be an extra update Wednesday. Next two updates are a pair, so it just doesn’t work.
Domina Urbana 