Page 36 of These Fractured Bonds

“Was it about me? I deserve to know.”

At her glare, he exhaled and threw his hands in the air. He looked at August. “Alright. Before you chew me out, she deserves to be part of the conversation.”

August said nothing, giving him a slight nod.

To Yareli, Erick said, “We were discussing our next steps. The coup in the Earth Court started sooner than we had anticipated. Our allies are scrambling to regain their footing, and we’re providing evacuations for some. Then, there’s the complications with your return trip…”

He trailed off, leaving no doubt about the complications he was referring to. She was slightly peeved that he had shared her curse with everyone. It was like a stain on her—something that she should deal with behind closed doors and in hushed tones. Having it out in the open felt like an invasion of privacy—to display her shame in broad daylight? Mortifying. But that was beside the bigger picture. The coup was part of a larger political scheme unbeknownst to her, and that seemed a heck of a lot more important if it meant it would prevent her from going home.

“Complications aside, ” she said. “Can someone explain to me who the Keepersareand who ouralliesare?”

Erick’s mouth clamped shut, and he pointed at the brooding Fae next to him. Again, Yareli was reminded that August was the only one capable of giving her all the answers she sought.

August, to his credit, deigned to answer her. Something would have to be done about his reluctance in the future.

“It would be best to start with a broad overview. Tension exists between two factions in Izmari—those who want to end Izmari’s isolation, and those who seek to stop them. The Watchers are an established political group with ties dating back to Izmari’s founding, but they remained mostly in the shadows until the Prohibition Decree; they detest that we are confined to ourworld and seek to reopen the portals to allow unfettered access to and from the human realm.”

Yareli didn’t think that freedom of travel sounded like an issue that required a bloodbath.

“Couldn’t they petition to end Izmari’s isolation?”

“They have, but it has been rejected many times.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s not the isolation they wish to lift, but rather what it entailed—no more human enslavement.”

And there it was—the catch. She wasn’t very surprised; after all, Tuom had done his best to impart to her the knowledge that humans were garbage, and they existed for Fae to do as they wished, something that she was vehemently against. Domination and subjugation of a whole group of people? That was inherently contradictory to her beliefs.

“Tuom,” she said softly.

August nodded. “We don’t have direct evidence tying him to the Watchers, but we suspect he is a prominent member.”

He was too intelligent to be caught, she thought.

“And the Keepers oppose this?”

“We’re against the lifting of the Prohibition Decree—not without a safeguard for humans. However, any petitions to separate the anti-enslavement clause from the Prohibition Decree have been thwarted by them, as we have thwarted their own. Thus, we are at a standstill, or were until the coup. Now, we must provide refuge to our vulnerable allies and reassess our strategy. Something changed. Something called them to action.”

His tone took a hard edge. “For far too long, we have been complacent, allowing their repeated violence to occur without retribution. We will gather the Keepers’ leaders and discuss our actions moving forward.”

Yareli, who had been standing until then, took a seat next to Bri. The revelation that Izmari was startlingly close to a civilwar was a far greater conflict than she had expected. She had assumed Endrim’s coup had been a greedy, reckless power-grab by an heir supported by a bigoted general. Her first thought raced to her goal: going home. Would August be able to help her before further escalation? Then, feeling guilty, she realized that the civil war was more pressing than getting one single human back home.

August answered her unspoken question. “Before the Keepers’ meeting, I’d like to get you home.”

“Does that mean you break the curse?” she asked.

“I cannot, but there’s something that can.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. He surveyed the room.

“I think it’s time we paid a visit to the Curse Eater.”

Her confusion grew. Based on everyone’s grim faces, she could only infer that the Curse Eater was not a pleasant thing to visit. August, however, didn’t give her the chance to ask what it was.

“We’ll head out tomorrow morning.” He stood, walking out of the room and ending the meeting.

“Wait!” Yareli rushed after him.