When All is Lost

3.

In the bar, I note just how many Fae have escaped the soldiers. The music's stopped and there's tension in the air.

"Where were you?" Tommy rushes over to us, Adam follows at a leisurely pace as behind him the blond barman he'd been with meets my gaze and nods in recognition at me. I screw my face up in confusion, we've never met in my life, why is he acknowledging me like that?

Alice appears beside him, wings fluttering as she whispers in his ear, shooting me a look as he frowns in thought. Whatever they're discussing I choose to ignore them, perhaps he works for my dad - which would mean he's using Adam - I groan inwardly. That is not okay. Adam is a good man, I make a mental note to put a stop to that if I can.

I turn back to the group, Adam is unaware of anything happening at the bar, he looks ridiculously handsome with his shirt sleeves folded back to his elbows and his jacket over his shoulder. He was born the same month as Nate, they're basically brothers. The women who don't throw themselves at Nate, throw themselves at him, and Tommy tends to pick up the ones who bounce off.

"His girlfriend knocked him out." I insert myself into the conversation, jostling Nate's arm.

Tommy laughs, "The fairy!?" his relief at finding us making it a little loud.

I cringe a little at the insinuation that somehow her being fae makes it worse.

"She hit me with a vase," Nate sulks as Tommy punches his arm.

Adam smirks, giving Nate a commiserating hug and fake protecting him from Tommy's casual violence.

I ignore them while they play fight, glancing around the bar. The soldiers are shout-singing marching songs at one another with varying degrees of aggressiveness. They've clearly been drinking for a while.

The children are squashing Adam in the middle of a group hug that though playful seems to hide a masculine attempt at affection. Their eyes alight on me and three arms try to pull me in between them all. I make a show of resisting but get dragged in. My height means they're all taller than me and I'm surrounded by their shoulders and chest, not that I'm complaining. Once all the affection is out of the way, I tilt my head towards the soldiers and Adam's attention flows around the bar, he reads the room and places a hand on Nate's shoulder.

"Let's get a nightcap somewhere else." He says, instantly the other two nod. Adam has that way about him. Easily taking charge of any situation which I enjoy, as long as Adam agrees with me I can make sure we stay safe.

Behind us a couple of goblins walk in, deep in conversation, the soldiers rear up as a group yelling at them to get out.

I surge forward seeing red, this is supposed to be a safe place, one of the few in Verene.

"Not tonight, Charlie," Nate says reasonably.

"Then when? These idiots think they own the place."

Tommy tosses me my coat and I mutter under my breath about bullies, idiots and rich tossers as I force my arms into my jacket and button it up.

The goblins hurry back out of the bar, but I'm not the only one wanting to defend them. Alice steps in to try to calm the room, she smiles at the soldiers, flashing her wings and the whole bar calms a little. Most Fae have their natural magic, gifts they were born with. Although magic has gone from the earth, these talents live on. Fairies often have the ability to control moods, not massively, just enough to calm or soothe if needed.

Adam heads through the back, "Come on, we can go to Smuggler's Rest and finish the night in peace."

Agreeing, we leave the bar through an old wooden door in the back that leads onto a balcony overlooking a courtyard. Like many of the bars here, The Shipwreck sits above a shop, too many fights end with windows smashed, so wooden shutters protect the first-floor properties, while bars and restaurants have moved upstairs. We walk quietly along the balcony and down the stairs to the yard. It's dark and the weak light spilling from windows drags the shadows out far more than normal. I sense the sprites, Inkspot spinning on my neck, I take a breath keeping them at bay.