There I was, just another day on the street drawing into my old beat-up drawing pad using the margins because I ran out of room long ago, when my life was changed forever by a lunatic.

  I was busy drawing the crowd, I’m very good at keeping the mental image while I’m drawing so I don’t look up all that often, when a shadow fell over me long enough to get me irritated.

  “Hey asshole you’re blocking my ligh- way too close!”

  Looking up I’m nose to nose with the strangest yet most attractive looking woman I have ever seen.

  Her skin was so dark it’s like it was absorbing light with several silver lines accentuating where the curves of her hands, face and ears would be obvious if she wasn’t so dark. She had the longest ears I have ever seen coming off the sides of her head up and backwards to narrow points, several inches are missing off the end of the left one. Her hair was glowing… white? That’s the closest color I can come to, but it’s not quite right, like it was all colors at once but incredibly faint, swishing behind her is a long fluffy tail like mine also in that weird color. She’s… stunning, like looking at the stars in the night sky. Next to her head was a green ball of light actively bobbing back and forth behind her.

  The ring and pinkie fingers are missing on her right hand, and she has an excited smile plastered on her face barring several sharp fangs on the sides next to normal looking ones in the middle. I can’t see her eyes, they’re covered by an expensive looking gray fabric wrapped around her head, with a glowing pink fluid flowing and branching out from under where her two eyes would be, disappearing when it reaches her chin. She’s wearing thick leather armor that seems more built for practicality than comfort.

  Hearing my exclamation that bright smile slips into a small frown.

  “Oh. Well that was rude of me.”

  Scratching her cheek, I see the fluid flowing on her face is undisturbed by the contact, she stands up while turning to the green light. Her right ear twitches a couple times while the ball strobes through several colors eventually coming back to green.

  “My friend here tells me you were drawing, you are drawing right? I was wondering what a Consumer of Souls would be drawing. Will you tell me?!” Back to the over-excited smile.

  I’m so distracted by that smile that I almost miss what she called me as a chill goes down my spine. Out of the corner of my eye I see the ball quickly change to red.

  “Oh! Woops! I’m not hunting you, blind bounty hunters don’t get very far! I genuinely want to know what you were drawing.” Waving a hand she points at the wrap over her eyes. “Verbal descriptions are all I can get!”

  ‘Way too confident for being blind.’

  “Uh… people don’t usually call us that-”

  “Eh? Words are names and names are words, and names have meaning, far more meaning than ‘fox’ don’t you think? This is much more meaningful if this conversation is done with proper words. Right?”

  I don’t know what she’s doing and the wording is confusing, but every time she puts emphasis on those words it feels like the world agrees with her, and it is not putting me at ease.

  “Riiiiiight, but I would still prefer to not be called that in a crowded place where any ear can catch it. I’m drawing the crowd if you must know.” Her smile somehow gets bigger before disappearing entirely.

  “The crowd? Wow, that was anticlimactic, your people are always so known for violence and here you are just calmly drawing… them?” Pointing over her shoulder at the street behind her.

  “If you’re looking for a fight, you’re barking up the wrong tree. They are not my people.”

  Looking genuinely confused her shortened left ear twitches.

  “Fight? No no, I’m not looking for a fight… I just wanted to talk because I found you interesting. Look since names have meaning I’ll give you mine, my name is Aith’Thelene the Br- wait you don’t need that part, just call me Aith. If you’re willing to tell me yours I will be in that building over, hmmm there.”

  Turning to the light as if she was confirming it she then points to the town tavern before strutting off towards it following behind the light, leaving me behind to watch her go.

  ‘If she never opened her mouth she would make a great model… where is my drawing pad?’

  Quickly scrambling to look around myself I can’t find it nor can I find my charcoal. Looking up I see Aiths tail disappearing behind the closing tavern door.

  “No way. There is absolutely no way she got hold of that while it was in my hand. No freaking way. Shit.”

  Hopping up after coming to the conclusion that she is a master thief I power walk as fast as I can to the tavern to catch up with her.

  ‘Honestly. Who steals an amateurs drawing notebook?’

  Sneaking into the tavern I quickly scan for anything that glows and make a quick line for her.

  ‘Of course she sits right in the middle of the bar…’

  Pulling my hood closer to my face as I make my way through I reach out and tap her on the shoulder.

  “Give me back my drawings.”

  “Hmm? What- oh, you came here quicker than I thought you would. Our drinks will be here soon… ish?”

  “Is that a question?”

  Tapping the stool next to her without answering she gestures for me to sit.

  “I’m not here for that, I just want my drawings.”

  “What, worried I’ll see something embarrassing in there? You’ll get it back. Just sit a while and talk!” Again tapping on the stool.

  Giving up, I sit on the stool with the excuse that I don’t want to cause a scene.

  Propping my chin on my hand I turn my head to look at the side profile of her face, I don’t see the little ball anywhere near her but when I glance around I see it floating over the crowd near the ceiling.

  “So what are you going through all this effort to talk to me for?”

  “You’re the first Consumer of Sou-”

  “Can you quit calling me that!”

  Quickly looking around the crowd shows nobody seemed to notice, turning back to her she looks visibly frustrated.

  “Well what am I supposed to call you? You still haven’t given me your name?”

  “You’re not supposed to give your name to someone who looks and acts like a trickster, are you a fae?”

  “Would I tell you if I was and what if I were to tell you I’m not? Would you believe me? If you’re trying to out trick a trickster, I would say you already lost long before getting into these word games.”

  Pointing a finger right in my face with her injured hand she flashes a big smile right before jabbing me mostly in the nose, her finger sliding sideways into my cheek.

  “Ow!”

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  “Just tell me your name already! Lie if you want to. That’s the great thing, you don’t have to be honest.” Dismissively waving her hand.

  Rubbing my nose while glaring at her leads to nothing, so yet again I give up after a moment and give her a fake name.

  “Just call me Ember then.”

  “You didn’t think about that one very long, you have a talent for fire then… explains that smell, buuuut you went for small so I can guess you don’t use it. Am I right?”

  “I’m not answering that-”

  “So I am right.”

  “Are you done?”

  “Obviously not! You don’t have your drawings back yet now do you? Anyway, as I was saying before you interrupted me. I’ve never had an opportunity I took to talk with your kind before, I hear all these big scary things about you and yet I find you just drawing from a back alley. Why do you draw?”

  “You ever think I just like to draw?”

  “Yep, but now I know for sure. See how that works?” Flashing another distractingly bright smile.

  “Anybody ever inform you of how abrasive you are?”

  “Sure, terrible for the hands I hear.” Letting out a weird giggle while wiggling her remaining fingers in front of her face before continuing. “Personal insults aside, our drinks are here!”

  Looking away, the bartender is nowhere near us, and looking back there are two glasses with a blue liquid in them in front of me and Aith.

  “How are you doing that? First my notebook and now thi- what are you doing?”

  Grabbing the drink that was in front of me she downs it in one shot then slides the glass in front of her to me before continuing.

  “You won’t tell me your power and you expect me to tell you mine?” Tapping the counter near my drink. “And don’t tell me that you’ve been told not to drink anything offered either. You already lost, remember?”

  Glancing between the side of her face and the drink, I push it away from me.

  “You’re really not going to give me back that notebook are you?”

  “I will, it’s just a drink you dork.” Pushing the drink back to me.

  Looking around I spot a person who seems to be too far gone tottering our way. When they get near enough I grab the drink and hand it to them, claiming that the free drink was on me.

  Smiling a toothless smile he downs it even quicker than Aith, claps me on the shoulder and continues on his way seemingly unaffected. Turning back to Aith, her ears are drooping.

  “They smelled like they wouldn’t even be able to enjoy that… oh well, like I said, it was just a drink. You know if you think about it that way, the best way for a fae to get people under their control would be to become a bartender, not sit out in the woods waiting for any idiot to come along. They were so mad when I just wandered back after-”

  Hearing her getting sidetracked yet again I interrupt.

  “Okay we’re done waiting for the drinks, what do you want?”

  Snapping her fingers, bridging her hands together and then placing her chin on top, she’s quiet for a very long time. While waiting on her answer I watch the crowd, not many stop and stare but there are a few lingering eyes and for once I feel invisible while I’m sitting next to her.

  “You ever get sick of hiding? Always nervously watching the people around you?” Speaking quietly then pointing at my chest near my heart she continues. “Your heart rates picks up, I assume it’s when your looking around since it wasn’t doing that when you were talking to me, don’t you want to change that?”

  Instead of lamely answering “yes” I continued to wait for her answer.

  “Eh, it’s probably too late for you, you can’t really change an ingrained reaction. Anyway, I guess the real question is, do you want to change that for others?”

  “That’s what you want? Change for-”

  She shakes her head.

  “Change? No. Change is already happening. I think you can already feel it, or I should say felt it a few days ago, there was a shift when the humans completed their ritual.”

  Hearing that, another chill goes up my spine as I’m reminded about that weird feeling that came over me at that time, like when the forest goes quiet for no readily apparent reason. The entire area froze for just that moment.

  Fear mixed in with expectation.

  “And with that change lies an opportunity for the ones like you to maybe make a change, good or bad. I think an artist would make a better go of it than… uh… well someone obsessed with violence don’t you think?”

  After that she seemed content to just let me stew without saying anything else, tracing something on the counter in weird swishing patterns all the while.

  “Who are you? Really and don’t just give me your name again. Why do you know that it was the humans who caused that disturbance when we’re so far away?”

  “Who am I? A blind observer. Why do I know? Because I’m the one who taught them about their little ritual.” Saying it as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world before continuing. “And before you ask, it’s nothing too dangerous, just giving the last of a race what they want; a chance. Enough about me, you didn’t answer my question… are you tired of living in hiding?”

  ‘Little ritual. How can she say these things while still looking so disarming?’

  “Who wouldn’t be, but is there a cost?”

  “HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Cost he says?! HAHAHAHAHA!”

  ‘I regret wanting my drawings back.’

  My reply is her madly cackling in my face so loudly that the tavern stops and stares at us.

  ‘It’s not what you people think...’

  Eventually it dies down enough for her to speak while still chuckling intermittently. Holding up a hand to stop me-

  “Don’t run away. Good thing I don’t need to wipe tears from my eyes anymore, that was funny!”

  Patting the cloth over her eyes she shakes her head seemingly to gather herself before continuing while emphatically poking her finger into the counter with each word.

  “Of course there’s a cost! Just you existing there has a cost, just you hiding in a back alley and drawing those that pass by has a cost, just you waiting for something to change has a cost, just you sitting in this bar with these people has a cost! It all has a cost! Everything! There comes a time when you’re so paranoid you miss the point entirely. The. Cost. Isn’t. Paid. To. Me. OR! Any. Body. Else. Only to yourself.”

  Gesturing to her covered eyes-

  “Which cost are you more willing to pay to yourself, another day here waiting to die or a chance for something different? Well it’s time for me to give the violent one a chance, meet me in Bayze if you want yours. I do want to hear more about a Consumer so please show up. In the meantime play nice with your shadow I’m not the only one who finds you interesting.”

  Finishing her sentence she gives me a feral smile, waves with her fingers then vanishes before my eyes as if she was never there to begin with.

  “What?”

  Closing my mouth and looking around I see that I’m not the only one that saw her vanish, making awkward eye contact with a few I pull my hood lower on my face.

  Then several realizations hit me.

  ‘Who’s the violent one? Wait- she didn’t give me back the notebook… FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK! And where is Bayze anyway?!’

  Reaching up I start to ruffle my hair in frustration, but stop when I almost knock my hood off. Making more awkward eye contact I try to walk out like this was the plan the whole time.

  It’s not working.

  Reaching the door I quickly rush out when I hear chairs sliding, making it back to my spot in record time I scale the crates and trash I had placed there earlier in case I needed it to reach the top of the town wall. Checking the ground it seems nobody followed me or I lost them in the process.

  Or they’re biding their time.

  Settling my heart rate and looking around again before departing the walled half of the twin towns my eyes are drawn to Cye our largest moon rising to the south.

  When I was younger there was an older couple who kept an eye on me that told me if you watched that moon long enough you could see movement there, I never did see anything even after drawing it so many times in my notebook trying to keep track of any changes but I always kinda hoped there would be. Probably just keeping me occupied.

  ‘Night’s coming early… Another day waiting to die, huh? Or a chance for change. Was never able to bring my own change… why did I pick Ember anyway? Am I a spark that’s just hanging on?’

  Dropping to the other side I make my way to the far outskirts of the ‘Other Half’ of the town while keeping an eye out.

  So the story goes that an old general with the power to shape the ground retired here and started building a city that would never crumble but died before finishing the first wall and that is why the towns are split in two with a quarter height wall to protect one part and not the other.

  It isn’t pretty because every house looks like it was made out of a dirt heap but compared to the other places I’ve been to nothing is in disrepair.

  Must’ve been a good architect.

  ‘So is this a test, or does she just expect me to know where that is?

  It’s almost like she knew I was leaving town again.’

  There are two places I can think of that would have any sort of map: the mayors office and the Sentinels barracks. Both are places I have no business being in. So it’s going to be a bit difficult even finding out how realistic this whole endeavor would be.

  Glancing behind me on my way out to the forest I spot my ‘shadow’ again, a little black blob that vaguely resembles a small animal, it could almost be considered cute except for the unblinking dead white eyes that are always staring at me.

  ‘Corpse-eyed little shit.’

  “Will you leave me al-” Stopping myself, I remember what Aith said before she left.

  ‘Play nice with the shadow huh? I guess if nothing else has ever worked.’

  “Fine, whatever, do what you want.”

  Apparently what it wants is to just continue staring.

  ‘How do you play nice with something that just stares at you?’

  “If you go get me a map that shows where Bayze is I’ll give you some food.”

  Staring.

  Staring.

  Staring.

  Before I realize it the little shadow has faded away, its eyes the last thing to disappear, leaving me alone at the edge of the forest.

  ‘Did I just do something stupid? Of course I did. That is something different though.’

  For once I don’t feel it’s eyes on the back of my head as I make my way past the first couple trees to get out of sight from the Twin Towns.