"Ah, my close and dear friend, Dominic Vacek."

Vacek turned around. He was currently in Ja-Man-Ro's ambassadorial estate in a Fae Planet sky abode. The entire palace was made of gold and sat on a cloud, and the tiny inscriptions and images carved on the wall depicted the story of his family lineage, beginning with Ah-Lan-Ro, who was the first of the clan to gain ambassadorship.

As the story changed, so did the carvings. It shifted in real time now as the tall Fae Ambassador strode in.

"The two-toned [rose-like flower] bloomed twice this morning," he announced, Vacek's inbuilt translator interpreting the whispering language as best as it could. "Thanks to the extra coolness of the breeze. As the tale of Barn-Divo depicts, it should call for a celebration because–"

"Speak human, please," Vacek said, rubbing his head. He already had a headache and wasn't in the mood to decipher whatever the other male was talking about. "I don't feel up to Fae conversation today."

Ah-Lan-Ro smiled.

"Of course. It. Is. Fair. And Nice. To. See. You. Again." He said the words awkwardly, a tad woodenly, and he seemed to have to swallow to keep himself from saying more. He was one of the newer ambassadors, and though he had some human DNA, he was not yet used to interacting as much with humans. But he was eager to learn.

"It is nice to see you too," Vacek said. "Did you discover what I asked you at our last meeting?"

"Yes," was all he said, but it wasn't because he didn't have more to say. The Fae were always so chatty. Even their servant Fae, who drifted in and out of the room, was constantly chattering in their language, and it didn't consist only of words. They communicated with intonations, body language, intangible 'intent', and also pheromones that meant different things.

It was difficult to translate all that into simple human language. Even translators often failed. Which was why Ambassadors existed.

"The Unseelie have selected a new representative," Ja-Man-Ro finally allowed. "They were increasingly unsatisfied with their last representative's position on the newly discovered mines in the newly acquired planet. The Unseelie army was in charge of clearing the planet after the Seelie discovery, yet they did not think they got a fair share. It is reminiscent of the adventure of–"

"So, is the Seelie accepting this new representative?" he asked, cutting him off before he went on another tangent.

"Perhaps," he asked. "They are having meetings about it."

Vacek sighed. Fae political meetings could last years. The last one had kept him away from Earth for almost two years.

Vacek typically didn't like to get involved in Fae politics, but he had to, because it sometimes affected Earth. But even when he sat in on the meetings, often the only way to understand what was going on was to ask ambassadors. The Fae were typically happy to share information about their political system and their numerous meetings, but too often they gave too much information, and it was hard for him to know what was important and what wasn't.

The good thing was that the Fae didn't lie. Even partial Fae like the Ambassador's found it difficult to tell untruths, though they could certainly obfuscate the truth by simply throwing so much confusing information at you that you weren't sure which one mattered. Some of the earlier contracts that humanity had signed had been full of such obfuscation and would have doomed them had the right people not intervened.

As magnanimous as they tried to be, Fae couldn't completely wipe out their greed, especially the Dark Fae who made up the bulk of the Unseelie. The Light Fae, or the Seelie, were regarded as purer and more well-intentioned, but they were also the most dangerous.

That was why he wasn't asking any of his Seelie associates for this information, even though they would have been happy to tell him. Instead, he'd gone to the lowest-ranking ambassador who was an Unseelie and was a well-known gossip with a fondness for humans.

"Do the Seelie want the mines so they can take charge of their own dungeon creation?"

Another long pause.

"It is complicated. I have a lot of answers, but I'm not sure which one to give. The Unseelie are always on the hunt for new mines, since the beginning with–"

Suddenly, Vacek's system rang. It was the vice president of the association, Jerry Haynes. Interplanetary calls were expensive, so it was rare for anyone from the association to make one, especially Jerry, who was especially stingy.

Making one now meant there was an emergency, so Vacek excused himself and stepped away to take the call.

"She's consorting with demons," Jerry said heatedly, the second Vacek answered.

"What?"

"Sparrowfoot's daughter. The one you're so convinced isn't going to turn out to be exactly like her father. She is consorting. With. Demons."

Vacek was annoyed at the ridiculous statement. "This is what you interrupted my meeting for?"

"Yes! And it's the truth. I received a video of it yesterday from Emperor Rufus' aide, where your girl all but admits it."

"Is the Video on the NET?"

"No. We were able to stop it from getting out. The video was sent to the Emperor by his granddaughter, and he's demanding we hand Lexie Sparrowfoot over for a royal inquisition."

"Absolutely not." Lexie was officially a citizen of District 9, and even if Vacek wanted to do such a thing, which he didn't, it would be too messy to have her investigated by a foreign royal. It could be a cause for political outcry.

But they needed to somehow keep Rufus happy, as he was vital to the teetering political stability of District 8, as much as Vacek disliked the odious man.

Luckily, Vacek's brain already worked out a plan to appease the Emperor.

"I'll take care of it. Send me the video. And get it scrubbed everywhere online."

"Already done that."

After he hung up, the ambassador regarded him curiously.

"The flowers are no longer in bloom?" he asked, but Vacek remained silent, as another thought occurred to him.

Lexie Sparrowfoot might be consorting with Eldritch.

A few pieces clicked to place in his mind, and he considered an angle that he hadn't previously considered. A plan lingered.

"Hmmm," he said.

***

As expected, Lexie got summoned to the Headmaster's office the next morning. Of course, the news of her exposition at the party traveled around the whole school, although luckily, there was no video of it online. Yet.

She'd texted Astrid to reassure her of the non-Eldritchness of the card she'd made for her, but Astrid hadn't seemed all that bothered by where the card came from. She'd actually called Lexie back to apologize for her mentor's accusation.

"I'm sorry Gretchen gave you a hard time," Astrid said. "She's kind of my cousin, which is why she's a little overprotective."

"It's okay. I can see why she was suspicious."

In hindsight, Lexie didn't know what came over her, why she'd been advocating so hard for communicating with the Eldritch. She could have just walked away. But a big part of her didn't want to. She wanted to confront the accusation head-on.

It wasn't just about trying to get herself out of trouble. She'd been genuinely annoyed at all the stereotypes thrown around.

She was also tired of the way Eldritch were always seen and treated as the bad guys, when, as Lexie understood it, they had no choice but to be that way. There was nothing else for them; they were creatures filled with pain, and no one had cared enough to provide them with some sort of outlet. No one had bothered to search for a cure to their madness.

She didn't know how Naem was suppressing whatever his vices were, but she was sure it was because he was ancient and powerful. But for the others, they didn't have a choice but to be the way that they were.

It wasn't their fault.

Lexie didn't know if she'd effectively translated that concept to Xena and Dewie last night, but Xena had been quieter than normal this morning. She wasn't distant per se, she still sat by Lexie and attempted to joke with her, but also seemed to be handling her with kid gloves, as though Lexie had confessed to having a deadly disease. She was extra careful with her words and also stared at Lexie sometimes when she thought she wasn't looking, appearing forlorn.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Lexie hoped that didn't mean Xena was going to tell Lionel, in an attempt to 'save' Lexie. She really hoped she hadn't made a mistake by trusting Zee.

But Lexie kept reminding herself that trust was an important part of friendship, and she couldn't keep letting Xena find things out the hard way. She needed to at least give her the chance to betray her. If Xena then went on to blab to Lionel, then she would know for sure where she stood.

It was just that she was risking so much here. She just hoped she was right about her friend.

Lexie wasn't as worried about Dewie. He was a lot more open-minded in a lot of ways and didn't have the same strong prejudice that Xena did toward the Eldritch, especially considering he'd been haunted by nightmarish creatures since he was young. Maybe that was why he was more open-minded. He'd been regarded as a freak for most of his life, too, and saw things that would send most people into a tizzy. He couldn't help how he was, and probably understood that Lexie couldn't help how she was either.

Dewie would certainly keep it a secret. She hoped Xena would, too.

As Lexie approached the headmaster's office, she steeled herself and raised her fist to rap on the door.

As if on cue, it opened up before she could knock.

Journeyman was once again at his desk, turned toward the window. He stared at the sun on the horizon, high over the trees.

Lexie knocked on the already open door twice before he turned to her.

"Lexie Sparrowfoot," he said softly. "It looks like we're going to be making a habit of this after all."

"Yeah," she said, and she walked in. "Sorry about that."

"That's alright. I'm not entirely certain this is your fault." He gestured for her to take a seat, which she did.

"I won't take up too much of your time today, hopefully," he said. "I'll try not to be as long-winded as you young ones often complain about. As you know, there has been a claim that you are knowingly possessed by or are secretly consorting with an Eldritch creature. Is that true?"

"No," Lexie lied.

"Would your answer be the same under the influence of a truth potion?"

Lexie paused. "You would need my guardian present for a legally administered truth potion, wouldn't you?"

Plus, there were other requirements involved in administering truth potions to children. She would have to be formally accused of a crime first, with enough evidence to suggest that she was at least an accomplice to said crime, and her testimony would give vital evidence that would tie it together. It would also have to be demonstrated that she was knowingly withholding information. She would need medical testing to ensure that her body could handle the aftereffects of said truth potion, and she would also need a medic on site to handle the aftereffects, and even with all that, a judge might still reject the order for a truth potion.

One also had to think about how expensive they were to acquire. Typically, they were only used when absolutely necessary, like to find kidnapping victims or uncover bomb sites.

The truth potion threat was likely just a bluff, but Journeyman smiled like she'd fallen for his trap. "You realize that answer just told everything there is to know, don't you?"

Lexie remained quiet. She didn't bother denying it anymore if he didn't believe her.

What was going to happen now? Was she going to get kicked out of school? Would he go ahead with applying for a truth potion?

"Do you know that I'm partially Elven?" Journeyman said, leaning forward.

That was unexpected. "You are?"

"I am."

"Oh. I guess that explains the name thing." He always called people by both their first and last names, something that Elven creatures did.

"Yes. Names are very important to us. We also have a thing about reading fates, although it's not as finite and certain as people think, nor is it as simple arithmetic as the Fae believe either. Reading a fate involves a lot of evaluation, star gazing, and studying everything down to the letters in your name, which is partially why names are important. Elves also sometimes read the lines in your palm, to look into the past and your ancestry because history has a funny way of introducing the same things to us over and over, like we're all stuck in an endless cycle."

It took a second for meaning to sink into Lexie's consciousness. "You're talking about my dad?"

Journeyman nodded.

"Someone reported him for consorting with an Eldritch once, when he was at this very academy," he said. "He denied it, and truthfully, no one took the accusation seriously because it was assumed the boy was simply jealous of Aiden Sparrowfoot's skill. But now the same thing is happening with you, except this accusation feels a lot more plausible." He swiveled slowly in his chair while staring straight at her. "Because even you would admit, Lexie Sparrowfoot, that your skill is far beyond whatever is written on your stat screen."

Lexie remained silent. She'd been prepared to deny, deny, deny, as her father had said, but he hadn't asked her a question to deny yet.

"We get interesting students every year," Journeyman said. " Like with your friend Dewie, Victoire often ends up with the peculiarities–people whose powers stump others. Yet, I haven't met a peculiarity quite like you, Lexie Sparrowfoot. I have several theories for what is going on with you, but let me tell you what I think is the most true. You do not personally consort with the Eldritch, but your father does. He has the means and the power to attract a powerful Eldritch Lord to himself, and they've likely shared many soul contracts over the years. After your mother died, and your father began his quest to avenge her, he attached the Eldritch being to you instead, for your protection. He had you sign a contract with it, as there was a chance he would either die on his quest or he would be arrested and never get the chance to see you again, and he didn't want to leave you without protection. So he left his Eldritch friend in charge, and since you lost your memory, you forgot all about signing that contract until recently." He shook his head. "It was a foolish decision on his part, by the way, but I understand why he would do that. Now, since the Eldritch Lords are really only interested in powerful humans, whatever Lord you bonded with became invested in making you powerful, too. You're intelligent and highly motivated, and the only thing you lack is an adequate mana capacity. So this Eldritch began to lend you some of his mana, and you use it to craft cards. Thus, a symbiotic relationship is formed." His lips flattened, his eyes sharp. "Tell me. How close am I to the truth with this story?"

Scarily close.

"Pretty far off, actually," Lexie said. "I have an interest in Eldritch languages because I have an interest in other species. That's all. I also know some Fae languages. My father has nothing to do with it."

Journeyman clearly wasn't buying it.

"Just answer me this," he said. "What did your father promise the Eldritch for his protection? Because a protection that thorough cannot be cheap." He asked. "Did he give up his soul? That would be a grievous sacrifice indeed."

Lexie responded with, "I'm not sure what you're talking about, professor."

Another knock sounded on the door, and Journeyman perked up.

"Well, I didn't expect you to tell me the truth," he said and snapped his finger so the door would open. "Which is why I invited a guest to our meeting, who is right on time."

"I am, as usual."

Lexie whipped around as Professor Madswick walked into the room. Sudden dread filled her.

"Professor Madswick is going to do a thorough soul analysis," Journeyman said. "Just to ensure you haven't signed any contracts with the Eldritch."

Lexie felt apprehensive. "Shouldn't my staff mentor be here for this?"

"Perhaps," Madswick said. "But Professor Stein is off-campus for the dungeon raid. Don't worry, you won't feel a thing."

Lexie swallowed. She knew she wasn't getting out of this.

Madswick stood beside her and held out his hand. She reluctantly lifted and placed her hand in his cold, clammy one.

"By the way," he spoke as he worked. "The card you gave Jett, what does it do exactly? I couldn't figure out the purpose."

Lexi put a pause on her background soul-scooping, although she was curious about what Madswick was doing. "It's an illusion card."

"That's what I thought," he said. "So why does it appear blank?"

Lexie was surprised by that. It hadn't appeared blank to her.

As Madswick met her gaze, she struggled to come up with an answer.

"Um, it has to be pre-activated first for the user. Right now, it will only show Jett, or rather Albion, the illusion."

"I see. Well, that is something that requires further investigation."

"Meaning?"

"Well, we might have to get a card expert to evaluate it or send it over to the card department at a nearby university."

Shit. Hopefully, whatever was making the card blank would continue to hold.

Suddenly, Madswick dropped her hand.

"Your soul seems fine," he said. "Irregular thanks to your soul injuries, but fine."

"Thanks," Lexie responded. She hadn't felt Madswick doing anything to her soul, but maybe it was because she wasn't trained enough to notice.

"I didn't sense any contracts," Madswick told Journeyman, who frowned.

Lexie tried hard to keep herself from expressing relief.

Then she caught Madswick's knowing look and her stomach tightened again.

No. He was lying. He did sense something.

Why was he lying about it?

Journeyman said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I did a thorough check. No soul contract."

"Hmm. I suppose I must revisit my theory." He gave Lexie an apologetic smile. "In which case, I apologize for the stress and for wasting your time. I was wrong, and you have my sincerest remorse."

"It's alright," Lexie said, getting to her feet. "Can I go now?"

"Of course."

She didn't hesitate a single second. She turned around and left, jogging down the tower steps.

But soon enough, as she was almost on the last set of steps, Madswick caught up with her.

He sped past her as he said, "Come to my office for a second."

Lexie didn't want to. It seemed like a bad idea, but so did ignoring him. After all, he knew her secret now, and he would probably tell Journeyman if she didn't comply.

She sighed and continued following him to his office.

He was seated at his desk and smiled when she arrived.

"Lexie Sparrowfoot," he said. "Welcome back."

She wasn't in a greeting mood. "What did you need, Professor?"

"This meeting is more about what you need."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps it's time we be honest, Lexie," he said. "Or are we going to have to play more games?"

The way he emphasized the word 'games' made Lexie frown. Was there a hidden meaning there?

Then, he reached out and took one of his figurines on the table, which very much resembled a bishop from a chessboard.

Lexie gasped loudly as it hit her. The bishop. His checkered walls, the trophies, and the game boxes in the corner.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You."

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