A Court of Blood and Grief

2

Feyre strode down the trampled snow coated road into the village. Andromeda matched her pace closely beside her clutching tightly onto one of Feyre's hands to keep close. Elain and Nesta followed behind clicking their tongues and grimacing as they made their way along, dodging the disgusting parts.

The stone houses of the village were ordinary and dull, made grimmer by the bleakness of winter. But it was market day, which meant the tiny square in the center of town would be full of whatever vendors had braved the brisk morning.

From a block away, the scent of hot food wafted by-spices. Andromeda's stomach grumbled and Elain let out a low moan behind her. Spices, salt, sugar-rare commodities for most of the village, impossible for them to afford.

If they did well at the market, perhaps Andromeda could convince Feyre to buy them something delicious. She opened her mouth to suggest it, but when they turned the corner and nearly stumbled into one another as they all halted. Nesta placed a hand on her youngest sister's shoulder when she saw who was standing in front of them, one of the children of the blessed.

"May the Immortal Light shine upon thee, sisters," said the pale-robed young woman.

Nesta and Elain clicked their tongues; Andromeda shifted uncomfortably. The young woman extended her moon-white hands in a gesture of greeting, a bracelet of silver bells-real silver-tinkling at her wrist. "Have you a moment to spare so that you might hear the Word of the Blessed?"

"No," Andromeda sneered, ignoring the girl's hands and grabbing Nestas instead then nudging Elain into a walk. "We don't."

The young woman's unbound dark hair gleamed in the morning light, and her clean, fresh face glowed as she smiled prettily. There were five other acolytes behind her, young men and women both, their hair long, uncut-all scanning the market beyond for others to pester. "It would take but a minute," the woman said, stepping into their path.

Nesta went ramrod straight, squared her shoulders and looked down her nose at the young acolyte, she looked like a queen without a throne. "Go spew your fanatic nonsense to some ninny. You'll find no converts here."

The girl shrank back, a shadow flickering in her brown eyes. Although she stayed standing there not showing any sign of moving. Andy stepped up beside Nesta. "You heard her faerie freak get lost", she sneered. In that moment with her posture set and a hard glare upon her delicate but sharp feature's she looked almost exactly like Nesta.

The young woman flinched at her words but still showed no sign of leaving. Nesta lifted a hand, pushing down the sleeve of her coat to show the iron bracelet there. The same one Elain and Andy wore; they'd bought matching adornments years ago. The acolyte gasped, eyes wide. "You see this?" Nesta hissed, taking a step forward. The acolyte retreated a step. "This is what you should be wearing. Not some silver bells to attract those faerie monsters."

"How dare you wear that vile affront to our immortal friends-"

"Go preach in another town, we don't care for your foolish teachings," Andy spat.

Two plump and pretty wealthy women strolled past on their way to the market, arm in arm. As they neared the acolytes, their faces twisted with expressions of disgust. "Faerie-loving whore," one of them hurled at the young woman. Andromeda couldn't disagree and gave the acolyte a taunting smirk.

The acolytes kept silent. The other villager who was wealthy enough to have a full necklace of braided iron around her throat-narrowed her eyes, her upper lip curling back from her teeth. "Don't you idiots understand what those monsters did to us for all those centuries? What they still do for sport, when they can get away with it? You deserve the end you'll meet at faerie hands. Fools and whores, all of you."