Page 10 of The Fae's Gamble
Fern hadn’t eaten since her in-flight meal, but that deal didn’t entice even her ravenous stomach.
Mara and Emmett slid into a booth in the back, side-by-side, leaving Fern space to sit across from them. As soon as they sat down and began pulling off their hats and coats, a server appeared and dropped off three pints.
“Adnams Ghost Ship on tap for you, Mara,” the server smiled, “and a Guinness for Emmett.” The woman turned and offered Fern a small shrug. “I didn’t know what you wanted, miss, so I made yours a Guinness as well.”
“I suppose you can’t go wrong with that, can you?” Fern nodded and grabbed one pint, smiling at the server in thanks. The woman winked at them and disappeared as quickly as she had come.
Fern waited a minute until everyone had grabbed their pints and taken a sip before staring at Emmett and Mara with a raised brow.
“If this is you not asking questions,” Mara licked a little foam off her lip and pointed to Fern’s expression, “you’re doing a shit job of it.”
“Oi,” Emmett elbowed Mara, “get to talking. Put the poor girl outta her misery.” He slammed his pint glass down, already half-empty. Fern decided that with a pint in his hand, Emmett looked like the love child of Robb Stark and Jason Momoa.
Mara sighed but agreed. “I need you to understand something, Fern. You might still decide whether you want to stay for the school year, or even the term, but you deserve answers. We’ll give them to you. Whatever you decide, you need to be privy to this information. For now.”
“For now?”
“It will make sense.” Mara took another sip. “Do we have a deal?”
Fern nodded, looking back and forth between Emmett and Mara. “What happens if I say no?”
It was Emmett who answered her, his voice sounding even deeper. He spoke with an authority that did not belong to a lecturer; it was something more unhinged.
“Then unfortunately, your at-will position is terminated. We’ll pay for your return fare, and you can say you had a lovely, long weekend visiting your brother.”
Fern’s curiosity burned at levels she didn’t know were possible. She nodded slowly. “Yes. As long as it’s not…illegal or dangerous information. Wait, how did you know about my brother?”
Emmett shrugged. “It’s not illegal. And your brother plays for the Hearts. He posted you were coming to join him a while back.”
Mara rolled her eyes, “Sure, but let’s acknowledge that there is very little that Calum, and by extension us, don’t know about your family at this point.”
“My family?” Fern tried to clear her head. “Yes. Fine. I don’t care, just start talking.” Fern took a deep breath and repeated her answer firmly.
Mara picked up her glass and toasted.
“Congratulations on your first day at the Office of Highland Magic. Let’s start with the fact that you’re the only human on staff.”
Chapter Five
The conversation carried on in the surrounding pub, unaware that Fern was having her worldview flipped upside down.
“That is a superlative that I certainly didn’t think I’d be in the running for,” Fern smirked and took a sip of her pint. She wasn’t normally a huge beer drinker, but she knew only a fool turned down Guinness. Mara stared at her for a heartbeat longer, studying her.
“I’m baobhan sith.” Mara said it casually, as if this wasn’t a revelation, but she gauged Fern’s response closely.
Fern struggled to keep the shock off her face; she managed with a small, stilted nod of acceptance. Her entire body was buzzing with excitement. As the initial shock was wearing off, Fern was realizing the potential of her situation. All she studied was magical societies, and she had stumbled upon one that she had long thought to have been the stuff of myth.
“You’re kidding me.”
“I’m not.” She shrugged. “If that bothers you, best tell me now. I can’t be arsed, and nothing is going to change what I am.”
Mara said it casually, but there was conviction behind it. Fern got the distinct impression that Mara’s identity had been a source of conflict over the years.
Baobhan sith had some of the worst reputations amongst Scottish myths and legends. They were a type of faerie that was more similar to a succubus or a vampire. The rumor was they seduced and murdered men to drink their blood, and they had supernatural senses, including speed and strength. Most of the stories that involved baobhan sith painted the picture of some of the Highlands’ most villainous creatures.
Fern rapidly cycled through all the myths she could think of. None of them were reliable; Scottish magic hadn’t been real to her a few hours ago. She would have to reevaluate everything she knew—which included the reputation of the baobhan sith.
“I’d like to say that nothing would surprise me, but that’s not true. I can say that I don’t care if you’re baobhan sith. However…” Fern got excited, “as an academic, I have a million questions.”