There was no way of knowing what time it was when Raven woke the next day. There were no clocks to be seen, and her phone was back in her car in the mortal realm. She was cut off from her life and the rest of the world. All she had was Amethyst and Ilya, neither of whom she wanted to see just then.

Raven stayed in her cozy nest of blankets for a long time, watching the clouds roll across the sky out her ornate window. It opened onto a Juliette balcony of stunning gold. When she finally worked up to getting out of bed, she went to the window and pulled it open. The breeze was fresh, crisp, cold but not unpleasantly so. She stepped out onto the small ledge and leaned over the railing. Far below, the city sprawled before her, bustling with life as it had the day prior. For how many fey the facility likely held, there were still plenty to be had, it seemed.

When Raven could feel the tip of her nose no longer, she went back inside and glanced around her room. She could really use a shower, but there was no washroom in her suite. She pulled on the silk robe hanging in the wardrobe and peered out into the hallway. She was just in time, a servant in a simple white tunic and trousers was striding past with a tray under one arm.

"Excuse me," she murmured so as not to frighten him.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Is there somewhere around here that I can bathe?"

He smiled politely and turned, pointing down the way he had come. "Take a right at the end of the hall, it will be the first door on your right. There are towels and robes there already."

"Thank you."

"Of course, ma'am."

He hurried off, long legs eating up the hallway like it was nothing. Raven shut her door, memorised its location, then bustled down to the fork in the hallway. The door he had indicated was marked with a gold plaque reading 'Washroom'.

The room was cavernous and full of steam when she entered. The majority of the floor was taken up by an enormous bath, and simple doors lined either side of the room. She knocked, then peered into one, finding it to be a water closet. A row of hooks lined the wall by the door, and a shelf on the other was brimming with plush white towels. Raven hung her robe and gathered some soaps and creams from a shelf nearby, then eased into the steaming water.

Her body thanked her at once, muscles relaxing in the heat. The water was divine and smelled lightly of lavender. She found there to be a bench lining either side of the bath, and she took a seat, basking in the warmth and comfort.

The door opened, giving her a little fright. A waif of a girl entered and smiled at Raven. She, too, was dressed in a simple robe, which she shed without hesitation and hung on the wall. Raven averted her gaze at once.

"Good morning, you're that Raven girl, aren't you? The human?" The girl eased into the water and took a seat opposite Raven. Her head barely cleared the water.

"Yes, I am."

She beamed. "I heard what you did for Amethyst. Will you help the rest of our kind?"

There was a distinct beam of hope in her bright green eyes. Raven bit her lip. Of course she wanted to, but what could she possibly do to help?

"If I can, yes."

"You are as kind as they say."

"They?"

"Yes, word of you has spread throughout the castle, ma'am. Everyone is talking about what you did. A human, helping our kind. That is all but unheard of."

Raven blushed and reached for her soaps, intending to wash up and leave. She didn't like being the centre of attention like this. She was only doing what she had to. It's not like she could have turned a blind eye to the pain Nevison Corp was inflicting upon fey folk.

"It was nothing," she managed eventually.

Raven washed up in peace, though rather self-conscious by all the staring the girl was doing. Was this how celebrities felt in public? It was quite uncomfortable. Regardless, the soaps were lovely and the soothing fragrance helped her nerves some.

Eventually, Raven excused herself and shrugged hastily into her robe, then made her way back down the hall. The marble was frigid under her bare feet. She was grateful to be back in her room with all its plush blankets and throw rugs.

The wardrobe was fully stocked with dresses, tunics, and trousers in varying hues. Raven selected a navy blue gown that would compliment her eyes and stepped into it. It was a bit tight around her bust, but fit nonetheless. Finding the shoes too small, she opted for bare feet, as something about sneakers with a dress this fine felt wrong. Besides, the gown fell right to the floor, so who would notice?

Raven sat at the vanity and took in her reflection. Her damp hair had a healthy sheen to it, rich black next to her pale skin. The freckles across her nose stood out like a sore thumb. She took a hair stick from the vanity and twisted her hair up into a bun to keep it out of her face. She didn't wear much makeup most of the time, but today opted for none, despite the array of pots and brushes on the vanity. Her skin had a healthy glow to it that she was rather fond of. She pressed some lotion into her skin before heading for the door.

Before she could get there, though, there came three knocks at a respectful volume. Raven hurried over and answered the door. On the threshold, Amethyst was a beacon of beauty, donning a purple, off the shoulder gown to match her delicate wings. Her hair had been twisted into an ornate bun, revealing small, pointed ears. Her eyes were bright as her full lips spread into a smile.

"You look lovely," she said without a greeting.

Raven blushed. "Thank you, so do you."

"It's nice to be back in my own clothes again. Though I am sad about the dress I had been wearing when they captured me, it was my favourite."

"Couldn't you get it remade?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure I can describe it well enough for a tailor to duplicate and I'm horrible at drawing," she chuckled.

"Speaking of clothes, could you show me where I can get some in my size today?"

"Yes, after the meeting. They're already gathering, we should get going. Everyone is eager to hear what you have to say about the facility."

Nerves made Raven's heart beat erratically. "Let's go, then."

She let Amethyst lead the way downstairs and through a set of huge double doors that sat between the two staircases in the entrance hall. One stood open, and an attendant waited outside with his hands clasped before him. He bowed as they approached.

"M'lady, they await your arrival."

Amethyst only nodded and made her way inside. Raven, after a few deep breaths, followed. The room was vast, the ceiling high and domed and painted with stunning murals of what appeared to be the four seasons. Each featured an elegant faerie in full battle regalia. One long table filled the centre of the room, lined with dozens upon dozens of padded chairs. Most were filled with fey of all sorts, and a good deal of them were wearing armour similar to Ilya's.

Amethyst led her over near the head of the table, where two seats sat vacant. Ilya sat directly opposite them, to the left of the head of the table. Raven took her seat and smoothed her skirt for something to do. Many eyes were upon her, she could feel them boring into her.

The quiet conversations died out at once, and Raven glanced up in confusion. She followed everyone's eyes to the doorway, where someone was entering. Raven was stunned. She had never seen a face so beautiful before, painfully so. Her white hair was half up, half down, pinned with holly. Her angular features gave her an intense countenance. Pale blue eyes surveyed the table as she passed. Her cloak was lined with thick white fur around the collar and hems and trailed on the floor behind her.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Raven was looking at the queen. Everything about her screamed royalty. Her chair, more ornate than the rest, was pulled out for her and she took her seat at the head of the table. Cool eyes assessed the room.

"Welcome," she said in a smooth, deeper voice. "I am glad to see so many faces here today. Our dwindling numbers have been quite troublesome of late.

"As you all know, Amethyst is back among our ranks. We have all missed her and are glad to see her back." Unblinking eyes fell upon Amethyst, who smiled politely. "And we have a first, today. A human, here in our kingdom." All eyes fell upon Raven, who flushed. "A human who single-handedly freed Amethyst from her captors. As you all know, our kin our being snatched from the mortal realm and held somewhere we have not yet located. That is, until now. Our human friend here knows exactly where we are being kept. Will you help us, young one?"

Expectant eyes pinned Raven to her seat. Sweat beaded on her brow. She wanted to melt out of her chair and hide under the table.

"Of course," Raven managed at last.

A small smile graced the queen's pale lips. "Then please, tell us what you know."

Raven dove right into it, describing the facility as she knew it from the front door right down to the third level. She explained the iron elevator, the restricted floors, including the levels she didn't have clearance for. Concerned eyes remained focused on her the entire time as they absorbed the information. Most faces were grim. A facility full of iron would be a great feat for them to face.

"Every door has a card reader, and you need clearance higher than I had to get into them. Then there's the restraints themselves. I've seen all sorts of captivity methods there. There's a banshee behind bullet-proof glass, there's a giant cat in a cage, I've even seen fey strapped to tables. Getting into those rooms will be a problem without proper clearance cards."

For a while, everyone was silent. The queen tented her fingers and appeared to be deep in thought. The tension in the room was palpable.

"How can we gain clearance to these areas?"

Raven shrugged. "Well, you could steal the appropriate card. Or you could hold up the guy who makes them, he's right there in the entrance to the facility. He could make cards with full clearance."

"That sounds like our best option. We need as many of those cards as we can to free our people. Then it is settled. In two days, we ride!"

The room erupted in cheers. Swords were drawn and held high in the air. Raven watched the group in awe as the atmosphere completely changed from sombre to charged, eager.

Then Ilya took over and began to plan their attack.

The city was bustling with life and activity, even more than the day before. Raven followed Amethyst through the streets in awe of the variety of folk she saw. Some were stunning, others terrifying, all were majestic and wonderful to look at.

Amethyst led her to a small shop not far from the castle which boasted extravagant gowns in the window and a carved wooden sign. Amethyst held the door for her. The interior was well lit by gas lamps and was filled to bursting with racks of gowns.

"I get all my gowns here," Amethyst said, then smiled at the tailor behind the counter.

"Amethyst! I heard you had returned to us at last."

"I'm glad to be back. I hope you've been keeping out of trouble."

"Sometimes, sometimes. In the market for new dresses today? I have some lovely new designs that would look just stunning on you."

"Not for me, but for her." Amethyst gestured to Raven.

"A human? Yes, I had heard one was here in our kingdom. Hmm, I should be able to work with your figure just fine. Come, find some designs you are fond of and I'll see what I can do with them."

Amethyst poked through the gowns as Raven was fitted into an array of gowns. They were all stunning, more beautiful than any outfit she had worn before. She was in awe the entire time. Still, it was rather uncomfortable to step into too-small dresses and to know they had to be let out to fit her. She wasn't large by any means, but she certainly had some curves about her.

At last finished, Raven rejoined Amethyst, who had picked out a few gowns of her own. She added them to the pile and retrieved a small pouch from her waist. She dumped gold coins into her palm and counted them out before passing them over.

"I'll have these sent to the castle when I'm done with them," said the tailor, bowing his head as he accepted the coins.

"I look forward to it."

Amethyst led her out of the shop into the snowy, cobbled street. A woman with nothing but vines covering her body stared in awe at Raven. Raven blushed and looked away.

"Can I ask you something?" said Raven as they began their ascent to the next shop.

"Of course."

"Why does no one say 'thank you' here?"

Amethyst smiled. "Because you are acknowledging a debt to someone, and faeries love debts."

"Oh, so I should avoid saying that, then, right?"

"Yes, you should."

"Th- noted."

They went to another shop next, just a few doors down, which sold shoes. Again, Amethyst poked around while Raven was fitted and sent on her way with a sensible pair of black leather boots. Raven couldn't help staring at Amethyst as she perused the options. She really was stunning. Just looking at her sent butterflies scattering in her stomach.

They exited the shop together and, before Raven knew what was happening, Amethyst took her hand and led the way back to the castle. Raven's heart did little back flips. What did this mean? Was it simply a friendly gesture, or did it mean something more? To Raven, it certainly did.