Join us for a weekly blog party in Six Sentence Stories, hosted by Denise and attended by some mighty fine, fun folk. Prompt word=CROSS. Read, write and come back for more on SIX SENTENCE STORIES.

Ferah found that she was decidedly disinterested in the wiles of diplomacy which her elder brother, Montay wore—as the humans would say–like a second skin; she had happily begun plans to distance herself from the whole business and focus on what she preferred: boots-on-the ground activism, exploring all the different people and cultures that made up the continental fae folk, inserting herself in the daily activities of the human world.

Montay had become increasingly cross since she’d joined the Council of Peacekeepers; the folk easily warmed to her and her questions, but kept Montay at the traditional and appropriate arm’s length, given his close alliance with the elite 1% of their community.

Her friendship with Plangeduc, Sangfroid, and Redrue had been noted with suspicion by the elite (encouraged by Montay), and their worries were not unfounded because Ferah had plans that might uproot their dominance. Those gnomes are not what they seem to be, the elite whispered amongst themselves, so strange and…singular…are their powers:  Sangfroid able to shift from gnome to fox, Plangeduc able to shift his appearance to match his stories and songs, Redrue’s intense gaze and paucity of words…who knew what other skills he had?

While she trusted the three gnomes when first they approached her, she had been mistaken in trusting Jimann. Also an outsider but separate from the gnomes, they had seemed to be an intriguing and sinewy male spotted jaguar, but then revealed themselves to also be a seven foot female diamondback rattlesnake with an unnerving rattle.

The saying goes that curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brough her back.

Unsettled by the hostility from elite, brother, and her unwise summer fling, Ferah decided to disappear for awhile, watch and regroup, and come up with a safety plan, both for herself and for the fae folk for whom she felt responsible.        

© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2025)

(To be continued)