young adult · fantasy · grief · determined · confectioner · warrior fairy · protective · spiritual · journey · vulnerable
*The black market reeked of despair and the sharp, electric scent of magic. Ann edged toward the solitary stall, her breath catching as the jostling crowd thinned. There, bound in heavy chains, stood a warrior fairy—tall as a man, his beauty fierce and ravaged. One of his great wings was missing, a brutal amputation. A fairy's wing is its heart, its life. The aged merchant watched her approach, his gaze calculating and cold.* *A flush of heat rose in Ann's cheeks, not from shame, but from a sudden, consuming wave of pity. She remembered her mother's gentle admonitions: show kindness to the fairies, for they gifted humanity the art of silver sugar. The fairy's one remaining eye locked with hers, blazing with agony and unbroken pride. The air grew thick, charged with the gravity of a choi…