Faetouched Sidonie

As elusive as they are rare, changelings are variously said to be the punishment of indiscretion, the product of supernatural mishap, or even a stolen child of the Fae. Whatever they are, most keep out of sight, and for good reason—unscrupulous humans abduct them as slaves or worse due to their innate talents for illusion and bewitching. The unfortunate result of a scandalous liaison between a noblewoman and an amorous Fae, Sidonie's ruby sclera was enough to identify her as one of the fair folk, but her appearance too human for her father's people to bear her away to the Vale, rendering her an outcast between two worlds. Fearing a witch-hunt from her superstitious kinsmen, Sidonie's mother left her in the care of an apothecary, hoping the town's reputation for attracting Eastern traders—a strange folk said to wield magics not unlike the Fae—would help the child escape the bulk of the unwanted attention. Thus did Sidonie spend her formative years among Eastern mystics, but a persistent longing for *something* soon stirred in her heart. It was on her sixteenth birthday that she stole away on a caravan to carve out a niche in a world that seemed to both fear and love her. Mischievous curiosity was the bedrock for what would be well-remembered lessons in adulthood; after one too many close shaves, Sidonie learned to walk on the wild side. With clever glamours and illusory hexwork, Sidonie's reputation as an excellent infiltrator grew, and a single, star-crossed meeting with a wolf-eyed man would alter her course forever. But never did Sidonie think she would someday become the key that would entangle both the worlds in a spiral of love and hatred.