"Do you really think those beetles eat bones?" he asked.
I froze. "I don't think so."
"What else might then?"
I shook my head. "I have no idea. Honestly, I don't think I want to know." My curiosity was mostly insatiable, but not as great as my attachment to my bones.
"Probably something we could step on if we were bigger," he mused.
"Possibly." It might be that easy, and it might not. The sooner we left, the sooner we wouldn't have to worry about it.
"You're not filling me with confidence," he said dryly.
"I'm sorry." I picked up my bag and swung it onto my back. "The fae realm isn't all rainbows and flowers."
"I don't think I've seen a rainbow since I got here." He put his trembling arms around me. "Plenty of flowers though."
"We do like our flowers," I agreed. "And all the other plants." We walked to the entrance to the nook and I opened my wings. "Hold on tight."
This time I didn't mind that he squeezed me so hard I could barely breathe. The beetles had given us both a sense of urgency. I couldn't fix lesser magic if I was here, especially if I was a snack for a bunch of bugs.
I soared upward, slowly and carefully. Once it a while I caught sight of a flash of light, twilight, the first stars, then the moon. The last was almost full, casting enough illumination to avoid the worst of the snags.
Once or twice I bumped us into the side of the crack. I winced as a jag of stone scraped my wing. Another time it was Fletcher's arm which was scraped. To his credit, he didn't make a sound beyond a gasp.
"Are you all right?" I asked. His head wound might have left him dazed, or more injured than I'd realised.
"I'm fine," he ground out. "Are we nearly there?"
I glanced up. "I think so." I hoped so. It was getting more and more tired. The strain of carrying him and my own weight was telling in every wing beat.
Just as I said that, we burst up out into fresh air and a star-filled sky. I flew us away from the crack and lowered us to the ground.
Around us, blades of grass looked enormous. It grew from the cracks between tiles, like the place we'd just escaped from.
I let Fletcher go and tried to keep from falling over from the exertion. He grabbed my arm and kept me upright, then helped me to sit slowly.
"I'll make us back to normal size in a moment." I blinked to clear my spinning head. "I just need to rest for a minute."
He sat beside me. The hood was still over his head, but his eyes shone in the moonlight. "I ate all of your food, didn't I? Right when you needed it."
"You needed it more," I said. "I'll be fine. There will be fruit around somewhere." I gestured around weakly. "It'll be easier to find when we're bigger."
I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I hadn't done anything so strenuous in… Ever.
I felt Fletcher's hand on my shoulder.
"Maybe we should find somewhere to get some rest. You sleep and I'll keep watch. I can stay tiny until you've had some sleep."
I tried to stifle a yawn. "That might be a good idea. I'd hate to accidentally explode us both."
He laughed softly. "I'd hate to be exploded."
"Me too." I looked around, but still had no idea where we were. For all I knew, we were close to the capital. Everything looked different at this size. And this exhaustion.
Where were Huon, Saff and Ash? They could be nearby, or on the other side of the realm. I was certain they hadn't followed me through the trapdoor. If they had, I would have seen them. Or heard them at least. Huon and Saff would have made more noise than the beetles.
They might still be there, waiting for me to come back through. On one hand, that would make them easier to find. On the other, they should be finding out the cause of the loss of lesser magic.
I was only one fae, they had bigger problems than what happened to me.
I sighed. Knowing them, they would have chosen to wait.
"We should find somewhere safer to hide," I said. "Maybe in a space between the tiles." Of course there was no guarantee it would be safer there, but it was less open than here.
"Do you need some help?" He offered his hand and pulled me to my feet. We took a few steps to the edge and looked down. The moonlight showed dirt and grass, but nothing more sinister than that.
I sat on the edge of the tile slid down into the gap. The ground was soft under my feet.
"This will do."
Fletcher jumped down beside me, pulled off my bag and made me a little place to sleep.
While he sat with his back to the side of the tile, I curled up and nestled down.
"Thank you," I said softly.
"No, thank you," he replied. "You saved my ass. A couple of times."
"Yes, well, you would have escaped from there somehow." I suspected the way we had come was the only way.
"Maybe." He shrugged. "Maybe not. Get some sleep."
I closed my eyes. I wasn't sure I could sleep, but an hour or two of rest would help to regain my strength.
I had a feeling I would need it as an idea of where we might be crept into the back of my mind.
12
The sun hadn't quite peeked over the side of the tile when I awoke. Obviously I'd slept for longer than I'd planned.
I yawned and stretched. My foot bumped into something before I remembered Fletcher.
"Sorry." I opened my eyes and sat up.
He leaned against the tile, his hood drawn tightly around his face with his hands. A pair of eyes peered at me. The rest of him was obscured.
"Are you all right?" I started to move closer, but stopped. I might be what had him on edge.
"No. Yes." His voice was rough.
"Which is it?" I asked lightly. I cocked my head and hoped not to look threatening. Unless he was a beetle, or something else nasty, I was harmless.
Mostly.
He loosened one finger from his hood just enough to point toward the east.
I glanced around, but saw nothing but the sun. Then it dawned on me.
"The light is too bright?"
He nodded. "I'm trying to get used to it slowly, but it's rising fast. Is there something you can do? Some magic or something?"
"I could poke your eyes out." I held out two fingers like prongs. "But that's a bit extreme."
"Just a bit," he agreed. "But there's more." He exhaled through pursed lips. "You haven't seen what I really look like."
I arched an eyebrow at him. "That's true. You're not part beetle are you?"
He snorted a laugh. "Not that I know of."
I raised the other eyebrow. "Now I'm worried," I joked.
After a moment I scooted over closer to him. He drew back slightly, but at least he didn't turn away.
"This might sound strange," I said, as if he hadn't been through enough weird things lately. We were currently the size of his pinkie toe, if he was normal size in the human realm. "I like you. I don't care what you look like."
I put my hands over his and gently drew them away from his face. They trembled. I held them like that for a few moments, then let go and pulled his hood back a bit.
He flinched and blinked against the sudden glare and the way the left side of his face was revealed to me.
From temple to chin to the top of his beard, his skin was scarred and puckered. The burn must have happened a long time ago, the red had faded to the same peachy shade as the rest of him.
I traced a line down the side of his face with the tip of my finger, across his beard and down his neck.
"What happened?" I asked softly.
"I got pushed into a fire as a kid," he explained.
"Pushed?" I echoed. "That's horrible."
He looked away. "I told you."
"Hey." I moved over, back into his line of sight. "I meant someone doing that to you, not the scars. If you had them all over your face, it wouldn't bother me. Gods knows I'm not perfect either."
I lowered my voice to conspiratorial whisper. "I have one wing bigger
than the other."
His mouth quirked. "Really?"
"Really." I nodded. "I can show you if you like." I spread them out behind me, as best I could in the small space and while seated.
"See?"
He looked at one, then the other. "I see what you mean. The left is slightly smaller."
I sighed dramatically. "Right? It's a wonder I don't fly lopsided."
"They're still beautiful. Can I…"
"Touch them? Sure, just be careful."
"Do they bite?" He eyed them dubiously.
I giggled. "No, they're just… I don't what word humans use for it. If I'm touched a certain way, it turns me on."
His mouth formed an O. "Erogenous zone?"
"Gods bless you," I replied.
He blinked, then broke into a grin. "I wasn't sneezing, that's just what it's called. Maybe I should—um—wait until I know you a little better first."
I shrugged and lowered my wings. "Suit yourself. We should probably get back to normal size and get out of here. We need to find food, and the others."
"Others?" He rose and helped me to my feet.
I told him about Huon, Saff and Ash.
"So, your lover is the fae king. And your other lover is his friend. And you like Ash too." He climbed up to the top of the tile and stood beside me.
"Yes, and I like you too. That probably sounds odd to a human." I took his hand.
"No, I've seen The Bachelorette."
"The what?"
"Nothing." He waved his spare hand. "So none of them mind?"
"Saff and Huon don't." I grimaced at how annoyed I had been only the day before. Now it seemed petty. But then, I hadn't been attacked by beetles before that. "I haven't really spoken to Ash, but I think he likes me too."
"So, if you and I ever… They wouldn't have a problem with that?"
"I wouldn't think so." I started to grow us back to larger size. "Would you? I mean, my wings don't freak you out? Or my magic?"
He paused. "I find it fascinating. And your wings are gorgeous. You're gorgeous."
I blushed. "You're pretty cute yourself."
"Thank you. And thanks for not finding my scars repulsive. Most people stare."
"I'm not most people," I replied. "Technically I'm not people at all."
"I guess fae are better people than people," he said.
"No, some of us are assholes." I looked down at the tile. It was now the size of a table which might fit ten to twelve diners around it. Whatever had put it there was around the size of a normal human. Or liked really wide tiles.
"Have you got any idea where we are yet?" he asked.
The trees around us wore brown leaves and sagging branches. The smell of off meat was faint, but enough to make me wrinkle my nose. The stone tiles at our feet stretched several meters and ended at a crumbling wall. Shattered columns poked up here and there, most covered in moss, or hidden behind grass and weeds.
"Ash said something about an ancient pre-fae civilisation," I said slowly. "This could be the remains of that. If so, we're more likely to meet—"
An arrow whizzed over my head. It missed me by a finger's width.
"Trolls."
I grabbed his arm and fell into a crouch. "We need to get to cover."
"Can't you just blast them apart with your magic?"
"No, trolls are harder to kill." Another arrow flew over my head. "Evidently their aim sucks." That was fortunate. I didn't much feel like being skewered.
"But they are trying to kill us?" he asked.
"Oh, very much so," I replied. "Trolls eat anything."
"Geez, and they say everything in Australia is trying to kill me," he muttered. "All right, how about the trees straight in front?"
I glanced up. The leaves were so rotten they looked ready to drop from the branches. The trunks were thick enough to provide cover.
"They'll do, but don't touch the foliage." If it burnt my skin, there was no telling what it would do to his. "On three. One. Two."
An arrow grazed my arm.
"Three!"
We rose and sprinted for the trees. Once we stepped off the stones, the ground was soft and spongy. Every step felt like I might sink into the dirt and become stuck. I could fly myself out, but carrying Fletcher would make it harder.
We reached the trees and almost fell over each other behind the trunks.
"You're hurt." He panted.
"It's nothing." The arrowhead had taken off the top layer of skin. A bead of blood rose in the graze and threatened to trickle over.
"They don't use poison on those things, do they?" Fletcher peered around the trunk.
"Not that I know of." I was more worried about the leaves which hung just above my head. "How many are there?"
"Three," he replied. "No, four. I'm no psychologist, but these guys look angry. And hungry. Maybe hangry."
I snorted. "According to Ash, we're related to them. You'd think they'd be nicer to their own kind."
"Hmmm." Fletcher looked back at me. "I see a resemblance. Sort of. They are getting closer though. Do we fight these guys or keep running?"
I hesitated. I had only seen trolls from a distance before, and in books. "I don't think we can take on four of them. We're smarter, but they're bigger. What do you do?"
He frowned at me. "What do you mean?"
"You have trolls in the human realm, don't you? How do you deal with them?"
"Oh. In a way we do. We block them, but I don't think that will work here."
"Block them?" I frowned at him.
"It's—I'll explain later. Can you make us big so we can step on them?"
I grimaced. "I'd prefer not to have to wipe troll from the bottom of my boots, but that gives me an idea."
"Why does that make me a little nervous?" he asked.
I grinned. "Because you've known me for just long to know I'm a kickass fae."
He grinned back and my heart flipped. He was hotter than all the hells, especially with his scars.
"That's true," he said. "Now what do you have in mind?"
I grabbed his hand, pulled him over to me and whispered in his ear.
He nodded. "All right, sounds like a plan."
The trolls got closer. They stomped through the dirt with heavy steps and grunts that passed for communication. They could speak fae, according to the books, if they bothered, but preferred to rely on simple sounds and hand signals instead.
In some ways, I related to this. I certainly preferred to rely on grunts until I'd had my first cup of tea for the day. It was safer that way, for everyone.
The lead troll appeared around the trunk. He—I presumed by the lack of breasts on his bare chest—stopped and looked around. His leathery face scrunched up in a scowl.
He turned around and growled, deep in his throat.
Another troll, this one with breasts hanging heavy, growled in return. She sniffed the air and turned in a slow circle. She made a cutting gesture with her hand and waved at the male.
He shrank back from her and whimpered like a scared animal.
She hissed at him and he scurried away with surprising agility.
The female troll grunted to herself and stomped off after him.
"I almost feel sorry for him," Fletcher whispered into my ear.
I hardly dared to move, in case they saw us, but I snorted softly. "Don't. He would eat you for his next meal. He might even make sure you're dead first."
The female troll stopped and turned back, her breasts swinging. Her eyes narrowed. She scanned the ground and moved to peer behind a tree.
I held my breath as she passed right under us. Partly because I didn't want her to hear me and partly because she smelled like dirty feet.
She shook her head. Her pale, greasy hair flicked back and forth. It looked as wet as the leaves around us. Was that a coincidence, or was the loss of lesser magic effecting them in some way we hadn't realised yet?
Maybe she just didn't believe in personal hygiene.
S
he let out a gusty sigh and trudged off after the other trolls.
I sagged in relief. The branch we sat on swayed with the movement and Fletcher grabbed my arm to keep from falling off.
"That was close," he whispered. "If she'd just looked up—"
"Thank the gods she didn't," I agreed.
"Thank you," he said. "If you hadn't made us small enough to hide in the branches, we might be being eaten by now. And not in a good way."
I smiled. "I give that innuendo a seven."
"I'll keep working on those," he said. Meanwhile, he leaned over to press his lips gently to mine.
"You do that." I kissed him back. My tongue tasted his lips and flicked against his teeth.
"I will," he said against my mouth. He drew away reluctantly. "But first, we should find some food."
"Agreed, I'm starving." And I needed to find the others. The graze where the arrow hit me had started to sting.
13
"I don't understand. Surely if we're small and eat something like a berry, we'll stay full." Fletcher squinted at me.
Given the state of the trees, it had taken us the better part of two hours to find a plant healthy enough to trust its fruit. The patch of blackberries which looked ready to strangle the other plants around them, was a welcome find.
"It doesn't work that way," I explained. I was calm, in spite of the increasing pain in my arm. It seemed to be spreading. Slowly, but still…
"If you grow, the berry remains the same size. Worse luck, since this would keep us for a month." Assuming I lived that long.
"In fact I'll put us back as we were. I think it's safe as it's going to get and picking berries will be easier if we're not the same size as them."
"Do you ever get confused?" He took my hand.
"Frequently," I replied. "But I suspect you were asking about something in particular."
He chuckled. "Sorry. Yes, I meant how do you know what size you're supposed to be?"
"Ah." I started to make us the size we had been when we met. "I just stick to being the same size I usually am. Most fae do the same, unless we visit the human realm. When we could do that."
"Right, but things here seem to be the same size as they are there. The plants and flowers. Even the ruins. But the fae stay smaller."
Shimmer (Summer's Harem Book 1) Page 7
