Flight (Children of the Sidhe)

by J. R. Pearse Nelson

  “Let me light a few glow lamps for you.” She touched one, and her spell hopped from it to the other two, in a chain that brightened the chamber in seconds.

  Nathan scowled at the spells, but she could tell from looking at the clear bottle he’d been drinking from that he didn’t realize how much he depended on human technology, which may as well have been spells for all he knew how they worked.

  “Now how do I turn them off?”

  “Give me your hand.” He did, his fingers warm against her skin. She touched his open palm, and he tried to pull back but she wouldn’t let him. “Oh, yes. I thought so. You have Sidhe magic,” she breathed. His magic felt bright and pure, far lighter than hers. She felt a twinge of some rare emotion; was it shame? She’d been soaked in darkness recently, and it had left a stain she hadn’t seen to yet.

  “You can feel that?” he asked in a low voice. His eyes pierced into her, like he could see through her.

  Tessa held her palm above his, and turned the question back on him. “Do you feel this? That’s my magic. When you’re ready for lights out, touch the lamp and feel for it. Tell it to turn off. It’s simple.”

  She left him then, frustrated and not knowing what to do with the extra energy such feelings left her with. Normally if she felt this way she’d have a man over for the night, and that would cure her nervous energy. Lovemaking was the surest remedy. But hosting tied her hands on that score. She could go fly for a while. It seemed strange not to invite Nathan, if that was her goal. And she couldn’t take him out in his first bunch of hours here to the wilds of Tir Nan Og. He could hardly stand her appearance. What if they ran into giants, or snakekin? He had no idea what to expect.

  Tessa went back to her desk, but her work didn’t draw her in like it usually did. She decided to give the spell she’d mentioned a try.

  First, she drew water from the well in the courtyard. She placed it in a crystal bowl she kept for ritual purposes. Today she didn’t plan to scry, so she kept her eyes averted slightly from the surface of the water in her ritual bowl. She didn’t want to know what a vision would show her at the moment.

  She focused on the water, on purifying it for human use. Eyes closed, her hands grew warm as the magic built, and she felt the satisfying rightness as all of the components clicked into place and the spell worked.

  Her ward chimed at the precise moment she released the charge she’d gathered into the water. Tessa hissed in annoyance. This batch was ruined. She’d have to try again later, she thought as she went to the door. But no one knocked for a moment, and Tessa got a bad feeling.

  Sure enough, it was Abarta standing outside when Tessa cracked the door to peer out. Tessa grabbed a deep gray cloak and went outside, hoping Nathan hadn’t noticed the chimes. If he came to investigate, it could all be over for him.

  “Back so soon?” she asked Abarta spitefully. “Didn’t we play this little game already?”

  “Do you have news for me?” A smile played around the trickster’s full lips. Abarta definitely brought sex to mind. Right now that just made Tessa angrier. She shouldn’t be attracted to her blackmailer, despite his Sidhe draw. She was Sidhe, too, and around males of her kind all the time.

  She shook all thought of sex out of her brain and focused on the conversation at hand. “No. I don’t have news for you. I met with my brother, and found out they know little more now than they did two days ago. The families of those on your list are apparently taking responsibility for their half-human children. They’re trying to find them before you do.”

  “And none of them have been successful yet?”

  “Not to my knowledge. I told Mikhail to pass a message to Ian, that I’m willing to help if he needs me. That’s about the best I can do to insert myself into the damn investigation in the matter of a day.” Tessa answered quickly and firmly, ignoring the accusation she thought she must be imagining in his tone. Tessa didn’t have to fake her anger. Why she was faking anything at all was beyond her.

  When she’d thought of Nathan coming outside and facing Abarta and his doom, her stomach had dropped. He was a person, not just a half-human. She couldn’t be the cause of his demise.

  As long as Abarta didn’t guess her allegiance, they could both win in this situation. She only hoped that’s how it would turn out.

  “Tessa, you will call me if you have anything to share.” Abarta’s firm tone was belied by the sardonic smile that never seemed to leave his lips. “If not…”

  Tessa straightened her spine and stared him down. “I get it. Now go away and let time work its magic.”

  “Time doesn’t have long. You’ll get the information I need, one way or another.”

  SIX

  Nathan spent a little time looking out the window in his bedroom once it grew brighter outside the next morning. He ate his last protein bar from his bag, and drank more of the water from his bottle. Almost out. The food she’d shown him looked good, but if he could avoid it, he didn’t want to eat in Otherworld. Isn’t that how people were always getting trapped in the myths? Maybe that wouldn’t work on him since he was half Sidhe, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

  This was an odd place. He could see more from the window now and the light had a hazy, sparkly quality to it. The surrounding forest was obviously dense, and Nathan wondered how many Sidhe made their home here. It wasn’t like they were in a city. He could see nothing of other dwellings. Tessa’s own home was built into a hillside, like it had just grown up there naturally. He wondered how long her stone and earth house had stood. Inside it was plush, extravagant. Nathan suspected spell work was partially to credit for that.

  A movement at the edge of the forest caught Nathan’s eye. When he stared hard at it, he saw a little face peering at him, and a pair of sheer wings beating madly, the speed of a hummingbird’s. The thing capered closer, laughing, and careened about the window for a moment before fluttering back to the edge of the forest and disappearing in the thick foliage. As it went, it spouted a fine, sparkly dust into the air around it, and the stuff floated on the breeze.

  Nathan thought about the quality of the air and wondered how many of those little…creatures…it had taken to change Tir Nan Og in that way. And what effect did the powder they emitted have on people who breathed it? Or Sidhe who breathed it? And were there any other odd creatures out there waiting with their own lists of questions to be explored? Nathan abruptly shut down that train of thought. He was a wildlife biologist in the human world. Otherworld creatures were not his primary concern.

  This was probably all a figment of his overworked imagination. He must be in bed, still dreaming. His belly disagreed; that growl definitely said he was alive, in Otherworld and in increasingly desperate need of food from beyond the veil. So it was crunch time.

  Nathan emerged to see if his father had made a reappearance.

  In the living room, or study, or whatever it was to Tessa, he found his hostess along with a tall man crowned in a rack of antlers. Scratch that. It wasn’t a crown. Those were actually his antlers. So now this guy was the oddest creature he’d seen all week.

  The object of Nathan’s current fascination extended a hand and shook his with authority. “Hello, Nathan. I’m Ian. It’s good to meet you, and good to see you safe in Tir Nan Og, where you belong.”

  Nathan shook his head in disbelief, but chose not to respond directly to the assumption this Ian guy was making. He turned to Tessa. “Has Nemglan returned?”

  “No. But don’t worry, I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “Yes, your father is an experienced tracker. I am hopeful he’ll find Abarta and we can put an end to this rebellion,” Ian told him.

  “That’s not really what’s concerning me,” Nathan said, losing his grip on any intention to remain polite. “I don’t really care about whatever’s going on here. I don’t belong here. This Abarta character can’t be after me, because I only just found out about you people. What would he want with me?”

  “Your blood,” Tessa
hissed angrily. “Do not presume to question Ian, the soon-to-be leader of the Sidhe. Abarta wants to assassinate you because you bear mixed blood.”

  Nathan stared hard at her, his face heating in fury. All he knew was that he didn’t want to be here, in Tir Nan Og. He clenched his jaw for a minute until he could trust himself to speak without shouting.

  “Ian. Let me return home. I don’t feel any safer here. Abarta is Sidhe, isn’t he? What makes you think I’m safer here? At least at home I know what looks out of place. I just saw a tiny flying creature. It emits a sparkly powder and seems to have rather a large effect on your air quality. Tell me what that was.” Excitement and fear mingled in his rushed words. This was all too strange.

  “That was a pixie,” Tessa answered.

  “A pixie!” Nathan sputtered. “What else is out there?”

  “Lots of things,” she told him, and he could tell she was amused by his sudden turn of conversation.

  Ian just looked between the two of them, a mischievous smile playing about his lips.

  Tessa glared at Ian for a moment, but then gave him a small smile in return. Friendly. Nathan got the feeling these two had known each other for a long time. And possibly known each other well.

  Nathan shoved back a sudden bright burst of jealousy. The feeling was completely inappropriate, as he was not interested in the beautiful yet strange creature standing arrogantly before him.

  “Just wait a few more days, Nathan. We’ll sort this all out. In the meantime…yes, here she is.” A haunting chime filled the air, seeming to come from everywhere at once. A second later a knock sounded on Tessa’s door.

  Tessa opened it, and then stood back, a strange look overcoming the control she was apparently trying for.

  “Nathan, this is my wife, Hazel.”

  Hazel came forward and gripped Nathan’s hand. She was a beauty, but didn’t have quite the strange, ethereal quality to her features that the other Sidhe he’d seen possessed.

  “You can tell already, can’t you? I’m another like you. Half human. But I had the advantage of growing up knowing what I am. I can’t imagine finding out you’re not a hundred percent human.”

  Her look of concern made Nathan want to melt, but he stood straight. It was good to know there were more like him. “So you’re not under threat of assassination?”

  “No, but I may be part of the reason you are. Our marriage has rocked some foundations of Sidhe society. I’m sorry, it certainly wasn’t our intention.” Nathan looked from Hazel to her husband, who was obviously very much in love with this woman. Could he blame them for following that passion?

  “I don’t blame you,” Nathan smiled to set her at ease. It wouldn’t be fair to take out his frustration on her. Besides, the best smell ever was permeating the air, and it seemed to be coming from the bags Hazel carried. His nose suddenly outranked his brain. “Is that for me?”

  “Yes,” she laughed. “I brought food from beyond the veil.”

  “Pulled-pork sandwiches. And curly fries. You’re my type of woman,” Nathan told her with a big grin, his first since finding himself in this surreal situation.

  Ian glared, but then let out a loud laugh. “Don’t get too used to having common ground with my wife, Nathan. I’m a jealous man.”

  Nathan just nodded as he dug into the sandwiches Hazel had brought for him.

  “Nathan, you should know you probably don’t have anything to fear from the Otherworld food. I’m half-Sidhe, and I come and go freely between the worlds, without worrying about packing in my own food. But just to make sure you’re comfortable, I brought more groceries, too. Where would you like me to put them?” Hazel turned to Tessa. Instead of answering, Tessa reached out for the bags, and then she promptly left the room with them.

  Hazel stared after her for a moment, then looked at Ian and shrugged.

  “What’s that all about?” Nathan asked.

  Hazel seemed to consider for a moment before she said, “Ian and Tessa were together years ago, and she doesn’t like that he married me.”

  The way she phrased that told Nathan it wasn’t merely jealousy of an ex. “She has a problem with half-humans?”

  “You’re full of questions, aren’t you? Don’t worry. You’re safe here. Tessa’s been used in this situation, too. We all just want to see it over, and our families safe again. The Blood Wars are no joke; they stir up all sorts of trouble.”

  “The Blood Wars?”

  “There you go again,” Hazel laughed.

  Nathan didn’t laugh. “I’ve never heard any of this. Part of me thinks I’ve just gone bonkers and I’m hallucinating.”

  “It isn’t a big part, is it? If you were going to fantasize about being a part of fairy land, is this really the way you’d frame it? Serial murderers are much more common beyond the veil…although I guess that is where Abarta’s been, hunting you guys down.”

  Ian decided to intervene in the conversation right then, giving Hazel a warning look. Maybe he thought it wasn’t best to talk about Nathan being hunted down. He’d appreciated the frank talk, to be honest. He felt a little more centered after talking to someone who knew his world, even if she wasn’t completely human.

  SEVEN

  When Tessa returned to her study, she found Hazel sitting cross-legged next to a smiling, apparently well-fed Nathan. He had a nice smile, and that was a positive change. But it rankled that Hazel had been the one to accomplish it.

  Most of the Sidhe seemed to love Hazel, regardless of their feelings about half-humans in general. Maybe it was that her father was Aengus, the love god. Whatever the cause, Tessa hadn’t joined the party. She couldn’t stand Hazel. She also had to admit that her reasons weren’t pure. What had Hazel done? Met and married Tessa’s sweetheart from adolescence. That’s it. Just loved Ian, while Tessa was alone. It was petty, so Tessa didn’t spend much time pondering it.

  But when she found Nathan and Hazel laughing together, at Ian’s expense, jealousy tinged her vision for a moment. Jealousy over the ease of Hazel and Ian’s relationship, though it was still fairly new, or at Nathan’s easy gift of a smile for Hazel, Tessa wasn’t even sure herself. Neither was valid.

  “Ian, I didn’t want to take Nathan out before his father returned. But now I wonder if I misunderstood, because we’ve heard nothing from Nemglan. I’d like to take Nathan into the forest. He’s understandably rather bored here, with a whole new world out there to explore if he could only get beyond my walls.”

  “I see no problem with that, as long as you are wary of your surroundings. Birds need to fly.”

  Tessa smiled. “That’s true.”

  “I’m not sure I can shift again,” Nathan said quietly.

  “You’ll shift,” Tessa assured him. “The hawk will have its time. That’s the way it works, especially if your other form is a predator. Occasionally, hawk will take you over without your leave, like yesterday. If you let him out by choice, that’s less likely.”

  Nathan nodded. His smile had died, but he wasn’t looking at Hazel now, so Tessa would take his somewhat sullen expression in stride. “When?”

  “There’s no time like the present,” Tessa answered.

  Hazel had risen from the floor and the hand-holding, happily married couple was headed for the door.

  “We’ll let you know when we hear from the other half humans, or Nemglan, or if we learn anything new about Abarta. Do be careful out there, Tessa. Nathan.” Ian gave Nathan a reassuring smile, and then they were gone.

  Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. Hazel in her home was just too much to ask. But at least she’d taken care of the pressing needs of Nathan’s body. At least the need for food.

  Maybe it was the tension of the past few days, but as she thought about pressing needs, and his body, a picture of them together, naked limbs intertwined, flashed into her mind. If only he wasn’t half human. Not that it made him unattractive. No, his form was pleasing. Yesterday, the very idea would have made her shudder, but the idea of Nathan
didn’t.

  Tessa frowned, turning to stare at her desk and the bookshelf beyond, a sight that always grounded her. Her long-held beliefs couldn’t be dashed by mere hours in Nathan’s presence. Maybe she should have a man over after all. It must be the sexual drought of recent days. Her body was playing tricks on her mind.

  EIGHT

  Nathan’s glee over getting out of the house surprised even him. He’d always been at home in the woods, and now he wondered if that was more his nature than he’d ever assumed. Growing up in a small town bordered by plenty of open spaces had supported the trait on the nurture side. He looked around, keeping an eye out for more of the pixie creatures, as they walked into the forest. Once or twice he thought he heard the buzzing of fast-moving wings, but he couldn’t be sure. He also didn’t know what other strange flying creatures were out here.

  Now that he’d eaten his fill and spoken with at least one other person who knew his world, Nathan felt more at ease than he’d expected. A trip into the Tir Nan Og forest was an enticing adventure for a man with his interests in wildlife…though he still wasn’t sure how he felt about shifting again and becoming the wildlife.

  He walked behind Tessa, who soon left the well-maintained path for a tiny trail into the brush. Thorns gripped his shirt like greedy hands as he passed, and his foreboding grew as the shadows deepened around them. Just when he was about to mention his unease, the trail opened up into a clearing with a creek running through it.

  Just like that, in a rush of madly beating wings, Tessa changed into her triple doves and flew to the nearest treetop. From the highest branch, she sang to him, and the sound wound its way into him, a feeling of warmth spreading as he listened to her song.

  “What are you?” he sighed, knowing she wouldn’t answer.

  She continued to sing, and he knew it was time. He felt for that piece of himself he’d felt break – no, surge was a better word for it – when he’d changed before. And he let himself go. He tried his best not to resist, but he had a feeling he could have done better. Something told him it shouldn’t hurt like it did, that it hurt because he held back a part of himself, wanting to retain his humanity.