by Anne Haley
"Hello." She stood up, and he was still a foot taller than her.
"’Tis a fine night to be out, do you think?" She couldn’t place his accent. It sounded Scottish, but there was a hint of something else that sounded formal that she couldn’t put her finger on.
He looked around the forest. Once in awhile a hint of a glowing mist would come out from behind a tree, and then disappeared quickly. It surprised her a little to see other beings in the area. She had first noticed them the night before when she took a quick stroll, keeping the moon company. Back on the island it was a rare occurrence for her to see another faerie, until she found El. It was her understanding that faeries were spread out through the world, and there weren't a terribly large number of them. The fae kept their distance from her, but she was aware they were watching her. At least she could feel they were harmless, just curious.
There had to be something about this forest, this land that attracted so many creatures. "The forest is becoming quite crowded as of late," he said as he crossed his arms.
She didn’t follow his gaze that moved over the forest, checking each being. Even though she couldn’t feel any threat from him, she didn’t think she should trust someone so old. Faeries don’t live for centuries. "I don’t think I’ve seen you around."
His mouth twitched. "No, I would think not. I try to keep a low profile. I have been keeping close to my homeland for quite sometime now. But there are some stirrings around here that had my curiosity aroused." He looked down at her, examining her guarded expression. "Where are my manners? I am Finn." He extended his palm to her.
"Uh, Aylin." She hesitated, wondering if she should project to El and Terra for fear of what would happen if she touched his hand, but his hand remained extended out to her. Every bone in her body screamed to flee from this man, but something deep in her heart wanted to see what he was. She slowly put her hand in his, and his fingers closed around hers. Images flashed into her mind, of rocky cliffs and dense, gnarled woods, and a feeling of very old and strong power. "A faerie of the Highlands," she barely whispered. "I didn’t think there were any of you left."
Faeries of the Highlands, also known as the Heroic Faeries, were a legend for their kind. They were categorized as the most powerful and clever warriors of their kind and also the reason they were able to coexist with the humans and be who they are today. Aylin didn’t know many of the details. She only knew they were held in high regard, and they were assumed to be extinct, thanks to some horrible hobgoblins. While considered the most powerful creatures, they were betrayed and overpowered. "Ah, that is what we would like you to think. Some of us remain, but we remain in hiding. It is an unfortunate lifestyle now." He let go of her hand. "Aylin of the moon, I feel you are troubled tonight."
"My troubles are nothing compared to what you must face," she said, ashamed that she had gotten herself so worked up over Blake. Especially when she wasn’t the one in hiding.
"Please, I am interested." He waved his arm out for her to walk alongside of him.
"Well, uh…" She couldn’t tell him. She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone her secrets.
"You are the third Moon faerie that I have met, and every single one of you is so guarded. Are you not allowed to trust anyone?"
She was taken aback. "It’s not a liberty that I am allowed."
"You must sense that I am no ordinary faerie, I am not drawn to you because of your powers. There is more at work in this land than the three of you. Much more is at stake this time. So please, I insist you confide in me," his voice was soft and gentle, but she sensed the authority he held. He would not take no for an answer. She looked up at his profile. He kept his eyes on the woods around him, but his face held softness around his eyes that she wouldn’t have expected from a warrior.
"Why is there more at stake this time?" she sidestepped his directness.
He chuckled, and it was a deep rumbling. "In all good time Aylin. First, you must allow yourself to trust others, then we can talk about what else is at stake."
She looked behind her, and Terra’s home was no longer visible, and neither was the protection. But the idea of something more at work than the elements was too enticing for her. "All right. Terra-"
"Faerie of the earth." He nodded.
"Yes. She has a brother that might hold a talent that is more than human. And really, it’s none of our business as to what he is. He should follow his own path with whatever he is and meant to be. But Terra, and Eliana-"
"Sun."
"Right. They both think he can help us, somehow. But then we would have to tell him what we are, and that his world is not as it seems. I won’t allow them to tell him. It’s too big of a risk." She shook her head, amazed at how fast the words came tumbling out of her mouth. Instantly she thought of Jordan, who would get her to talk with only nudging her with a few words. Granted, she never spoke to Jordan about what she was, but she still missed having that person to talk to.
"I see." He was quiet for a few moments, and it gave her time to kick herself a few more times. He could be working against them. He could destroy her right now and- "No, I am not here to destroy you," he interrupted her thoughts. Her mouth fell open. "After a few thousand years you become very in tune with others around you. You are still very young, Aylin. Your emotions make it very easy for me to read your thoughts."
"Sorry." She felt herself flush.
He led her to a fallen tree and sat down on it like a bench. "I am going to apologize for my directness. Maybe after some time I will be able to take the time to tell you why I am so interested in your cause, and what more is at risk here. But for now, you need to know that to be successful in your duty you need to take some risks. It is not supposed to be easy for you. You are going to have to let go of some of your reservations. Yes, there is more to Terra’s brother than a normal human and I feel he might be a part of this. In this case, you are going to have to let your guard down."
"How do you know that?" She frowned.
"As I said before, more than you three are at stake this time." He stopped and turned his head to the side, looking away from her. Different colored hazes were visible clustering a hundred yards away. "It looks like we are drawing attention. I must leave; I will find you again Aylin." He stood and looked down at her.
"Wait," Aylin reached out and touched his arm. "I have so many questions."
"I know you do, and I will answer many of them in time. Some answers you are not prepared for, and could be harmful."
Her mouth parted slightly in surprise. "Why are so many here? What is different about this land?" She couldn't stop herself from asking one question.
His lips formed into a patient smile. "You would not understand the answer. It would only lead to more questions. I do not have the luxury of time to take with you right now."
Aylin tried not to show her disappointment. He was right, she had the feeling with everything that she knew, she still had more questions than answers. "I see," she said softly.
"Aylin, you will soon know more than you wish. A time might come where you long for the time when you knew so little. Please trust me on this, however, and let him in. I do not think you will regret it." He took a few steps away and looked back at her and touched his fingers to a nearby tree, tracing the fine cracks in the bark. "Have patience, Aylin, this is only the beginning. I can give you this answer to your question, though. There are more than faeries and witches in these woods." His mouth twitched and he disappeared, fading into his green haze.
Aylin looked down at her clasped hands, and when she felt the slight breeze hit her, she knew he was gone. She couldn’t believe it; she had just spoken to a Highland Faerie. How her mother would be beside herself in giddiness. Aylin would have to make sure she found Finn again, she had only a few million questions she wanted to ask him. A glimmer caught her attention to her left, and when she turned her head she became alarmed.
There was an oiliness to the eerie black shadow that was hanging around the distant trees. I
t slipped behind the thick brush and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. She had lingered here too long. She stood and quickly followed their trail back toward Terra’s home.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Blake hadn’t planned on staying too long, only long enough to drop off some old books from his mother. "Is she not well?" Terra immediately asked, concerned when her mother hadn’t done this herself.
"She’s fine. She thinks you and I have some things we need to work out." He looked around at El, who was wearing a tank top that had a plunging neckline and shorts, and of course, bare feet. He frowned at her light attire. They were heading into a cold winter and she was dressed for a blazing summer day. He looked back at Terra. "I told her it was pointless, but she insisted. So, I’ll see you later," he said and stepped out the door, letting the screen door slam shut behind him, making Terra flinch.
"This hurts him so much," Terra said to El, sitting down in front of the fireplace. "If we told him and he hated me for being what I am, I could take it. I can’t take it when he hates me for keeping things from him."
"Honey, he doesn’t hate you. I think he wants to shake you, but there is nothing but love in his eyes." El flipped open a magazine.
"Do you think Aylin is right?"
El didn’t look at Terra when she answered. "I think Aylin thinks she is right. She spent a long time alone, you know. It’s her comfort zone."
It was a sad thought, being more comfortable alone. Terra always had the support of her father, mother and Blake. She never had been able to hold in her thoughts to herself. She had the feeling of bursting if she held something in too long.
The thought occurred to Terra that Aylin could be hiding something from them, something important. Especially since she knew Aylin isn’t alone, she had El and her. Terra thought about this for a while, chewing on her lip. Nothing came to her. They were fighting to keep the earth safe, The Rune safe. What more could there be to it? She finally gave up and moved to the couch and grabbed her book.
She had only gotten through two pages when her mind began to drift. Images of the sea slowly turned in her mind, and a tropical island. Her toes curled in the warm white sand, and the sweet salty air whirled around her carrying the scent of pineapple and coconut. The water was turquoise blue and the sea was calm. The heat of the sun kissed her skin and the light twinkled on the sea. She sat down and dipped her feet into the water that was lapping the shore.
A haunting tune filled her ears, coming from the jungle that was to her back. She began humming the tune, and then realized she had been reading in her own living room. She should be listening to the crackling fire in her fireplace. She gritted her teeth. "El!" she snapped. El stopped humming and snickered in the corner of the room and the tropical island faded away replaced by her living room. The fire crackled in the stone fireplace, and the weight of her book was in her hands again. "That’s not funny."
"Oh yeah it is. You were all moony-eyed," El said crossing her legs over the wooden arm of the chair.
Terra decided this would be as good a time as ever to get to know El more. She’d mostly been talking to Aylin, and if they were supposed to be linked to each other she needed to feel a better connection with El. "So-"
"It’s a long story Terra," El said, not looking up from her magazine.
"What?" She frowned.
"You want to know my story. I’m telling you it’s a long one." She raised an eyebrow and turned the page in her magazine.
"How did you know what I was going to ask?"
El shrugged. "Your face is easy to read. You’ve been giving me that look since we got here. I knew the minute we were alone together you would ask."
"Are you going to tell me?"
She shut the magazine and set it on the arm of the chair. "It’s not interesting, but if you want to be bored-"
"Nothing about you is boring." Terra set her book aside and drew her knees up, ready for the tale of El.
El snorted. "Okay, you asked," she sighed. "I grew up in Seattle with my parents and two brothers. My family owns a chain of banks that my grandfather founded, and my father owns his own branch. My brothers already have their hands in the business, so it wasn’t a big deal when I had no interest in banking. I mean, it’s horribly boring, you know?" She shifted in her seat. "But I’m guessing you don’t care much for the business end in my story."
Terra shook her head in response.
"When I was born my parents knew I was different, but they weren’t really sure as to what was different about me. I don’t look like anyone in my family since they are all brown haired, short and pale. I’m as opposite to them as possible. I think for a while my father even accused my mother of cheating on him. Until one day someone came to our home. I remember this man looked like a giant to me, but I was seven then and all adults were giants to me. He explained to my parents what I was, what I was going to be, and he made them understand. I’m not sure how, since I’m the first in the family to have the gene, but they understood and after that day I was treated differently. I was allowed to do whatever I pleased, really.
"Then the day came when I turned eighteen and all hell broke loose, as you well know how that goes. My parents locked me in my room for a week because they didn’t know what I would do. After a week my mother came into my room.
"'We have an account set aside for you, and we’ll always make sure there is enough money in it for you to live on. Tomorrow you will leave this home, and live your life the way you were meant to. But we can’t have you staying here. People have already been talking too much about you, about how different you are. We need our normal lives back, but I want to make sure you will be safe. You have a place in Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, so you can do something with yourself.’ She was trying to be nice, but they didn’t want me in their lives anymore." It was hard for El to talk about, the feeling of desertion was bitter.
"I can’t believe they just threw you out!" Terra’s face was flushed with anger. "I should go tell them what a-"
"It’s okay." El held up her hands. "I’m better off without them. They had no idea how to handle me, and first chance they could be free of me they took it. I’ve had a great life with Aylin. She scared the shit out of me at first…" El rolled her eyes at the memory. "I was still in Seattle and had just finished school. Imagine leaving a dance club, in the middle of the night, and when you go into your apartment that you live by yourself in, there in the middle of your living room is a bright light that turns out to be Aylin. I’m amazed I didn’t have a heart attack."
Terra had to laugh at the thought of something actually scaring El. But she knew the feeling, when Aylin found her she had been scared out of her mind. "I can believe it."
"She wasn’t as gentle then as she is now, her mom’s death was still fresh for her, and it had hardened some of her edges. Once I calmed down around her she moved me into her home."
"I wonder who it was that came to your parents home?" Terra wondered.
El shook her head. "Aylin and I tried to find out, but my parents won’t have anything to do with me. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to find out. Sometimes I wonder why the man didn’t just take me with him."
"If he did, you might not be who you are today." Terra shrugged.
El smiled at her. "Right you are."
Terra's fingers worried the edge of the cushion she perched on.
"What else is it?" El asked.
"Well, I was just wondering…" Terra murmured.
"What?" El asked with impatience.
"You said you are haunted now by someone else's memories from when you tried to use The Rune's magic, and I thought maybe you could share what those memories are," Terra looked over to El and realized she had pushed to far.
El's green eyes turned to stone, and her scowl was set firmly. Terra swore the temperature dropped a few degrees in the room despite the fire they sat in front of. Without a word El picked up her magazine and with severe calmness she opened it and began thumbing through
the pages.
"El, it's okay to talk about it. What if it could help?" Terra offered tentatively.
"Stop right there, Terra," El barely whispered. "Never ask me it again. Ever."
Terra frowned and looked down at her book. She wondered what kind of memories they were that scared El so much.
It was a few hours later when Aylin walked in the door. Neither El nor Terra looked up at her. She walked to the fireplace and put her hands out to warm them. She couldn’t believe what she was going to say to them, and she needed to choose her words carefully. She sat down on the stone ledge, facing them. "We are supposed to be a united force against the witches. It’s impossible to do that when we are at odds." Terra looked up at her. She waited for El.
Once El tore her eyes from the fashion magazine she continued. "If you think it is safe to tell Blake, I am going to put my trust in you. I don’t agree with it, but El might be right. There might be something more to him." She decided not to tell them about Finn for now. Telling Blake was enough for them to think about for now. Finn had seemed friendly, and no harm came to her from talking to him.
Terra jumped off the couch, sending her book flying to the floor. "Really?" she shrieked. "Thank you Aylin." She pulled Aylin up and hugged her hard. "I won’t let you down."
"It’s not you I’m worried about." She looked over at El.
"Why the change of heart?" El asked.
"Two against one." Aylin shrugged and pulled away from Terra. "When would you like to tell him?"
"Now!" She ran for the phone.
"Well, this will be interesting," El said and stretched her legs, pointing her toes.
Blake looked around the circle that the three women formed around him in the living room. Terra’s eyes were wide with anticipation and Eliana looked amused, however, Aylin looked very guarded. "Give me a break." He shook his head. "Terra, did you bring them here to make up this ridiculous story? You are on drugs, all three of you. Right?"
