Fey Hearted

by N. E. Conneely

  Beyond the perytons, though, was a dragon with creamy-yellow scales curled up with its back against a boulder the size of a small house. That dragon was large enough to make Pearl look like a gnat. Rose looked to the sky and saw two more large dragons circling each other. As impressive as it was to see Pearl do a barrel roll, when those dragons tumbled through the sky, it was an entirely different type of impressive. Something that big shouldn’t be that nimble.

  On the other side of the dragon there was a herd of horse-sized, white creatures. One of them bit its neighbor on the neck, and with a kick of hooves, the two of them tussled. When one reared up, Rose spotted a horn on the creature’s head. Her eyes widened. There were unicorns here.

  He nudged her and pointed at the sky. The two dragons were still doing their aerial acrobatics, but they’d been joined by a flock of birds with red bodies, blue wings, and tails that were mostly red with a few blue feathers on the outside.

  “But macaws don’t live in places this cold,” Rose said.

  “They aren’t macaws.”

  Before Rose could protest, one of the birds called out. The flock replied, their calls so close together that it almost sounded like a single, echoed response. Then what could only be flames trailed along their bodies, dripped from their wings, and flowed behind their tails like banners. She stood there, mouth agape, as they flew by. Each wingbeat left bright trails of fire in the sky.

  “Those are firebirds,” Silverlight said.

  The flock wheeled, leaving bits of yellow flame behind them as they turned to go back the way they’d come. Rose wished she could send a video of this to her grandmother. Of all the amazing stories she had told Rose, not a one of them had ever included something like this. She knew her grandmother would love to see these birds, even for a moment.

  One of the firebirds separated from the others, spiraling down and leaving swirls and licks of flame in the air around it. Between wingbeats, the flames vanished, and it was simply a brightly colored bird again.

  As it neared, Silverlight tensed. “Brace your feet, and hold out your arm,” he snapped.

  The scent of leather and lilies floated into her nose, informing her that magic was at work. Suddenly her forearm and shoulder were encased in padded leather. Rose glanced at Silverlight, thinking he had created the leathers, but his attention was fixed on the bird. It flew past them, and over her shoulder, Rose saw the bird circle, swoop down, and drop onto her shoulder.

  Rose stilled, not sure what to do with a magical but potentially wild bird on her shoulder. The pressure of its feet was strong enough that she was grateful for Silverlight’s quick thinking and the padding keeping its claws off her. It didn’t weigh as much as she’d feared, only a couple of pounds, but if it was anything like its cousin back in the human world, that beak could do serious damage, never mind the claws, and, well, flames had never been good for humans.

  “Welcome, fey hearted. Welcome.” Leaning over, the bird rubbed its head against her hair.

  Rose smiled and stretched her neck back so she could see the bird. She slowly raised her other hand and held it out so that the bird could see that it was empty. “May I pet you?”

  The firebird bobbed its head, and Rose lightly ran a hand down its head and neck. On the second stroke, it leaned into her hand. Giggling, she petted the bird until it gently nudged her hand away with its head. Her grandmother really would have loved this.

  The bird stepped to the edge of her shoulder, and Rose obligingly held up her arm. It hopped down, squeezing her arm as it balanced. It cocked its head to the side. “If you believe. If you believe.”

  With that the bird pushed off her arm, wings beating furiously as it hurried to rejoin its companions, who were still making lazy circles above them.

  Rose turned to Silverlight, who looked shaken. “What was that about?”

  “Uh, I’m not sure. They don’t usually interact with people. And it’s the first time I’ve heard an elemental speak. We always thought they couldn’t… But I’d say it likes you.” He stopped watching the birds and looked at her. A quick burst of lilies flooded her nose, and the leather vanished. He shook his head. “I’m glad I got those leathers on you before it landed. Come on, there’s more to see.”

  Rose wasn’t sure how much more she could take in, but she followed him farther into the Elementals’ Field. As they neared the perytons, several of them looked up, ears perking. Silverlight paused, and after a moment, a couple of them trotted out of the group. One was a buck with a twelve-point rack, and the other was a doe with a large fawn bounding behind her.

  The buck stopped about fifteen feet away from Rose and Silverlight and ruffled his wings. Raising his head, he sniffed the air. Then he lowered his head, extended a leg, and leaned down into a bow. Rose didn’t look at Silverlight for direction, fearing the buck would misinterpret her intent. Instead, she folded her arms on each side of her waist and returned the gesture.

  When the buck straightened, so did Rose, finally sneaking a look at Silverlight out of the corner of her eye. He was standing up, too. The buck turned around and trotted off, but the doe and fawn moved closer. The doe’s gaze met Rose’s, and she bobbed her head and turned broadside.

  Rose wasn’t sure what that meant. Twisting her neck around, the doe nudged Rose’s hand with her nose. Moving slowly, Rose reached out and stroked the doe’s side, marveling at the size of the feathers on her wings.

  Silverlight stepped around the other side of the doe and scratched behind her ears. The doe grunted and tilted her head so he could get a better angle. Taking the hint, Rose rubbed her fingers around until the doe leaned in. Apparently the area where her wings emerged from her body was itchy. Rose did her best to give it a good scratch.

  Then something butted into her leg. She looked down in time to see the fawn surge forward and head-butt her leg again. It was backing up for a third go when Rose knelt down.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll give you pets, too.”

  She looked at the doe, who nodded, and Rose ran her hands over the fawn’s head, scratching behind its ears. The fawn walked forward and leaned into her legs. Her heart melted. There was nothing in the human world that could compare to this. She’d always been meant for the fey world.

  A short time later, the doe was nudging the fawn and they trotted back to their herd. Well, the doe was trotting. The fawn was taking big leaps, flapping its wings frantically, and then leaping again. Rose wasn’t sure if the flapping was doing anything to keep the fawn in the air, but it looked like part of the fledging process.

  “What next?” Rose asked, beaming.

  “Well, I thought of something else you would like, but it would mean that we don’t have time to meet any other creatures today.”

  The dragon and unicorns were tempting, but Silverlight had a gleam in his eye that made Rose think this surprise would be worthwhile. “Let’s do it.”

  Silverlight smiled and led her around the perytons, keeping them a fair distance from the dragon. From its deep and even breaths, Rose thought it was still sleeping, or doing its best to ignore them. When they reached the other side of the field, Silverlight led her past the tree line. The woods surrounded them, lacking a path or any fey touch. Wherever they were going wasn’t commonly frequented.

  They snaked through the woods for some time, and as Rose followed Silverlight, she took in the trees and the few pieces of underbrush, and relished in the quiet that came from being away from the Field.

  “Here we are.”

  Rose moved up beside Silverlight to look at a small pond. A narrow stream ran into and out of it, though whatever was making the water pool here, Rose couldn’t see. The edges of the pond were lined with flat wide stones set into sand. To her eye, the pond was either cared for by the fey or the magic saw to its upkeep. Around here it wasn’t easy to tell the difference.

  A large koi darted out from under an overhanging rock, past some underwater greenery, and then back under the rock. Two more koi were lazing in anot
her part of the pond, hardly moving.

  “It’s pretty, but I’m not sure—”

  “Rose.” The tension in his voice made her turn to look at him. “The pond is pretty, but that’s not why I brought you here. Those waters can show you what’s happening right now in the human world…” His voice trailed off.

  She looked at him, confused. “Okay…”

  “You can see your family,” he said softly.

  For a moment she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t have heard him correctly. “You told me I’d never see them again.”

  “And that was true, but these waters can show you what they are doing right now.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “This place? It’s a secret. I know you miss them and worry about them. This is the best I can offer.”

  Rose gasped and threw her arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you.”

  Silverlight pulled back. “See if it works, then thank me.”

  Rose nodded, turned to face the pond, stepped onto one of the rocks, and sat down. Her hands were trembling so much she wedged them under her thighs to keep them still. Behind her, Silverlight moved away, leaves softly crunching under his feet.

  Taking a deep breath, Rose looked into the water. Please, please show me my family.

  The water swirled, but that could’ve been the koi swimming around, she reasoned. Seconds turned into minutes and Rose began to give up on the idea. If this pond could show her anything, it wasn’t going to.

  Rose shifted, tucking her feet under her. Closing her eyes, she willed herself not to cry. Silverlight would never have shown her this pond if he’d thought it would refuse to cooperate. Whatever reason the pond had for holding its secrets, Silverlight was innocent, and she didn’t want to make him feel bad.

  She opened her eyes and looked at her still-quivering hands. It was time to go. She’d waited long enough.

  Giving the water one last glance, she started to get up, but something caught her eye. Where there had been clear water, there was now an opaque cloud. Rose leaned closer, hoping it wasn’t a trick. The waters stilled, the opaque cloud solidified into a solid white background, and a slightly blurry picture of Paul appeared. He was standing outside a house with two other people, gesturing and talking, though Rose couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  Tears started running down her face. The pond might not give her a look into his mind and heart, but she knew her brother, and this was a happy Paul. The picture followed them around the yard, but when Paul and the other people walked into the house, the picture blurred more.

  “No, come back.” Rose reached out but pulled her hand back before she touched the water. There was no telling what could happen if she touched it while magic was at work.

  The image shifted, morphing into one of her parents. They were in the kitchen, laughing as they made pasta. Rose smiled through her tears, remembering the times she’d seen them that way. If they could still laugh like that, things couldn’t be all bad.

  This time when the picture blurred, Rose dug her fingers into her arms, hoping that it would show her the person she wanted to see most. When the picture cleared again, she could see her grandmother. She was looking at something that was out of the frame and blowing her nose. Rose could just make out the corner of a blue picture frame that had once held a picture of her. Her chest tightened. That picture couldn’t be there anymore, though, not with the magic working to erase her from the human world. Grandmother shook her head, tossed the tissue in the trash, picked up a cup of tea, and went into the living room.

  She didn’t look well. Some of it was surely the cold, but her movements were slow, her face pallid. She carefully settled on the couch and flipped on the television. Before Rose could see anything else, the pond blurred and faded back to clear water.

  Rose sniffled and tried to dry her eyes with her fingers. Even if it was just for a few moments, her family had looked happy. She tucked her sleeve over her fingers and rubbed at her eyes. They were living their lives and smiling. She really couldn’t ask for more. As long as she could see them like this from time to time, she wouldn’t worry about them.

  A hand settled on her shoulder as Silverlight knelt beside her. The tears wouldn’t stop coming, and if anything, they were getting harder, despite her swiping at them. Rose sniffled again and rubbed her nose on her sleeve. He slid an arm across her shoulders and tucked her against his side.

  As she leaned into him, the warmth of his body seeped into hers. She gave in and sobbed. He gently rubbed her arm, and she cried harder. He held her close, cradling her, making soothing sounds until the tears finally stopped. Tipping her head back, she caught Silverlight’s eye, and he brushed some stray hairs away from her face.

  “Thank you,” Rose sad quietly. “That was a wonderful gift.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t show you before now. When I brought you to this world, I was told that you had to adjust in absence of a connection to the human world.”

  Rose was too foggy from crying to know what to say. Part of her wanted to be angry but the rest of her understood. If she’d known there was a way to see her family, she might’ve spent more time looking in on them than integrating with this world and building a life here.

  He frowned. “I’m not even supposed to know about the pond. Mom brought me here years ago. It can’t show her to me, but I come out here sometimes. It helps me feel close to her.”

  Any frustration she felt vanished. It couldn’t have been easy for him to bring her here. “Thank you for giving me a chance to see them, for sharing this place with me.”

  Silverlight rested his forehead against hers briefly, and they sat at the edge of the pond in silence, his arms around her, until her tears had dried. When Rose pulled away, she captured his hands in hers. He looked at her and she met his gaze. “This means so much to me. I don’t have words to describe—”

  He squeezed her hands, quieting her, then let go. “You don’t have to explain. I know what it would mean to me if I was able to see my mother again.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” He stood up and offered her a hand. “Come on. We still have afternoon lessons.”

  Rose took his hand and got to her feet. As they walked away, she looked over her shoulder, drinking in one last view of the pond where Silverlight had given her one more good memory of her family.

  Chapter 15

  “We’re doing crafts tonight?” Rose asked later that day, surprise on her face.

  “Yes,” Silverlight said patiently. “I told you that over breakfast. Everblue and Rebecca are coming over, remember?”

  “Oh. With everything that happened earlier, it must’ve slipped my mind.” After seeing her family, she’d had trouble focusing on her studies. The healing lesson had gone worse than usual, and Alda had given up trying to get her footwork in order and had her doing laps around the field instead.

  “Well, they’ll be here soon. Put on something you don’t mind getting paint on. I’ve got to get set up for a carving lesson.”

  Rose nodded and went to change. When she came back, a table had been set up in the living room and was sitting on a cloth that would soak up any paint spills. A couple of feet away, two chairs and a side table had been pulled together, and a small chest sat next to one of the chairs.

  After a quick knock, Everblue peeked around the door. “Hello, hello.”

  Silverlight grinned and waved him in. “Welcome. It’s been too long.”

  Everblue dropped an armful of stuff in a chair and pulled Silverlight in for a hug. When he was done with Silverlight, he came over to Rose, arms open. She smiled and stepped forward. Everblue wrapped his arms around her, lifted her in the air, and swung her around. He set her down, laughing and gasping for breath, and quickly kissed each of her cheeks.

  “Good to see you, too,” Rose managed between heavy breaths.

  Behind Everblue, Rose saw Silverlight greeting Rebecca. Her mouth was pursed as she glanced unhappily in every direction. Rose stepped around Everblue and
offered Rebecca her hand. Rebecca looked at Rose’s hand for several seconds before offering her own.

  “I’m glad you could make it,” Rose said.

  Rebecca shrugged. “Nothing better to do.”

  Rose released Rebecca’s hand and nodded because she didn’t know what to say. Really, there wasn’t much of a response to that. Rebecca seemed determined to be unhappy. And rude, apparently.

  “Silverlight has been looking forward to teaching you about carving,” Rose told her anyway. “He tried to teach me, but I’m hopeless.”

  “I doubt I’ll be any good.”

  “It should still be fun,” Rose said with forced cheer before turning to see what the boys were doing.

  Everblue had set up two collapsible easels, each with its own canvas stretched around a wooden frame. The canvas couldn’t have been more than eight inches square, but Rose was sure filling it would occupy plenty of their evening.

  “Rose, could you get us two cups of water?” Everblue asked as he laid out two sets of brushes and a tray filled with small pots of paint.

  “Of course.”

  As she went into the kitchen Rose heard Silverlight talking to Rebecca. “Let me hang up your jacket. Would you like anything to drink?”

  “No.”

  Silverlight ignored her sullen tone and simply said, “Why don’t you sit down and we can get started.”

  The sound of water filling the cups covered up any reply she gave. Rose brought the water over to Everblue, who was fiddling with the order of brushes and had added a pencil to each pile.

  “Would you like something to drink? I should’ve asked earlier,” Rose said.

  “Do you have any honey wine?”

  “Yes.”

  “Just a small cup.”

  Rose took the honey wine out of the cabinet and poured four small cups. She quickly checked to make sure no one was watching, then whispered, “Please heat it? It’s chilly out, and this is a night for a warm drink.”