“We only take individuals who would be considered an adult in their society. Anything less is depriving a child of his or her family and an opportunity to grow into the human he or she was meant to be. In the fey hearted, the desire does not fade until much later in life. The age I heard was the late thirties or thereafter.”
“What’s the oldest fey hearted to be brought here?”
“Oh, thirty-seven? I don’t recall. It doesn’t much matter. Once a human is here, the magic gives them the qualities of the fey, as you know.”
Rose nodded. The reason for not bringing children to the fey world was interesting, and had the ring of truth. Grandmother had said on more than one occasion that when Rose’s mother was young, she had loved the stories of dragons, elves, fairies, and magic. If someone as practical as her mother could love magic as a child, then anyone could.
Rose’s mind moved on to something she had discussed with Silverlight on her way to the hoplon. “I would like to see Everblue, but I’m worried it will upset him. What if I am a reminder that his own fey hearted didn’t thrive?”
“And what if you show him how a true fey hearted takes to this world? You could show him the ways you’re different from Rebecca. That may be exactly what he needs in order to understand that the fault was with her, not him.”
Bronzeblade came in then, followed by Silverlight, and Rose dropped the conversation. She and Silverlight gathered their things, and she gave Alda an extra firm hug before they left.
On the way home, Rose flicked a glance at Silverlight. “I talked to Alda about Rebecca and Everblue.”
“Good. With Rebecca gone… Well, girls need girlfriends.”
“Yeah. Alda’s awesome.” Rose paused. “I’ve decided I’d like to see Everblue, if you still think that’s a good idea.”
“I do. It would do both of you good.” He gave her a soft smile. “Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow would be good.” Rose took a deep breath. “Alda also explained how no one saw the problems when Rebecca was examined after arriving here.”
“There is no perfect system.” Silverlight put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. “However, this is where you were meant to be.”
Rose looked at the ground and nodded.
“Hey, look at me.”
She met his gaze, reassured by the certainty in his eyes.
“I’ve seen your desires and spent a lot of time with you. I believe in you. I believe this is where you were meant to be. If you doubt that, then think of your decisions since arriving. Where Rebecca looked for reasons to be dissatisfied and judge us harshly, you always look at what this world, this life, can give you. Your actions have made the difference.”
“I wanted this for so long. It was like a fire was burning inside me, and I didn’t know how to put it out. Most of my family was so uncomfortable with it, wanting me to share their desires, and I couldn’t. I tried. I tried everything they asked. I did so many activities, and went on trips, and none of it worked.” She closed her eyes. This next part would be easier to say if she didn’t have to see his reaction. “I’m scared that I’ll feel that way again, unsatisfied, and I’ll be sent back to the human world just like Rebecca.”
“That won’t happen.”
“How do you know? How can you be sure?”
Silverlight opened and closed his mouth, shook his head, and said, “Are you happy?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What is it that brings you joy? Tell me.”
Rose’s gaze drifted over his shoulder to where the goats were grazing in the Field. “There’s the magic, the lifestyle, and the creatures. Pearl and her love of cranberries. Then there’s Alda. Sometimes she reminds me of my grandmother, but other times it’s like looking into a mirror and seeing a spunkier, older, wiser version of me. And there’s Everblue, his humor—I hope he doesn’t lose that. And you. You showed me the pond, and you can tell when I’m thinking about my family.”
“That’s how I know you’ll be fine. You’re happy, and that’s the primary thing the magic wants, for the fey hearted to be happy. My mom, she missed her family, too, but she loved the life she had here.”
“She did?”
“I even heard stories about her parents and siblings.” He paused. “You can miss your family and still be happy here.”
Two fevians flew by, hissing, yowling, and tumbling through the air.
Silverlight laughed. “Well, that ruined our quiet conversation. Are you good?”
Rose smiled up at him. “I think so.”
He slung an arm over her shoulders and squeezed, steering her toward the house. “We’ll do dinner at home. I think a quiet evening is just what we need.”
“Quiet is good.” It would be nice if things were quiet for a long time.
After a lazy dinner, Rose went to bed, and for the first time in days, Pearl wasn’t with her. Rose wondered where the little dragon was and hoped she was comforting Everblue.
As Rose drifted off to sleep, she thought about her life in the human world and her life here. Hearing about Silverlight’s mother had helped. Rose had worried that the fey hearted were simply supposed to forgot about their previous lives, but Silverlight had helped her see that she could honor their memories while still living a life that brought her joy.
However, there was still one thing from her old life that bothered her—her grandmother. If anyone believed in magic, it was her, and that belief hadn’t wavered in all Rose’s life. Why would the fey choose Rose but not her grandmother?
Chapter 18
The next morning, Rose woke groggy but feeling more like herself. Another night’s sleep between her and Rebecca’s banishment had helped. All in all she felt like things were getting better. Silverlight greeted her cheerfully and was so eager to get to the magic lesson he was almost bouncing as they ate breakfast. When they were cleaning up a cup fell on the floor and cracked. He smiled, picked it up, and motioned for her to follow him into the workroom. She sat on her cushion and watched as Silverlight set the broken cup between them. Beside it he set a pair of pants that had gotten ripped during weapons work, a vase of dead flowers, and a blank piece of paper.
“All right, let’s try this a different way. Mend the cup.”
Rose held it in her hands, and with a quick thought of the ways the cup could be used if whole, and a mental query asking the magic to help out, her nose filled with the scent of lilies and the crack vanished.
“Good job. You did that without using words.” Silverlight took the cup out of her hand and slid the next object closer to her. “Now the pants.”
Rose repeated her action and again smelled lilies.
Silverlight watched her carefully. “What did you smell?”
“Lilies. So practical magic?”
“Let’s test that theory. Make the dead flowers look like they’re still alive and healthy.”
This was a new one. It took her a moment to figure out how to frame the request in her mind, but with a thought of the beauty she missed, the joy the flowers could bring, and a whiff of irises, the flowers looked like they’d just been picked.
“Irises this time. Something that’s more whimsical and for pleasure.” Rose paused. “What am I supposed to do with the paper?”
“Whatever you want. Try to get the magic to put words on it, fold it into a creature, color it, whatever comes to mind.”
For several minutes Rose looked at the paper and tried to figure out what she wanted to do. She finally settled on an image of a series of swirls, similar to what she’d painted, but in a different pattern and different colors. It wasn’t easy to get a clear picture of that in her mind, but when she did, she asked the magic to make it happen. Since there wasn’t a real benefit to doing this, she did her best to just want it to be that way.
Roses picked up a hint of irises and roses and another flower she couldn’t identify in the air. She opened her eyes to see exactly what she’d envisioned on the paper, as vivid as if she’d painted it herself, though the li
nes were crisper than what she’d managed the other night.
“What did you smell that time?”
“Mainly irises, but there were hints of roses and something else.”
“Good, good.” Silverlight smiled and rubbed his hands together. “So it does seem you identify magic based on the intention. The trick is going to be for you to know that going into a request. Now that we know how you perceive magic, we can work on more complex requests and try to make these lessons more interesting.”
Rose smiled. That was the best news she’d heard in days.
Waterfall set his coffee down and looked at the piece of paper again. Last night it had contained questions, some he wanted to ask Ember and others he was writing to help organize his own thoughts. This morning there were answers under some of the questions, and Ember’s name was written at the bottom of the page. It was less intimidating than talking to the dragon, but that didn’t reassure Waterfall any more than the answers.
Why are the elemental fey speaking to us now?
It is our prerogative.
It was not what Waterfall would consider an illuminating answer, and most of the others were equally vague.
Is a situation developing that will require communication between the fey and the elemental?
Situations are in flux, as always. That is life.
What is their interest in Rose?
We like Rose. Do not ask again.
Why haven’t they been interested in other fey hearted?
We take interest in all fey hearted.
Would the elementals answer questions if Rose were the one asking?
Involving Rose in your investigation would displease us.
Then there were the questions left unanswered.
Is Silverlight in danger?
Will Rose be accepted by the magic?
Will the elemental fey continue to communicate with us?
After considering what had and had not been answered, Waterfall went to find Ember. As he walked, he mulled over the questions and answers and what they could mean. None of it seemed good. The way he saw it, if Ember had left a question blank, the dragon either didn’t know or didn’t want to share. And Waterfall could think of no good reason for Ember to withhold information about danger to Veles or Silverlight.
After checking a few of Ember’s favorite spots, including the Elementals’ Field, Waterfall gave up and went over to Silverlight’s house. He needed to talk to Rose, and now would be as good of a time as any.
He knocked on the door.
Rose pulled it open. “Waterfall, I wasn’t expecting you. Come on in.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said as he entered.
She closed the door behind him. “Not at all. I was just doing some reading while Silverlight is picking up food at the Commons.”
“Good, good.” He paused. “Could we sit? I have a few questions about the firebird that talked to you. I meant to get over here sooner, but with Rebecca…”
Rose frowned but motioned for him to sit. “Could I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank you.”
“There isn’t much to tell,” Rose said, settling onto the couch.
“Nevertheless, I would like to hear your interpretation of the exchange.” Waterfall sat across from Rose, studying her. He would feel better if he knew why the elementals had such an interest in this girl.
“Silverlight and I were in the Elementals’ Field when we saw the birds. One of them came our direction, and Silverlight somehow knew it was going to land on me because he got the magic to put leathers on my arm. The firebird landed, then said, ‘Welcome, fey hearted. Welcome.’ It spent a moment on my shoulder, and said, ‘If you believe. If you believe,’ and flew away.”
“Do you know what it meant by that last part?”
“No. I wish I did.” Rose pursed her lips. “My grandmother used to say something like that, though.”
Waterfall’s mind raced. “Do you think there is a connection?”
Rose shrugged. “I don’t see how there could be.”
“It does seem unlikely,” Waterfall said. “Well, that was all I needed. I’ll let you get back to your studies.”
“Are you sure? You’re welcome to stay. I know Silverlight would be glad to see you.”
“I’m afraid I must be going. Tell him I said hello.”
Waterfall excused himself and headed back to his house, wondering what the elementals knew that they weren’t sharing. He did not believe chance stretched so far as to have a firebird use the same words as the grandmother of their newest fey hearted. Sadly, he doubted that Ember would be willing to answer questions on that topic. He would have to figure it out on his own.
Rose was nervous all the way to Everblue’s house. Hopefully Silverlight and Alda were correct and seeing her would be good for him. It would have been nice if it were a shorter journey rather than a brisk twenty-minute walk to Everblue’s forest dwelling.
While Silverlight had walked her by this area on her first day, she hadn’t gotten a good look at the homes. Daylight was fading quickly, but there was enough for her to notice a house tucked in the branches of a tree that was a good twenty feet in diameter. Looking around, Rose saw dozens of huge trees, and each one had steps leading up to a door set in the trunk. That didn’t make sense to her since there would have to be stairs hollowed out inside the trunk to access the home, anyway. Since the fey had yet to do something so illogical, Rose tried to figure out what else could be going on.
Silverlight guided her around several of the trees, two of which had doors but no buildings in the branches and the rest of which held structures of different sizes and shapes. When they arrived at Everblue’s home, Silverlight bounded up the steps, rapped on the door, and opened it without waiting for a response.
Rose followed him, stopping in the doorway to take it in. The fey hadn’t hollowed out a staircase, but the entire inside of the tree, redefining the meaning of the term tree house. The center of the room was dominated by a spiral staircase that twisted around a solid wood pillar. On the far side of the staircase was a kitchen that hugged the outer wall. An island with stools pushed under it seemed to double as a table or additional workspace.
The rest of the downstairs was devoted to the living area, though an easel occupied a small corner. The half-finished painting was the same style Everblue had taught her the other day, and Rose could see where lines had been drawn in pencil.
Everblue stepped around the staircase with a tray holding a teapot and three cups. “Come in. Sit down.” He placed the tray on the coffee table.
Silverlight looked at her, and Rose quickly closed the door behind her. As she did so, she realized that the outer wall was roughly two feet thick, accounting for how the room looked smaller on the inside than she would’ve guessed from looking at the outside of the tree.
Everblue embraced Silverlight before turning to Rose. She expected hesitation, but she got the same hug and a kiss on both cheeks that Silverlight had received. Rose followed them over to the living area, claimed a cozy chair, and tucked her feet under her body.
“Tea?” Everblue asked.
“An herbal, please,” she said.
He nodded and got to work. Watching his careful movements, Rose felt like she was looking at someone who was miming his way through the process. Everblue moved slowly but with great precision. Each cup was filled precisely, sugar was added delicately, and milk was poured without so much as a drop spilling. He was so focused on the task that he didn’t notice when Silverlight set a box of scones on the table.
“Here you go,” he said, handing Rose a cup balanced on a saucer. When his hands were free, he picked up Silverlight’s tea. “And for you. What, where did these come from?”
His mask fractured, and Rose could see the hurt he was hiding. A moment later, he had gotten himself back under control, but it was too late. Silverlight had seen it, too.
“I thought you might enjoy some cinnamon scones,�
� Silverlight said, his eyes fixed on Everblue’s face.
“Of course. Let me get plates.” He was off the couch before Rose or Silverlight could protest, quickly returning with a set of dessert plates, forks, and tongs.
Rose set her tea on the end table and stood next to him. She eased the utensils out of his hand, softly saying, “I can do that.”
Everblue let her take them and turned away. “I’m sorry. I just need a moment.”
Abandoning the food, Rose wrapped an arm around him. Silverlight came over and rested a hand on his back.
Rose started talking. “I was afraid to come over here because I didn’t want to upset you more, but I should have been afraid that you would upset me.”
Everblue jerked his head up, a protest forming on his lips.
Rose held up a hand. “I miss her, and I know you do, too. From the things Rebecca told me, I think you did everything you could.” She swallowed and went on. “I thought I knew what it would be like to leave everything behind, but I was wrong. At the strangest times I’ll miss my family or think of something they would have enjoyed. I’ve even thought I saw them here a few times. But despite all that, I’ve made a home, a place I don’t want to leave. This is the first time I’ve ever felt like I belong, and every day I get to see beauty and wonders that most people can’t even imagine. That’s made it worth every bit of pain.”
For a long time the three of them sat there, not speaking. Eventually Everblue sighed. “Ember talked to me. Rebecca is back with her family and happy. I asked him about some of her problems, like the way she resented that we didn’t share our knowledge with humans and how she felt we were letting them suffer when we could have helped them. He said the elementals had started to worry that she would try to correct those ‘problems.’”
Rose sighed. “But what would humans do with that knowledge? I wouldn’t trust them with access to this world or the ability to do magic. Surely you’ve had fey who turned bad?” The fey nodded. “What if you were trying to track down hundreds of people who used magic for ill or for selfish gains? There is no way to give humans magic all of a sudden without it being a disaster. Even if they could use it, many would be tempted to think it solves every problem. Rebecca could not have understood the culture here or humans as a whole if she believed that you were doing anything malicious or with the intent to harm.”
Fey Hearted Page 17
