David stared at the countertop and rubbed at a spot. “I wish I could help you. I can’t even imagine what you are going through right now.”
Travis walked back in. “Okay. My aunt will come by after work, and she is going to stop and get us pizza. What do you want on yours, Evalia?”
“I like anything but anchovies, so whatever y’all want is fine with me.”
Travis looked at David. “Our usual, then?”
“Sounds good to me.” David looked at me. “Come on, Sugar, I have some scrolls about Shadoewynne you can read this afternoon. I’ll take you to the family room, where our books are.”
“Alright.” I got up and followed him out the door. He led me down the hallway and turned into a darkened room. I followed him in as he flipped on the light. It was a very dated room, with dark paneling on the walls and brown variegated shag carpet. There were several large overstuffed chairs with ugly, seventy’s style upholstery around the room, as well as table lamps on the small wood end tables next to each chair. Even though it was outdated, it was a very homey and comfortable feeling room.
He walked over to one of the large bookcases that went from the floor to the ceiling. There was a small step-stool next to it to reach the top shelves. As he gestured to it, he said, “This one has information about Shadoewynne. There is an enchantment on the bookshelf to make the scrolls look like books.” He took one down, and it changed in his hands to a scroll. “Scrolls are difficult at first. Let me show you how to read them. You have to roll the top up as you unroll the bottom, or its ends up being really hard to manage.” He brought it over and demonstrated how to unroll the bottom and roll it back up on the top. “Once you’re done, it will be backwards, with the bottom of the scroll where you would start reading. Say ‘criochnaithe’ and the scroll will roll back the other way so the next person can read it right, and then you can put it back. Have fun.” He said sarcastically as he smiled at me and walked out the door.
Repeating criochnaithe over and over in my mind, I looked at the scroll in my hands and at the bookshelf. It was overwhelming, to say the least. Oh well, the only way it was going to get done is if I start. I walked over to the closest chair and sat down. It was large enough that I could pull my legs up next to me. I pulled the crocheted blanket off the back of the chair, and curled up into it. I put my head on the armrest and started to read. Soon enough, I drifted off to sleep.
I was running through the woods again. The ethereal light shone through the trees in front of me, just as it had before. Now, though, it was through all the trees ahead, not just in one spot. I twas going to turn, but a growling on my heels had me glancing back, where a strange blue and green animal that was vaguely canine was snapping at my feet, with sharp teeth and fluorescent yellow drool foaming around its mouth and streaking down its sides. My breath was choppy, and my chest hurt from running so long. The weird light was just steps away and I couldn’t stop or the creature would catch me. Suddenly, the light was gone, but everything around me looked different. The sky was lavender and the bark on the trees was dark purple and pink. The grass underneath was a brilliant, shining turquoise. Realizing this was the dream again, I stopped running and looked around for the source of the voice.
“Why, hello, Evalia, we’ve been waiting for you,” I couldn’t find the speaker, and the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere.
I jerked awake. David was leaning in, close to my face, with his hand out. “I was just about to wake you. You were yelling. Were you having a nightmare?”
“Ugh. Yes. It’s the second time I had that dream, too. The first time was the night after the paintball war.”
“Wanna talk about it?” He reached over and pushed my hair away from my face, while the panic from the dream faded quickly in the brightly lit room.
I quickly told him about the dream while I undid the braid, pulled the stragglers back and ran my fingers through my loose hair. I braided it again, then forced myself to let go.
“That’s weird.” He brushed the dream off quickly. “Well, Travis’s aunt is here with dinner, and my mom is here with a friend who may be able to help you. Come on.” He held his hand out. I took it and he pulled me up. We went into the kitchen, where Travis and three more people were waiting for us. “This is Sarah, Travis’ aunt.” A pretty, black haired woman waved at me. “Janelle, my mom, and Sibhre, a water nymph my mom knows.” Janelle looked just like David, and Sibhre was a petite, beautiful woman with dark skin, and shiny, straight hair so black it had a dark blue tint.
Sibhre smiled at me, her light blue eyes dancing. “I would love to teach you of your heritage and your inborn magic.” Her accent had a lyrical singsong sound to it, that only served to make her more alluring. She tilted her head at me in a way that reminded me of a hawk watching its prey. “Sarah tells me you know nothing of your past, correct?”
“Uh, that’s right. I just found out today that my great-grandmother was a water nymph. Apparently, my parents thought it best that I never know.” I realized as I said this that I sounded like a bitter, spoiled child. “Sorry. It’s still a little new.”
“That’s fine, Child. I am sure this was a shock to you. Some feelings of unease are to be expected.” Every move she made appeared sudden and jerky. It felt like my eyes were not seeing the whole motion, like there was some invisible strobe light. Yet at the same time she was graceful, like she was floating in water. It made my head hurt to watch her.
Sarah put her hand on my arm, drawing my attention to her. “You need to eat, Honey. They said you didn’t eat much at lunch. I remember when I found out about Shadoewynne. I was about your age. It was mind-blowing to say the least, and I don’t have Shadoewynne blood. I can’t imagine what it would be like to find out that the stories of fairies are real, and that I am one!”
Travis groaned. “Sarah, you’re not helping!” He looked over at me. “Oh my god. Evalia, just ignore her. She doesn’t have a brain-mouth filter, but she does mean well.”
I laughed. “It’s fine. My mom is the same way. I understand. I am blown away by everything that has happened. Life never gives you time to take things in slowly. It’s always sink or swim.” The nap had helped my mood and gotten rid of my headache, and truthfully, I was ravenous. Since I had just played with the sandwich earlier, I hadn’t eaten anything since a quick breakfast this morning on the way to school. Wow, that was only this morning, wasn’t it? “Travis said you were bringing pizza for dinner. Did you get breadsticks?”
“Yep, and wings. Travis told me that Sibhre was coming, so I got three with all the meats for the boys and one with all the veggies for Sibhre. Here they are.” She waved her hand at the piles of pizza on the counter. I walked over and helped myself to two slices of the one with the meat, a slice with veggies, and two breadsticks. I contemplated the selection for a minute, then added a couple wings and some ranch to my plate. That should about do it. The guys were watching me incredulously.
“Are you really going to eat all that?” David said.
“Watch me, boys!” I didn’t believe in starving myself. I sat down at the bar that was part of the island. “Can I please get a water?”
“Yeah, here you go.” David handed me a bottle of water.
Sibhre helped herself to a slice with veggies. “Once you’re done eating, we can start, if you would like.”
“Oh, yes please.” I didn’t say any more as I dug into my food. Travis and Sarah joked around, but David, Janelle and Sibhre all started eating as well. I watched them all while I ate. Well, not Sibhre. I just couldn’t watch her, she moved too weird. It was like watching one of those Japanese horror films where they skip frames while the ghost is moving. It was very unsettling. Travis and Sarah finally settled down and started to eat, so we passed the rest of the meal in silence.
Chapter 6
Sibhre stood up, and pushed some hair behind her ear. I noticed then that her ears were a little pointed, and had ridges that kinda looked like seashells. “Evalia, are you ready?�
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“Yes, I guess I am.” I sighed and got up.
“Follow me, please. Janelle, we will use your sitting room.”
“That’s fine.” Janelle waved at her absently while staring at her phone.
Sibhre led me back to the room David had called the family room. I smiled to myself. It seemed Sibhre was stuck in the past a bit.
“Please, sit. In my experience, David has never been wrong when determining powers. Let us begin. Please close your eyes and listen well to my voice.”
I did as she asked. She continued to talk, asking me to follow a glowing thread inside my mind. As I did, her voice faded until I no longer heard the specific words, but I still somehow knew what she wanted me to do. A brightly lit hallway slowly formed around me. Then, an even brighter filament materialized somehow hanging in mid-air in the center of the walkway. I began to follow the glowing thread, and I ran a hand along the wall as I walked, marveling at the texture of the walls. I had never imagined anything so vividly before. It felt like I was really there. Eventually, I found myself in front of an ancient wooden door that was decorated with intricate carvings, many of which looked like nothing more than squiggly lines. Somehow, some looked friendly, but most did not. At the center of the door was a giant half-open scaled eye. Six talons seemed to be gripping the eye through the door. It reminded me of a dragon eye, and it practically oozed hostility.
“That’s interesting.” Sibhre’s words made me jump. I turned and suddenly she was standing right beside me.
“If I’m imagining this, how can you be here?” I asked.
She smiled tightly. “This world is as real as you and I. This is where the power that we as Shadoewynne call on resides. The door is blocking your physical self from using the power in this world, and it was not put here by you. I am afraid we cannot go any further today. I need to do some research. Come back out to the earth dimension.”
I swallowed. That wasn’t good, was it? I turned around to head back out the way I came in, but there was no glowing thread to follow, and Sibhre was gone. I started to panic. She said earth dimension. What if I never got back? Could I be stuck inside my mind forever? I closed my eyes, trying to fight back the panic. I was breathing hard. I leaned over and put my head between my knees. Wait. When did I sit down? I opened my eyes and was filled with relief. I was in David’s family room, and Sibhre was staring at me strangely. Without a word, she got up and left the room. The front door was closing behind her as I came out of the room, so I headed back to the kitchen, where it sounded like everyone still was. David was even still eating when I walked in. It must have only been a few minutes, although it felt like I had been following that thread for hours.
“Why are you back so soon? I thought it was going to take hours.” David said, with a mouth full of pizza.
“Eww. Disgusting. Finish chewing before you talk. Sibhre said she needed to do more research before she could teach me, and then she just left.”
Janelle frowned. “That’s odd. Sibhre usually tries very hard to act human. It sounds like something was bothering her so she forgot. What happened?”
I told her about following the thread and coming to the door. I described the door, and told her about Sibhre appearing next to me and what she said. When I finished, she was thoughtful.
“Can you describe the decorations on the door?”
“I can try to draw them. I am pretty sure I can at least draw the one in the center. It drew my attention, and seemed very hostile.” David got me a piece of paper and a pencil. I sat down and started to draw. I started at the middle of the door and worked my way out. I wasn’t the best artist, but most of the decorations were simple shapes so it wasn’t too hard. I had just finished the line of runes around the center one, when everyone gasped.
“What?” I glanced around. What happened? Why did everyone look so terrified?
Janelle touched my arm. “Are you sure that,” she pointed to the center with a shaking finger “is what you saw? Very sure? How positive are you?”
“I am 95% sure that is what I saw. It’s a horrible drawing of it, and I may have missed a symbol or swirl here or there, but you can get the idea of it. Why?” Panic started to nibble on my brain again. Something about the door was scaring them.
Janelle glanced at my face and rubbed my arm. “Don’t worry, Sweetie. It will be okay. That is just a really powerful sealing ward. Someone took your magic from you.”
“But, if my magic is sealed, doesn’t that mean I shouldn’t be able to see the gateways?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. Seeing the gateways is because of the physical properties of your eyes, and not really magic. It’s hard to describe, but some things about being a Shadoewynne cannot be sealed or taken away.”
I don’t know why, but that made me feel better. “Oh, Okay. So, what’s next then?”
“You said Sibhre said she needed to do research?” I nodded. “Okay, then, there’s not much to do until she comes back. Wanna have a movie night?”
“Sure!” Maybe that will take my mind off all this craziness.
“So, I am going to send Travis back to your house to get some clothes for you, and David can get the guest room ready for you. While they are doing that, you can peruse our movie library and pick one you like.”
“Okay.” I gave Travis a list of things I needed and where they were at in my apartment as well as my key. I made a point to tell him to get several day’s worth of stuff, and asked him to get my glasses as well as my spare contacts and supplies.
Janelle waited for me, then led me to the living room, where a giant 70 inch TV was waiting. “Wow. That thing is huge!”
“Yeah, David loves his electronics! The movie collection is over here.” She gestured to a small closet. When I opened the door, all four walls were covered floor to ceiling with short shelves, just tall enough for a DVD box. The only opening in the shelves was for the door. Overwhelmed with choices, I picked out the first rom-com I saw, The Princess Bride.
“Oh, that’s one of my favorites!” Janelle said, holding out her hand for the box. I gave it to her and sat on the couch.
She put it in the DVD player and dimmed the lights. “The couch is a recliner too, there are buttons on the side.”
“This is awesome!” I put the recliner part out and relaxed in the chair.
David poked his head in the room. “The guest room is made up, it’s next to where you were this afternoon. I put another ward on it as well, so if your nightmare is more than a dream, it shouldn’t bother you tonight.” He glanced at the TV. “I am not watching this drivel, I am going to go do my school work!” I snickered as he headed out. I thought the movie was the opposite of drivel, but oh well, his loss. Even though it was one of my favorite movies, I had to concentrate on it so that my mind did not wander to all that had happened. It took effort, but the movie, and my peace of mind, was worth it.
About halfway through the movie, Travis came back in. I heard David yell to him, and he went upstairs for a minute, but came back down pretty quickly.
“The Princess Bride! I love it!” He plopped on the couch next to me, and put his feet up on my recliner. I looked at him in surprise, but he was staring at the screen. I watched the light from the TV play across his features, and was struck again by how cute he was. I sighed.
“What? Am I intruding? Was this a girls night?” He started to get up. I put a hand on his arm to stop him.
“No, you’re fine. The sigh was because I was thinking about how weird all of this is, and wondering if it’s all an elaborate dream.”
“I understand, but no, it’s all real. You’ll get used to it eventually, once we figure out what’s going on.”
I sighed, “You’re right, I guess.”
He smiled. A few minutes later, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and was stunned to see him watching me and not the movie. He seemed to be studying my face and a small smile played at the corners of his mouth. I looked back at the
movie, and blushed. A little later, I risked another glance, and he was still watching me. That was it.
“What? Do I have pizza on my face?”
He grabbed my hand that was waving around my face. “No, I was just thinking that not many women could learn what you have today, and still watch a movie like nothing has happened.” His thumb was rubbing circles on my palm, and little tingles followed it. “Most would have run screaming, and never looked back.”
I sighed, again. I really needed to stop that. The movie had helped quiet the panic that had been threatening to overwhelm me. “It was a shock, but at the same time, it wasn’t. I’ve always known I was different, but I thought it was just because I am an army brat. I could never keep friends, and since I’m an only child too, it was lonely. And being lonely makes people odd. I just don’t seem to connect to people the way others seem too.”
Janelle spoke up. “That’s a part of having Shadoewynne blood. You are not fully human, and most people can sense that on a fundamental level. It makes them hold back when dealing with you. So you never form that special connection between best friends.”
“Well, at least now I know. I always wondered what was wrong with me.”
Travis squeezed my hand hard. “Don’t say that!” I looked up into his eyes, which seemed angry. “There is nothing wrong with you! Those people are small minded idiots who don’t know what they are missing!”
Janelle smiled and gave me an understanding look. “A little vehement, but I agree with Travis. There is nothing wrong with you, Evalia. You are more than any human could ever be.”
I shrugged and went back to watching the movie. They seemed to understand that I had said as much as I was going to, and I made sure not to look at Travis again, although I was sure I could feel his eyes on me.
The movie ended and Travis stood. “Well, I better get back home. See you tomorrow, Evalia?”
“Yep, see you tomorrow. Shit! Did Sarah bring me things so I can leave the house?”
A Glint of Shadoewynne: Book 1 of the Shadoewynne Series Page 5
