by Sarah Beth
Abby chuckled, like she hadn’t just been thinking the same thing. He looked back at her with a smirk, and she knew that he had caught on to that himself. Watching him push himself off the bed, admiring his arms as they flexed under his tunic, he padded barefoot to the bathroom. “Come on, little witch. Let’s get out of these clothes.”
With more effort than it probably should’ve taken, she pushed off the bed and headed for the large armoire that sat just outside of the bathroom. Laying folded on one shelf were the pajamas she had been wearing since their arrival, freshly laundered and clean, just like every other night. Wesley was right, they needed to sleep, they would worry about evidence hunting in the morning.
~~~
Walking through the center of the village felt different that morning, and it wasn’t just the conversation from the night before. Faye were bustling about every which way, carrying food and other goods in large baskets on their hips. It appeared that news of the High Councils arrival had spread. Even the buildings and homes, not unkept in the slightest, looked brighter and cleaner. The hedges were trimmed to the perfect height and the flower beds and vines shown in the sunlight. Everything looked like it had been perfected overnight. It made Abby both excited and nervous. She suddenly regretted the plain breeches and light blue tunic she had put on that morning. One of the many gowns always present in her closet probably wouldn’t have stuck out so much. But she didn’t need a gown where she was headed.
Weaving her way through the throngs of people, she made her way to one of the less crowded side streets, between houses. It almost made her chuckle to herself that she knew little short cuts already, after only being in town a short time. The houses broke away, revealing an open courtyard with green grass and large flat stones in random areas where people could sit. Only one other Faye was in the clearing, a woman in a long green gown, reading a book perched in her lap. Abby was quiet as she passed her and headed for the training fields just beyond another row of buildings.
As the clearing came into view, she could make out Soryn amongst a group training in hand to hand combat. She couldn’t recall seeing Soryn in anything but his formal guard wear, but today he was in a simple pair of gray breeches and pale tunic, the sleeves ripped off. The high-cut boots he always wore were still present, but these looked old and worn, not like the spotless ones that usually covered his feet. Standing off to the side of the fighting rings, she watched as he and another guy tousled about before Soryn gripped him and threw him over his shoulder. The Faye, his dark black hair dusted with dirt, hit the ground with a thud.
She waited until Soryn helped the guy up with an outstretched hand before she walked closer. He was saying something to his opponent when the man inclined his head in her direction and Soryn turned. If the dirt on his own face was any sign, she suspected he had hit the ground once or twice too. He nodded at her quickly before saying something else to his companions; the words lilting and soft, before he walked towards her, brushing his hands off on his legs.
“Good morning, Abigail. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Glancing past him at the group getting ready to train more, she raised an eyebrow, “Why has no one taught me the Faye language yet?”
His eyes brows knit together, not expecting the question, before he shrugged. “I’m not sure...I suppose that is something you should ask my Uncle.”
She hummed, still listening at the group speaking, trying to catch separate words and syllables. Shaking her head, she looked up at Soryn, “Sorry, that wasn’t why I came here but it’s something I’ve been wondering.”
He shrugged a shoulder and began walking towards one of the tables near the trees. She followed as he grabbed a towel and rubbed it around his neck and face, but she chose to not point out how it only spread the dirt around. Setting the towel back down, he sighed, and she could see how bunched up the muscles in his shoulders were. “I barely slept last night, I’ve been here since before the sun rose.”
Making a pointed look at his appearance, she raised her brows high on her forehead. “I never would’ve guessed.” A small smile worked its way onto her face, and she was relieved when he laughed lightly.
Glancing out at the expanse around them, he chuckled as he folded his arms over his chest. “Alright, what did you want with me?”
Looking back out over the training field, another pair had faced off in a ring. Shrugging one shoulder, she looked back at Soryn. “I figured if a war was coming, I should probably know how to defend myself against a vampire. Magic or no magic, I don’t know much self-defense.”
He looked at her for a moment, one eyebrow raised, and hummed. “Does your Mate know you’re here?”
Chuckling, Abby wasn’t sure. With how much their minds had been linked in the last few days, it was entirely possible that he knew, even though she hadn’t actually told him using words. She settled on a coy smile and a shrug.
Running his hand down his face, he sighed. “If I have a wolf coming after me, I’m putting you between us.”
“Sounds good to me.”
He grumbled something in his language before walking off to an empty dirt circle, looking over his shoulder only once to see if she was following him.
She was hot, sweat beading down her back. Glad she had the forethought to braid her hair that morning, it still felt hot and heavy against her bare neck. She stood in a position that her muscles were still trying to get used to, her arms felt heavy and overworked after the last hour. And all they had done was go through different defensive forms and stances. She was ashamed at how out of shape she was. But that’s what happens when one stops going to the university gym a few days a week.
“Okay, now, dip that shoulder a bit more. There you go. Right, now twist your hip just a bit — perfect.”
Gritting her teeth, she reminded herself for the thirtieth time that she had asked for his help. She would not snap at him for trying to make her form perfect. But if he critiqued her hip placement one more time.
His hands appeared on her shoulders again, pushing lightly to even them out. “Remember, just because vampires are stronger and faster, doesn’t mean you can’t land a hit. Focus on the vulnerable areas of the body.” He walked back into her line of sight, stopping a foot in front of her. “Buying yourself even a few seconds will give you enough time to use a spell, something that would be more helpful than a knee to the groin.”
He took position in front of her, his hips angling away from her, and put his arms out at the ready. She raised a brow when he motioned for her to come at him with the move he had just shown her. “Seriously? Soryn you’ll break me in two.”
Rolling his eyes, he took a step closer to her. “I’m far less of a threat than a vampire and you’re half-Faye, Abigail. You’re stronger than you look. Now, give it a try.”
With a deep breath, she steadied her movements. He was standing close, but not close enough that she could take a cheap shot. With a foot or so between them, she was forced to take a step forward before releasing her pent up muscles. Kicking out her leg in a low arch in front of her, she swept him right off his feet, without so much as knocking herself off balance.
Dropping her fists to her sides, Abby couldn’t help but laugh triumphantly. Not that knocking the legs right out from underneath someone was rocket science, but it was easier said than done, too. Soryn had a small smile on his face when he pushed himself back off the ground and dusted his hands off.
“Good job. Now, try it again. I won’t just stand there this time.”
Getting back into her stance, she first made sure her hips and shoulders were even with the ground like he had shown her. Then she took a few steadying deep breaths before jumping into action and sweeping her leg over the ground. But she hit nothing. The momentum kept her going in a circle until she stopped herself and stood back up, looking around. To her left, a few feet between them, stood Soryn with a grin on his face. “Told you I wouldn’t stay still this time. You need to stay focused on your opponent at all
times, know where they’re going to be before they even move.”
Tossing her hands in the air in exasperation, she groaned. “And how the hell am I supposed to do that?”
Before she could react he was behind her, his arm loosely held around her neck. His breath tickled her ear when he spoke. “Get in their head, Abby. Not like you do with your Mate, but similar nonetheless. The air around you is charged with energies from every person, focus on that energy and you’ll gain more information than you’ll ever want.”
Just as he was about to let her go she grabbed his arm around her and with all the energy she had left, flung him over her head and into the dirt. His shocked face would be enough to make her laugh for years. Extending her hand, she helped him back onto his feet, but she never wiped the grin off her own face.
Shaking his head of the dirt now in his silver hair, Soryn chuckled. “Your form was perfect.”
Shrugging one shoulder, she smiled at him as she headed for the nearest table where water and towels sat. “I had a good teacher.”
Filling two goblets, she was about to take a drink when a messenger boy came running into the clearing. He stopped a foot from Soryn and pulled himself to attention. The change in Soryn’s demeanor was instant. His shoulders and spine straightened, he held his chin higher, and his eyes hardened. Gone was the young Faye who had become her friend. He was a warrior again.
“Your presence and that of Lady Abigail’s is requested at Lord Elazar’s home. Immediately.” The boy only left after Soryn nodded his head in dismissal.
Abby watched the young Faye go before turning to Soryn. “That’s the youngest Faye I’ve ever seen.”
Soryn hummed, already looking serious and troubled. Grabbing his overcoat from the table, he strapped it on over the dust-covered tunic. “We don’t have many children here, most stay at the ancestral home of the Faye until they are of age. He probably came with a member of the Council.”
Questions burned in her mind, but Soryn gave her no time to ask them. He took off for Elazar’s home with purposeful steps. She had to run to catch up with him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Abby
As they reached the highest level of Elazar’s home, Abby’s eyes were drawn to Wesley who stood by the long table covered in plants, looking at something. He barely looked up when she stepped off the stairs, but she felt his consciousness as it brushed against her own. Soryn’s gentle hand on her back guided her towards the other side of the room, where Elazar and Neirdre stood speaking low. As they approached, the Faye stopped speaking and turned to regard her and Soryn.
Elazar’s brows were pulled tight, his lips a thin line. “Abigail, do you have the necklace you found in your father’s home? Is it on you now?”
Taken aback by the question, her brows knit together before she slowly nodded. Reaching into the side of her boot, she pulled the necklace out. She had put it there that morning, not wanting it to get ruined while she trained but also not wanting to go without it. Holding it out, the sun hit the stones, the colors becoming more vibrant, before she set it into Elazar’s outstretched hand. She was vaguely aware of Wesley coming to stand by her right shoulder, but her eyes stayed focused on the necklace.
Elazar studied it for a moment before nodding his head silently. He handed it back to her with careful fingers. “I suppose you don’t know what stones those are? Or if there are any charms or spells attached to the trinket?”
Gripping the necklace in her hand tightly, she shook her head. “I haven’t exactly had time to read up on my crystals and gemstones. And how would I know if there was any magic attached to it?”
Elazar raised an eyebrow, but it was Lady Neirdre who spoke. She laid a gentle hand on Abby’s shoulder. “Peace, child, we don’t mean to frustrate you. But we received news this morning that someone has been very interested in your magical tutelage.”
Casting a glance at Wesley, Abby wondered if he had been reading a letter from Alex. Sensing her thoughts, he shook his head. “We did get a letter from him, but no, I was reading a letter from Warren. Someone broke into Elazar’s home in the woods and into Claire’s house. They were looking for something.”
“Looking for something? For what? This doesn’t make sense.” None of it did. Why would anyone break into the home of a Faye or a witch, and what could they possibly be looking for? She gripped the necklace tighter, could feel the points of the raw stones digging into her skin.
Gesturing to the table from where Wesley had come from, Elazar inclined his head to her closed fist. “Let’s first answer my questions for you, then we may discuss other matters further.”
He walked off towards the table, but Abby didn’t follow right away. Turning to Wesley, she saw Neidre pull Soryn out of earshot. Looking up at him, she saw worry in his eyes and wanted to smooth away the lines in his forehead. “I missed a lot this morning, huh?”
He chuckled, but the laugh never reached his eyes. If anything, it pinched his eyebrows even more. Running a hand through his hair, she laid a hand on his chest as he sighed. “I’ll explain it all, but we should first take a closer look at that necklace.”
“Why? I don’t understand—.”
“Because,” he interrupted, “we think someone is looking for you, or something that belongs to you. We think they’ve been scrying you.”
Shaking her head, groaning in frustration, she tossed a hand into the air. “That still doesn’t have anything to do with my necklace.”
Before Wesley could say anything else, Elazar called her name from across the room. With a small shrug, Wesley turned towards the Faye, extending a hand out to Abby who took it with a sigh. As they approached the table Abby noticed that Elazar had different herbs and other plants pushed to the back of the table and on shelves jutting out of the side of the tree. A mortar and pestle sat to one side, and a copper set of scales. The letters that Wesley had been looking at before she arrived were folded and tucked to the side.
Abby set the necklace on the table. The deep brown wood making the vibrant colors darker and more threatening than before. Eyeing the marble mortar bowl, Abby looked at Elazar with a raised brow. “You’re not going to turn my necklace to dust, are you?”
He snorted, or as close to snorting as Abby would probably ever hear from him, before reaching for a few herbs. “Hardly. We are going to test this trinket for any protection charms or the like.” She watched as he grabbed a few dried leaves of basil, and another herb she wasn’t sure of, before placing them in the mortar. “With word of a possible spy looking for you, we want to make sure you have protections placed on you that will bounce those spells off.” He broke the leaves up in the bowl, before reaching for an oil in a skinny glass jar.
“You think my father already placed charms on the necklace, don’t you?”
Making a noise of agreement, he sprinkled the oil over the dried leaves. “I do, but we have to determine if those spells are still present.”
She eyed the mixture of herbs and oil in the stone bowl and raised a brow, “And cooking Italian will tell us with that?”
That didn’t warrant a response apparently, but he gave her a decent side-eye before going back to his work. Once the mixture was how he wanted it, he dumped it into his palm. Transfixed, she watched as he leaned over the necklace and whispered one word, then gently blew the concoction over it. A bright glowing from within the stones grew, it pulsed for a few heartbeats before dimming back into nothingness.
She knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Looking from the necklace to Elazar, who wore a satisfied smile on his face, she took a deep breath to gather herself. “What...what did you say?”
Cleaning his hands off on an already dirty rag, he smiled. “‘Lispera’, or reveal.”
Trying to memorize the word, she looked back at the necklace. It sat just as cold and dark as it had the moment she had set it on the table. “So? Was that a yes?”
Chuckling, Elazar patted her gently on the shou
lder. “Yes, child. Thaliyunn placed some powerful protection spells on his gift. Wear it at all times, never go anywhere without it.” He squeezed her shoulder at the end to prove his point.
Nodding, she grasped the necklace, but Wesley’s hand appeared over her own. With a small smile on his lips, he took it and laid it against her bare collarbone. Without saying a word, she lifted her braided hair off her neck so he could clasp it behind her. He laid his hands on her shoulders when he finished, placing a gentle kiss to the side of her head. The moment was over just as quickly as it began when Soryn and Neirdre walked over to join them.
Soryn nodded at the necklace, now placed proudly on her sternum. “I’d be surprised if each of those stones doesn’t hold a different purpose. Protection may be one of them, tied specifically to the Fire Agate — that’s the orange scaly looking one on the left — but I bet there are more.”
Touching her own sternum like a necklace would appear there, Neidre said, “The Labradorite in the center is especially exquisite. He searched a while for that one.”
“He searched for them himself? I assumed he bought the necklace as it is…”
The woman smiled fondly, “No, he crafted it himself. The last time I laid eyes on it, it was still missing the Apophyllite stone. That was a few years ago.”
Abby suddenly had far more appreciation for the necklace than she already did. Knowing that her father had made it himself, searching for the perfect stones to accompany the gold chain, warmed her heart. Her feelings were still messed up around the man, but his intentions couldn’t be held in question — he had tried to protect her, until his dying breath. Touching the stone in the center — the Labradorite — she looked at Neidre, “What do they mean? All stones have meanings, right?”
Smiling, the woman nodded before reaching past Elazar for a small book that had been sitting against the trunk of the tree, leaves of plants obscuring it from view. Flipping through a few pages, she made a satisfied sound before presenting the book to Abby. On the page, bookmarked by her finger, was a painted picture of the blue veiny stone on her necklace. Reading aloud, Abby traced her finger across the page. “Labradorite is known for its highly mystical and spiritual powers, perfect for adding to meditations focused on clearing the aura and mind. It is a stone of transformation, spiritual connection, and intentions.”
