“Wow, she said all that?”
“Yes, but with not so many words.” Shade yawned as she stretched and slumped onto the arm of the couch, blinking her heavy eyelids. The day had lasted forever and her muscles ached from training. She had been sleeping like a rock since she had started the fight training. She was hoping it would get better with some time and practice, but her muscles still protested with all the physical work.
“You look exhausted, Shade. You need to rest, especially for tomorrow.” Dylan smiled at her as he shifted on the couch.
“What’s tomorrow?”
He turned toward her, lips pressed and eyes looking almost as exhausted as she felt.
“We’re leaving, again.”
Shades eyelids flipped open from the dreamy half-awake state she had been hovering in. Sitting up, she stared at him, shocked.
“What? What the hell do you mean we are leaving? I’m not going anywhere.” She watched his face assume its flat expression at her answer. She was getting quite sick of his blank facial mask that he had seemed to wear a little bit too often lately. She longed for some sort of feeling other than nothing to seep through his façade; wondering what was lingering in his empty stares.
“Well, I didn’t know either until this evening while you were with Ilarial, if that helps any, Shade. Queen Zinara has asked us to meet up with Prince Lotinar to discuss our alliance. He has agreed to meet halfway from the Santiran City. He requested to meet with you in particular besides the rest of the Queen’s advisors. We leave at daybreak, so you have to get your things together right now.”
The disgust on Shade’s face did not faze him one bit. She stood, flinging one of the sofa pillows at him, and marched away towards her room. She was seething and wide-awake now. How dare he not tell me this until now? He had been extremely silent on the way home from Guildrin, though that hadn’t seemed too unusual to her. He was always pretty much keeping to himself, especially since he had to hang with her constantly, and yet he seemed to flare up her temper easier than anyone else she knew.
She flopped down on her bed, stuffing her face into her pillow. She wished things were different. Sometimes she wished she had never met Jack and hadn’t been introduced to Faerie at all. It had done nothing for her except cause more pain and confusion. She could be heading straight to college with Brisa, with nothing but parties and studying to worry about. Not now, now she was stuck with the concerns of her Faerie lineage and obligations. She didn’t want to return to the hikes and dirt that were sure to come. She hated the outdoors, maybe a little less now than before her journey to the Fountains, but she was sure-as-hell not wanting to repeat her adventure at all.
Sitting up, she glanced around her room. Nothing would make her happier than staying here, in her own house, with her brothers and sister running around. Nothing more.
Shade sighed and resolved to give in. She couldn’t refuse, no matter how she felt. The Fey were her people now; they were the only way she would ever understand who and what she was. She grabbed her backpack off the floor and whispered the shrinking spell into it, like Ilarial had taught her. She smiled as the pack’s insides blackened into the bottomless pit that would let her pack whatever she wanted into it without the bulk. She began stuffing clothes and essentials into it. She made sure to grab her family’s picture with her human stepfather in it. She was feeling pretty sure that this was not going to be a day trip.
When she finished, she left her pack by her door and slipped into her pajamas. Under her sheets, she laid back, cradling her head. Sighing, she turned to set her alarm to a forsaken early morning hour and flicked the light off, welcoming sleep quickly.
Chapter Four
“WHO’S JOINING US this time around?” Shade asked as she sat on a fallen log near the Guildrin Mound entrance. Soap was standing near her. He smiled as he also plopped down on the log and gave her a hug. He was absolutely gleaming from seeing her again, even though they had talked just the day prior. He was always happy to see her. He breathed in deeply, like the air was fresh and exhilarating. Shade rolled her eyes and leaned her chin in her hand as she drew in the dirt with a stick.
Whatever, thought Shade. Her mood was still no better than the night before.
“Oh come on, Shade, don’t be such a pickle. We get to trek through Faerie again. How exciting is that! We won’t even have to stay at the Teleen Caverns this time, what a relief! You’ll get to see a whole new side of Faerie. Aren’t you even the least bit excited?” Soap frowned at her and shook his head as she shrugged.
“Thrilled.”
Dylan walked up to her just then, his lips in a tight line as his eyes narrowed at the sight of Soap. He cleared his throat and turned his attention down to Shade.
“Shade, we’re pretty much ready. Rylan is coming with us, but so are Than, Sary, and Stephen. Camulus joins us from Prince Lotinar’s guard to lead us to the meeting point. Are you ready? We won’t be traveling too much by foot.”
Shade’s eyes widened. “Wait, what do you mean, who’s Camulus and where’s Jack?”
“He is on a special mission from the Queen herself,” Dylan informed her. “I’m talking about Camulus. He has the ability to teleport. If we link together while holding on to him, he can teleport us to wherever we want to go. He’s one of Prince Lotinar’s lieutenants, sent to pick us up. Beats traveling by foot any day, don’t you think?” He smiled down at her surprised face.
“Wow. Something new to learn every day. I couldn’t agree more.” Shade returned the smile, her mood elevated with his disarming charm; which rarely came out. She jumped to her feet along with Soap and followed Dylan towards the familiar group of warriors.
Camulus turned out to be part Elven and part Pixie. His long hair was pulled back in a thick tail of silver-blond, a trademark belonging to the Elves. His skin was a smooth, leafy type, green, like a Pixie, and his eyes were a gleaming, fiery, orange-yellow. Shade wasn’t sure which one of his heritages gave him those.
“Camulus, I’d like you to meet Shade, the newest member of our Court.” Dylan gave Shade a slight shove to push her towards the green guard. Shade swallowed back her shock and managed to crack a timid smile.
“Um, hi, uh, Camulus? Pleasure to meet you.” She shook his hand and noticed the smoothness of his hand, which seemed a bit thin with abnormally long fingers. He did have a firm grip. She slowly pulled away, but his hand lingered a moment longer, testing her grip just the same. He watched her curiously but then let her go, smiling and flashing pearly white teeth.
“The pleasure is mine, Shade. I’ve heard much about you,” he said while still staring at her.
“Have you? All good I hope.” She felt herself continue to flush under his relentless gaze.
“Extremely good indeed.”
Shade glanced away from the intensity of his fire-lit eyes. They seemed to see into her, peeling away her surface to get right through her somehow. It was almost as if he knew a little too much about her. She wondered just how much he had heard, and from whom.
“I apologize for my curiosity, m’lady. I’m most intrigued by you. A wielder of the Water Magic of the Santiran Fountains is unheard of. I would most love to see how you use it sometime.” Camulus bowed, never letting his intense stare waver. She smiled and returned the gesture. She had to admit that he intrigued her too, not in an infatuated way, but more in a curious way instead.
“Shall we proceed then?” Dylan motioned to the rest of the group. Camulus held his hand out as he gestured her to take it. She slipped her fingers through his and stepped back, allowing Sary to take his other hand as the rest of the group linked up into a circle.
“Ready? Hold on tight, this might feel disorientating.” Camulus said as he closed his eyes. In the next moment, the world flashed away. Shade felt like she was hurling uncontrollably, and held fast to the hands she gripped. The toss ended almost as fast as it had begun. Shade opened one eye followed by the other to find them still standing in a circle, but the forest was
gone. Instead, a great glass castle stood before them on a lush, grassy, hillside. They released their hands and examined their new surroundings.
“Wow, that was a rush! How did you do that?” Shade’s face flushed scarlet as she pressed her lips together, realizing her outburst. Shoot, I must look like an idiot!
Camulus smiled back at her. His brilliant eyes glowed back at her even brighter with the mid-morning sun reflecting across his irises, much like cat eyes on fire.
“That’s pretty much the reaction I get from first timers. Pretty cool, huh?” Camulus’ face lit up as he winked towards her.
Shade nodded, wondering how it was that he seemed to chat along with her as if he were just another person, not an Elven Guard. “Do you ever venture outside of Faerie? Like wear glamours or anything? You seem pretty laid back for being Fey. I mean, like you hang with humans sometimes.”
He nodded, raising an eyebrow as his eyes danced while pondering her questions. “Ya, I like checking out the iron cities around Faerie. Humans are quite fascinating. I wear pretty strong glamours to not stand out like a sore thumb and to ward off the iron-sickness. Want to see what I tend to look like when I get the chance to wander off?” Camulus looked eager to transform. Shade nodded with her eyes wide open and waiting.
The air around him shimmered and shivered, falling about him like glitter rain. A moment later, his green skin shown with a deep, golden-brown tone, and waves of platinum blond hair framed his head. His eyes now flashed back a muted blue color that made him look like someone from the blue lagoon. His lips widened in a grin as his eyes crinkled with it, smooth, tanned skin now where the green used to be. He looked like some kind of surfer dude stranded inland.
Shade felt her mouth gape open. She pulled it shut and grinned back at him. Not bad for being a green skinned guy.
“Nice. You’re pretty good. Soap is probably just as good as you. I’m impressed.”
“Soap? No one can top Soap,” Camulus laughed. “But I do try. I’m glad you’re impressed. You should see Prince Lotinar. He is very good at glamours, mostly ones to entice the female gender of course, but he is one of the best at changing appearances like a Changeling can, even though he isn’t one. Lately he has preferred his own face to that of any other.”
“Really? Well, he sounds pretty amazing too. I can’t wait to meet him either.” Shade said.
“Oh, he is most impatient to meet you too, Shade.” His voice seemed to wrap around her name in a deeper tone, causing the hairs on her arms to rise. She licked her lips as she nodded and turned back towards the rest of the group. He was handsome, but something about him made her feel just a tad naked.
Dylan stood a couple feet away and had almost certainly been observing them the entire time. Shade lowered her eyes away from his cold, steely, glare. His face smoothed out to a blank stare when he realized she had seen him. She tired of his brooding moods, and started walking away from both guys. Not a moment later, she felt Dylan’s hand grab her arm and readied herself to swing at him but stopped as he brought himself into step next to her, his body practically blended into hers.
“I wouldn’t get too friendly with an Elven-Pixie. They are more conniving than you can imagine,” Dylan muttered under his breath.
Shade pulled away but found his iron grip a bit too firm. “Dylan, let go! You’re digging your fingers into my arm!” Shade hissed at him. She stopped, making him turn towards her.
“You think I’m joking?” Dylan hissed. “Why do you think he likes to wander about your human world? He plays tricks and messes with ordinary people. He doesn’t care who he hurts. You best keep your distance.”
Shade yanked her arm loose, glaring at him. “You know what, Dylan? I’m tired of your pathetic bouts of jealousy. Get over yourself already! He is just being nice, and I don’t see why you have to be such a cold, narcissistic, jerk all the freakin’ time!” She marched ahead towards the Glass Castle, where everyone was filing in one by one through the clear doors.
She breathed in deeply, letting her temper slide away slowly. She wanted to smack that boy so badly. He pricked at her like a thorn that she couldn’t get rid of. She knew how frustrated he was with the blood bind, but she really had no idea what to do about it. Ilarial didn’t have any solutions either. All Shade knew was that he was becoming more of a headache with each passing day. She wondered how much longer they would be stuck with each other.
“The Glass Castle of Winter,” Soap explained as he slipped into step with her. He had waited for her to enter and had probably witnessed the whole fall out. He could sense her sullen mood, so he had decided to play tour guide instead of his usual incessant chatter. “The Castle is made of a billion connected plates of glass, none the exact same size. It is one of the last original castles built in Faerie thousands of years ago. The glass stands strong and impenetrable, no matter how fragile it may seem. Wars have waged around it so frequently and yet, here it stands. Through time and chaos, nothing has undone it. What do you think Shade? Nice digs, don’t cha think?” His slang made her smile and think of the high school kids back home. His jokes were a welcomed change from the glumness of Dylan.
“It’s pretty amazing. Is this where Prince Lotinar resides? It’s absolutely breathtaking,” Shade said.
“No, he lives in the Great Horned Castle right smack in the middle of the Santiran City. This is his summer home, the farthest south his borders reach of the northern realm of Faerie,” Soap responded.
Shade nodded at his brief geography lesson. She remembered the extensive Faerie maps she had studied on the way to the Santiran Fountains, and the ones stolen from Ursad. They looked nothing like the maps of earth that regular humans possessed. The world was much more massive and larger in land than anyone could imagine. A huge chunk of it belonged to the world of Faerie. She wondered how upset the rest of the world would be if they discovered this huge chunk of untaxed lands. Probably not too happy at all, Shade thought.
“Hey Shade,” Soap’s softened voice broke through her thoughts. She turned toward the Faerie Warrior and smiled at his twinkling emerald eyes.
“Yes Soap. What’s up?”
He squirmed for a moment and sighed, looking around the great hall they were walking through before answering her. “What’s going on between you and Dylan? I mean, well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to, um, hang out more often…” He breathed in deeply before continuing. “It’s just that, Dylan seems to be your jealous boyfriend attachment lately. I don’t want to interfere if you guys are together or anything.” They had come to a stop just outside a doorway. Soap’s voice was just above a whisper so only she could hear his questions.
Shade felt her cheeks flush as she watched him stumble over his request. She knew that he liked her, but it hadn’t occurred to her that he wanted to be an item. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she studied his face. She spotted Dylan a ways behind them, making sure he wasn’t within earshot.
“You mean like girlfriend-boyfriend? I–I really don’t know Soap.” Shade watched his face fall in disappointment as he turned back towards the rest of the group.
“Soap wait, I just didn’t expect that. Um, I love to hang out with you. You’re a ton of fun. I just don’t think I should have a boyfriend right now, even Mister Jealous. We’re not together like that. I’m not seeing him at all, if that’s what you thought. He just feels like being an overprotective bossy pants. Plus the blood bind keeps us together. You know that.” Shade felt a twinge of denial in her words but shrugged it off.
This made Soap smile and glance back at her, pleasantly surprised. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. At least I’m in the running, I guess. Especially since the stuff I’ve heard going on with the Teleen Clan about all this.”
It was Shade’s turn again to be shocked. “What did you say? What do you mean? What’s going on at the Teleen Caverns?”
Shade stared at him as he pressed his lips together. He looked like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Uh, well. I
thought you knew,” Soap stuttered. “It’s just, I heard through the grapevine that there would be some Teleen males coming to Guildrin to court you. You being all Teleen fire-resistant and all, you’re eligible bachelorette number one to them. That’s why I thought that maybe you chose Dylan already. He would be the best choice out of all of them to pair off with. I, um–I thought you wouldn’t want to be with a half-breed Teleen Changeling like me.” Soap stared ahead of them, his face still as he retreated into himself; his face glum.
Shade stared at him, her mouth agape as the shock rippled across her face. Remembering what Dylan had mentioned in the oubliette about the Teleen scarcity of females to pair with the males. She felt her heart skip a beat.
No way! Totally forgot about that. Oh crap.
Before she could answer him, Camulus opened the door they had gathered outside of and let the group file into a large sitting room. Large and intricately designed rugs lay uniformly across the floors with plush sofas in a u shape facing a large marble fireplace. The marble stone was exquisitely carved into what looked like smooth vines and tree limbs. The vast windows let the brilliant light of day flood the room enough for there not to be a need of any kind of lights. Shade wanted to walk around the room to study the elaborate designs, paintings, and trinkets on the various tables and shelves lining the walls, but someone caught her attention instead.
The Elven Prince stood by the massive fireplace and turned toward them. Shade stared at the tall Faery. His hair was silver-grey and hung down to his waist. It was partly pulled back with a leather tie. It reminded her of liquid mercury but lighter with its shining highlights. His skin was a pale milky-white, and his lips were the color of a dusted rose. They were thin and firm. But his eyes were what caught Shade. They were a deep emerald green. So deep that they seemed like an endless bamboo forest. She was sure she had seen eyes like his before. Soap had similar eyes, but these seemed to match a distant memory of hers that she could not quite put a finger on. She gulped as the Prince approached them, walking with an air of power that pulsated across the air.