Toby
Toby remained quiet the rest of the way through the woods. The last thing he wanted was to be strangled by some plant or whatever it was again. He could hardly believe any of this had happened and the events kept running through his head until he made himself believe it.
“Wait, we are getting close we should blindfold him,” the other Fae said.
“Seriously,” Wes said, pulling Toby forward. “I don’t think an Etherling will be our downfall.”
“No, Eli is right. We need to take every precaution even though this one looks too scared to remember where he has been.” The giant Fae chuckled as he whipped out a thin piece of cloth.
Toby didn’t say anything and went blindly through the forest. With his sight gone, he tuned in his ears to his surroundings. Their footsteps were light, and almost in unison except for the giant. A slight breeze blew around them making the needles in the trees whistle a lonely tune, and cawing sounds, like blackbirds, broke the silence making Toby twitch in surprise.
The mellow smell of the woods was replaced with fresher air, and the soft ground was replaced by a hard pathway. The smell of bread baking greeted him first before his blindfold was removed.
“Welcome to the Rebels Compound.” The giant Fae smiled as he stuffed the blindfold back into his pocket.
“Is Lyssa here?” Toby asked. “And Craig—he was the one with me.”
“There will be time for questions later,” the giant said. “Take him to the guest quarters, Wes.”
“What am I a servant now?” Wes mumbled with a stern glance from the giant.
Wes took Toby from what he thought looked like a large dining room with many rectangular tables and a fireplace in the shape of an open mouth dragon. Toby looked at it for a moment before being led down a long hallway.
The cool, stone wall echoed voices from adjoining hallways. A few Faes passed by. They were all about Toby’s age and didn’t seem concerned about who he was as he couldn’t help but to look at each one as they went by. They looked human except for their more angled features and eyes of such brilliant colors like precious stones.
“So, you know Lyssa?” Wes suddenly asked.
“Yes, is she here? Can I see her if she is?”
“No she isn’t here at least I don’t think so. You got here the same time I did, and she wasn’t here when I left,” Wes said, stopping by a thick looking wooden door.
“Here you go. No need to tip.” Wes pushed Toby through the doorway and slammed the door behind him.
“Toby.” Craig anxiously said his name. “What is going on? Did they tell you anything because they never said anything to me?” Craig turned from Toby before he could answer. “This is really crazy. I mean, what will happen when we don’t go home or return to school. Your mom will be so freaked out.”
“They have ways to fix that.” Craig shot Toby a confused look. “They have…spells.” Toby even though experiencing it himself, still found it unbelievable to be talking about such things. “The spells cover their tracks so don’t worry.” Toby felt he had to reassure Craig because he felt it was him that got Craig into this mess. “My mom won’t even be concerned so when we go back, we won’t have to explain anything.”
Craig flopped onto one of the two beds alongside the grey stone wall. Toby sat on the other one, and looked at Craig who covered his eyes with a bent elbow.
“That’s how they did it last time when I went to Cloaksville,” Toby said as Craig sat up. “And everything was fine.”
Craig looked at Toby for a moment, and then got up pacing the room.
“Sorry I didn’t believe you.” His voice was sincere.
“It’s alright,” Toby replied. “There has got to be a way out of here. You know they aren’t going to tell us anything. We’ll have to find out things by ourselves.”
“Well, I already tried the door. The damn thing is solid wood and thick,” Craig said as Toby went over to the window. “I tried the window too—locked.”
Suddenly, a knock came to the door followed by the sound of the lock jiggling and then the squeak of the door opening. Toby stood by Craig as a girl with slick, pulled back hair, pale skin and icy blue eyes that gazed between Craig and Toby. Her clothing was dark nearly making her a shadow in the room. From her bent arm, hung a basket with something wrapped in it and in her other hand was a glazed pitcher. She sat everything on the table by the fireplace.
“Hello, my name is Lizzi, and I thought you might be hungry.” With her delicate hands Lizzi took out of the basket two glasses, plates and a loaf of bread already sliced.
“Sorry I couldn’t get anything better for you.” She handed the plates to them. “It isn’t quite time for breakfast and the cooks don’t like the kitchen messed with.”
“That was the bread I smelled when I came here,” Toby said as Lizzi’s eyes gazed into his.
“You have good observation. I didn’t think Etherlings were good with their senses,” Lizzi said pouring what looked like water into the glasses and sat them on the small table.
Lizzi then motioned for them to sit as she grabbed from the mantle a small box. Toby watched her open the slide back top and scoop what looked like power. In her cupped hand she sprinkled the dust into the fireplace and ignited a fire with a sudden poof.
“How did you do that?” Toby asked amazed.
“Do what?” Lizzi asked. “You mean light the fire.” She looked back at the fire and then at them.
“It really isn’t all that magical. It is just reigniting dust, but I suppose you two Etherlings are not used to such Faeish things,” she said moving the logs around the warming fire.
“What are they going to do with us?” Toby asked. “They can’t keep us here for long, what use are we to them?’
Lizzi looked at him with her magnificent blue eyes surrounded by her pale complexion.
“That I’m not sure, but I do know that Zoey said that we need to protect you, and you are safe here with us,” she said pulling out a small jar filled with amber substance. “How about another slice and this time with honey?”
Lizzi slathered on the thick honey nearly pulling the bread apart.
“Is Zoey alright? Why can’t I see her?” Toby asked.
“She made it here in time along with Sean and Deravon. They are doing well and soon we will have a gathering to decide what needs to be done,” Lizzi said, eating a slice of bread herself.
“What is to be done?” Craig suddenly asked.
“Oh, sorry, this probably seems like bits and pieces I am telling you. Well, let me start from the beginning for you.”
Lizzi told them about how the Rebels came here escaping the troubles of Avalon and the grip the Muse brothers had on it. Most of them here were young some facing prison and some were just of the wrong creed of Fae as Lizzi called it. She told them about Merlin and how they were searching for the Everspell—the one thing that would give them leverage.
“You mean King Arthur Avalon and Knights of the Round table—are real?” Craig sat on the edge of the bed as he ate another slice of bread.
Lizzi put the honey back into the basket and smiled as she shook her head. “At times our worlds have crossed and some Faes were drawn back to our homelands. So just like in your world, the legend of King Arthur I guess is a mystery we both share.”
“But you said Merlin is here. Surly he knows.” Toby asked as Lizzi’s blue eyes lifted and met his.
“Merlin is just his name. He isn’t the Merlin, but he does have linage of powerful vessels, and even a little royalty. Merlin has great power as he’s a magic vessel. The Muses would love to have him in their collection. We have finally managed to create portals for quick traveling all over. It sure beats traveling on foot.”
“Don’t forget to tell them when one of us needs to use the facility and the schedule for that. Honestly Lizzi, did you leave nothing out?” Wes said leaning against the door jamb.
; “The Etherlings are with us.” Lizzi stood up turning to Wes.
“You are so naïve,” Wes said, closing the door behind him.
“I am not.” Lizzi protested with her eyes that grew a cooler shade of blue. “I had one of my premonitions,” she said under her breath as she put the dishes back into the basket.
Wes didn’t answer only looked away with paleness to him. The room grew silent as Toby looked at Wes and then at Lizzi before looking back at Craig.
“They aren’t a hundred percent,” Wes said looking more at Craig and Toby than at Lizzi.
“I’m sure.” Lizzi looked up at Wes who stood with crossed arms.
Wes let out a sigh and didn’t press with her anymore. He looked suspiciously at Toby more than Craig.
“We don’t know much about Etherlings, so it is best not to fill their little minds with things they don’t need to know,” Wes said standing by the door.
Toby ignored Wes. It didn’t matter what he thought and all Toby was concerned with was Lyssa and Craig and getting out alive.
“I will be back later with something better to eat and hopefully more information for you,” Lizzi said as Wes cleared his throat.
Toby smiled at her as he handed her the basket. She returned the smile and looked down as she took the basket from him. Her face suddenly filled with confusion.
“Wait,” she said, putting the basket down and looked at Toby’s hand with the partial mark on it.
She held his hand in hers. Her touch was gentle and tickled his palm as she ran her delicate fingers across it. His mark sparkled like water glistening in the sun.
“You have a mark…or more like a partial one.” Lizzi smiled and looked at Toby with delight. “This changes everything.”