When one slapped across my face, I ignored it. And I ignored the blood that immediately welled up and out, only to start the flow of a crimson river down my cheek.
When one scraped my arm, I ignored it too, and the blood that started to flow there as well.
I ignored the briars. And my pounding heart. And my mind screaming at me that I was a lunatic. I ignored it all and ran to the other side.
When a huge, thick branch sprouted up right at the end of the bridge, I did the first thing that came to my mind. I jumped as high as I could, hoping it would be high enough to get over the limb.
I landed on my hip and knew it would be bruised, though it was my wrist and ankle that really took the brunt of my fall.
“Lily!” Alec said as he rushed to my side. He pulled out a cloth from who knew where and wiped the blood from my cheek. “Hold it here.”
I did as I was told, holding the cloth firmly against my cheek. The giant wolf stood off to the side, with all the other wolves standing around him. I was back on the right side of the ravine, or they were all on the other side with me. I wasn’t sure.
Alec held another cloth around my arm, twisting it and wrapping it up, from my elbow to my wrist, to cover the twisted slash. He stood back, and looked me up and down.
“Were you hurt anywhere else?”
“I might’ve twisted my ankle and my wrist. But I think I’m okay.”
He nodded then turned around to face the huge animal. He knelt, just as he had when we first saw the wolf.
Virtus Animae. Fenris spoke to my mind. Then he bowed his head to me. You are welcome any time here in our Ardennes. When he lifted his head and looked back at me he added, You may leave now.
And we did. We got the hell out of there as fast as we could.
Chapter Fifteen
Nymph: A Land Fairy. They usually reside in the Ardennes province of The Empyrean. Characterized by being tall, with tanned or dark skin, and brown or green eyes. They wield magic over all land and plants.
“What did that mean?” I asked Alec after we had put quite a lot of distance between us and those creatures.
“Which part?” He was busy getting his sleeping area ready so he wasn’t really focused on the conversation.
“Virtue animal or something.” I had already finished my sleeping area, which consisted of only a sleeping bag basically, and was curled into it trying to get warm.
“Virtus Animae. It means Courage of the mind. It’s a title given to a Fae who portrays strength, bravery, valor and boldness of spirit. It’s a great honor for an elder to give you this title. Especially one such as Fenris.”
“Oh. Well it’s cool he thinks I’m brave.”
He turned to look at me. “You are very brave. We had the same test, you know. I knew I would be fine, especially considering I had my sword with me, but they didn’t allow me to help you.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “Had you chosen the wrong path, I would have died trying to protect you.”
The sincerity in his words shook me. It caused feelings that snaked their way down through my body, down to my stomach, and to my broken heart.
“So, there was a right path and a wrong path?”
“Yes. The wooden, rope bridge was for those looking for the easy way out. It would have broken, and you would have fallen and failed the test. The rope swing was for the vain, those believing they were strong enough to withstand the pull of the briars, those thinking themselves above the rest. You would have let go, and you would have died.
“The stone path was the only sure way to go, though it was the scariest. You had to be close to the briars, close enough for them to touch you.”
As he spoke, I remembered it all too well. The sounds they made would haunt my dreams. My cheek hardly stung anymore, same with my arm. Alec had put some ointment on it after washing it, and already both wounds felt so much better. But I would never forget how scared I’d been.
I looked down at my hand again… my broken tear remained. I guess that gooey ointment stuff only works if it’s applied quickly and doesn’t work at all on scars. Even though I probably should’ve had stitches, I’m glad I didn’t. I’d come to appreciate the imperfection on my hand, reminding me of that day, and reestablishing my urge for vengeance every time I looked at it.
“So, to get to the other side,” Alec explained, “you had to choose the scariest path, though it was the smartest path. You did well.” And for a minute, I almost thought he was proud of me. And for whatever reason, a reason I couldn’t explain, I liked that feeling.
“Thanks.” He smiled back at me before we drifted off to sleep.
Two days later, we continued to walk through the woods. Fenris and his minion wolves haunted my dreams. Along with the screaming and twitching briars. It had been two weeks since we entered these woods. I was so ready to get out of there.
We continued walking silently together, and it wasn’t that bad, except when I started hearing things. At first I thought it was just my imagination. But when I heard rustling and movement time and again, I decided it was more likely just some animals passing through.
And it wasn’t a giant scary wolf either, because those suckers are super sneaky and you can only feel them watching you. You can’t hear them. I hoped they would never sneak up on me again.
The wind also picked up, blowing my pale hair all around my head, giving me an uncharacteristic urge to chop it all off. It would probably be easier to fight if I didn’t have any hair. And at the moment, I didn’t care if I ever attracted a guy, so who needs it? Except… I really liked my long hair.
Along with the new breeze and the constant rustling of leaves, I also noticed the foliage was thicker. There wasn’t a branch without leaves, or a piece of land without grass. Even the trail was being overrun with grass. And flowers galore. Talk about sensory overload. The aroma was so strong and pungent if I could bottle it and sell it back in the Mortal Realm I would be the richest perfume aficionado ever. It was beautiful. Amazing.
I could smell all kinds of flowers all mixing together. They were so well blended that I couldn’t tell any of them apart from another.
Reds, blues, purples, yellows, and oranges. Flowers in the trees, and flowers on the ground. At one point I even noticed flowers floating through the air around us. It was like walking into a mythical world, which was funny, because I used to think things like this place were really only myths anyways.
The sounds grew. It wasn’t just the wind, or the leaves rustling, or even animals scampering about. I heard voices.
Alec stopped so suddenly I ran into him. He didn’t pay me any attention. He was focused. His face grew even more serious than before and he closed his eyes. His hands began to wave around beside his hips and I saw that mist that I had seen back at home. Well, back in the Mortal Realm anyway.
The whole display lasted less than thirty seconds.
“It isn’t them.” He didn’t have to specify who ‘them’ was. “I should have mentioned this before, but I…I just didn’t.” Well, obviously. “We will be seeing more Nymph around as we get closer to the Central Village. We shouldn’t have anything to worry about. No one should bother us, as long as we don’t bother them. If anyone asks, I am your mentor.”
I only nodded, because I had way too many questions and I knew he wasn’t going to answer them right now. Like- mentor? Really? And hello, we haven’t seen any Nymph yet. Ugh.
“You should be friendly, but not overly friendly with anyone. Don’t trust anyone until we know if they are still here.” I nodded again. “And,” he took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. “Just stick close to me, okay? Too many questions can lead us to the wrong people.”
I really didn’t even want to know who the wrong people were. We were on the hunt for brutal murderers. Who could be worse than that? Then he pulled his wings in, hiding them however he did. I wanted to ask him why, but again, I fought to keep my mouth closed and my questions tucked away.
The first t
ime I saw one, I was taken aback. I guess after walking with Alec for so long now, I had gotten used to seeing him with wings. It wasn’t even something I noticed anymore. He only ever pulled them in when he slept. And I naively believed that all fairies had wings, though he had already told me that wasn’t true.
Still, seeing a Nymph for the first time was crazy. She was beautiful, but tall. So freaking tall. I felt like I was two feet tall standing next to her, and I wasn’t even standing next to her yet. She just walked toward us and then passed right by us. She didn’t even seem like she saw us at all, except for the very minute nod of her head in Alec’s direction. She was very dark skinned, the color of coffee without cream, with straight black hair that went almost to her freaking knees. And her eyes were blacker than black.
And all of that wouldn’t be that big of a deal, except she had green designs that shimmered all over her arms and legs. At first I thought they were leaves, but as she walked closer, I noticed they were symbols, kinda like the symbols on my father’s sword.
Surrounding her were butterflies. I’m not even kidding. She had about ten butterflies flying right next her, all around her head as she walked. There were even three birds flying around her. And where she stepped, she didn’t leave an impression in the grass. Instead, the grass grew a little thicker after she stepped there.
Once she was out of earshot, I decided I couldn’t keep my questions at bay any longer.
“Are all Nymph like that?”
He turned and smiled back at me. Like a real smile. It wasn’t the biggest smile, but it was true and genuine. And the first one I’d seen on him in days. I welcomed that smile.
“No. Most Fae look very similar to Mortals. Except Sylph have wings. She was a very powerful Nymph, as characterized by her markings.”
“Her markings?”
“The green etchings in her skin…”
“Oh. I thought they were tattoos.”
“Well, they are in a way. But they are infused with magic. Not just any Fae can get markings. You must have a substantial amount of magic. Or, when you have done a great feat, you can be gifted with them.”
“Oh.” And then we kept walking. Finally I added, “So, not all Nymph have butterflies and birds flying around their heads?”
He smiled back at me again, and I couldn’t help but return the smile. “No. They are attracted to her Magic.”
“So, how come some Fae are more powerful than others?” He had mentioned before that there were differences in the amount of magic a Fae could have, and so I thought this was a valid question.
When he didn’t answer, I was about to rebuke him again. Until I noticed that there was another Nymph walking toward us, and I figured he just didn’t want to talk about it in front of other Fae. Maybe it wasn’t socially acceptable or something. Or maybe everyone would wonder why I didn’t already know these things and start asking questions.
“Alec?” The Nymph had stopped right in front of us. He too was very tall. His skin was more caramel colored but his hair was just as black as the previous one. It wasn’t as long, though it was still longer than how guys wore their hair back in the Mortal Realm. He had it pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck.
“Kerr…” Alec’s voice was barely above a whisper as he placed his hand out, so as to shake the fairy’s hand.
The Nymph grabbed Alec’s hand, but then pulled him into an embrace. The moment was so charged with emotion; it almost brought a tear to my eye as I realized I would most likely never be hugged like that again. So much warmth and love was shared between them, even though it was only a matter of seconds.
As the Nymph pulled away, he placed a hand on Alec’s face, before pulling it back and clapping him on the shoulder.
“Where have you been, brother?”
Alec hesitated for only a moment before answering him. “In the Mortal Realm.”
“Still a Realm Guard? I’m surprised. We all thought you might have stopped after…Well, we’ve all wondered about you for years.”
Alec didn’t answer, and this seemed to surprise the Nymph. It was as if he expected Alec to be more forthcoming, but perhaps he didn’t know the Alec I knew. Since this Alec was never forthcoming with any answers. Ever.
“Well, everyone will be thrilled to see you,” he said, after shrugging off the reaction from Alec. Before Alec could reply, the Nymph noticed me standing awkwardly behind him, watching them as if it was the most engrossing film in the world. “Who is this lady with you?”
“This is Lily,” Alec said to Kerr. “She is not yet mature.” Wow, way to stay incognito about my lack of…everything.
I placed my hand out and the tall Nymph grabbed on firmly and shook it once.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lily. You may call me Kerr.” I pulled my hand back, and clasped it together with my other hand behind my back. His hand had been so warm and soft, it had surprised me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. How do you know each other?” I directed the question at Kerr, because knowing Alec he wouldn’t answer me anyway.
But to my surprise, it was Alec who answered.
“We have known each other for many years.” Period. The end. That’s it. Again Kerr looked at Alec as if surprised at his lack of sharing. I rolled my eyes. Welcome, Nymph, to my own personal hell.
“Well, you must come back with me. Everyone would be so pleased to see you.”
Alec didn’t even hesitate as he said, “We would love that.” Maybe Kerr didn’t notice it, but I noticed how he emphasized the ‘we’, and it made me smile. I was super glad he wasn’t gonna leave me behind.
As Kerr turned around to go back the way he came, Alec and I fell in step beside him. They began chatting like long lost friends, and I started to fall behind a little to give them their privacy.
This Alec, interacting with the Nymph like that, was a very different Alec. When I heard him laugh, I had to catch my breath. That tingling feeling I got when I heard his laugh the first time came back in full force. I had to rub my cheeks after realizing that I had been smiling just listening to them and seeing Alec so content.
Chapter Sixteen
Nona: A term of endearment used within the Nymph vocabulary, normally for a grandmother.
It took less than about 30 minutes, give or take a few, before things started to change again. I had thought the vegetation was crazy thick before, but now it was so much more than thick. It was everywhere. Animals scurried freely about, to and fro. Birds chirped happily, sitting atop every single branch that I was worried I would get poo on my head walking under so many of them. And the flowers, holy crap, they were everywhere.
Then I noticed a tree with a door, just like the ones back at the other village. But it wasn’t in a circle, it was alone. It was only the first one I saw though, a little ways down I saw another. And then another even further down.
Then I saw a door on the top of a boulder. It wasn’t a tall rock, more long and flat. The door was on top, like a hatch that you would lift up and then walk down stairs into some place. A few yards down and I saw the first ladder. It was made of rope and wood and led up to a porch of sorts that had a door into the tree up high, instead of on the ground.
And the further we walked the more doors I saw. And the more doors I saw, the more Nymph I saw. It was like a direct ratio of one to two. For every door I saw, I saw two more Nymph doing one thing or another.
They all looked similar, in that they all had dark brown or black hair, and varying shade of tan skin. Some had black or brown eyes, while a few had greenish eyes. I didn’t see even one more Nymph with the green tattoos like that first one I saw.
Alec and Kerr were a few feet in front of me, and when they started walking off the trail, I jogged to catch up to them.
“Where are we going?” The near panic in my voice unnerved me. But if for some reason Alec decided he wanted to stay here with people he loved, I would never find my way back to the trail. Not like I would know what to do once I
found the trail anyway. Still, the thought of leaving the trail freaked me out.
“To my home,” Kerr replied.
“Oh. Okay.” Because what else could I say. No, I don’t want to leave the trail because I am a scared, lonely little girl…No. I wouldn’t object. Especially since Alec seemed to trust him.
We weaved through some trees and patches of flowers before we got to a large tree, much like the ones back at the other village. Kerr opened the door and motioned for me and Alec to go through it. I followed closely behind Alec as he walked through the opening.
The inside was very similar to the tree home at the smaller village. There was a couch and fireplace, with a few decorations and in the back a hallway that I assumed led to a kitchen and bedrooms.
An older Nymph walked in and said, “Back already?”
She was smiling, as if she knew who it was before she even saw us. Her hair was graying, but you could tell that it had once been black. Salt and pepper, that’s what my mother called it. Her skin was the same caramel color as Kerr’s and she had the same jawline and nose he had as well, strong and broad. But the wrinkles in her forehead and around her eyes betrayed her, showing her age. Which really could have been like…anywhere from 200 to 1000 years old. Who even knew anymore?
“Who have you bro…Alec?” Then her right hand flew to her mouth, covering it before a sob escaped it. “Oh my heavens. Alec is that you?” Her voice was cracking as she tried to keep it steady.
She ran to him and he opened his arms to her at the exact right time. Though she was taller than him, she burrowed her head down into his neck. He held her tight, one arm around her back and one holding her head close to his.
This time the tear actually escaped and I had to swipe it away quickly.
Her sobs grew louder with time, which wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I would have thought she would sob a little, happy to see him, and then be done with it.
Eventually he started rubbing her back, and whispering softly into her ear. And after several minutes, she finally pulled away wiping her own tears away.
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