by Julia Crane
“It depends on where we end up.”
I rolled my eyes at his cryptic answer. If I never saw that part of the forest again, it would be too soon.
“Where are we going to sleep?” I yawned. My whole body felt exhausted, as if I could curl up in a ball and sleep where we stood.
“There’s a town up ahead. We can stay in one of the cottages. I think you’d prefer that over the woods?” He gave me a rascally grin. “You’ve been softened living in the human realm.”
The thought of a soft bed, warm shower, and hot food was enough not to be bothered by his dig. I scoffed. “Look who’s talking. You grew up in a castle.”
He waggled his eyebrows at me. “Yes, but I’m more at home in the woods. I’d much rather sleep here.”
We didn’t walk for much longer before we began to see signs of the town. Creatures scurried about. Some looked almost human. Some…not so much.
We left the trees for a cobblestone road whose steep slant caused me to trip, but Kallan grabbed me before I could fall.
I smiled in appreciation. “Thanks.”
He pointed at a small stone cottage ahead. The roof was made of grass, and a wooden sign that read “Morian’s Hideaway” hung from the doorway. “That’s where we’ll stay.”
“It’s cute.” I glanced around and noticed most of the buildings were made from stone or wood with grass for roofs. It was quaint.
“I’ve stayed there before. Morian will be pleased to meet you.”
“Me?”
Kallan chuckled. “Everyone knows about you. You’re the ‘talk of the town’ as humans like to say.”
Great.
The door swung open before we reached the entrance. A woman with long blonde hair, full lips, and a perfect nose stood in front of us. She would have been beautiful if it weren’t for the fact she only had one eye in the middle of her face. As if that wasn’t enough, the eye was milky white. “Kallan, dear. How wonderful it is to see you. I see you brought a friend.” She smiled over at me.
I looked down at my feet to keep myself from gawking.
“Now, now, dear. Don’t be embarrassed. Am I the first cyclops you’ve come across?” She didn’t wait for me to answer the question before asking another. “I can’t believe you were raised with humans. Is that really true?” She opened the door wider for us to enter.
“Umm, yeah, it’s true. I haven’t spent much time in your world.”
“Shameful. It really is.” She wiped her hands on her apron and pulled Kallan in for a hug. “Don’t you look just as handsome as ever.”
“You look quite stunning yourself. Is it okay if we crash here for the evening?”
“Of course, but I only have one room available. Will that be a problem?”
Kallan shifted on his feet, obviously uncomfortable.
“That’s fine.” I would much rather share a room with Kallan than have to worry about goblins and monsters.
Kallan looked at me in surprise, and I just shrugged.
I changed the subject. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but do you have anything to eat around here? I’m starving.”
Morian grinned. “A girl after my own heart. I love to cook. I have a roast that should be just about ready.” She turned and hurried down the hall. When she realized we weren’t following, she waved us back.
The cottage was small and the hallway was narrow. I ran my hand down the smooth stones as we made our way to the kitchen.
“Go sit down. The food will be right out.” She ushered us towards a darkened room. When we walked in, the candles flickered to life. I looked around, wondering how that had happened. I was starting to realize nothing was unusual in the faery world.
A small wooden table sat in the middle of the floor. Instead of legs, a huge tree trunk formed the base. While it would have looked ridiculous in my own dining room, in this room it was perfect. Kallan pulled out a chair for me, and I dropped into it, relieved to be off my feet. We sat in silence and waited for Morian to return.
The food was delicious. I cleaned my plate and had seconds, which seemed to please Morian. Halfway through the meal, Kallan remembered my injury from my run-in with the goblin, and asked Morian if she could help. She laid her hands on my ankle, and warmth suffused my limb. Moments later, there was no more niggling pain.
After the table was clear, Morian passed a key to Kallan. “You’re in room three. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be sure to cook up a big breakfast before you take off.”
Kallan led me to a short wooden door marked by a brass number 3.
The doorway wasn’t very tall, so we both had to duck to enter. A large four-poster bed was off to the right. The room was sparse, but cozy looking. A bright multicolored throw rug covered the floor and soft candlelight cast shadows on the ground.
“Where’s the bathroom?” I looked around, not seeing one.
“It’s down the hall. Everyone shares.”
“Oh. Well, I’m going to clean up.” I didn’t like the idea of sharing a bathroom with other creatures from the area, but what choice did I have? I was just grateful to have a place to sleep.
I quickly cleaned up and came back to the room. Kallan was lying on the bed with his feet crossed and his hands behind his head. Suddenly, my stomach felt like a field of butterflies was trying to escape.
I swallowed hard and looked around the room. There was no other place to sleep except the floor.
“Have you ever slept with a guy before?” Kallan smirked and patted the bed beside him.
I felt the heat rise to my face. Did he really think I was going to have sex with him? He’d lost his mind.
I tried to play it cool. “It’s okay, Kallan. I know you’re nervous. You don’t have to revert back to the arrogant jerk I met last year.”
A look of surprise crossed his beautiful face. “I was just teasing. You have to admit this is awkward.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be. We’ve ‘slept together.’ In the forest, when you helped me escape.” I crossed my arms.
“I know, but this just seems more intimate.”
“We’ll pretend we’re outside under the stars.” I made my way towards the bed. I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt. “I’m exhausted, Kallan. I need sleep.”
“So you’re not going to answer my question?” Kallan asked quietly. “Have you ever been with a guy?”
“I really don’t think that’s any of your business.” I wasn’t about to admit to him that I was still a virgin. “Have you ever been serious with anyone?”
“I’ve had girlfriends.”
“Serious ones?”
“Not one I’ve ever opened up to.”
Our eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. Then he rose to his feet and said, “My turn to clean up.”
I watched as he walked out of the room. He drove me crazy, because I had no idea what he was thinking.
I tossed back the patchwork quilt and got under the covers. The bed was so soft I felt like I was floating on a marshmallow. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.
Next thing I knew, I was waking up with Kallan’s arm wrapped around my waist and his chest pressed against my back.
My heart beat wildly even though it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t dare move. I could feel the warmth of his body and the strength in his muscles. It took all of my self-control not to turn around and wrap my arms around him. I ached for the feel of his lips on mine.
Adam was the only thing stopping me. I couldn’t do that to him.
After what seemed like a lifetime, Kallan started to stir. He pulled his arms back and stretched.
I turned over to look at his face. Even half-asleep, he took my breath away. He opened his sleepy eyes and smiled over at me. And then, as if he realized where he was, his eyes widened.
“Morning,” I said cheerfully.
“I thought you weren’t a morning person.” He rubbed his face.
“I’m not. I’ve been up for a while. And
after sleeping on this soft bed, I can’t think of a reason to be grouchy.”
Kallan propped his head in his hand and stared at me. “You’re something else, you know?”
I didn’t know what to say. I tossed the blankets off and flung my legs off the side of the bed. “We should probably get moving.”
Kallan nodded. “Yeah, we’ll eat and go.”
Breakfast was buffet style and consisted of breads, fruits, and waffles with a rich syrup unlike any I’d ever had. We sat at a table for two and around us were other...creatures, some faeries I could recognize, but others I didn’t. It was very odd eating with things that looked like they walked out of some fantasy movie. It didn’t help that it felt like everyone was staring at us. I heard the word “Aurorian” whispered a handful of times.
We stepped out of the cottage into the full morning sun. It was warm on my face and I closed my eyes to enjoy it for a moment. Opening them, I smiled at Kallan. “Let’s go.”
Today had to be better than yesterday.
We walked through the small town on the cobblestone pathway. Carts were being set out for the market, and children ran and played around them. At the edge of the town, we took a well-worn path into the forest. It looked completely different from the side we’d already passed through. I was thrilled to see it wasn’t scary at all. I stayed quiet for a while, lost in my thoughts.
As we came upon a small wooden bridge over a wide stream, Kallan turned towards me. “We need to cross this, but you mustn’t look down.”
“Why not?” I sighed. “What is it this time?”
“You’ll be lost. Just hold on to me and get to the other side quickly without looking down.” He grabbed my hand and started to cross the bridge.
Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down. As with any normal person telling me not to do something, chanting made me want to do it more. My eyes tried to peek downwards.
“Rylie!” Kallan snapped. “Don’t look down!”
I snapped my head back up and focused on what was in front of me.
Once we stepped onto land on the other side, Kallan said, “Do you ever listen?”
“It’s been known to happen,” I joked, but then turned more serious. “Sorry.”
“Just try to comprehend what I’m saying. You know nothing about this realm. I...I don’t want to lose you.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but shut it instead. I walked past him. “This way?” I asked innocently. I was annoyed, because I knew he was right. I didn’t know anything about this realm, or any other realms for that matter.
“Yes.” He caught up to me and took the lead again.
“Is there somewhere that might have cell phone service?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“I should call home soon. I’m sure my parents are worried.”
“I’ll try to find you a place.” He continued walking. “It won’t be much longer.”
Good. I was tired of seeing nothing but trees and dirt, and my feet hurt. I groaned when we started to go uphill.
Kallan laughed, though it sounded like he was trying not to.
The hike upwards didn’t take as long as I thought it would. As I set foot at the highest spot, I followed Kallan’s gaze to a plateau that was full of very large rocks.
“Are these normal rocks?” I asked.
Kallan looked at me, confused. “What?”
“Or are they like magical rocks? Are they going to move? Or eat me? Anything?”
His eyes laughed. “These are normal rocks. But we have to go across them. And even though they are normal, you could still slip and fall on them.”
“Good thing you’re here to catch me.”
He looked speechless as he helped me onto the first stone. Slowly and carefully, we crossed the rocks. Kallan pointed to what looked like an opening to a cave. He ducked inside and I followed. The narrow entrance widened to a large chamber that resembled a studio apartment. A bed was on the left, a table with a lantern on it was straight ahead, and on the right was a table and chair with someone sitting in it.
“Alven.” Kallan called him by name.
The faery stood up, his dark wings flapping behind him. One of them looked damaged. I wondered if he was born that way or if something had happened to him. He had dark hair and eyes. His face was long and thin.
“Interesting,” he said, stroking his chin, his gaze taking us in languidly. “The dark prince and the Aurorian came to find me together. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“If you know who we are, then you know why we’re here,” Kallan said.
He scoffed. “What faery doesn’t know who the two of you are? Even a wanderer like myself has heard all the gossip flying around about you.”
“Where is Oren?”
“It is true. I have seen him.”
“Tell us! Where is he?” Kallan raised his voice.
“What will you give me for the information?”
“Nothing.”
Alven opened his hands as if to say oh well. “Then you will get no information.”
“Do you forget what I can do?” Kallan let go of my hand and stood in front of me, his hand on his dagger. “I can erase your memory...completely. Gone. You won’t know a thing when I’m done with you. You’ll be left a blubbering fool.”
Fear flashed across Alven’s face. “Very well. He was east of here, about a day’s walk. Exit into the city. I saw him outside of the midwest exit, near Calgren.”
Kallan tossed him a gold coin. “For your trouble. Now listen: You never saw us. You never talked to us.”
Kallan grabbed my hand and yanked me away. Once we were safely ensconced in the trees, he sighed and closed his eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked, staring at him intently.
“Yes. You?”
“I’m okay, I guess. It’s a lot to take in.”
“I’m sure it is for someone who grew up in the human realm, but you’re doing great.”
He smiled, and my heart fluttered. For some reason, his approval made me happy. I was so worried I was going to screw things up. Everything in the faery land was so foreign to me.
“We need to keep moving,” Kallan said, and took off at a brisk pace.
I rushed to keep up. “Do you know how to get where he said?”
“Yes, I’ve been there before.”
“It’s not through any scary woods, is it?”
“No. But there are obstacles.”
Great. Wasn’t there always. “Do I wanna know what they are?”
His large warm hand grasped mine as he helped me down a sloping hill littered with large stones. “Depends. Would you rather be prepared or do you like surprises?”
“Good surprises are different than bad ones.” Adam loved to surprise me. Just the thought of him caused a sense of guilt to wash over me.
“Very true.” We finally exited the field of rocks. “Mostly it’s a long walk.”
A long walk I could deal with.
“This area is called the Four Seasons,” Kallan told me as we emerged from the woods into a field that reminded me of spring. Things were budding and coming alive. I could smell the flowers and feel the warm sunshine on my face. It was a beautiful day, and I wanted to sit in the field forever.
About half a mile later, sweat trickled down my back. “It’s so hot!” I complained.
“Summer,” Kallan stated.
It seemed to get hotter and hotter with every step I took. I fanned myself with my hand, which did absolutely nothing. I grabbed the water bottle out of my bag and took a few gulps, then pulled my hair into a bun to get it off my neck.
“C’mon.” Kallan offered me his hand. “Sooner we move, sooner we get through here.”
Somehow I managed to put one foot in front of the other and continued to walk. It must have been a mile until I felt cooler and the scents changed. The beautiful red, orange, and yellow leaves on the trees around us drifted to the ground. Almost as if they were dancing.
Up ahead, I saw something white floating down from the sky. “Is that...?”
“Snow.”
A few minutes later, we reached the snow-covered field. What started as a few snowflakes turned into a blizzard. My teeth were chattering within minutes. My fingers and toes were numb. And my body ached to go back to summer, no matter how hot it was.
Kallan pulled me close to him. Together, we trudged through the high snow until it gradually became lower and lower, and then it was just gone and the temperature turned normal again.
“Well, that was...interesting.”
Kallan faced me. “Life is different here. Do you think you’ll ever get used to it?”
I reached up and brushed the snow off his hair, leaving it wet and messy. Our faces were just inches apart, and I so wanted to kiss him. I swallowed hard and answered, “I might be able to. It’ll probably take a while though.”
As we walked, I asked, “So how do you like the human world?”
He cleared his throat. “I don’t especially like it.”
“I get the sense you don’t hate it, though.”
“No. I don’t hate it. The area where you live is nice. I guess I feel like you do: it’s different and hard to get used to, but not impossible.”
I understood that. “I hope you’ll give it a chance. There is some good there.”
He nodded. “This way.”
We left the forest and emerged into a dark alley. I looked around, confused. Where were we? How did we get from nature to an alleyway with tall buildings on both sides? “How did...? Where are we?”
Kallan chuckled. “A faery gateway.”
“What is that?”
“There are different ways to get in and out of the faery realm. Shortcuts, if you will,” he explained. “You can call home now.”
I slid my hand in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. As soon as I turned it on, it started chiming letting me know I had voicemails and texts. There were at least a dozen from my parents, a couple from Sierra, and one from Adam. I listened to them all, saving Adam’s for last.
“I’ve been trying to call you, but your voicemail keeps picking up. I don’t know what’s going on. I thought we were going to hang out before I leave for California, but when I went to your house your parents said you went with a family member. They were acting kinda strange. Um...I hope you’re okay. Call me...please. Love you.”