by Juniper King
I ignored the obnoxious butterflies flitting through my stomach. Damn him, this was probably all some scheme of his to seduce me—make himself seem more alluring. So, knowing that, why was that tiny, stupid voice at the back of my mind eager for his attention?
I scrubbed at a sticky spot on an empty table, the condiment container rattling under my assault.
When I’d met him and Ayre the other night, they’d both seemed like typical womanizers. I’d seen it so many times before. Ayre was glaringly obvious with his attempts, but Aksel had seemed more subtle. Maybe that was just part of his game, have Ayre act like a voracious jerk so he could swoop in with his more subtle charm.
Okay, it’s possible I’m over thinking this a little.
We were the only inn in town, I couldn’t exactly fault them if they had come in looking for a room and I’d just happened to be there to greet them. The same could have easily happened to Jess too if our sections had been reversed that night. And Aksel had said he’d just happened to be in the area when I was at the store shopping. In truth, the chances of bumping into someone were pretty high in a place like Woodburne.
Meghan finally emerged from the back hallway, with absolutely no sense of urgency. Finally. I ripped the thoughts out of my head by their roots.
I gave her a quick rundown of my customers, her brown curls bobbing as she nodded. Meghan was a nice girl, but boy was she a scatterbrain.
On my way upstairs, Daniel, the tavern cook, passed me by as he was heading towards the washrooms. “Hey, Sel, before you go, could you take the garbage out to the dumpster?”
There were very few customers in the tavern this evening and even fewer ordering food, so I knew he couldn’t be too busy. More likely he was asking because he didn’t want to get rained on.
“Sure,” I said nonetheless. Why bother getting into an argument about something so trivial?
It had been pouring rain since early afternoon but as the evening wore on the intensity had decreased somewhat. I grabbed the plastic rain poncho from the hook next to the back door and pulled it over my head. The garbage bag wasn’t heavy, but it was overstuffed and awkward.
I opened the door and was hit by the pelting of rain on my plastic hood. A shiver ran through my body, a hot shower becoming more and more tantalizing by the second.
Behind The Sluggish Nymph was nothing but a small garden where we grew fresh veggies for some of our menu items and a field decorated with sparse trees that grew more dense as they led into the surrounding forest. A dumpster sat a little way away from the inn, close to the tiny shed full of gardening supplies, and far enough away to keep the stink from wafting through customers’ windows.
The dumpster just happened to be in the middle of a river of mud. I cursed the rain under my breath. Attempting to keep my feet from slipping under me, I struggled to lift the lid high enough with a single hand.
“Here, let me help with that,” said a male voice.
I lost my footing when the weight of the lid disappeared from my hand, leaving me frantically clutching for the edge of the dumpster to keep my balance.
The outdoor lights from the hotel just barely illuminated the edge of the garden, giving me enough light to make out the beautiful man flashing me a smile. I pursed my lips in response. What was with all these gorgeous Supers lately? Was there some kind of supernatural convention in town that I didn’t know about?
I took a quick mental tally of his features; pointed ears, long hair, lithe frame, beautiful, pristine face, almost ethereal looking—Fairy. What was perhaps the most shocking thought, however… he was bone dry. In the middle of a downpour. Without an umbrella.
Still holding the lid with one hand, my golden-haired helper took the plastic bag from me and tossed it in the bin. Even with the awkwardness of the large bag, he managed to make the trivial task look dignified and effortless. He then extended his hand to me.
I blinked in disbelief, still clutching the lip of the open dumpster. I couldn’t seem to wrap my brain around it; a mysterious, beautiful man appearing out of nowhere —in the pouring rain— to offer help to a woman in need? This was like something straight out of a romance novel. Maybe I’d fallen asleep during my shift and this was just a libido-fueled dream.
No, if this were a dream, my feet wouldn’t be so wet and cold.
With hesitance, I placed my hand in his, taking a brief moment to appreciate how warm and dry it was in contrast to the weather, and he helped me regain my footing on the slippery, muddy ground.
As if sensing my apprehension, the fairy said, “I was just walking by when I noticed you struggling. I would hate to see a beautiful, young woman come to harm while undergoing such a menial task.” Even speaking in a quiet, intimate voice, his flowery words carried clearly through the rain.
“Uh, thanks.” I replied, oh so eloquently. I was hyper-aware my hand was still in his. He glanced down at me, eyes smoldering like a charming prince. Though in my bright yellow rain poncho and mud-stained running shoes —I was certainly no princess. “Umm, can I have my hand back?”
I caught a peculiar gleam in his eyes before he looked down at our hands and breathed out in a quiet laugh. “But of course.”
His fingers loosened their grip, and I slid my hand free, tugging at the sleeves of my raincoat in order to cover the awkward moment.
“Neat trick,” I said, flicking my chin towards him. I still felt a little too uncomfortable to meet his eyes.
“You’re referring to this?” He lazily lifted his hand, palm turned up towards the dark sky. It wasn’t that he was keeping dry; the rain itself was actively avoiding him, as though he was wrapped in an air bubble, leaving no more than a couple of inches between his body and the raindrops. He moved his arm languidly through the space between us, wherever it moved, the rain would change its course to avoid hitting him. I was completely fixated on the graceful movement.
The sensation of rain on my head and shoulders suddenly stopped, as if an umbrella had appeared to keep me dry. After a moment of confusion, I pulled down my hood and glanced up. The rain was still falling, but streaming down and away from my face, like I was under a glass dome; it was bizarre. I resisted the urge to flinch under the barrage of raindrops threatening to fall into my open eyes.
“Yes, that.” I couldn’t help but chuckle.
My new acquaintance must be a water fairy. Fairies are all alike in the same way that humans are alike. The same general shape physically, but with many different races. There are dozens of different races of fey each with their own elemental affinity.
I held out my hand and the fairy adjusted his magic to match my movements. The raindrops wrapped playfully around my hand and arm—twirling and dancing together. The water twisted and gathered above my palm, leaping up in a tiny spout and bursting in a finale of tiny droplets, then fading away like miniature fireworks mere inches above my hand.
“That was…” I was completely dumbstruck. I couldn’t find the words to express my feelings.
I finally looked up to meet his eyes and saw him staring down at me, like he was appraising my reaction to his magic.
The fairy took a step closer to me, extending his hand between us, poised as if he was holding something small and thin between his thumb and index finger. Water gracefully converged between his fingers, melting together to form a rose made entirely of water. The gesture was incredibly hokey, but the act itself was amazing. I touched the petals gingerly, and tiny ripples spread from the contact. The water looked so concrete, so much like an actual rose that for a moment I forgot it was liquid.
“It’s beautiful.” The flower, and the magic.
“Not as beautiful as you, miss…”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, first Ayre and Aksel and now this guy? Did I have a giant, flashing beacon strapped to my forehead reading; ‘Hey, Supers, come’n get me’? I’d been too distracted by the magic to notice the signs.
“Selynna,” I answered almost begrudgingly.
“Ilane,” he said with
a gentleman’s smile. “Selynna, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask for the honour of your continued company in a more… agreeable location. Might I escort you to dinner?”
I lied automatically. “I’m sorry, but I actually have plans tonight.”
This wasn’t like when Aksel had asked me out, he had been more candid and breezy with his advances. Sure, he had been mysterious and a little frustrating, but there was still something genuine and considerate about him. This fairy on the other hand just screamed ‘insincere’, like he was trying to disorient and bait me with his breathtaking magic, or wrap me in a spell with his flirtatious, ornate vocabulary. I had to admit, he was far more eloquent than my usual suitors, but something beyond my regular senses was nagging at me, telling me I would be much better off going upstairs, taking a shower, and going to bed.
“How unfortunate,” the fairy replied gracefully after a momentary pause, though I was sure I had seen the corner of his mouth twitch. He took one more step towards me, making me feel claustrophobic in the small rain-less space. Only the trivial desire to stay dry kept me from backing up.
“But it’s quite fascinating, really.” Ilane no longer sounded like the cordial fairy who had come to help me. The unnerving tone of his voice matched the covetous gleam in his eyes.
“What’s fascinating.” My voice came out small and shaky. The sudden shift in his character was jarring. It hadn’t occurred to me until now that I was alone, in the dark, with a strange supernatural creature. If I shouted for help, would he run, afraid of being caught? Or would I just be getting some Good Samaritan into trouble?
“Your remarkable ability to disregard my magic. Perhaps this is the reason you are worth such a high price.”
An unpleasant shiver skittered down the back of my neck. He looked at me the same way I imagine a wolf might look at a lamb.
I felt sick to my stomach. “Well thanks for helping me out,” I said in a high-pitched, clipped voice, “but I gotta get back to work now—super busy in there, everyone’s waiting for me.” I jerked my thumb nervously over my shoulder towards the hotel, a shaky smile settling on my lips.
I made a move to turn, but in a flash, he grabbed my chin between his thumb and forefinger with enough pressure to make me wince. Eyes wide, I stood frozen in place, trembling in his grip.
“Lying is impolite, Selynna.” He was wearing the same sultry smile as when he’d first approached, but his voice had become icy
I slapped his hand away and booked it in the opposite direction, running for all I was worth through the slippery grass and mud. With Ilane’s magic no longer surrounding me, the rain pelted my face, impairing my vision as I ran. The backdoor was right there. Once I got inside nothing bad could possibly happen to me. Not with so many witnesses, right? I’d be safe.
I abruptly heard squelching footsteps from the darkness beside me just as a solid arm came up and knocked me off my feet. My legs flew out from under me, and I landed hard on my back, writhing on the ground, gasping and clutching at my throat. I twisted and contorted in a panic, frantically trying to get oxygen into my paralyzed lungs.
Rain peppered my face and fell into my mouth, making breathing even more difficult. I was finally able to suck in a deep, shaky breath, setting of a coughing fit that wracked my body even further. I rolled onto my side and came face to foot with a pair of muddy shoes. Big ones. Still coughing, I peeked up enough to see a mountain of a man looming over me.
Before I’d even fully regained the ability to breathe, I was dragged up painfully by my arm, leaving me to stand awkwardly on my toes. Ilane stared down at me with an air of triumph.
“You two were in the tavern the other night.” My voice came out tight and thin, the words fighting to get through my damaged trachea. I’d thought Ilane had looked familiar, but after Aksel and Ayre’s appearance in the same night, the two fairies had slipped my mind entirely. What did they want with me? I didn’t serve them that night, I didn’t even make eye contact.
Ilane ignored my observation. “You could have made this so much easier on yourself. Was my dinner invitation really so repugnant to you?”
“That’s what this is about?” I scoffed. Probably not the smartest idea, but with everything going on, my brain was feeling a little sluggish. “You got rejected, so you sent your attack dog after me?”
Ilane waved his hand dismissively, “Come now, Selynna, don’t be so self-absorbed. A bland-looking woman such as yourself should employ a little modesty. This is about more than a frivolous date, as I’m sure even you have the mental fortitude to have figured out.” He once again took my chin between his fingers. “Use your tiny human brain. There is something remarkable about you and that something has made you worth a small fortune.” His eyes flashed with cruelty and contempt. “Had you been persuaded by my magic, you would have willingly complied with anything I asked of you, violence would have been unnecessary. So, tell me, Selynna,” he continued, looking deeper into my eyes as if he could find the answer there. “How is it you were unaffected by my allure?”
So that’s what it was. Some fairies possessed a kind of alluring magic. It’s often what made them so attractive to humans. This magic was mostly passive, but some fairies could use the magic actively, sending out a short burst of manipulative seduction magic to make themselves seem irresistible to humans. That must have been the flicker I’d seen in his eyes, the nagging feeling telling me not to go with him. He’d tried to manipulate my mind. And somehow, without even realizing, my mind had identified and rejected the impulse.
“Oh, it was real hard,” I sneered. He didn’t need to know I had no idea how I did it.
Ilane’s hand released my chin and made abrupt contact with my cheek, tossing my head to the side. I yelped at the unexpected strike. A tear escaped down my cheek, blending into the rivulets of rainwater coursing down my face. Why was this happening to me? What had I done to deserve this? And what did he mean I was worth a small fortune?
“What do you want from me? Just let me go.” A pitiful plea. A metallic tang lingered in my mouth as I spoke.
As my situation began to fully dawn on me, I took in a deep breath to scream, but Ilane barked over me. “Silence,” he warned, his voice sharp as a dagger. “I would hate to be responsible for any deaths tonight.”
My breath caught in my throat. He confirmed what I’d already considered, if I did scream and someone rushed out to help me, they wouldn’t live long enough to regret it. This also told me he didn’t have any intention of murdering me. Tonight, anyway. Though any relief I felt was overtaken by a looming feeling of dread. There were things far worse than death.
Ilane’s attention was drawn to the inn behind me. The lights in one of the ground-floor rooms had switched on.
“We’ve no more time to waste,” Ilane said, flicking a glance towards the silent man holding me. “Bring her.”
I tried to dig my heels into the rain softened ground, but trying to slow him down was like trying to slow an elephant. All my defiance earned me was a sharp tug at my arm, inciting another yelp from me.
“Be careful, Farras. A creature like her is priceless.”
Farras grumbled and hefted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Put me down!” I struggled, kneeing him in his chest and kicking his stomach.
His free hand grabbed my foot, fingers squeezing with inhuman strength. “Kick me one more time, and I’ll break your ankle,” his voice rumbled like a rock tumbler.
A shiver slid down my spine. As much as my instincts wanted me to fight and escape, the rational side of my brain won this round. He let go of my leg and I let it fall listlessly.
“Good girl,” he patronized.
A thousand voices screamed in my head. Fear for where they were taking me and what they were planning. Survival instincts screaming for me to do something to get the hell out of here. Rationale knowing that any defiance would only earn me more pain. But I needed to do something.
I looked around franti
cally for something, anything that could help me in this situation, wracking my brain for a solution.
“Wait,” Ilane stopped abruptly in front of us. “We are not alone.”
I twisted my body in a way I could see around the elephant holding me, but everything was upside down. Around us was nothing but open field, a small cluster of trees, and darkness. I couldn’t hear anything but the sound of my own heartbeat echoing through my skull.
“Show yourself,” Ilane called into the shadows.
The rain had slowed to a gentle trickle, spawning a creeping mist that covered the ground and slithered through trees. From behind a thin tree trunk a shadow slid calmly into sight. It was too dark to make out his face, but I noticed the thin, whip-like tail swinging behind him.
Ilane visibly tensed. “Deydre.” His voice remained calm even though his body revealed his fear.
My heart plummeted. Did he say deydre? I didn’t think it was possible for my situation to get much worse, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
6
Deydre were the worst of the worst.
The kind of Super that mothers warned their children about, and mercenaries would become famous for incapacitating. The kind of Super that maimed and killed humans for fun.
Rumour had it they looked like monsters from nightmares; horns, tail, claws, fangs, all kinds of appendages that could rip you apart with ease. Deydre never set foot in human towns, what the hell was one doing here?
The clouds had begun to part, allowing for a hint of moonlight to peek through. Just enough to see him by.
The deydre was leaning with his back against the thin tree, arms crossed over his chest and legs crossed at the ankle. “Ilane,” he said by way of greeting.
I had expected his voice to be guttural and ominous, but instead it was clear and robust. It was clear the two Supers knew each other, but they didn’t seem on the best of terms.
I didn’t know whether I should beg the deydre for help or avoid eye contact all together, unable to decide which of the two parties was the frying pan and which was the fire.