“Wait!” I spluttered, shaking the sudden fog from my mind. “Don't do that!”
“Do what?”
I spun around, and stood on my tiptoes to meet his eyes, I doubted I looked half as intimidating as I had hoped. "Whatever magic you are doing! Stop it."
“It’s called a Glamour,” he smiled, showing teeth. “I'm not making you do anything you don't want to.”
“I want to go into the woods.”
His smile vanished, and he stepped closer, closing the small gap between us. I backed up, dropping my gaze at the sudden darkness glinting in his eyes. “Do you indeed?”
“Please leave me alone.”
“Do you want me to leave you with Lily?”
I glanced at her, shrinking back as her black eyes met mine. “No...”
“So, you want me to stay?”
“No...I...”
He outstretched his hands, a grin lifting his lips. “I cannot do both, either you wish me to go or to stay.”
“Can you not go and take her with you?”
“No.”
“Why?” I asked, frustrated at the circles I found myself going in.
“I don't want to.”
“You're one of them, aren't you?” I began. “A faerie?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“You're a faerie,” I said again. I swallowed, remembering fragments of faerie lore I had researched over the years. I guessed there had to be some truth hidden amongst the stories and role-play games. “You can't lie, can you?”
He obviously didn't like me pointing out a weakness, because his entire stance changed, evolving into something far more dangerous. He raised an eyebrow, inviting me to point out more, and never one to turn down a dare, I continued.
“I know that cold iron will kill you.”
I jumped as he laughed at me, the tension dispersing as quickly as it had come. “Do you even know what cold iron is?”
My cheeks heated as he mocked me. “No.”
“I thought not, else you would have possibly armed yourself with some before wandering through these woods. Why don't you just go home, girl and stop pretending you have the courage to continue. I can smell the fear on you.”
“I'm...not going home!” I snapped, and silently cursed myself for spluttering.
“Go!” Not a request, but a demand and one that nearly had me fleeing the woods. His tone resonated with impatience, barely concealed violence showed beneath clenched fists and I knew I was really pissing him off.
“What do you want from me?” I asked quietly, wondering if I could out run him if it came down to it. I glanced down at his long legs. I sincerely doubted it.
He glanced down at Lily who was sitting near his feet and kicked her away with his foot. She hissed at him, drawing her knees close to her body and turned her eyes to me, hatred burning within them.
“I guess I am bored,” he replied wistfully, reaching up to run his fingers through my hair. I stiffened at his touch, and raised my hand to push him away but he caught it in his own, gripping it tight. He squeezed, and I felt my skin bruise. “Today, I am helping you find your way home, because I am bored. Perhaps if you had found me tomorrow I would have led you further into the woods and watched you die.”
“You're hurting me...” I said as I took a breath, feeling it shudder all the way up my throat before bubbling from my mouth as a pathetic gasp.
“Good,” he sneered, leaning closer. “But I am by far not the scariest being out there.”
“I need to get my sister,” I pleaded, as a cruel smile broke out over his face. “Please let me go.”
“She is in the woods?”
“Yes.”
“When did you have the misfortune of losing her?”
“I was a little girl, and...”
He cut me off with a quick bark of laughter, a sound that rebounded off the bare trees and seemed to mock me with every echo. Angered, I pushed him off me and he took a step back, grinning.
“It has taken you half your life to get this far into the woods? You really are foolish are you not? Go ahead little girl, wander into the darkness and something with sharp teeth will hunt you down and shred the skin from your bones. Whatever is left of you will be ground down and sold. Your very soul will be gleaned from your remains to be bottled for those rich enough to enjoy such things.”
“Is that what She did to my sister?”
His eyes narrowed, “Who?”
“A faerie called Luthien took her...”
Pain shot through my body as he shoved me roughly back against a tree, one hand tight around my throat as the other wound in my hair and forced me onto my toes. His eyes were black, and he was too close to my face. I could feel his breath against my cheek, warm and filled with the scents of the forest.
“What did you say?” he snarled, forcing my head back hard so my teeth clattered in my skull. “Answer me!”
I opened my mouth, desperately trying to free my hands so I could free myself from his. Dark blobs floated before my eyes, and I could do nothing but gasp soundlessly as he choked me. With my coherent thoughts fleeing, I did the only thing I could think to do and brought my knee up hard, sinking to the ground beside him as he snarled in pain.
“What...what the fuck is wrong with you?” I gasped, clutching my bruised neck, gulping in air as if I would never get enough again. “You nearly throttled me!”
“Does Luthien have your sister?” he snapped back, pushing himself up gracefully from the floor as if I hadn't just forced him to his knees. His dark eyes were livid, and he towered over me with Lily creeping closer to snake around his legs. She drew her lips back and snarled.
“Why...”
“Does she?” he interrupted sharply, his voiced laced with the promises of cruelty and dark things. “Is that where she is?”
I pushed myself to my feet. “Yes...”
He grabbed at my arm, and I tried to force him off as he pulled me back through the forest. I dug my heels in, clutching at his fingers as I desperately tried to prise him off me.
“Go home! Your sister is too far out of your reach.”
He dumped me at the edge of the woods. I could see the rickety old fencing, and the soft glow of the lights in the nearby houses. I glared up at him. “Who the hell are you?”
I shrank back as he crouched beside me, dominating my personal space with his presence. He caught a strand of my hair as the wind flicked it towards him, and forced me to bend closer. “Do you know how boring eternity can be? It gets so tiresome, watching the things you take wither and crumble away, to spend so long picking the right one only to watch as it weeps itself to death...”
“You didn't answer my question.”
“You demand my name and yet have not given me yours,” he said softly, releasing my hair and leaning back. “Stop pursuing what is lost, girl.”
“My name is Teya.” I said as he made to walk away, and I grabbed his arm as I desperately clung to any hope of finding Niven. “Help me find her! Please!”
I dropped his arm instantly at the look he shot me, knowing instinctively that very few people grabbed him and remained with all four of their limbs attached. Beside him, Lily looked ready to lunge at me, held back only by a sharp kick.
“I believe I have helped you enough, more than you deserve you ungrateful girl. I have no reason to care if you live or not.”
I pulled back the strap on my dress as it slid down my arm, shivering against the cold wind and wishing for my coat. He watched the movement with violet eyes, his gaze lingering over the naked skin just above my neckline.
“Why show me the way home then?” I demanded, “If you care so little about my life, why help me? And stop looking at my breasts!”
“You don't even have a jacket,” he sighed, suddenly sounding exasperated and for a fleeting moment, the coldness surrounding him lifted.
“I'll find her,” I said, pleased that my voice held. He only shrugged and gestured towards the trees. I
stepped away from him with the expectation of him grabbing me back, but he let me go.
Lily, however moved closer, twisting herself around my legs like a dog. She opened her hand to reveal a mushy pile of squashed berries, their juices tainting her fingers. They should have repulsed me, but my mouth overflowed with saliva and I had to swallow hard to stop myself from dribbling. They oozed a strange oily juice, blackish in colour with blobs of green that dripped through Lily's long fingers and onto the floor. I shouldn't have wanted to lick them, taste them...shove them in my mouth until I choked upon them...but...I...couldn't remember...why...
I moved to take the fruit from Lily's outstretched hand, my own fingers trembling with anticipation, but he took them first. Without taking his eyes off me, he pressed a berry to his mouth, sinking his teeth into the flesh until it popped. Juice bled over his lips, and it was a hard internal battle on my part not to lean forward and lick it off.
“We'll see,” he whispered, breathing the strange and intoxicating scent of the berries into my face. He then took hold of Lily's sticky hand and walked away, disappearing into the vast shadows of the oak trees.
Chapter Six
I watched him leave, watched as the trees and darkness swallowed him up; unlike me, he wasn't afraid. I turned to face the way I had come, the way he had pointed out with his cold smile. I really did contemplate going home. At the very least, I could have popped back and changed my clothes, perhaps grabbed a bag that contained more than loose change and an old hairbrush. I could have nabbed a coat whilst I was at it ...put some trainers on...
Ah, but I knew if I stepped out of those woods, I would never again have the guts to go back in. For all I knew, they would not let me back in. Not everyone who wandered the woods found themselves in Faerieland
I walked on, keeping straight even though there was no true path to speak of, only a twisting clearing where the vines and shrubs held back. The semi-frozen ground beneath my feet crunched with each step, and the silly heels on my feet slipped around on the frosted mulch. I had to keep my hands outstretched to catch myself from falling flat on my face. I was bloody freezing. Every hair on my arms stood up, desperately trying to retain heat as I trembled helplessly. My breath ghosted in front of me, teeth chattering, heart thumping, body shaking...every fibre of my body fought to stay warm and failed. It fought to dampen the fear that bubbled up within me, to give me the courage I thought I had to go on...and failed.
My chest felt too tight, the puffs of breath floating out in front of me were too quick, too erratic...it was just too dark, and unknown and frightening and I had no idea where I was going. There were things lingering in the shadows that I had no name for, echoes of creatures I had not heard before screamed through the branches. The trees watched, the wind listened...and...and...and there was no way in hell I was going any further.
"Oh, shit," I cursed, my heart sinking as I stared at the mass of knotted branches that barred my way back. "Bloody hell!"
The wind pushed the trees forward, causing them to look as if they were bending low to listen to me. Their ancient branches creaked in the breeze, gnarled arms outstretched to forbid me my right to leave. With my way back blocked, I breathed deep and forced myself to walk on. I tried to ignore the little voice in my head telling me how stupid I had been...it annoyed me that it had assumed the tone of the faerie who tried to show me the way home.
As I walked, I began to notice subtle changes in the trees. Tiny buds grew upon their bare branches, blushing a pale pink, shining with the hope of new life. Some of those buds had already turned to lush leaves, growing furtively over the apparently sleeping forest. I watched one expand as if yawning, unfolding wetly into a beautiful formed leaf. I looked ahead, and noticed for the first time that the sun shone through the canopy of full trees, all in various stages of spring. Some bent slightly with the weight of their leaves, while others rained down sweet smelling blossom that bathed the ground in soft perfumed snow.
I had left the Rose and Crown on the brink of winter at eight thirty in the evening, so I could only marvel at how impossible it was to stand under the trees and watch as spring unfolded before my eyes. Even the air had warmed up, and I no longer had to wrap my arms around my body to keep the cold out. I kept them wrapped around myself, not for the warmth, but for the fear of falling apart if I let go.
It was so much more than beautiful, but as I stared open-mouthed at the scene before me, my mind lingered on the little fey creature named Lily, and I wondered what other dark fey waited beneath the perfection of the wakening trees. I felt myself being watched, I had that unnerving feeling at the back of my neck, a sharp tingle that caused my body to go cold. I knew that although I could see no other being around, I was far from alone.
As the sun rose higher, I found myself following the light into a large clearing surrounded by newly flowering saplings. Sunlight warmed my face as it filtered through the trees, leaving the chill of winter far behind. The sound of a little spring trickled nearby, banked by lush green grass covered in wildflowers. I could hear the waters roll over the rocks; smell the damp, glistening petals of the flowers that bloomed around its edge. It was a paradise, overflowing with scents and colours I had never known before.
Everything about it was bathed in perfect beauty...save for the odd metallic sound that seemed so out of place in such a glorious meadow. I heard the clink and creak before I determined where it was coming from. The sounds disturbed the soft melody of the water and echoed mechanically over the little paradise.
I turned and left the stream behind me, walking down to where the noise was coming from, slipping on the dew covered lush grass. In the distance, I could hear bird song, bright and lovely as it slipped over the creaking sounds I was following. The noise jarred the pretty song, ruining it. As I moved closer, a new sound joined the strange creaking.
Tiny cries mewed from a cluster of trees, and I gaped as I took in the sight of dozens of small golden cages as they swayed in the wind. Each one was heavily ornate and glistened as it caught the sunlight. The chains they were strung by creaked and chimed and clinked against the branches, creating the metallic orchestra. At first, I thought the cages contained little birds, but as I looked closer I could see they were each packed with tiny, strange creatures.
They gazed at me through the bars, huge eyes sparkling with tears that rolled down their perfect faces. Many of them had curled their long, delicate fingers around those of its neighbour, clutching hands so tightly that their knuckles strained. One reached out for me, stretching its arm as far as it could through the bars, its face twisted with fear. Its other hand never left the one standing beside it. Deep black eyes beseeched me from behind the bars, milky blue cheeks damp with tears. Some shivered, their naked little bodies hairless and smooth, with iridescent wings that trembled behind them. I raised my hand to the latch on the closest cage, out of reach to those trapped inside it. I hesitated, fingers lingering over the lock and wondered...just for a moment...if there was a reason they were behind bars. I quickly shrugged off that thought as I spotted one of the thinner creatures. It stood near the back of the cage, staring up at me, arms wrapped around a tiny form that whimpered pitifully against its mother's breast. With my mind made up. I released the catch.
The door swung open instantly, releasing fifteen winged prisoners that all whooped in delight at their new-found freedom. My screams joined their delighted shrieks as they suddenly turned on me, the rest of them howling in their cages, rattling the bars with pained determination in a vain attempt to get out...and get to me. I swatted at them with my hands, grabbed them by their legs and pulled at their horns, desperate to get them off me. Tearing one from my shoulder, I gasped as it left its pointed teeth embedded in my skin. I tossed it to the ground and brought my heel down hard upon its squirming body. I felt it pop beneath me as I ground it into the dirt.
“GET OFF ME!” I screamed, thrashing my hands as the creatures flew down at me and latched needle-sharp teeth into my bare sk
in. I squashed three more and they began to hesitate, watching from a distance and licking the blood...my blood from their blue lips. The infant in its mother's arms lapped red from her fingers, suckling deeply and greedily as its mother tilted its head and smiled at me. I wished I had squashed them all.
When they were done glaring at me, they threw back their heads and screamed into the sky, wings stretched wide as they flew away. The others still trapped inside their cages screamed too, a combined piercing screech that had me clamping my hands over my ears. They all reached through the bars on the cages, the sadness in their eyes replaced by a ravenous hunger that caused them to salivate green gunk down their naked bodies. I shivered and took a step back, pressing my fingers to the bite marks on my neck. With a trembling hand, I tugged out two slivers of teeth, held them in my palm and watched with a sickly feeling as they dripped a burning poison over my skin. I blinked and looked up at the cages, that had grown suddenly silent. They all stood completely still, dark eyes fixed upon me, and each one wore the same frenzied grin. One stepped closer, and it smiled cruelly as it drew its finger across its neck.
I caught its meaning perfectly.
I backed away and wiped my sweaty hands down my dress, and I knew that it wasn't just the fear and vodka that was causing the sick feeling in my stomach. I ran towards the stream, the jeers of the caged little monsters fading as I left them behind, the bodies of their fallen friends crunched beneath my feet as I darted away. I slumped on the riverbank, hands shaking as I forced water down my throat, desperate to wash the acidic taste of bile from my mouth as I vomited into the water.
“Little bastard,” I gasped, as I pulled myself weakly to my feet. The meadow spun, whirling and tilting around me and before I knew it, I was doubled over again, dry heaving into the grass. I forced myself up with shaking legs, and stumbled through the trees. My stomach cramped and twisted, and all the while the world around me refused to stay still. I half crawled my way forwards into the cool shade of the trees, and I leant back against an old oak with a rattling sigh. I closed my eyes, and felt sweat bead against my skin, slipping down my face to sting my eyes. My left leg cramped, and agony shot up my thigh as I twitched and groaned. I didn't dare call out...I was too afraid of what would come looking for me if I made too much noise. There was blood in my mouth, I could taste the metallic tang against my tongue. I wiped my trembling hand over my lips and winced as they cracked.
Darling, There Are Wolves in the Woods Page 4