by WB McKay
"Doing what?" asked Zoe.
"Ganging up on Sophie," explained Phoebe.
"You should join us," suggested Ava.
"She doesn't want to--" I started.
"Absolutely," said Zoe. "Should we start with her hair?"
"What's wrong with my hair?"
"It doesn't fit the crown, does it?" asked Zoe.
"Oh, I know," said Phoebe. "Would you believe it was custom made for her? See the feathers? The magic did not consider how she wears her hair at all, and she doesn't consider the crown. It's like they're working against each other, or working together to make her look as off as possible."
"Hey!" I yelled. "I still have ears!"
"That much we can all see," said Ava.
I covered my ears with my hands. "Wicked, wicked people. You call yourselves my friends."
"Yes," said Phoebe. "And that makes it our responsibility to tell you these things. What should we talk about next?"
"I think we're still on the hair," said Zoe.
They went on like this for almost an hour as Zoe led the way. If there were threats in the woods, she avoided them so completely I never saw even a hint of them.
When the path widened, I fell into place beside her. "So, what do you know about the Orani?" I asked. It was hard not to be curious about a people who seemed similar to my new winged form, though I hadn't seen them up close. It was possible they were closer to a harpy, having talons on their feet and clawed hands. Or maybe they were something else entirely. Whatever the case, the more I knew, the easier it would be to rescue Owen. "Have you ever met one?"
"Not that I'm aware of," replied Zoe.
"That's a cagey answer," I said, narrowing my eyes skeptically. She was a strange one. She laughed easily, but seemed hard to get to know.
As if she could hear my thoughts, she let out another of those infectious laughs. "Let me answer your first question, and hopefully that will better explain what seemed like an evasive answer. One of the Orani put the illusion in place that protects our village."
"Ugh." I looked back at Phoebe. "I guess we'll have to call someone else if Phoebe wants that done for home."
"If you have someone else to call, always call someone else," advised Zoe. "The green mist that enshrouds Oscura is their doing as well. Their magic plays with the mind. It's entirely possible that I've met hundreds of their kind and haven't been allowed to remember the experiences."
"Ah," I replied. "So, the only truthful answer you could give is the one you gave."
"Correct. I can remember seeing them from a distance, flying around their floating mountains. I'm sure that when I was young I would have had more curiosity than that, but I don't remember ever getting closer."
"So, you aren't even sure what they look like, are you?" I asked.
A smile brightened her features. "No, but I'm sure they aren't nearly as impressive as your winged form."
A blush crept into my cheeks. I was still feeling pretty proud of my new form. The more familiar I became with the shape of it, the more I became convinced that I'd be able to manage it when I eventually took the Fleece off again. "When Owen was kidnapped, no one saw him and his kidnappers go through a busy bar, or to his home, or through a convenience store. Their illusions can move with them, I'm guessing?"
"Yes."
"And they could be making Owen see things? He could think he was still at home?"
"Well, I mean.... " She looked guilty as she eyed me over. "As far as I know, yes."
I was quiet after that. My thoughts were too loud to bother talking over them.
There were many more hours of walking, punctuated with nothing more exciting than a few large rodents scurrying across our trail. Each time, Phoebe let out an earsplitting shriek and sent her vines hurtling through the underbrush to crush the life out of the unsuspecting creature.
"What the hell was that about?" I asked the second time she did it.
"That was an arvora. Horrible pests. They are similar to beavers on Earth, but a hundred times more voracious in their tree eating."
I almost argued the point about beavers eating trees, but the wild look in her eyes told me it wasn't an argument I was going to win. "Can you at least stop the shrieking?"
"No, they are vulnerable to high pitched noises. It stuns them. Without the shriek, they are likely to scurry into their dens and out of my reach."
A couple more eardrum shattering encounters later, and we rounded a bend, coming into view of the green mist of Oscura.
I called a halt. "So, Zoe, what is our plan for getting through the green mist?"
"We don't," she replied.
I did my best to restrain the growl that crawled up my throat. If we have one more delay or side mission to track down I'm going to… just… "You're going to want to explain that one to me real fast before I rage all over this place."
"Whoa," said Phoebe. "Seriously. She's been restraining herself since he disappeared. Talk faster."
"We need to attempt a meeting with the Orani," said Zoe. She didn't look the slightest bit rattled. "It's our best chance. To do that, we're not going into the mist. We're going above it."
"You think it's best to talk to them first?" That hadn't ever occurred to me. "If they're so powerful, why isn't a sneak attack better?"
"Because we don't know what we'll find once we get in there," said Zoe, her voice suddenly sounding much more practiced and professional. "Even if talking fails, we'll still learn more about them in the attempt. Do you think the Orani are targeting Owen themselves, or are they hired guns? They usually don't stir up this kind of trouble on their own."
"Hired," I said.
"That's what I thought. We'll want to talk. See how loyal they are to whoever hired them. Do you know who?"
"Erik Bresnan."
"Who?"
"He's on the fae council."
"Oh, I heard about that. The council in Volarus. So, he's powerful."
"Yes."
"But still, more powerful in Volarus and Earth, not Faerie. That's good. Hopefully the Orani's interest in Owen isn't strong and we can convince them. Either way, with a foe this powerful and no information on our side, sneaking in is never going to be the best option. The element of surprise just isn't enough on its own for us."
"So, we fly over, and attempt a meeting of minds."
"Yes."
"I can accept that plan," I said. "It would have been easier to accept if you hadn't thrown it at me like that. You delight in saying things that can be easily misconstrued, don't you?"
"Not in general, but you're so much fun to tease."
Phoebe laughed. "Was it fun this time?"
"No," said Zoe. "That face she made was…"
My neck burned with shame, but I ignored the feeling. I wouldn't be made to feel bad about it. This was important. "Let's keep teasing to my hair and whatever. Nothing important. Okay, guys? Anything that makes me doubt your sincerity to the mission isn't going to be great for building trust in a situation like this."
Phoebe scratched her head and gave me a funny look. "When did Sophie start sounding so grown up?"
"It's strange," said Ava. "I like it."
"How many times do you think you've said that in your life, Ava?" asked Phoebe, before she repeated, "'It's strange. I like it.'"
Ava's nose twitched. "I can always handle a little more strange."
"Is that a dirty joke?" asked Phoebe.
My hand planted on my face. "Time and place, people."
"See?" asked Phoebe. "Grown up."
I shook off the sidetalk and brought the conversation back around to logistics. "So, I'll fly myself, and you can carry Ava and Phoebe?"
"That was my plan," replied Zoe.
It didn't take long to find Zoe a clearing that would hold her dragon form. Her shift, like Owen's, was covered by a ball of flame. Seeing it made my heart lurch in my chest. Her dragon form, however, was nothing like Owen's. The scales on most of her body were a dark red, just a shade or
two lighter than blood. The scales on her underside were a light gray. Owen's dark gray and sky blue form could easily blend in on the ground or in the sky on Earth. Nothing about Zoe blended in. Her deep red scales sparkled like rubies in the sunlight.
"There won't be any escaping notice with her," said Ava, echoing my thoughts. "Patricia can't enter the green mist without me. I'm not sure what her experience will be with me. I won't know until I get in there."
My ears perked up. "I hadn't thought of asking her."
"I didn't want to send her off alone in Faerie, but she's been trying since we arrived. She says it's not worth any more attempts. The illusion in the desert worked on her as well."
"I suppose we're on our own, then."
"If this doesn't work, we'll find him another way." Ava said it with enough conviction that I was able to believe her. Mostly.
"We will keep trying."
"Of course," she said. "And he knows that."
My throat closed up, so I just nodded.
Once in the air, it was easy to see the floating mountains playing peekaboo through the green mist. As before, I could see a few humanoid figures with wings moving in the air around them, but we were too distant to make out any further details. Zoe flew beside me, my friends astride her back at the base of her serpentine neck.
"You ready?" I called, struggling to make my voice heard over the rush of the wind.
Phoebe and Ava gave a thumbs up, and Zoe let out what I took to be an affirmative screech. I crossed my fingers and angled toward the green mist of Oscura.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I jolted as if snapping out of a daydream and chided myself. Now was not the time to be losing focus.
We rounded a bend and Oscura came into view, its swirling green mist impenetrable to my gaze.
I called a halt. "So, Zoe, what is our plan for getting through the green mist?"
"We don't," she replied.
I did my best to restrain the growl that crawled up my throat. "You're going to want to explain that one to me real fast before I rage all over this place."
"Whoa," said Phoebe. "Seriously. She's been restraining herself since he disappeared. Talk faster."
"We need to attempt a meeting with the Orani," said Zoe. She didn't look the slightest bit rattled. "It's our best chance. To do that, we're not going into the mist. We're going above it."
I asked my questions, and her answers made sense. The conversation after was fast paced, eventually evolving into more teasing. My responses kept coming to mind before the girls finished talking. Something about the moment felt familiar. I shrugged it off, along with my annoyance. Phoebe and Ava had been talking a lot about how much fun I was to tease, that was probably it. If there was one thing I'd learned, it was to ignore their jabs if I didn't want to lose an hour to an argument that didn't get me anywhere. "Let's get going. I'll fly myself. Zoe, can you take Phoebe and Ava?"
A few minutes later, my friends were mounted on Zoe's red dragon and we were gliding into the edge of the green mist. Only tendrils of it extended to the height we flew. The floating mountains gradually came into focus. Zoe led the way toward the tallest of the three visible.
Suddenly we were landing, again outside the border of Oscura. I couldn't remember turning around, but I did have a terrible sinking feeling in my chest. It was the feeling of rejection, disappointment. The only thing I wanted to do was turn around and go home.
Ava and Phoebe clambered from Zoe's back and she shifted to her human form.
"I don't think Owen's in there," said Ava. "We need to collect more information. I'll reach out to my friends."
"Good idea," I said, flexing my wings. "I'm tired, anyway."
"Wait," said Zoe. "My wings are exhausted like I've been flying for hours." She held a hand over her eyes and scanned the sky. "The sun is almost down. We've been at the border of Oscura for a lot longer than a few minutes."
My teeth gritted. The urge to walk away and ignore this news was strong. Time had passed. We'd been here a long time. We've been here a long time. There was something in the back of my mind struggling to break free, but I couldn't say it. Instead, I managed to get out, "Ava, ask Patricia how many times we've flown into the green mist."
Ava nodded in the distant way that she did when she was occupied by a ghost. She always heard me, though, so I waited patiently.
"Phoebe, what do you remember?" I asked.
"We just got here, didn't we?"
"I remember… something happening," I said.
"Yes, that's right." Phoebe dug her fingers into her hair. "We flew into the green mist, but we didn't find Owen. I don't think we found anything. It was just green mist, no one lives there." She bent over and put her hands on her knees. "The insides of my legs feel raw. I think I enjoy flying on the back of a dragon, unless they're dodging around. Then it's terrifying. But why do I think that?"
"That's what I thought." They were messing with our minds. Between the Fleece and the Orani, I'd had enough of this shit.
Ava returned to us and confirmed my suspicions. "We've flown into the green mist at least ten times. Patricia found a woman."
"A ghost?" asked Phoebe.
"Yes," whispered Ava. "However, we don't say that in polite conversation with new friends. She says people usually give up at around five attempts. Both of them report at least ten attempts from us, at which point they gave up counting and began chatting amongst themselves."
"Ten times," I said. "The Orani don't want to talk to us." I looked to Zoe. "What would you normally do now?"
Zoe pulled her hair back. "First, we review our situation." She pointed at the green mist and then began tapping her chin. "From the beginning, we've had to assume they're smarter than us and a stealthy recovery isn't possible. Their mysteriousness makes them intimidating. It makes it difficult to believe they aren't better at everything. Assuming otherwise seems a good way to end up killed."
"What are you saying?" I asked. "Are you saying we should sneak in?"
Phoebe huffed. "I think she's saying we should give up."
"Why can't Sophie use the Fleece on them?" asked Ava.
"I'm sure I've tried that." I touched my hair. "Or maybe I haven't gotten the chance." Or maybe they made me forget how. I had no idea, really. "How can I fight an enemy that makes me forget I want to fight them?"
Zoe was still pacing. Absentmindedly, she waved a hand my way. "We can't worry about that. We have to believe that even if they change our memories, that at the time, we still knew our goals and simply failed."
Phoebe laughed. "Do you think Zoe thinks this kind of talk is encouraging?"
"Perhaps her encouraging talks are like Sophie's," Ava suggested.
"Hey," I said. "I try."
Phoebe snapped a vine in the air. I suspected she was feeling as restless as I was. "Well, no matter who does the talking, I don't think words are going to work. They don't want to hear what we have to say."
"For all we know, they did," I replied. "They could have heard us out every time we went in, then sent us on our way."
"That seems unlikely," said Phoebe. "I know I can only hear one of your diatribes twice before I get the urge to crush you with vines. That's why I just stop listening."
That explained why it had taken her so long to stop pulling pranks that involved my shower. "We'll work on that later, Phoebe." I leveled a glare at her. "We need a new plan."
"Okay." Zoe stopped her pacing. "If you all really want to do this, what we need is a way to impress them. They want all of us to believe they are too good for us to even attempt a conversation with. They work by remaining mysterious and intimidating. We'll show we're worth considering."
"And how do we accomplish this?" asked Ava.
"One of the few things known about Oscura is that a beast haunts the mist on the ground. Since they are so secretive, I believe this is known because they want it known. This is their intimidation weapon."
"Okay," I said. "What are you suggesting?"
<
br /> "We treat the beast like a test," she said. "We go in on the ground and we either get past the beast, or, kill it."
"I like it," I said.
"That does not surprise me," said Ava. "Brute force is a favorite strategy of yours, isn't it?"
I flexed my bicep and laughed. "I think that's the first time someone has called me a brute. I like it."
"It might interest you to know that our new friend informs me that the beast is more than an intimidation tactic. The beast is a formidable foe. Also, she has added a few colorful thoughts about our mental faculties for repeatedly attempting to enter Oscura."
"It does sound especially dangerous," I admitted. "I could go alone."
"Absolutely not," said all three of the other women at the same time.
It drove me nuts. I had to try speaking three times before I could do it without yelling. "I can go in, see how it goes, and we can go from there before risking everyone. I am capable of handling myself."
"We know that," said Phoebe.
"We have been talking about the Orani all day," said Ava. "The only thing we know for certain is that they are also quite capable of handling themselves."
"We need to stick together," said Phoebe.
"You don't have to gang up on me for everything," I said. "Listen. They would feel less threatened by a single person entering their territory. They might be inclined to hear me out."
"Or they could decide that only one person doesn't pose a threat and would make a good meal," said Zoe. "We don't know what kind of predator the Orani are."
"We don't know that they're predators at all," I argued.
"You believe that, do you?" asked Ava. "You believe they have earned such a reputation by being prey? In Faerie, that's what you are: predator or prey. Did prey capture Owen, Sophie? Do you believe that?"
"You don't have to be mean about it," I told Ava.
"I'm not mean, I'm practical," said Ava. "And I'm laughing at you. Just a little."
Sure enough, her nose was twitching. I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm open to other plans if any of you have them."
The only response was the sound of wind blowing through the trees. Unfortunately, I didn't really believe my idea about going in alone was a good one, either. I mean, it sounded good, but the feeling in my gut said it wouldn't work. I knew my gut was influenced by the Fleece now, but I'd gone against it earlier with the dragons and that had been a disaster. Come on, Fleece. Give me something. I wanted it to materialize before me and offer up a plan. What good are you when it really counts?