by Ana Xavier
"You have until the sands run out and then we're off to training." Tomas interrupted my thoughts making me jump just a little.
An hourglass appeared on the table in front of me. The sounds of its sands sliding through the small opening between the top and the bottom was a little distracting, but I'd concentrated in far more difficult situations than this. The Fae senses were truly amazing. Even the smell of the paper and the feel of the book were enhanced thanks to the upgrades I was making to my form this morning. I held the book to my face breathing in deeply, a little book lover ritual I have.
"If you're not going to take study time seriously, we can just head straight to training." Tomas teased.
I stuck my tongue out at him and crossed my eyes. Turning back to my book, I could hear his lips pulling back from his teeth in a smile. Another book materialized in front of me. Its pages flipping to a stop about halfway through. "Show off!" I muttered.
"Read that chapter too." He said cheerily, his steps growing fainter as he headed for the door behind me. "I'll be back soon."
I muttered a goodbye and peeked at the other book. Hmmm.... the astral plane. I smiled in appreciation. Today is going to be interesting.
14
True to his word, Tomas had appeared just as the last sands settled on the bottom of the hourglass. I had read a synopsis about the Fae anatomy, including their wings, and the chapter on the astral plane. I heard his approach and was waiting for him at the door. My form was even more enhanced than when he had left me earlier. He smiled and nodded his head.
I had been thinking about the Fae anatomy the wrong way, approaching it as I would someone of my realm. Fae are different. In this form, not only were my senses heightened, but the flow of chakra through my body was also enhanced. All of the magical things I saw through the cities of the Court and especially in the castle were controlled by chakra infusion. Fae infused a bit of themselves into an object and the object behaved as they would have it. This was a normal way of life for them. This everyday magic was innate, not even practiced. It was fascinating. The flow of my chakra now imitated that of the common castes of Fae. They had the everyday magic abilities, but could not control elements, perform spells, that sort of thing. I'd need some time to work up to the chakra flow that ran through the veins of the higher castes and royalty. Their chakra flow was intimidating to say the least. I wasn't sure that I could loosen my control so much without losing it.
"Now that you see what I can do with some information, I hope that you are inspired to give me more."
"You don't let up. That's good." Taking my hand, Tomas led me from the doorway of the 2nd room of the library and into the hall.
I'm pretty sure that he's flirting with me again and I want to flirt back. I need to be focused, but a girl’s got to have fun too. “So, what's next for today?" I ask in my very best professional tone.
"It's a surprise." Tomas smiled devilishly, "Rather, it's a series of surprises. That is if you are up for it."
"I'm up for anything." I answered. I wanted to take it back as soon as I said it. Hoping that my new clearer Fae complexion wasn't flushed and showing my embarrassment.
"And so am I."
"No jaunts this soon after breakfast." I warned.
He looked at me reproachfully. "I wouldn't dream of it."
The headiness was coming back and the scent of him filled my nostrils, but it wasn't a jaunt this time. We weren't walking worlds. It was just the closeness of him.
15
When I saw the lake my first night in the Fae Realm. My first thought was that it didn't belong there, and I wasn't that far from the truth. The lake wasn't really a lake. It was a portal, Tomas told me as we approached from above. The portal was the only door to the Fae Realm that could not be closed. There was an Anubis in every court of the Fae. The story of their creation was lost, but all knew how to use it. The Anubis would take anyone who was able to cross the area of protection wherever they desired. They need only speak their destination.
"Interesting." I said thoughtfully. "What language do you need to use?"
Tomas looked utterly confused. "What language?"
I widened my eyes at him and shook my head quickly. The universal gesture for "duh".
"Dyana, there is only one language."
"Here?"
"Everywhere. Every when." He splayed his hands out in front of him as if he were a magician doing his big reveal, “Same language."
"That's not possible."
"But it is. Those who live in your realm have created differences where there are none. The differences are so far embedded you no longer recognize the sameness."
"Is this going to be another one of those riveting humans are beneath us conversations?" I rolled my eyes.
"Another one?"
I ignored his question, not wanting to talk about my time with Set this morning. "So, what are we doing here today?"
"This is your first lesson. Do you see what is below?"
I thought about calling the sight of the falcon, before realizing that my Fae eyes could do the job. I narrowed them and focused on the desert in front of the shimmering Anubis that I had mistaken for a body of water. There were multiple lion-like cats prowling the area, partially hidden by the shrubbery. I nodded my head.
"Those are the Hell Catts. They are the protectors of the portal. Only the Royal Families of the 4 courts are able to cross into this area without being torn to shreds."
"What is the lesson here?" I was beginning to feel very nervous. We were losing height and getting closer and closer to the ground. The Hell Cats were raising their heads, long blond tails ticking back and forth slowly, as we descended.
"What do you think?" Tomas said playfully.
Clearly, he was ignoring my growing fear. I was damn near horrified by this point. I could smell the heat coming off of the ground as well as I could smell the pheromones of the Hell Cats. Their attentions were turning to us. I could feel the intensity of their stares narrowing from looking at us to looking at just me. I grabbed onto Tomas tighter as I felt his grip loosening. My feet were merely feet from the ground at this point.
The Hell Cats were watching me intently. One of the four that I could see, I could smell 3 more, was rising from its lounging position behind a patch of thorny looking shrubs. Its eyes glittered in the sunlight. I met its gaze. The bright red of the eyes was unnerving, but I knew if I looked away, I have lost. I steady my breathing. I will not embarrass myself before Tomas. I will not fail the council. I will not fail myself.
My feet brush the ground then flatten bringing an abrupt end to the pep talk that I was giving myself. I remove my arms from around Tomas' neck, never breaking eye contact with the Hell Cat. I can hear the hushed sounds of 2 more approaching, one to our immediate left and one just behind us. They are no more than 25 feet away and I do not know how quickly they move.
Tomas is no longer next to me. I don't know when he moved. I don't know that it makes a difference. There are now 6 cats on the move, slowly approaching me. They are ignoring Tomas altogether.
Think, you don't have much time, I command myself. The demand seems to work as I begin going through my morning lessons. I cannot become a Hell Cat. If they are like a lion's pride, they would know I was not one of their own. At worst they would kill me for being an outsider at best they would only injure me. I couldn't afford either.
I visualize the flow of my chakra, steadying my breath, willing the flow to speed, letting go of the constraints. I push the chakra to the limit, allowing it to spill over the points, allowing it to lap at the cells around it almost haphazardly. I can feel the confusion of the Hell Cats. The one closest to me only 10 feet away, well within striking distance.
I can feel the chakra rising in my body. My heart is beating faster to sustain the increase in energy, my breathing is both deeper and faster, and my life's force is so free that I think it's going to break out of my body. I know I can't stop now, and I push it even further. The flow of the
chakra getting faster. In my mind's eye, I see the energy coursing through my body. It's like a prism - all the colors of the rainbow cavorting in my energy. The pushing is over, and it is time to relax into the energy to assume it as mine. And I do.
The Hell Cat has closed the distance between us, stalking towards me with its head down, and it's tail flat. I hold out my hand to it, open and palm up. It nuzzles my hand, licks a sandpaper tongue across my palm and walks on.
Tomas is next to me again. The light is dancing in his eyes, his wide mouth open in laughter. Before I can think better of it, I am in his arms. Running my fingers across his tight curls, pushing his head down so that his lips can meet mine, I begin kissing him. He doesn't stop me. He opens his mouth to my searching tongue, allowing my soft pants to mix with his breaths. His hands slip into my long black curls, using my ponytail to angle my head for his exploratory kisses.
I can hear the Hell Cats returning to their late morning lounge around us. And something else. There's something else here.
I pull away from Tomas abruptly. Looking around us to see who or what has entered the area. "Do you feel that?" I ask.
"Yes" Tomas pulls me close, leaning in to pick up where we left off.
"Something isn't right." I push his hands away. I can't think with him so close. "Please, take me somewhere else?" I ask.
"As you wish," he says tucking me into his arms. The sand shudders under his feet as he takes off.
We fly without words towards Petra, the city at the center of the Court of Dusk. I begin slowly allowing the chakra to mellow it's course - taking myself from the royal caste, past the higher castes and down to the common caste again. Everybody doesn't need to know that I'm capable of that. I broadcast to Tomas. I'm still feeling so connected to him that I don't think to ask permission first.
You're right about that. He answers.
You heard me?
Yes, maybe tomorrow I'll tell you what that means.
Tomorrow. Always a waiting period with this one. I think to myself only this time after redoubling my mental shields. I need to concentrate on regulating my chakra. Concentration is almost impossible when I can feel the muscles in Tomas' chest working, his upper back tensing and releasing under my fingers, my nose filled with the smell of him. I'm not here for this. I remind myself. But maybe I could be here for this too. The little traitorous thought sneaks into my mind. I'm going to blame it on the chakra flow. I'm going to blame the whole incident on the chakra flow. Better yet, we will not speak of it again and we will walk to our next destination.
He brought us back to the palace. He left me at my room like a perfect gentleman after letting me know that he would be back for lunch. We would be dining in my sitting room. I had searched his face when he made the announcement, looking for a devilish little smile. There was none. I agreed and he had left.
When I entered the room, I realized I was utterly exhausted and a little gross. Flying was dusty work even when you aren't the one flapping wings. The orange juice from this morning was still on the table, condensation dripping down the side. Of course, it was. What good home wouldn't have a carafe that kept things cold. Shai and all her fates bless the Fae for their ingenious uses of magic.
After my bath, I snuggled in the comfiest robe ever and lay on my bed leisurely flipping through books Tomas must have had sent to my room. There was a history of the Fae where I found a description of the 2 types of Fae, Seelie and Unseelie. I was relieved to see this, because it would save me the embarrassment of asking. How ridiculous would be blurting out "Aren't you one of the bad Fae" after my tongue had been down Tomas' throat.
The Fae's description of themselves had nothing to do with good or bad like the literature of the Old People's said. It had everything to do with the affinity of the Courts. The Courts of the Seelie were associated with day and the Courts of the UnSeelie were associated with night. That was it. Tam had been on the up and up about that one. The book went on to describe the Courts in great detail. I thumbed through the pages quickly, I didn't think there was time for that type of study.
An hourglass appeared on my nightstand as did a note. Lunch will arrive shortly. I wasn't sure how I felt about this ability to just send things into my personal space. I wondered if I could do it to. Probably. I was certain that I could do it in my royal caste state, but I wouldn't risk playing games with chakra in the palace. Altering my state at the edge of the Court of Dusk in front of Hell Cats who would never breathe a word was one thing. Playing at being royal in the heart of the palace was a totally different thing.
There was a knock on the door to my rooms that was almost in time with the last drop of sand through the hourglass. Neomi and Fiona came in first ushering me to the bedroom and offering to help me get dressed. They closed the double doors between the bedroom and sitting room as four male Fae came into the parlor and began adjusting furniture. I accepted their help and used the time to study them more closely. The anatomy lesson I had earlier had not made mention of wings and I was still incredibly curious about where they were hidden.
They flitted around me. Fiona tying my corseted blouse, Neomi working on my drying hair, trying her best to get out the tangles without pulling too hard. She worked my long black curls into a tight ponytail adorned with a few pastel colored jewels. She worked her fingers on the tips of my still too big ears, fussing with them as if she would find a way to beautify them too. I giggled at the look of frustration on her face.
"Does that tickle, Miss?"
I assured her that it did not tickle, and she moved on from primping them with a small sigh and a pat that told me she had given up on them. Fiona straightened my flowing pants making sure that the corset fell over them perfectly, not a wrinkle was in sight. I surveyed their work in the mirror. My skin had taken on a sheen that mirrored theirs and my body muscled in my resting form was a sight to behold in my Fae form. My arms were sculpted, yet soft under the loose sleeves. My body looked as lithe and nimble as it felt in the near translucent ensemble.
"Let me guess. The Prince picked this out."
Neomi and Fiona lowered their faces, but not before I noticed their smiles. They retired from my room noting that the Prince would be there momentarily, and our lunch would be set out before us. They would be just a ring away if we needed them.
Tomas and I talked amicably as Neomi and Fiona swept in and out making sure our needs were met. Tomas looked refreshed in a white shirt and dark blue pants made of the same thick linen he'd worn earlier. The shirt was cut to perfection rippling across his muscled chest as he reached for his water glass. I knew he was watching me. I should have pretended not to be watching. I didn't.
A note popped up next to my glass. Dismiss them was written in red. I choked on the salad I had been eating. The note disappeared as Neomi rushed in to make sure everything was okay.
"I am fine. Thank you for checking and for being so close." I gave a little smile to Tomas. He rolled his eyes in response.
I felt him softly stroking at my mind, asking for entry. I shook my head, closing my eyes. If I looked at him, I would let him in. I would dismiss them. We would be in my bed.
"Yes". I heard him say.
My eyes flickered open in question.
"Yes." He said again.
"Where to after lunch?" I asked. We needed to get out of here and into the fresh air.
It was his turn to close his eyes. I felt him inviting me to his inner thoughts and followed. There we were. In my bed. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his shirt unbuttoned, my hand trailed down his chest. Suddenly he turned me around, his fingers working quickly to untie my corset then lightly touching the exposed skin of my back.
I lingered there with him a moment longer, long enough to watch the blouse fall away from my breasts, then I left him alone in his thoughts. Naughty, nasty prince. I sent out to him.
You don't know the half.
Maybe I didn't, but I would like to know. I would like it very well.
Be
cause I had just barely made it through lunch without dismissing Fiona and Neomi, I insisted that I take my leave of the Prince so that I could get a feel for the cities by myself. I told him that it was unlikely that the city Fae were acting normally in his presence. I needed to get a gauge for the baseline of his subjects if I was going to be any help at all. Truthfully, I needed to get some space between the two of us. I couldn't concentrate on anything except the absence of his mouth on mine while he was talking, and I was starting to think that just might be okay.
At the center of each of the Court of Dusk's cities was a huge park. Each with numerous walkways within a green area that all led to a Meeting Place in the center. The Meeting Place was visited by a rotation of Court officers weekly who kept the peace, listened to the concerns of the folk, and shared any messages from the Courts. The Meeting Place at beautifully manicured oasis at the center of Petra would e he epicenter of the Festival. Tomas reluctantly agreed to take me there.
The Fae below were little more than busily moving dots at this distance. When we got to the center, I told him to drop me. The appreciation in his eyes when his arms fell to his sides and he watched me plummet towards the ground sparked something in me that I shoved away immediately. I concentrated on bending my body to the shape of the Morning Bird that I had heard when I awoke this morning. Spreading my metallic silver wings, I coasted towards the activity below.
The air rushed at my face; my wings folded back in my dive. As I approached, I could see the streets were full of Fae arranging and rearranging decorations both with magic and by hand. The decorations were shades of dusk - ranging from bright to dark and deep purples, oranges, blues, and reds. There were pops of gold and twinkling of silver thrown into the mix adding to the feel of a night sky providing the starlight and moonlight that cavort only in the night.
My pre-lunch studies said that this was one of many Fae Holidays but it was the most important holiday here in the Court of Dusk where the Royals of the Court controlled the magic of the night. Tonight would be the longest night of the year and the members of the Court and the folks of its land would bask in revelry all night. There would be drinks, dancing, laughter, and gifts.