by Mary Dublin
"She's what? You're… you…" Rebecca trailed off and shared a wide-eyed look with Damian.
Unfortunately, that prompted the blonde man to follow her gaze. Damian froze up and pulled further into the shadows of the branches, scowling distrustfully. The man still wore a deep-set glare that wasn't inviting in the slightest, but he at least he didn't look hostile about the lightning attack that was almost brought down on him and his friend.
"Would you get down here?" he told Damian, more exasperated than anything. "You're making me feel like Zeus's lightning bolt is stalking me."
Reluctance in his every move, Damian opened his wings and lifted off the branch, making a cautious path downward until he was level with Rebecca. He raised an eyebrow. "Is 'Zeus's lightning bolt' supposed to actually mean something, or…?"
Rebecca made an irritated noise and threw him a look that told him to shut up and focus. "The High Council told us that she's dangerous and shouldn't be trusted, but they never said anything about execution," she challenged. "They just want her back so they can talk her out of…" She trailed off and looked between the humans, sounding less sure of herself. "Out of whatever it is she thinks she's doing."
"The Council did gather the guards in a private meeting," Damian admitted uncertainty.
Rebecca turned to him, incredulous. "You don't really believe these two, do you?"
"Melanie was with them," he said. "She sounded worried about anyone else getting to Sylvia first—"
"Melanie led them this close to the village?" Rebecca interrupted, eyes round.
"I suggest you both keep that to yourselves." A third sound of buzzing wings came from behind the shadows of the hunters. Melanie's face was relieved and urgent, but that was overshadowed as she narrowed her eyes at Rebecca and Damian. Her hands were raised halfway, ready to attack if necessary. "Stay where you are. If you go flying to alert the guards, I won't hesitate to stop you."
Rebecca shared a bewildered look with Damian, but after the initial shock of seeing Melanie accompany the humans, little else could surprise him. However, the idea that the Council would keep something as monumental and rare as an execution under wraps left him unsure who was the villain in all the confusion.
"We're not going to get the guards," Rebecca protested, sounding offended. "If you really mean that they'll kill her!"
"They won't even hesitate." Melanie lowered her hands and turned to the humans. "Sylvia isn't in the village. But I did hear an argument. One of the guards heard that metal beast of yours, and a group of them are arguing about whether or not to investigate as we speak. They think they'll find Sylvia."
"Let's split up," the brown-haired human suggested, his voice startlingly loud compared to Melanie's even though he didn't seem to be speaking at even a normal volume. "Between the three of us, we can cover the area." His eyes slid to Rebecca and Damian uncertainly, likely trying to figure out whose side they were on.
"You coming with?" the blonde human asked, taking a small step toward the pair of them. The grim imploring in his tone almost made Damian forget to be intimidated.
The brown-haired human gave them no time to mull over an answer. He set out at a quick pace into the trees, clearly not caring where he stepped as long as it was forward. He called out Sylvia's name in a voice that he probably thought was quiet.
"I'm staying here," Melanie said after he disappeared into the darkness. "Someone needs to stop her from going into the village if she shows up. You and Jon need to be out of proximity of the village," she told the blonde man. "Look for ponds and vines. She likes those."
Rebecca stifled a cry of surprise poorly as the blonde human walked right past them in a different direction than his friend did. She gathered herself and spoke up. "Melanie… are you sure? The Council wants Sylvia dead?"
Melanie gave both of them a long, serious look. "I'm not going to beg you to help us. Just understand that my daughter doesn't deserve to die. For stars' sake, you grew up with her! You know her. Can you imagine her doing anything to deserve execution?"
"No," Damian murmured, sharing a look of understanding with Rebecca. "They've… kept things from us ever since Sylvia was hurt. Anyone can see that."
"I wish I had time to explain, but I don't," Melanie said resolutely. "Now either help us or stay out of our way." A flicker of warning passed over her eyes, along with the faintest touch of pleading.
Rebecca sighed heavily and looked in the direction Jon had taken off to. "He has no idea where he's going. And did you hear the way he's calling her name? Every guard in the village is going to know she's here." She brushed past Damian and gave him a small shove in the direction the blonde human had headed. "You know the places Sylvia likes. You go with the blonde one, and I'll help the other."
Alarmed, he hissed through his teeth and grabbed her wrist before she could take off. "I almost electrocuted him to save you! Do you really think I want to be alone with him? Trade with me!"
She wrenched his hand away. "You're wasting time," she snapped. "Don't be a baby. Go!"
"Easy for you to say," Damian muttered, running both hands through his hair after Rebecca was gone.
The human had already put some distance between them, but luckily it wasn't hard to find a giant who was out of place in an otherwise calm area of the woods. Damian caught up and hesitated for a moment before taking the lead, as if he belonged there.
"Alright, follow me," Damian said as confidently as his bone-dry mouth would allow.
He heard a pause in the human's thudding footfalls behind him, but they resumed a steady march soon enough. To Damian's surprise, the human said nothing for a time. The fairy couldn't help but glance back cautiously every few seconds, looking for even the most subtle signal to flee for safety. He kept his hands ready to fire a spell if needed.
It didn't take long for the human to note his jumpiness. "You try to zap me again, I will kick your glitter-coated ass," he warned lightly.
Stiffening, Damian faltered and took a second to fall back into the rhythm of his flight, every nerve on end. He glanced over his shoulder once more before turning back to look through the higher branches as they neared a grove.
"That spell probably wouldn't have even killed you," Damian dismissed, surprised by his own self-assurance, especially considering he had his back to a human. "One of you put a hole through my friend's wings, didn't you? Am I supposed to just stand around and do nothing when I see you have a weapon under another friend? I don't think so."
The silence that followed was deafening. Damian thought for sure he had been too bold, until he heard the human speak up in a softened tone. "Fair enough."
Twenty
Nine
Try as he might to gain a head start on the search, it was mere seconds before Jon heard a buzzing of wings fast approaching.
"Hey, you!" The fairy zipped past him and turned around in midair to face him.
"Not now, lady," Jon muttered. Side-stepping around her, he pressed onward through the thicket in hopes of outrunning her. Even with his obvious height advantage, he had no such luck.
"Rebecca," she growled distastefully. "Look, if there's guards within a mile radius, all you're doing is alerting them that Sylvia's here. So I suggest you stop calling her name. If you want my help, we're only using our eyes and ears from here on out."
Jon stopped in his tracks when Rebecca flew right in his face, determined to hold his attention. In the darkness of the forest, the proximity allowed him a better look at her. He could have tried moving around her again and continue doing his best to ignore her, but he begrudgingly knew she was had a point. As a human, he was probably like a walking lighthouse to these guys.
"Now," Rebecca said, "are you going to ignore me and have a bunch of guards on your back, or are you going to do this my way and actually find Sylvia without putting her danger?"
Jon squared his jaw, an angry tick running just under the surface as he regarded her.
"Look, I just want her safe," he answered heate
dly.
"Then follow my lead."
Rebeca turned and flew forward, cutting between dangling leaves. Jon raised a hand and pushed the entire branch out his way so he could follow. His heart raced as he peered around the vacant woodlands.
Not as empty as it looks, he had to remind himself. He had no way of knowing whether they were being watched right at this moment, outnumbered. He glanced up ahead, where the little dark haired fairy was waiting for him in midair. He could only hope that if an ambush was indeed in the works, Rebecca would be able to give him warning. Even with a loaded gun tucked into his jeans, he wasn't confident he'd make a match for a tiny squad armed with magic.
The silent minutes seemed to drag and speed by at the same time. On one hand, every moment that he didn't find Sylvia made the situation feel more hopeless. On the other, the time that passed without attacks or signs that Jon had been heard by the guards made him feel like he had a chance of getting to her before anyone else did.
As if reading his mind, Rebecca spoke up. "Guards wouldn't be this far from the village at night. If they didn't hear you before, we should be safe now. You can whisper if you want, but no calling out."
Jon nodded distractedly at her, crouching down in the unkempt grass. He dragged his fingers through the strands, absently mulling over the possibility that Sylvia's wings had given out during her flight. Maybe she was traveling on foot out here. As if that made this search any less hopeless. Sylvia was just so small… he had no doubt that if she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't.
He heard a soft sigh from Rebecca's direction—closer to him now. Jon raised his head, finding that the fairy was now stood upon a craggly branch that hung a few feet over his head.
"It's way too dark out here," she announced. "I'm going to put a night-eyes spell on myself. You want it, too?"
"Night-eyes spell?" He stood up with a perplexed expression.
"To see in the dark. It's a little tricky, but it should work on you, too."
He hesitated. "There any… side effects?"
Rebecca cocked her head at him. "Well, having it on in daylight can give you a headache, but the magic should wear off in an hour or two, so that won't be a problem."
After a beat of hesitation, Jon gave a nod of consent. In any case, it was doubtful this spell would come back to bite him as his oath to Melanie had.
Moving with urgency, Rebecca began muttering under her breath in the same language he'd heard Sylvia use for her spells. Silvery light glowed on the fairy's small hands, and she pressed her palm to her forehead. When she opened her eyes again, the change was noticeable despite her size; her pupils were a luminescent silver instead of black. She craned her neck toward his face. Even perched on a tree branch didn't quite put her at eye level with him. For the briefest moment, Jon saw her reluctance to come close.
He nearly went cross-eyed as the fairy approached his face. A single touch of her fingertips came between his eyes before she backed off in a flick of her wings. Jon squeezed his eyes shut as the magic permeated his pupils. He could feel it seeping in like someone had spilt a pitcher of hot water in the back of each socket, the sensation narrowing as it reached the front of his eyes. Expecting a jarring difference, Jon squinted out cautiously. The improvement was immediate, but not startling. Shadows that had once been near blackness now revealed the crooked woodland paths that lay beyond. It was almost like standing in the daylight, but the color of his surroundings was faded and washed-out, and the moon created eerier shadows than the sun.
Jon staggered forward a step, blinking as he looked around in awe. Turning, he fixed his eyes onto Rebecca, taking her in as he had done with the forest. His gaze must have spooked her because she visibly backed off, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"This is incredible."
In the eerie light, Jon could just barely see that nervous smile twitch with signs of a real one. "Not my specialty," she said. "But not too shabby, either,"
With that, she rose higher in the air, her wings beating to hold pace with him as he set off through Whatever burst of intimidation Rebecca felt didn't last long. He heard rustling leaves as she continued looking around, but her voice piped up once again.
"I didn't get a good look at those scratches on your face before," she said. "They're fresh. Looks like someone got you good. Is that what has you worried about magical side effects? Because that looks like less of a side effect and more of an intended attack."
"What gave it away?" he asked, not slowing for a second. Up ahead, he could see the trees beginning to thin out. A glimmer of inky water winked between gaps in the treeline.
"I know the spell," Rebecca explained. "Those are definitely some fairy scratches."
Out of the corner of his eye, Jon noticed her ogling his injury. Her rapt curiosity made him nervous. It seemed likely that if she knew what he had done to earn the wound, she would turn on him. She would get in his way, keep him from warning Sylvia.
Turning from a hollowed tree he was inspecting, Jon faced her with a hard look. "You're not the only one skittish around humans."
Rebecca went quiet after that, the conversation seemingly dropped in favor of a thorough search. Between the two of them, they left no stone unturned. But every so often, Rebecca would glance at Jon, and he would pretend not to notice. She probably had more questions for him than he did for her, but he didn't invite her to ask any. Maybe it was his silence itself that gradually filled her gaze with more suspicion than curiosity.
Finally, she didn't keep it to herself any longer.
"You're looking for her like she's some scared little animal that'll run off if you get too close," Rebecca said suddenly. Jon made a noise of surprise as she flew around to face him again. "I was under the impression that you're friends with her. And while you're at it, who attacked you? My first guess was Melanie, but that doesn't seem right, considering she's trusting you with Sylvia."
Jon scowled, rearing back. "Would you quit flying up in my face?"
She folded her twig thin arms across her chest. "I will when you answer my question."
"You want to interrogate me or find Sylvia? If Melanie's right, we don't have time for both." He was beginning to wish he'd been tailed by the other fairy. Maybe he wouldn't ask so many prying questions.
"She's my friend too!" Rebecca snapped at him—rather loudly for her size. Then she seemed to remember to keep her voice her voice low, though her words lost no intensity. "She's my friend—a lot longer than she's been or was yours! We grew up together, played together. There's no way I'm letting the Council kill her, but if she has reason to be hiding from you too, I deserve to know!”
***
Cliff and Damian were rooted in place. They'd only made it as far as the point where the ground turned sodden before their luck went sour. Four tiny figures faced them, only ten feet away. They were hovering in a line, but he couldn't make out their faces from a distance.
"Please tell me they're with you," he murmured to Damian.
"Those are guards," Damian said, hissing through his teeth. "You know what they'll do if they catch me with you?"
Cliff recalled the first time he saw Sylvia's traitor brand: spiraling red lines streaking across her porcelain skin.
He grimaced. "Yeah, I think I've got the idea."
The fairies opposing them broke their solemn stance. One by one, they broke formation to charge. Cliff staggered back, yanking his gun free. He half expected to find empty air when he glanced toward Damian, instead finding the male fairy was sticking by his side as he backed away.
"I'll distract them," Damian said in a low voice. "You start running. Go!"
"What? No way, I'm the one with a gun."
Damian lifted his hands, tiny fingertips sparking. "Lightning, remember?"
A burst of green light flew between them. Cliff swerved, snagging Damian by his ankles to drag him along. He kept his back to the trunk as more lights were sent hurling past. Some collided at the ground near his boots, where dead l
eaves withered into white ash.
"What the hell was that?" he barked, edging away from the foul-smelling craters.
Damian squirmed for release, kicking at his fingertips to gain distance in midair.
"I know this isn't a good time, but you really need to keep your giant voice down!" he panted. "And run!"
This time, Cliff didn't argue.
The moment he glimpsed sight of a fairy veering into his line of sight, he took off in a desperate sprint.
Can't save Sylvia if you're dead.
Bursts of light reflected against passing trees—green and white and red. He kept cursing under his breath the whole way, unable to believe he was running away from a bunch of five-inch fairies.
He hadn't made it far before realizing that Damian had fallen behind. He pulled back for cover behind a thick tree, turning back to look for him. Tiny shouts and lights pooled in a bizarre cluster beyond his current shelter. Cliff squinted, trying to make out any identifying features on the fairies. Slowly, he lowered his gun. It wasn't his job to save that kid. Sylvia was a different story.
Upon turning to veer toward another path, a brazen fairy rocketed from the cluster toward him. She came bearing fists of blinding green light, a brave snarl on her face. Cursing, he ducked low to the ground. She was faster, and one of her spells clipped his shoulder.
"Shit," Cliff gasped out. It wasn't a solid hit, but he could feel an instant numbness affect the area. If it had hit elsewhere, the effects likely would've been crippling. But as it was, he practically grinned when he felt the magic sap away the throbbing pain of his tender shoulder. Or maybe I should be thanking you, pipsqueak.
He staggered to his feet swiftly as the fairy circled around for a second hit. Spinning on his heel, Cliff followed her. Her small voice was raised in ancient tongue, her spellwork glowing bright. His gun was all but useless; there was no way he'd land a bullet while she was swerving like that. The guard dove deep with her hands aimed for the center of his chest. On reflex, Cliff lashed out an arm. It felt like sheer dumb luck favoring him as the barrel of his gun swung into the fairy's middle and sent her flying into a tangle of branches.