Faery Worlds - Six Complete Novels (167 page)

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

He smiled and nodded. “It’s ok. You know how we look without the glamour to encase our true bodies. If you were to touch me, I could hurt you.”

Shade pressed her lips together, confusion flashing across her face. “Darren touched me when he was unglamoured, like you are now, and I didn’t get burned. I asked Soap and Jack about it, and they had no answers for me. It makes me think that I might not be harmed if I do touch you.” She admired his flames and took in his handsome face.

It was a mask of shock as he shook his head. “I don’t know about that, Shade. Maybe it was a trick of his. He could do so many things with mirrors that would make you believe things were real, when they were really just illusion. He was a genius at that.” Dylan’s face was grim at the thought of his brother.

“No, I know because he was shocked when I didn’t burn. He said that much. And I saw it in his eyes.” Her eyes glazed over with the memory of the malice that had been stamped on Darren’s face. He had been filled with so much pleasure when he’d seen the fear wash over her. She looked at Dylan and almost expected to see Darren standing before her. They were similar in appearance, but even as brothers, they didn’t exactly look alike. They certainly didn’t behave the same way.

“Well, if you must, Shade, I will tone the flames down. Then you can touch my skin with just a finger. That way it won’t hurt you too much. Deal?”

She nodded and watched his flames shrink back into just embers glowing across his skin. She studied it and watched how his skin looked smooth and untouched under the heat. He watched her as she walked forward, extending her arm and hand up toward him. They both held their breath as she reached her finger up to his skin and slowly ran it up his arm. Dylan was still holding his breath when her soft touch reached him, seeming to freeze time.

Nothing… is happening.
He felt warm, not hot. There was no pain, flying ash, or fear. She extended the rest of her fingers out to brush his forearm. His flames extended to full glow, and she remained unscathed. She brought her hand back and studied it. Dirt and drying scrapes peppered the skin across her hand but no burns or soot. She looked at Dylan, who was as stunned as she was. He was observing her intently, making her suddenly aware of his closeness.

“Dylan, nothing happened. What am I? Why am I protected from your fire?” She stared at him, awaiting an answer.

Dylan seemed to come back into himself, shaking off whatever was holding him in his thoughts. Gazing at her, he shook his head. “I-I don’t know, Shade. I wish I knew. There are so few who can do what you just did, so very few. Most are just Teleen, but you….” He kept his head shaking back and forth in disbelief. “Amazing,” he whispered and then looked back at her, a smile now hiding the seriousness of his face.

“Do you know what that means, Shade? You could marry a Teleen. You could, without difficulty, find a mate within our court. Being a female, you have no idea how rare you are, and how well you shall be received.”

“What? I don’t want to get married. Well, at least not yet. Where did that come from? I-I’m just a kid; why would I even think of that yet?” She huffed, flustered at his statement. “Dylan, what do you mean there are so few who can do what I did? Do you mean the not getting burned part? Who else besides a Teleen can do that?” She waited and watched his smile fade just as fast as it had come.

“Our race is dying out, Shade. We can only marry another Teleen and very few of us are able to have children. Only another race compatible with us would help strengthen our line. Our clan dies otherwise. The only other races of faeries that would even be compatible with us, strong enough to withstand our powers, are even rarer than the Teleen.”

“Who are these people?” she asked impatiently. The look on his face was definitely disapproving that she’d even asked him.

“Changelings, for one thing, or elementals of fire, such as fire-witches. Finding someone like that is so rare. I have only known of one changeling and one elemental fire-witch ever, and they were paired already.” He paused, narrowing his eyes at her. “Do you know if you are either of those, Shade?”

“Me? No, no way. If I am, I wouldn’t know it. I mean, what’s a changeling and an elemental witch? How would I know which one I am, if I am one of those?”

“Well,” he offered, “a changeling is simple; they’re capable of changing into anything they want to. Human, bear, squirrel, different types of fey, like Teleen, Enlors, which are sprites, or Gidals, which are trolls. Anything really. It’s a rare ability, like I said. An elemental fire-witch is, well, a human mortal witch—in every meaning of the word—but with an affinity to fire. They can control it, wave it around, and send it roaring across a forest. Whatever you can imagine doing with it, they can do it. They can cast spells, charms, curses and things of that nature. There are many kinds of witches, Shade, but rare is it to find elemental witches. They’re special.” His face darkened as his eyes met hers.

“Shade, if my people knew that you could be one of these kind of special individuals, especially since Darren exposed it with his attack, I have to warn you and let you know that upon returning to Teleen, all unmated, unmarried males in my race will be courting you for your attention. You’ll probably be bombarded by them, pushed to choose one of them for a mate.”

“What? Oh no, no, no. They can’t make me do anything. I won’t choose anybody. I won’t be staying there at all. I wouldn’t return there after what happened, and besides, I’m going home.”

Dylan nodded and sighed. “Yes, Shade, of course you will want to go home. But I must warn you: even at home, you will not be left alone. Teleen men are relentless. Our Queen will not stop them, either, not until you choose one of them as your mate. Only then will it be ordered by our Queen to leave you alone. It is vital for the survival of our people. I’m sorry, Shade. At the very least, I had to warn you before that happens.”

Shade let her face screw up in disgust. Marriage was the least of her worries. She wished he hadn’t said a thing about it at all. She turned and slumped down onto her sleeping bag again. She still felt tired and now irritated on top of it all. She stared up at the ceiling, lit up in Dylan’s glow. The whole cave was flickering in the light. There was still no sign of a way out. She pulled the blanket over her head and curled up into a ball.

“Dylan, how are we getting out of this place? I looked everywhere. I don’t even see where I came in! What is this place? I feel claustrophobic, and it’s cold down here.” She closed her eyes and waited.

“It’s a place to forget oneself or forget about someone. It’s either a blessing or a curse, depending how you look at it. This cave is one of the ancient prisons of Faerie. People were left here for years to forget about themselves, wither away or to emerge fresh, with a clean slate. It’s an immortal’s dungeon, or oubliette, Shade. I am surprised you stumbled across one; usually it can trap only immortals.” He paused. She listened to the silence, waiting for him to continue while pondering his words. “It does make me wonder why you are down here. You must be immortal then, to end up in such a place. You could be a powerful changeling for all we know.”

“Who gets people out of these things? Who made them? Was it the Unseelie?” she muttered. She felt her eyes become heavy with sleep, rubbing them as she struggled to stay awake.

“No. As I said, this room could be used as a prison but not always. It can be a safe place, you know, like when you’re being pursued and you need to seek a sanctuary. No one gets people out of these places except for the faery who put you here. In your case, it’s you. You must will it so yourself–to escape, I mean;
you
must get us out here, Shade.”

She thought of his last words as she drifted off to sleep.

What a bunch of crock
.

Chapter Twenty

SHADE WOKE UP
in darkness yet again. She heard soft breathing across the room. Was she still in the oubliette? The cool, damp air confirmed her disappointment as she sat up, pulling the blanket down from her head. She felt around for her light stone, which sat cold and dormant in the center of the room where she had left it. Grasping it, she reignited it. Her eyes focused in the dim light as it grew. She watched the bundle that was Dylan softly sleeping. He wasn’t aglow anymore; he must have slipped his glamour back on like a robe before bed.

She set the light stone down again, wondering if she should wake him and also how long she had slept. She didn’t know what day or time it was anymore. It could have been hours or minutes and she wouldn’t even know it down here in the dark, dank bowels of the earth. Her cell phone was long dead, since she hadn’t charged it recently. She leaned against the smooth stone and thought about everything they had spoken about before she’d let sleep win her over… had it been the night or day before?

Shade felt bad for doubting Dylan, but he didn’t make much sense to her half of the time. She was glad that she wasn’t alone down here anymore but pondered the subject of escape.
Just will it so? What the heck was that about? Like, tell the stone to open up and let me out kind of thing?
Shade thought with frustration.
She was pretty sure she hadn’t asked to be placed here, at least not on purpose.

She stood up again and shook her head.
Oh, whatever, this entire place doesn’t make any sense. Changelings, witches, faeries and whatever the hell else pops up.
She wondered how much of the world she’d grown up in was real at all. It seemed like none of it was; it was just a lie, just a façade that the fey had played on all of humankind. They probably got a good laugh out of it all the time.
Oh, what dumb humans they are, can’t figure out that more than half their land isn’t even on their maps because it’s ours. We can do whatever the heck we want, and they don’t know any better. Idiots!

She kicked the wall again, but not hard enough to hurt her foot. It did force her to grunt, though. She thumped her back against the wall, groaning.

“You all right there? The wall isn’t going to kick you back, you know. It didn’t really do anything to you, anyway.” Dylan had his hands behind his head while he remained lying, head up and staring at her, grinning.

“Oh, shut up. How do we get out? We need to get out, like yesterday, Dylan! How do we do it?” She stared at him, huffing out her anger as she marched back to her sleeping bag. She shook it out violently and stuffed it into her bag. Pulling out her canteen, she gulped down the cool drops of water. She tossed her bag to the side as she sank down to the ground, feeling the tears sting her eyes. Darn it if she was going to give Dylan any more signs of her current breakdown. She just couldn’t take the mortification.

Dylan sighed and stretched out. He stood up and held his hand out to her. “Come on, we gotta go.” He waited as she stared back up at him, tears still pooling in her eyes. She took his hand and stood up, swinging her pack onto her back as she followed him over to the smooth walls of stone. “Now, to leave these prisons, one must believe in impossibility. Lay your hands on the stone and think. Think about the mountains you saw before you got here and the fountains. Wish your way out. Make a road in your head that will lead you to the place you want to go, and it will happen. Make a way for yourself, for us.”

Shade studied his face, feeling a prick of hope mixed with disbelief as he spoke. She licked her lips and did as he told her. Closing her eyes, she wished the stone would open and let her out into the sunlight, into the wilderness she so longed to see again. She prayed and wished as hard as she could, caressing the cool rock and waiting for the stone to do something under her dirty fingers.

Nothing.

Shade opened her eyes and frowned at the rock. She looked over at Dylan and shook her head. “Nothing’s happening, Dylan. What if we’re stuck here forever?” She stared at the curved wall, wanting a way out where there was none. She sucked her breath in. “Wait!” She’d just remembered something and grabbed her pack, rummaging through it frantically. She pulled out the rune stones Ilarial had given her. She held them in her gritty hand and stared at the symbols. How was she supposed to know what she had to do with them?
Ilarial said they would help me find my way when there is none, but how?
She stared at them and closed her eyes, silently praying for a way out of the oubliette.

“Shade! Something’s happening!” Dylan pulled her out of her thoughts. She glanced around to find the rock fading in front of them with a soft rumble. The bubble was no longer a bubble but extending into an elongated hall. It grew longer into the earth until it reached the top of the soil. Steps formed out of the smooth rock, and sunlight gradually began streaming in through dirt. Roots dangled down from the forest floor.

The walls stopped rumbling, and the ground stilled. She looked over to Dylan as they now stared down the small corridor to the stairs. She smiled and looked at him as he reached back, grabbing his cloak and her light stone from the ground. He tossed the stone to her as they walked up the stairs. “Way to go, Shade. See, you just have to believe in yourself.”

“It worked! Ilarial gave me these rune stones that would help me out when I needed it. I didn’t even do much but wish for there to be a way out. Wow, it’s amazing Dylan!” They both shouted with glee as they scurried up each step.

The sun bore down on them like a spotlight in their faces. Shade’s eyes cramped in pain as they adjusted to the bright sunlight. She blinked and shaded her eyes with her hands, looking about. They were no longer in the river of boulders but at the base of the Santiran mountain range. She pulled herself up and out of the hole in the ground with Dylan just behind her. The ground seemed to swallow up the darkness of the prison as they watched it close. Only grass and leaves lay where the exit used to be. She bent to touch the patch of grass and dirt. It felt firm and undisturbed.

“Look, Dylan!” She pointed up the massive wall of mountain. “It’s the Santiran Mountain! We must be so close to the fountains! We’re almost there!” She walked with a little skip in her step, almost bursting with anticipation. She’d find the magic waters of the Santiran fountains, and then she’d be that much closer to going home.