Caynin’s eyes lingered on the trees where the human girl had disappeared. She had shown up so unexpectedly, and he had not meant to startle her. He had been as surprised as she was. But she was not just startled, she was scared. He had heard the racing of her heart and seen the terror in her eyes. He could practically smell her fear in the air. She had known what he and Rane were – Fata. They were deadly, and it was smart of her to run away. Caynin could not help but be amazed at her courage to turn back and help him. She owed him nothing, and she was clearly terrified that he would hurt her, yet she had been willing to come to his aid and receive nothing in return. She had helped him out of the goodness of her heart.
Caynin was not sure how he felt about that. He was not used to people saving him – he had Rane, his Waerie, to watch his back. But there was nothing Rane could do about the iron bear trap that the damn Slaeries had set. The only reason Rane had taken commands from a human was because he had been desperate. His friend’s rage, from being forced to listen to a human, was a red-hot coal bouncing off him.
“I can kill her quickly,” Rane said.
“You’re not going to kill her,” Caynin said clearly. “She saved me.”
His words sounded ridiculous to his own ears, and if this story was to be told, many Fata wouldn’t believe it. Humans were weak, selfish, and wouldn’t dare come close to a Fata, unless of course they were Slaeries. He hated those humans who knew that the Fata existed and made it their life’s mission to hunt and kill them.
“Saved you? It is her kind that planted that trap in the first place!” Rane said.
“Enough, Rane.”
Rane knew better than to argue with him so, instead of talking, he bent down by Caynin’s side and studied his wounded leg. Fata healed fast – but the iron made it difficult. Rane tore a piece of his shirt off to bandage the wound, and Caynin knew he blamed himself.
“Do you know that you are not responsible for everything that happens to me?”
“I’m responsible for taking care of you,” Rane reminded him. “As your Waerie, it is both my duty and my honor.”
Caynin wrapped his arm around Rane’s shoulders so he could help him up. Red hot pain shot through Caynin’s leg, and if it weren’t for Rane steadying him, he would have fallen over.
“We can sit a little longer if you need more time to heal,” Rane said.
Rane was the one Fata Caynin could fully trust. There was no need for him to hide his pain or pretend to be stronger than he was. Yet, he found himself straightening and slowly putting weight on his foot.
“We should keep moving,” he said as he caught Rane looking back to where the girl had disappeared. “Let her go.”
“She has Light Eyes,” he growled.
“Just because she can see us does not mean she will start hunting us,” Caynin said.
“She is most likely part of a Slaerie family!” Rane clearly struggled to control his temper. “When she is older, they will tell her about us, and she can hunt us with them! That’s the way it works, and you know it.”
“She did not have a mean bone in her body,” Caynin objected.
He thought about the frail human with her long, dark hair and shaky hands. If it had not been for the iron weakening him, he would have been able to compel her to do his bidding. He could have compelled her to stay, dance in circles or kill herself.
Rane, like most Fata, did not fancy the humans. They were the weaker species, and Fata were naturally dominant. Faeries weren’t the beautiful, good creatures human children read about in story books. They were territorial, manipulative, and strong. Most looked down on humans and played with their minds out of boredom. Humans could only see Fata if they wanted to be seen, or if they had Light Eyes.
“The human will live.”
“Not for long in these woods,” Rane said, and Caynin gave him a look that suggested they drop the conversation. “What? It’s clear that she is lost, and something is going to eat her.”
“Not if I can help it,” Caynin said.
He closed his eyes and used his magic to summon help. A nearby flower opened to reveal a faerie, no bigger than Caynin’s thumb. The faerie flapped her butterfly wings and hovered at eye level with Caynin. She bowed her head politely, and Caynin decided that a human would easily mistake her for a firefly, when she was glowing at night. This Twixie was not harmless or innocent like a firefly…
“There’s someone I need you to find,” Caynin said.
***
Zoey tripped over a tree root, fell, and the breath was knocked from her lungs. She rolled onto her back, looked up into the trees, and saw a star between the branches. Crap. It was night. She closed her eyes for a minute and welcomed the darkness.
She lay there, waiting for the Fata to show up and rip her to pieces for trespassing. This was so much to process. How were they real? Rane, with his dark-blue eyes and sandstorm hair, without a doubt wanted to kill her. Wow, she had run straight toward them, thinking they were hikers. She could have run toward her own death.
The other one, whose name she did not know, had looked at her as if she was a helpless little mouse. Who would have thought that he’d be the one to get caught in a trap? He had such fine features… a jawline sharp enough to cut her fingers if she touched it. She could still feel his icy breath on her skin, from standing too close. She shivered now, wondering how his breath had been cold. Was he a cold, heartless monster? He could have killed her once the trap was off.
Zoey shook from the cold and panic. Was she going crazy? She could not tell anyone about this because they would not believe her. She dropped her head into her hands.
She was lost, and she was never going to make it home. What she thought was a mosquito buzzed near her head, so she swatted at it. Then something light landed on her knee, and she lifted her head so she could see what it was. It was a tiny fairy – no bigger than her thumb. The Twixie was glowing, like a firefly, and she wore a small dress. Her wings were transparent, like glass, with circles and butterfly-like patterns. The Twixie smiled and took off again.
When Zoey looked around, it was only to realize that many Twixies were flying around her. They were not scary – like the Fata she had seen earlier. These were so small, what could they possibly do to hurt her?
“Hi…” Zoey said as another Twixie landed on her knee.
The Twixie smiled and motioned for her to follow. Zoey watched the Twixie take off like a helicopter, then she rose. She didn’t know if following the Twixies was wise, but she didn’t want to be alone either.
She didn’t find them intimidating in the slightest. They were entertaining to watch as they chased each other, played, and laughed. Their voices were soft and high pitched, and she could not discern what they were saying.
“Where are you taking me?”
She was not surprised that they did not answer. Rane and his friend had not talked much either. In fact, the only thing the snowy one had said was that Rane should let her go. She shook her head and corrected herself; he had not said it, he had commanded it. He must be very powerful if he could give other Fata orders.
Were the Twixies taking her deeper into the woods? Fata were said to be manipulative, so were they deceiving her in some way? But their faces were so playful, she decided they posed no threat. Their beautiful lights illuminated the woods like shooting stars. One of them landed against a tree, and she blinked to make sure her eyes were not misleading her.
“You don’t have a shadow,” she realized.
The Twixie blinked at her, as if she understood, before she took off from the tree. They were making high-pitched sounds which Zoey assumed was singing. She followed them for a long time and studied their moves. They were energetic and made her laugh when they tried to include her in their dancing and flying. Suddenly, they hovered in place, and Zoey realized where she was.
“You brought me back to the border! Thank you.”
She was not sure if they understood. They started flying around again – as if putting up a show could convince her to stay.
“I have to go.”
All at once, the Twixies said, “Awww.” They stretched the word so that she could understand that they were sad and did not want her leave.
“My parents must be worried sick,” she said. “I really have to go, but I won’t forget what you did for me.”
Zoey stepped across the border onto the tar road. The Twixies’s voices faded as they drifted back into the woods. She started walking until she found a road sign illuminated by a streetlight. Then she cursed. She was on the other side of town and far from home.