Chapter three

Forest of Divination, Faerie

Fawn

Wise, the quiet one of the guardians accompanied us. He came trotting out on a white elk with a huge rack of antlers. I asked him why not giant his way along, but he said that I would soon learn that magic expends energy and has its drawbacks. He said he had to keep a balance and be conservative. 

Poppy and Tilly alternately flew or perched on my shoulders, holding onto my hair to whisper amusing things in my ears. It felt like the angel and the devil sitting on my shoulder scenario, except I just had two devils. 

I kept stealing glances at Fallon until I realized he could sense it each time. He would turn and grin every stinking time. It was maddening because I almost couldn't control the urge. It was so much worse than the stupid crush I had on Joey Carson in eighth grade. I thought that had been the pits. I'd moon over him in class, and we had three together. He never paid any attention to me. My aunties had a rep around town.

Once in my senior year, I finally met a brave guy to withstand the aunties for a short time. Until one day we were studying together for finals and started making out. The aunties had been outside grilling steaks, but Auntie Anya had needed something from the kitchen and caught us. One minute he was about to unbutton my jeans, and the next, a dagger was stuck in the wall next to his head.

Needless to say, he ignored me the last few days of school, and then I only ran into him once after that. I was at the mall, and he was hanging with a group of our classmates and his new girlfriend. They had all started talking about me and laughing. I could hear snips of it. The crazy doomsday preps... they are all so strange...she was desperate for it...had probably never been touched. I had been so embarrassed and depressed for about a week.

That's the only thing I ever argued about with the aunts. I still don't understand why I couldn't have a boyfriend. They said I could as long as he wasn't a spineless milksop, but according to them, they all were spineless milksops. 

I looked at Fallon again and saw that he had been watching me this time. I could usually feel it, but I'd been lost in thought.

"Fallon?" 

"Yes?"

"Those things were something called the Shadow Court? What are they, and why would they attack us? Furthermore, why would they try to take me in the mortal realm? Isn't that what I heard my home called, the mortal realm?"

That's what I picked up from what had been said anyway.

Fallon nodded and started explaining, "Yes, we've been separated into courts by Pan. Pan is the king of all fae, the allfather. He was fed up with all the wars over disputes and territories. We can no longer freely mingle among territories." he sighed and continued.

"He placed magical boundaries separating them. Seasons don't change within each seasonal territory. For instance, I rule the Summer Court, where it always remains summer. We have nights and days, but it's always summer. It's the same for the Winter Court and so on."

He makes a sad face and continues with, "However, the Shadow Court was our creation that came from our greed and use of black magic throughout the wars. Using magic that we aren't naturally born with causes an imbalance in nature. He didn't bound them. It's part of our punishment. The Shadow court can sift but we can't anymore. Pan took some of our abilities away and that's the one that bites the most." He looked kind of pissed. I guess paying for something the ancestors were responsible for would suck.

"The shades feed off of fae, and they're contagious. Enough venom can cause a Fae to become a Shade. They were all regular fae once, but they either became corrupted and turned into what they are now, or they were infected."

He paused and then said, "I don't know why they were in the mortal realm. I've never heard of them bothering the mortal realm. They crave the magic blood of fae, not humans, but there are so many more fae living in the mortal realm now because we can't cross territories, but we can travel realms. Some have chosen to stay in the mortal realm because they found their fated mate from another court while they were in the mortal realm."

"We will have serious problems if they infect fae or mortals in the mortal realm." I'm going to look into it and see what I can find out."

"I can see how that could cause problems. Major fubar!" I reply.

"You have no idea," he replied.

We fell into silence for a while and then I decided to lighten the mood.

"I take it you've visited my realm? Those jeans are nice!" I giggle, " I would think fae wore old-fashioned clothes and jeweled weapons."

He laughed, "Yes, I've spent much time there. I was hoping to find my mate, actually. Nine hundred years is a long time to wait, even for a fae." He smiled and glanced me over, stopping at my eyes."

Ooh, Lawdy! I'm in trouble. 

He nodded, "I do wear the old-fashioned clothes and weapons, as you say, on many occasions." he laughs.

Way to put your foot in your mouth Fawn, "Well, I'm sure you pull that off nicely as well."

He grins at me, "You'll have to let me know."

I clear my throat. It's time to move on from that subject. 

"How do you think it possible that I can be born nine hundred years ago but only be twenty-five?" It sounded so ludicrous coming out of my mouth.

"Easy, Freya had you hid away somewhere under enchantment. If she can do it for two years, then she could have done it for hundreds, and I think she did."

"Why would she do something like that?"

He looked tired, and I realized he probably hadn't slept in a while if he traveled from the castle last night only to fight the shadow court and bring me straight back with him.

"I've been thinking about that. I can't know for sure. I can only make some guesses. One is she's hiding you from Odin; another is she's divined something and, so she's trying to pull fates strings. It could also be both."He sighed, " I don't know, Faeling, but we'll figure it out. Everything will work out. I'll see to it."

He looked so confident and determined. They don't make them like this in the mortal realm. Maybe my coma will keep me here a while longer...Did I just wish for a coma? That's messed up! I giggled.

He looked at me again, smiling, "What are you laughing about?"

"Something you should know about me is I tend to amuse myself easily."

He shook his head and grinned, "That's a good thing! I like it! Fae tend to get bored. We live so long that it gets drab after a while." He glanced at my mouth, then faced forward again.

I turned my head away and grinned. That had felt nice. Comatose it is then.

" How old are you, Fallon?"

" I'm nine hundred, and I don't think that's a coincidence either."He said, looking me in the eye.

"Well...You're pretty hawt for a grampy."

He threw his head back and laughed. He was beautiful, probably even when he was grumpy, but he was something else when he laughed. It made me want to make him do it again and again.

"I don't think Freya was hiding you from me. At least not these past two years. I think she delivered you to me."

"What makes you say that?" I asked, surprised.

"You were practically right under my nose, and though you were heavily warded, they dropped when I approached you. This gives me hope that we're right where she wants us."

"Maybe we are." I smile.

He looks at my mouth again. And I get the impression he likes it when I smile. This makes me smile huge.

He grins back.

"Do you think she had me under an enchantment as a baby for hundreds of years and then sent me to the mortal realm to be raised by my aunties?" I ask thoughtfully.

"That's exactly what I think," he says decisively. 

" I wouldn't age at all under enchantment?".

"It would be so incredibly slow as to be non-existent," he replied.

"Oh"

"Oh," he copies and grins. "You are still a little faeling but only for a short time."

I think I'll save the questions about that for Poppy and Tilly. I don't want a "fae" birds and bees discussion with Fallon. I'm getting curious about it, though. I'll be getting those answers as soon as I can. I looked around to find my pixie friends reclined on the Elks' horns. They seemed to be talking Wise's ears off. 

"So, kissing me broke the enchantment. Is that how it works? You can just kiss someone awake?"

"Not usually, no. That's why I'm convinced she wasn't hiding you from me. Usually, only the one who placed it can remove it, or they can be set for a certain length of time."

"Oh?"

"Oh." he laughed.

"So why did you kiss me?"

He looked me in the eye a moment, "because I wanted to."

I felt my skin flush. How can he turn me on so easily? I had never been one to get turned on, and now I can't seem to keep it under control. I didn't know what to say to that.

"It was a nice kiss."

"Oh dove, it was more than nice. It was the best. I'll be doing it again real soon." He sent me a scorching look that made me feel his hands between my legs again.

"Ah um," I tried, but I couldn't come up with anything to say to that.

He laughed. "We're about to leave the forest of divination and enter Dead Fae Falls. It can be a little tricky maneuvering around the falls, so let me take the lead. Arryn will follow Eos. I'm sure she knows the place, but just to make sure.

"Okay. Sounds good to me. A name like that speaks volumes!" I said nervously.

"Nothing to worry about. I'll have you, little faeling. I promise."

I nod to him and notice the sound. I can tell it's falling water and a lot of it. It just kept getting louder and louder as we kept moving toward it.

The one thing that can truly scare me is heights. Please don't let me act like a ninny in front of Fallon.