A Dark Faerie Tale Series Omnibus Edition (16 page)

“Soap is also part changeling. Changelings can ‘change’ into a Teleen if they want to. I think that’s one of only a few ways pairing outside our race could be possible. Changelings are all, but extinct, though. We don’t even know who his parents were. To find a changeling to mate with would be like hitting the lottery for a Teleen-born; it just doesn’t happen. The chances are so slim. Only those with fire affinities could ever pair with one of us. Wait, maybe.…” He stopped again and was really staring at her now. Shade stopped too, suddenly feeling the weight of his stare, like she was under a microscope. “You’re not a changeling, Shade. Are you?”

“No, well, not that I know of,” Shade stammered.

“Have any fire magic?”

“No, sorry. I can’t change into anything, or start any kind of fire. I’d think I would know if I could.” Her voice cracked, leaving her suddenly unsure about anything. She was part faery, but she didn’t know what type of faery.

Me, a changeling? That’s highly doubtful
, Shade thought. It was already unnerving to think she was anything more than human.

Jack shook his head before looking at her again. His friendly smile was beginning to light up his face once more. “Nah, I don’t think you’re a changeling, Shade. I know all this sounds really strange, and I wish I could help you more, but I’ve never come across something like this before. If I ever find out anything about it, you’ll be the first to know, okay?”

Shade nodded as he patted her back and turned to walk down another narrow and rocky hill. Shade sighed. She wasn’t sure if she knew anything more than she had before.

Chapter Eleven

SHADE SAT ON
a large, smooth rock near her tent, proud that she had erected it all by herself. The cool breeze rippled the nylon violently, but it held. She’d staked it down well, just like her father had shown her. She’d had lots of practice staking down tents for herself and her sister. Every time they went camping, she was in charge of tent setup. Remembering how much she had loathed it made her chuckle. She thanked her lucky stars that her father had pounded the basics of camping and surviving in the wild into her, just in case. She doubted he had ever considered how useful the knowledge would be on a perilous faery journey.

Dinner was cooking atop a blazing fire. There was a fox roasting over it which Than had skinned, gutted and staked to a spit. It turned round and round over the flames, giving off a pleasant but smoky aroma. It looked like he’d done this many times before. The fox was a good size, nice and plump, and would feed them all. She wished she could take a shower, but that wasn’t going to happen out here. Once again, she was covered in dirt, and a film of her salty sweat stuck to her skin. She was sure it would never come off.

The air was cooling rapidly as the sun sank over the mountains. Shivering, she rubbed her arms to warm them. She’d traded her hoodie for a jacket but wished she had brought a thicker one. She felt somewhat unprepared for the cold nights, even after layering her clothes and wearing a thicker sweater. Unfortunately, the extra clothes were not working too well at guarding her from the cold.

Dylan plopped down next to her, disturbing her thoughts before draping a large, thick, fur-lined blanket over her shoulders. She jumped up, letting the blanket spill off her into a cascading heap. Dylan grabbed it just before it hit the ground.

“What are you doing?” Shade glared at him, her face flushed with anger. It wasn’t nice to intrude on her space, and she was through tolerating it.

He held his free hand up, smirking a little at the same time. “The polite thing to say is
thank you
. I’m not sure what humans are accustomed to, but when someone gives you a blanket to keep warm in the cold, our kind is grateful. But who am I to say so? I might be wrong to think that way,” he added sarcastically.

“You’re a prick, Dylan, you know that? I can see it’s in your blood, by the way. Just stay away from me. You and your brother can just go to hell!” Shade stood there staring at him, her breath steaming in the cool air as her words came out in a huff. The night pushed hard against the remnants of the day, making her feel suddenly over exposed. Dylan remained calm while he watched her. He lifted the blanket up to her once more. His smirk had smoothed out, and the former captain’s face fell flat and unreadable. His eyes did give away some feeling; there seemed to be a spark in them that showed he was amused by her reaction.

“Shade, just take the blanket, okay? It’s cold out,” he muttered. “I’m not really affected by the cold, but, being that you’re mortal….” He looked like he was working hard to suppress a smile. “Well, I packed for two. I knew you’d need help out here.” His smile returned as he continued. “Really, it’s a warm blanket. Think of it as a peace offering.” Standing up when she did not go to him, he moved closer until he was in her face, almost touching. He swung the blanket around and draped it over her shoulders. Shade stiffened but let him place the blanket on her, and she held onto it this time, unsure of what to do. He nodded, looking satisfied before turning to walk away.

“Dylan, wait,” Shade choked out. Her voice was tight in her throat. She turned to look at him as he stopped in his tracks. He didn’t turn around but paused, waiting. “I… I’m sorry, Dylan. I feel like you don’t like me, but you don’t even know me. Maybe that reminds me of Darren a bit, and that freaks me out. You two are pretty similar, but I know you aren’t like him. I know that… I can feel it. I….” She sighed, frustrated with her stumbling tongue. “Thanks for the blanket. I do appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, Shade,” he answered with a little more warmth than he had ever shown before.

She glanced around and noticed the others working on their own tents. Jack had one, and so did Ewan. Sary and Braelynn looked like they were sharing, and so were Stephen and Than. Shade thought that maybe some of the group were probably pairing up because they didn’t have enough tents. Soap had his own tent, and unless they were sharing, it was unclear where Dylan was going to sleep.

“Don’t you have a tent, Dylan?”

“I do, but I find it really confining. Besides, I have to stay by you, and there isn’t enough room for another tent here. The ground is my bed tonight.” He tilted his head slightly, one eye watching her intently.

“Why do you have to camp by me? Do you really have to?”

“No,” he stated simply.

“Then why are you hovering? I feel like you’re suffocating me.”

“No, I wouldn’t ever do that. I’d never hurt you!” He had whirled back around, his face now serious and his eyes wide. He’d taken her words at face value.

“Whoa, I don’t mean literally! It’s like an expression.” Relieved as he relaxed, she sighed. “Look, you don’t have to be stuck to me like glue. I’m not an invalid, and you’re not my bodyguard. Get this straight: I do like my space.” She’d lost her patience with him and headed off, with the blanket still wrapped around her, toward the smoking carcass that was dinner.

*****

DINNER HAD BEEN
satisfying. The fox had tasted amazing, or maybe it was just because Shade had been starving. It had been such a long hike that day, her muscles ached and burned intensely. She had never felt so hungry before, and now, so tired. Sitting on a fallen log by the main campfire, she watched the flames lick the twigs and branches smoldering with soot. Ashes littered the ground around the fire as it flickered and crackled. The heat felt comforting, forcing the chill of the evening away.

It felt cozy in the blanket Dylan had provided, making her feel just a tad bit guilty for snapping at him, especially since his gift had turned out to be so useful.
Okay, I’ll try to be nicer to Dylan. This isn’t his fault.
She hadn’t meant to snap at Dylan, but everything was really overwhelming her. She’d been attacked twice in less than a week. It was hard enough for her to keep up with everyone in the group physically; her lack of appreciation for outdoor activities didn’t help. Taking a deep breath, she knew these were the least of her problems.

Dad… isn’t my real dad,
she thought sadly. It was difficult to accept. She wasn’t glad he was dead, but she was relieved he would never have to know this. How would she deal with it? To make matters worse, she was bound to Dylan, sharing some kind of mutant blood bind connecting her to him, and to Darren in some weird sadistic way, too.
Dylan’s blood is Darren’s blood….
She cringed at the thought.

Her life was not turning out quite as she had planned. She was supposed to be in high school, cramming for finals and graduating in three weeks. This was not supposed to happen, and she missed Brisa so much. Who else could tell so many jokes, especially around a warm campfire on a freezing night? She wished Brisa had somehow been pulled into this mess, so at least Shade would not be alone right now. Even with her new friends surrounding her and their happy chatter floating about the fire, she felt the loneliness creep in again.

Sary walked over and sat next to her on the log. She winked at Shade and then settled her gaze on the fire. The silence between them was thick; Shade could sense she was aching to ask her something. She wondered what it could possibly be. Sary was quiet for the most part, unless she was with Stephen. Shade had seen how she stared dreamily into his eyes whenever they were talking. His face was a mirror of hers; their devotion radiated around them like some protective, blissful bubble. Shade couldn’t help but feel a little envious of their bond.

Shaking the thoughts away, she scolded herself. She wasn’t the type to get jealous. She was actually quite happy being the responsible older sister in a single parent home of four kids. It gave her tons of freedom to do whatever she wanted to, and she felt like she was the other adult in the house. She had no time for boys; they just mucked things up, anyway.

Her thoughts wandered to her mother, Jade. She had shoulder length hair a nice shade of brown, with caramel highlights streaked throughout it. It was wavy and never wanted to stay where she'd like it. She was happy just running her hands through and did not fuss much with it. Her big, brown eyes were interesting, too. They had a glint of grey and honey running through both of her irises. The hazel coloring in her eyes definitely stood out with only a touch of makeup on her olive skin. Shade was glad she took after her mother; she’d always seen her mother as a beautiful woman.

“Shade?” Sary’s voice gently broke into her thoughts.

“Yes, Sary?”

Sary paused for a moment, studying Shade’s face before speaking. “When this is over, will you return to Faerie at all? Or will you want to forget this all happened? I wonder because, you see… I can feel your reluctance even now about completing this task. I know it’s a hard thing to ask of you, being that our world is so alien.” She sighed nervously before continuing. “But we need you more than you could possibly perceive or understand. I can’t even imagine what you think of all this, especially after everything that’s happened so far.”

Shade felt anxious and slightly guilty because she’d been so caught up in herself and hadn’t thought about the rest of the group. She hoped she hadn’t seemed too antisocial tonight; maybe it had an adverse effect on them. She let her eyes linger on the fire, thinking hard on how to answer Sary. It was so difficult to predict the future; she never thought this would be happening to her. She searched for the right thing to say.

“Sary, I hope you don’t feel like I could just say goodbye and be done with everyone so easily. You’ve helped me so much already. I have to admit that this new world is confusing to me. It scares me to death, and I don’t feel like I belong here. I don’t have the strength or the right training for this. Everyone has said I have magic in me, but I don’t know how to use it. How could I ever survive in your world? I just feel terribly vulnerable. I would love to visit you guys when this is all done, but I don’t think I could live here.

Sary was staring at Shade, an amused look dancing on her face. She started laughing so hard she almost fell off the log.

“What’s so funny?” Shade asked, annoyed at her reaction. She was definitely confused. What the hell could be so funny about what she had said?

Sary stopped and shook her head as she cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry, Shade. I don’t mean to insult you. I just never thought of our world as that different. It’s nice to get an outsider’s view. You’re right; how inconsiderate of me. Of course you don’t feel safe. Ilarial did tell us that it was our job to show you how to use your magic. You have more in you than you think you do. I am still baffled on how you managed to trap Darren in the mirror shards; he was bloody mad about it. I can’t say he didn’t deserve it though. He deserved that glass prison and more for what he did to you.” She paused, looking a bit more serious. “So how would you like your first official magic lesson?” She grinned, her eyes twinkling in the firelight.

“Oh, I don’t know, Sary. I’m kinda tired and was about to go to bed. Maybe tomorrow?”

“No, no, right now. I promise it’ll be a short one.” She watched Shade squirm uncomfortably. “How ‘bout it?” she pushed.

Shade pressed her lips tight in frustration.
There’s no sense in fighting it
, she admitted. “Ok.”

Sary jumped up and clapped her hands; and her vibrant enthusiasm cheered Shade up. “Okay then, pick up any stone–really it can be any one that you find. Come on Shade, just pick the first one that catches your eye,” Sary repeated when Shade hesitated.

Shade groaned but bent down from the log to study the ground. Searching the particles around her, she looked at each possible stone, but none seemed to stand out. Sitting up, she shook her head slightly, about to complain that she couldn’t find one, when a glint of rock flashed in the corner of her eye. She reached out toward the edge of the log and retrieved it. The grey and white stone looked slightly out place among the other white ones imbedded in the sand. Dusting it on her jeans, she placed it in the middle of her palm. “Like this one?”

“Yes, perfect! Now, take your stone and place your other hand over it. You have enough power within you; I can feel it radiating off of you like a fire.” Sary waved her hand at her to make her go faster.

Shade protested but did what she was told. Her hands felt cold in the night air, and the stone was cool in the center of her warm palms. About to give up, she stopped, feeling it get warmer on her skin. She opened her hands, her eyes widening with amazement.

The rock was glowing with a dim yellow hue. The heat was radiating to her fingers from it, feeling as if it should have burned her, but it didn’t. Shocked, she dropped it and cradled her hands on her chest. The sand puffed up around it like a meteorite landing. The stone lost its glow until it sat still and dusty once more. She peered up at Sary, who appeared pleasantly surprised.

“Wow, that was faster than I thought it would be. You just made your first light stone! You can make your own light with it and keep your hands warm too. It won’t burn you, if that’s what you are thinking. This comes in handy on a dark and cold winter’s night,” she said with smile. Bending down, she plucked the rock out of the gravel, holding it out to Shade.