By the Magic of Starlight (The Forbidden Realm) (7 page)

“First I need to know—”

“No. Go. You could tell how much they trust me; they’ll be back at the first sign of anything strange. I’ll program the sequence and you use that damn dust. The two should cancel each other out long enough for you to get out of here without setting off all the sensors. They’ll be back here in a heartbeat if you do.”

Kyne knew he was right. There was no point in arguing. He needed to find Raea and get her somewhere safe. So far no one knew she was with him and he intended to keep it that way. If Baylor said now was the time to leave undetected, he had no choice but to go. He pulled a handful of dust from the pouch and looked around, hoping for some sign of her.

“Raea, wherever you are…,” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

“I’m here,” she replied, not too far away from him.

Just the sound of her voice sent electricity through him. Good. She was here; he hoped she was close enough. He tossed the Sizing Dust up into the air. Would it work to resize both of them? He couldn’t tell if it had reached Raea or not, but he felt his body change. Yes, he became larger, though not human this time. He still possessed magic and his wings were strong. Hopefully that Sizing Dust would give them both protection from the machine yet still keep Raea safely invisible.

“All right,” he called down to Baylor. “You can start it now.”

Baylor turned back to the panel, punching a few more seemingly random buttons inside. But this time the blinking lights took on a distinct pattern. The same low humming sound they had heard earlier started up from somewhere deep below the rocks. Baylor must have repaired the machine as quickly as he said he could.

“There. Now get out of here, Kyne,” Baylor said, shutting the panel and smoothing the edges so that the rock returned to its original appearance.

Even knowing there was a magical panel inside, Kyne could not see it once Baylor stepped away. The rock seemed as solid and unaltered as any other rock in the forest. Baylor brushed off his hands and retrieved his scanning device, waving it around and nodding his head.

“Good, good. You’re not being detected. Sensors probably can’t see you, either.”

“I’ll leave then,” Kyne said, hovering in midair since the Sizing Dust had done its work and he was too large for the branch he’d been on. “But you know this is not over, Baylor.”

The human nodded, finally ignoring his device and staring directly up at Kyne. “No, it isn’t.”

“I’ll find you again and make you give me some answers.”

“No doubt that’s exactly what you will do.”

At least they agreed on that. “Fine. Until then.”

“Yes. Take care of yourself, Kyne,” Baylor said with something almost like a smile. “And look out for your friend. She must be kind of special if she’s sticking by you through all of this.”

Kyne gritted his teeth. So Baylor had picked up on Raea, had he? That was unfortunate. Kyne was still hoping he could somehow extricate her from this mess.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he growled, feeling the brush of Raea’s wings as she hovered closer to him.

“No, of course not,” Baylor said with a shrug. “But just so you know, there’s a lookout post at the top of this mountain. It’s abandoned. And, oddly enough, my equipment doesn’t work there. Strangest thing.”

“Why should I care about your faulty equipment?”

“I don’t know. You might find it interesting, though, to hear that only certain magic works there, too.”

“And what magic would that be?”

“Specially formulated magic,” Baylor replied. “You can’t get it just anywhere. Only someone with the right recipe can mix up that kind of magical dust.”

“And who’s got that recipe?”

Baylor simply shrugged, playing with his device and turning his back on Kyne.

“I really can’t say. I guess you’ll have to look into it. Someplace safe, though. Not here.”

“Damn it, Baylor—”

The man hushed him. “You need to leave, Kyne. You’ll figure it out. You’ll figure it all out.”

And then he waved his flashlight into the darkness and moved out of the clearing. Kyne watched, but he could feel the effects of the machine even through the Sizing Dust. He was growing weaker already. They needed to leave.

“You still with me?” he asked into the air.

“Yes… barely,” Raea replied.

He instinctively glanced toward the sound of her voice. Yes, there she was. He could just make out her form. By the Skies, she was still small. He must not have used enough of that Sizing Dust. And her invisibility was wearing off, too. He could see she was struggling. Her wings beat in uneven rhythm; her bright, worried eyes blinked helplessly at him.

He scooped her up and took off. Damn that manipulative human. He must have known Raea’s magic was weakening if he’d been able to detect her so clearly. What did he expect Kyne to do with all that cryptic information about some mysterious nearby outpost? Was it a trap? Kyne wasn’t falling for it. Nothing else mattered now except keeping Raea safe.

“Where are we going?” Raea asked, tucking her tired body up against Kyne’s as he soared with her over the dark forest below.

“I don’t know.”

“I think we should go up the mountain, to that abandoned outpost.”

“No.”

“But your father clearly wanted you to go there.”

“That’s exactly why we won’t go there.”

Obviously, it was futile to use his father as a means to motivate him. She should have known that would be the case. But there was a reason the man had hinted about the outpost. It would be worth their while to check it out.

“You think it’s a trap?” she asked carefully. “Why would he do that? He could have just turned you over to Wain twice already.”

“He’s playing some sort of game. I refuse to play with him.”

“It could be important.”

“Getting you someplace safe is important.”

“And where will that be, Kyne? Everyone’s looking for us.”

“No, everyone’s looking for me. They don’t know about you.”

He was being sweet. Misguided, but sweet. She wasn’t about to let him put what he thought she needed ahead of the bigger picture here, though.

“Of course they know about me. How could they not? I was with you at the lake when Swift found us. He’s bound to know I never went back to the gathering place. Everyone will know I’m missing. If I return there right now, it will only draw more attention to the fact that I’ve been gone.”

“I won’t let you be involved in this, Raea.”

“It’s too late, Kyne. I am involved.”

“So what do we do?” he asked after a long pause that let her know just how conflicted he truly was about this.

“We go where your father told you. We find out what he was trying to tell you.”

“I’m not sure I want to find out anything more.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Not if it puts you in danger.”

“All of us might be in danger already. That’s what he was trying to tell you.”

He had stopped flying now and was hovering. They had been following the cut of the valley below. Large, tree-covered hills rolled out around them, the largest one rising up directly beside the spot where they’d found the machine and appearing nearly circular from this altitude. The height of it was deceptive from above, but she could easily see how the human might have referred to it as a mountain. It dominated the forest, like the hub in a giant wheel with valleys and lesser hills radiating out from it.

This was an area she didn’t recognize, but she could see the lake off in the distance with the faint lights from the nearest human city. It gave her some idea where they were, some point of reference. When he made his desperate wish back in the Council Hall, how had that brought them here?

There must be a reason they’d ended up here rather than anywhere else in Fairyrealm. Had Kyne’s father had something to do with it? Perhaps. Or maybe it was the odd energy from the machine that directed them here. Or maybe it didn’t really matter what had brought them to that particular spot, just that they had come and now they needed to do something.

“By the Skies,” Kyne grumbled, flapping his huge wings angrily and reaching to rest one hand safely over her as she perched on his shoulder. “We have to go see what’s on top of the mountain, don’t we?”

“Definitely.”

He sighed, but changed direction abruptly. She was glad he’d been holding her or she might have toppled off. Not that she couldn’t fly on her own, but with that Sizing Dust, he was huge. He took huge wing strokes. He was at the top of the mountain, trees rushing by just beneath them, in no time. She could have never kept up with that.

He dropped down between the trees near the top. There was no obvious clearing or any sign of human habitation. The forest they found themselves in seemed completely untouched. And dark. She was surprised Kyne could see well enough to move between branches and scrub until she felt his feet land securely on earth. She hugged his neck, hoping no owl would get sight of her and decide she looked particularly tasty.

“There it is,” he said.

She jumped, surprised by his words because very clearly there was nothing. Only trees and dark, foreboding shadows.

“There what is?”

“The outpost my father mentioned.”

“Um, where?”

“Right there.”

He pointed into the darkest part of the forest. She couldn’t even tell whether this was the top of the mountain or the bottom. There was obviously no sign of any outpost and she worried that Kyne might be imagining things.

“I don’t see anything,” she admitted.

“It’s right up there, on the top of that ridge.”

There was no ridge. The whole forest was just dark, featureless except for the endless supply of trees. Not even big, majestic trees. They were simply dense, spindly trees growing so close together that she doubted Kyne could even walk between them. They blocked the moonlight and stifled the air. No birds rustled around in them, either. She did not like this forest one bit.

“Where are you going?” she asked as he began moving forward.

“I’m following this path.”

“There’s no path, Kyne.”

“Of course there is. It goes right up alongside that ridge, then steps go up to the outpost.”

“But… I don’t see any of that. Are you certain?”

“You don’t see it?”

“No. I don’t like this place, Kyne. Let’s leave.”

“You don’t see that building?”

“I don’t see anything here. Just trees and… darkness. We should go.”

“But it’s right there in front… Oh, Baylor mentioned something about special magic.”

“That’s what he was talking about? You mean there really is some magical building here that you can see but I can’t?”

“Because I used the Sizing Dust he gave me.”

“So he did want you to find it. All right, then. Is there any of that dust left for me?”

“Help yourself.”

He held the pouch out to her. It was tiny in his hands, but perfectly sized for a fairy. She took it and felt inside. Yes, there was strong magic here. Something a little bit different about it, too. Nothing she could quite put her finger on, but this magic was indeed something she’d not used before. She leaped off Kyne’s warm, solid shoulder and tossed a pinch in the air.

It worked quickly. In an instant she was beside him, as big as he was and staring open-mouthed at the forest around her. Everything had changed, even before the last glow of the dust had faded.

“I see it! There’s a path, and a ridge, and a little house sitting right over there,” she said, more than a little bit amazed.

How had she not seen this a moment ago? It was plain as day to her now. A clearing had been cut and blue beams of moonlight filtered through the huge, sheltering oaks that stood all around them. The place was pleasant and inviting. She could hear the birds, now, too. The enchantment that hung over this place must have included something to induce fear in anyone happening by. If not for Kyne and his ability to see what really was, she would’ve left here immediately and never come back.

“Come on,” he said, leading the way up the path.

She followed. They walked rather than flew, although the clearing was large enough they could have done so if needed. The path was so inviting, though, that walking seemed most appropriate. Enjoyable, even.

Clearly this was a house built by humans. Still, the feel of the special magic was all over it. Raea had never encountered such a place. She felt easily as comfortable here as she ever had in a fairy building. How very odd.

Kyne opened the weathered front door of the building. Baylor had called it a lookout post, but to Raea it appeared far more a house. The door opened into a large room, windows on all sides of the building allowing moonlight to come in, casting blue light over the cozy furnishings.

Immediately to their left was an arrangement of chairs. They were cushioned and placed around the room so that humans could sit casually and have conversation. She had seen many such rooms in human habitats. A woolen rug of braided strands in brown, red, and gold made the room feel warm and relaxing. Beyond this was the sort of area humans often used for food preparation. She’d heard it called a kitchen and this seemed a tidy, efficient example of one, complete with a round wooden table and yet more chairs. There certainly were more than enough chairs in this place, at least a dozen or more. Perhaps if humans could fly they would spend less time sitting.

To their right, a door opened into a separate area. She could see through the doorway and knew this was the bedroom. Humans liked to make use of those, she well knew. And not merely for sleeping. She wondered if the sight of that big, human bed with its soft layers of pillows and blankets was having the same effect on Kyne that she was feeling in her own body. It was hard not to imagine what they might do there, alone in this unusual place where no one could find them.

One glance at his face put an end to her wondering. Kyne’s darkened eyes were on hers and there was no need for words between them. Desire was already thick in the air.

“Do you think we’re really safe here?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve never encountered magic like this.”

“But until you used that special dust I had no idea this cottage was here. Maybe we really are safe! We could let our guard down, relax for just a little while.” She moved closer to him, laying her hand on his chest and hoping he knew exactly what she meant by “relax.”

“We can’t, Raea,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s too risky.”

“Are you saying that because you really believe it, or because you think it’s the right thing to say?”

“I’m saying it because I won’t risk putting you in danger. We don’t know anything about this place.”

“Thanks to the special magic, neither does anyone else.”

“My father knows about it.”

“And even if he were on his way now, it would take an hour for him to get all the way up here. We’ve never been so safe, so alone, Kyne.”

Just speaking those words made the breath catch in her chest.
Safe. Alone
. Could it really be? They were safe from both humans
and
fairies here? She’d never even imagined a place like that, a place where the constant struggle between magic and the mundane just disappeared.

But how was it that Kyne’s human father knew of it? And why did he send them here? Kyne had never spoken kindly of the man, and surely he’d not made life easy for Kyne or his mother. Did they have any reason at all to trust the man? His alliance with the fairies seemed tenuous at best. Common sense would say the last thing they should do would be to trust him.

Still, he’d had his chance to betray Kyne and be rewarded for his effort, yet he’d chosen not to. He’d taken a risk for his son and that was something Raea knew neither of them could truly ignore. By sending them here, Baylor had shown he was more than just a pleasure-seeking, self-gratifying human.

“He knew you needed a place to hide,” she said aloud. “And he didn’t give the others any clue I was with you. Perhaps there is more to him than you know, Kyne. Perhaps you can trust him.”

But he shook his head. “I can’t even trust myself, Raea. Who knows what schemes are in place around us, what danger we’re in? What danger
you’re
in.”

“But this place is protected, and we’ve got a whole pouch of that special dust. It seems that your father thought of everything.”

“My father… as if he deserves to be called that. I’d rather not talk about him right now.”

“And I’d rather not talk at all,” she said, giving him a smile full of suggestion. “There are so many better ways to make use of our time.”

He seemed to be struggling to hold himself back, so she pressed herself against him. The Sizing Dust had caused their clothes to grow with them, but they were providing a pitiful barrier. She slid her hand easily past Kyne’s covering and found the warm, solid flesh of his cock. He’d not be holding himself back for long, she could tell.

“By the Skies, Raea, you’re going to destroy whatever self-control I still have left.”

“And then what will you do?” she asked him.

“I’ll drag you over to that bed and do the most human things possible to you.”

Now she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

He kissed her back, wrapping her tightly against him and literally taking her breath away.

“Even after all this,” he murmured. “With all the danger and the secrets and knowing what I am… how can you still want to be with me?”

“I don’t want to be anywhere else,” she replied honestly, then added, “except, maybe, in that big soft bed over there.”

“Then let’s go over there and find out what it’s like to do this properly, without constant worry we’ll be found out or disrupted or end up the wrong size or—”

“Shut up, Kyne. Put your mouth to better use, please.”

He laughed a little, but mostly he complied. With enthusiasm. He started at her neck. It felt like the perfect place to begin, so she let him kiss and nibble her there to his heart’s content.

She cursed their bothersome clothing. If only she were fully naked with him now, but the effort of removing her clothes would mean she’d have to ask him to pause from his kisses. Even pausing for a moment would be too long. Fortunately, the fern Kyne had wrapped around himself after his own clothes had been destroyed by nonmagical resizing didn’t need any distracting pause. She was able to yank it off of him in one quick, easy movement.

By the Skies, he was huge and hard and she just couldn’t keep her hands off him. His chest, his arms, his undulating abdomen… it was all wonderful. None so much as the magnificent cock she tightened her fingers around, though. It was hot and nearly seared her with desire. Magic filled the little cabin, making her tingle inside as well as out.

“You taste even better bigger,” he said, moving from her neck to her shoulders.

“Everything’s better when it’s bigger,” she said, smoothing her hand over the full length of his already enormous cock.

He responded by pulling her tighter and bringing his kisses to her lips again. She was wrapped in his arms and his wings and could barely breathe now. His tongue sought entrance to her mouth and she willingly gave it. Her hand was wedged securely between them, grasping his cock as if for her life support. Magic was a visible glow in the air now.