Fairy Keeper (25 page)

“What’s happening?” he shouted.

Nell writhed, moaned, and convulsed. Flecks of blood flew from the cuts and bites all over her, staining the snow around them.

“Is this what I did?” Sierra asked.

Micah replied, “Much like this, yes.”

Corbin nearly fell over when he heard Micah speak and then did a double-take when he saw Micah’s new appearance. Explanations had to wait, though. Corbin and Sierra threw themselves over Nell’s upper body to keep her from beating her head against the rocks. Micah struggled to contain her flailing legs.

Corbin hollered through yells that continued to shatter the air. “You survived something like this?”

“That’s what I’m told.” Sierra grunted when Nell kneed her in the gut.

“Maybe if we can hang on―” an elbow caught Corbin in the throat.

“She’ll get over it?” Sierra finished for him.

“Yeah.”

Optimistic Corbin. Sierra only hoped Nell wasn’t dying a slow death now instead of a fast death in the cave.

Not death… not death…
Queen flew at attention next to Nell’s head now. Another fairy joined. It was Corbin’s queen. He was too busy to notice, but joy swelled Sierra’s heart. He’d be so thrilled once he saw. If Nell was okay. A third queen joined them, but Sierra didn’t know this one. She was deep russet and gold, one who would blend in beautifully in the woods. Another and another fairy flew to the scene, until there was a ring around them, fifty fairy queens or more. Remembering the havoc they wrought in the cave, uneasiness filled Sierra.

Micah grasped her shoulder and said, “Step back.”

“What?” she replied. “Are you crazy?”

“The fairies are here.”

“Yeah, the things that nearly killed us are here. That’s good because why?”

A sense of sadness, of hurt, fluttered under her heart. Sierra felt… wounded. She shook her head. She didn’t understand these emotions. They couldn’t be coming from her. Queen perched near Nell’s head, gazing at Sierra with sparkling eyes. She’d hurt Queen’s feelings.
Queen
was the one who was sad.

Sierra’s cheeks flushed, and she looked away for a long moment before turning back to meet those otherworldly eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Sierra said to her queen.

Queen had changed, and so had Sierra. Her actions had to change, too. Queen deserved better than how she’d been treated before. Sierra now wanted to make her fairy happy, as strange as that was.

She stepped toward the edge of the circle, but Corbin grabbed her hand, fingernails digging painfully into her skin.

“What are you doing?” he exclaimed, eyeing their nonhuman audience.

“Trust your queen. She’s here, too,” Sierra replied, trying to do the same, and shook off his hand. She stepped past the fairies to stand next to Micah, who gazed at her with something that looked like approval. At least someone appreciated what she was trying to do.

Corbin snapped his head around wildly, and then froze when he saw his fairy, Grace. Her wings were the yellow of daffodils, lined with gold. Blistering joy melted with confusion and hurt on his face.

“Why is this happening?” he whispered.

It wasn’t his fairy who answered. It was Nell. But the voice coming from Nell’s body was the voice of a grown woman, a deep, rich tone an octave lower than her usual. A strange accent lilted the words, as well, an accent Sierra had never heard. Nell’s eyes remained shut even as her pale lips opened.

“Because we must tell others through you. The little fairies did not die because the queens left. The queens left because the little ones perished. Great grief accompanied their journey here, and many queens barely survived. Even their best efforts could not draw forth enough magic from their land to sustain their hatches. Without magic, you are all in danger. You must give our message, you who have ears to hear. Stop plundering nectar! Allow the earth to heal, with keepers protecting and guiding their fairies as beloved friends. This you must do to save them, yourselves, and the world.”

With a deep sigh, Nell seemed to settle deeper into the ground, and the fairies all lifted to the sky with a flurry of wings that made Sierra duck.

Queen sent a feeling of mournful regret, and whispered to Sierra’s mind
Will be back
… She flew away with the others, but Sierra trusted those words without thinking, even though she wasn’t sure she’d really heard them. Now that the initial moment of shock had passed, she was beginning to wonder. Visions were one thing. Words clearly heard in her mind were quite another. Who heard voices inside their heads? Insane people, that’s who. And if she wasn’t insane, she wasn’t sure she could deal with the implications of such a method of communication.

Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, surrounding her with warmth. Sierra lifted her hand and touched Micah’s arm, uncertain about his motives but thankful for the safety she felt with him.

Micah looked to the sky to follow the queen fairies’ flight back to the cave. When he looked down at Sierra and smiled, she was robbed of speech. He stepped back and bowed a small, courtly bow. It should have seemed ridiculous, given he wore only a makeshift kilt, but it was completely the opposite. Sierra could practically hear lutes playing in the background. Her scalp prickled with the sudden memory of his words, “Their magic does not affect me as it does humans.”

Humans.

Who was Micah, really? What did it mean to be other than human, even when he looked like one right now? What had he seen in his life here in the mountains? Where was his family? Sierra blushed with mortification at giving him a name, like a pet. And a name like Micah, to boot. Surely his name was something impressive and magically powerful. Giving a name to something that reminded her of sad Sam was one thing. But this blindingly beautiful magical being was nothing anyone could try to tame or own. His brown eyes glowed with health now, and he stood proud and tall.

He turned and stepped a few feet away. Sierra jumped when she realized the bloody bandage was gone, as well, and not a scar marred his smooth skin. She craned her neck to make sure, and he turned around for her, smiling down over his shoulder as she peered at his back, disbelief stamped across her face.

“It is magic in the truest sense of the word, Sierra. Magic can heal those of us able to receive it properly. And now that I am fully healed, I can take the form of a deer, a faun, or a human, as fauns did of old. Before, I only had enough energy to take the form of a deer or a faun. I am, in my most basic essence, a faun, but that is a creature with the traits of two animals together. How else is that possible but for incredible magic?”

“Oh! So I did shoot a deer, only that was you? I didn’t somehow miss noticing the human half after all?” At least she could feel less stupid now. That whole strange moment made so much more sense!

“That is correct. I would have told you sooner, but obviously, could not. I sensed something nearby involved with magic, but what it was, I could not tell. To escape, I transformed to an ordinary animal few magical creatures would notice, but you were too quick.”

“I’m really so sorry―” she began again, but he placed one finger against her lips. Words died in her throat.

“There is no reason to feel badly. You hunted for food, for survival. You are not a cruel person. Furthermore, you brought me here, where I was healed. You’ve been touched by that same magic now, too. Perhaps even before.” He pointed to the scrape on her arm. “Is that from your fairies?”

Sierra nodded. “They bite and scratch me all the time.”

She flushed, thinking about why they did.

He looked satisfied. “This explains a great deal. They are made of magic, coated with nectar filled with even more magic. Every time they bit or scratched you, they left magic in you, building ever higher. And that same magic called you here.”

Queen sent a feeling of affirmation to Sierra, and her mind whirled. She felt she might need to sit down.

“Let’s be clear. You’re asking me to believe I could visualize the cave and survive Queen’s sting because I infuriated my fairies too often over the years? Isn’t that a little too ironic?”

He shrugged, unconcerned with her pronouncement. “Magic is what it is.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Micah’s smile was slow but was the kind that invited a grin in return. “I believe you’ve had the potential to receive messages from your queen from your first bond, but it took a great deal of magic to free the gift. Your queens shared tremendous knowledge with me through their magic. The world was too drained for that gift of communication to develop on its own the way it would have many years ago. You were born for this, Sierra. The fairies might have meant their attacks for harm, but perhaps the earth itself meant them for good, preparing you for this moment in time.”

Sierra was stunned but coherent enough to wish the earth had chosen some other method.

“But wait,” she argued. She didn’t want to have some grand mission, so she did what she did best: rationalized. “In the cave, Corbin was scratched and bit. If he was seeing or hearing anything weird, he’d tell me. And Nell is still alive when she definitely shouldn’t be. So what makes me different?”

Her jaw jutted out as she prepared for a fight, but his next words scattered her arguments. “I can sense the magic in you. One fairy swarm cannot compare. Nell must have keeper blood somewhere in her family to have survived, though I do not know how she will fare when she awakens. As for Corbin, it is possible that soon he will develop the same gifts you have now. However, there is another consideration.

“You have the blood of ancient fairy keepers running through your veins from both sides of your family. Perhaps no one else has the same gifting you do. When I was growing up, before things got so difficult, my parents and I kept a close watch on the keepers and hunters who came to these mountains. None of those humans came close to your level of power, not even the keepers. I believe you can bear more of the fairies’ magic without damage.”

She shook her head until she felt dizzy, not wanting this truth, though there was some relief at understanding why this had happened. “I don’t believe you. I’ve been damaged plenty of times.”

“But not killed. Not even seriously wounded, even after a direct sting to your neck, to your keeper’s mark, in fact, which has changed since I first saw it. Your natural gift gives off a particular scent, you know, and this scent has grown much stronger since the swarm.” He took a step closer.

Sierra took a step back. This was too strange. “A scent? No one’s ever told me I smell funny.”

They’d been traveling awhile, so, okay, she might not smell like roses, but she was shocked he’d mention it. She was tempted to sniff herself to make sure she didn’t stink too terribly, but pride held her still.

His laugh rolled out like an ocean wave. “No, Sierra. It’s a delightful fragrance that would undoubtedly let your queen know of your potential ability. I doubt humans can even sense it. It’s not the scent of a magical creature, but it’s similar. As soon as you got close enough, I recognized you right away as a human with one foot firmly in the world of magic. The strength of your scent suggests abilities far higher than a fairy keeper, so I was shocked when your mark was revealed. When your fairy stung you, she raised you to a new level of bonding, one that changed everything for her―and you.”

Sierra wondered for a moment if this scent was anything like the rosemary and rain sweetness she had smelled on Sam and now Micah.

He caressed her new, improved mark, and it wasn’t only the usual warmth that surged through her. A feeling of safety swelled inside, too, like she was at home, a real home. She felt like she’d known him forever. She wanted to lean into him, but, instead, she stumbled back.

This had to be the magic at work. It was so strange to be this fascinated by him, so drawn to him. Maybe the magic in her recognized another creature of magic. She stepped backward again and forced her hands to stay at her sides instead of lacing her fingers through his like she wanted. She didn’t know Micah, not really. She had thought he needed help, but if anything ever did
not
need her help, it was him. He didn’t need her to stay with him.

In fact, nothing was stopping them from moving as quickly as possible back home. Sierra had her queen. They had to get back for Phoebe. With Nell so ill, their return journey would take longer than expected. The thought of leaving Micah made Sierra feel empty, but she pushed the sensation away. There was no time to lose.

Panic grabbed her by the throat when she counted up the days they’d been gone and realized they had only ten days left to get back to Jack.

Nell was calm now, still asleep, holding tightly to Corbin’s hand. Their obvious love drew barely a faint pang from Sierra. Corbin and Sierra might still be close after this journey, since she and Nell had come to an understanding. Assuming Nell lived.

Sierra stepped away to give them privacy, and to escape Micah’s knowing gaze. She leaned on a white boulder that had cracked along one side, perhaps from the quake. Micah followed, and her stomach clenched. Now they were practically alone. She didn’t know what to do.

“What?” she hissed over her shoulder at him.

He lowered his voice and leaned close. “You saved her, this Nell who reeks of violence, though perhaps her future will be different than her past. She is not your enemy?”

When he spoke, his breath fanned over her keeper mark. She shivered.

Sierra shook her head. “We’re not enemies.” She realized this was true. “We disagree about things.”

His chest rumbled behind her, and she realized he was laughing at her choice of words.

Then he stepped beside her and looked down, seeming taller than before. “I will not forget you saved me. She would have left me behind to die, wounded in winter, less than an animal. I owe you my life.”

Sierra’s throat tightened. “If I hadn’t shot you, your life wouldn’t have needed saving. I’d say we’re even. Where is your family? You don’t seem much older than us; surely you have someone we could find for you?”

It was the responsible thing to offer, though it pained her to think of saying goodbye.