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Golden lights flickered at the edges of Iris’ vision. She tore her gaze away from the now empty gray sky outside the window to see fairies dancing about the room, flitting toward her and then zipping away in a clear attempt to get her attention. Their antics made her smile.
“Hello.”
They swirled together and shot up to the ceiling, scattering like fireworks.
She giggled. “That’s very pretty. And so is this room. Thank you.”
She couldn’t discern a shape within the golden orbs, and she was wondering if seeing one up close and stationary would allow her to do so when, as if in answer to her thoughts, they streaked across the room from all corners, spinning around her head and settling on the sofa beside her. She studied them, but she still couldn’t make out a form within the gold. Just soft, warm light taking the place where Char had been sitting.
She missed him already.
“Do you know Char pretty well?”
One bounced up and touched her lips before taking off to zoom around the room.
“That tickles!”
Another one repeated the action, and another, and another, until she was on her back laughing, and a blur of golden lights was circling the ceiling. Her laughter died down as she watched them, and then they spun together and disappeared behind the dressing screen.
“What are you doing?”
One popped up above the dressing screen and zipped to the bureau, opening a drawer and pulling out a nightgown. She heard water running.
Where were they getting water? Were they making it themselves?
“Are you drawing me a bath?”
The fairy draped the nightgown over the dressing screen and zoomed back to the bureau for a robe.
“That’s very thoughtful. I guess I could use a hot bath to relax. It’s been an interesting morning. But it’s too early for me to get ready for bed.”
The robe joined the nightgown, and the fairy brought one slipper to her, followed by the other.
“Well, I suppose Jonah told me to take it easy, but you’re spoiling me.”
She pulled her shoes off and slid her feet into the slippers, and when she stood, the fairy grabbed her by the cuff of her sleeve and tugged her along toward the claw-footed bathtub behind the screen. The little creature was much stronger than she expected. She wasn’t resisting its pull, but it was quite insistent.
The soothing scent of lavender was filling the air with the steam from the bathwater, though, and she knew it was just trying to cheer her up, as were the rest of the fairies, so she didn’t mind going along with it.
They surrounded her behind the painted panels of a woodland scene, little bursts of warmth traveling down her back as they undid the fastenings of her dress. She stepped out of the fabric and into the tub while they whisked the dress away.
“Ooh, this feels good.” She sighed, settling into the hot water and closing her eyes. “Thank you.”
Warmth touched her lips, and she giggled again, opening her eyes to see the fairies settling on the top of the dressing screen. Their gentle light created a soft, warm ambience in the little bathing area.
“May I ask you a question?”
One zipped up, shot straight back down, and then returned to its seat atop the dressing screen. A nod?
“Is Char… is he like that with other girls?” She put her face in her hands. “Oh, what am I saying? He wouldn’t bring girls here. His brother doesn’t even know about this place.”
She sank lower into the water and dropped her hands with a small splash. The trees painted across the dressing screen looked much like those in the forest she’d wandered after the attack on Little Rest, with thick, gnarled brown trunks, a network of twisted branches, and a heavy canopy in shades of green.
A pure white unicorn grazed in a clearing.
“I guess it all seems so sudden. We only met a little over a week ago, and I didn’t know what to make of him at first. It seemed like he might be on my side, but I was never really sure, and then I found out he was a dragon, and when he found me in that cave…”
An emerald green dragon flew in the painted background.
She sighed. “Now, I know he was only pretending he didn’t care about me to keep me safe, but then, I only knew he was suddenly treating me roughly and speaking harshly to me, and with his brother talking about killing me, I thought I was done for. I thought he’d been lying to me the whole time. He tried to tell me whenever he had a chance to talk to me alone, but I wasn't sure I could believe him or trust him until he snuck me out of my cell to heal Srot.”
Tiny specks of gold dotted the greens and browns.
Iris looked up at the fairies with an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I guess that turned into me rambling instead of asking a question. Srot is another dragon. He’s on Char’s… combat team? I don’t know military terms. I don’t understand a lot of what’s been happening, and I guess talking out loud helps me think things through.”
One fairy popped up and traced a series of crooked lines in front of and around her, then rejoined the rest on the dressing screen.
Iris tilted her head to the side. “You don’t mind?”
Another hopped off the dressing screen and flew in a straight horizontal line one way and then the other before returning to its seat. A shake of the head.
“You’re all really sweet. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to bottle you up and do experiments on you.”
They all rose an inch or so, quivering in midair, and then they dropped back to the dressing screen.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. But that’s how I feel about the king’s mage, too. He’s terrifying.” She fingered the amulet on her chest, remembering him cornering her in that dark room at the inn, his tongues of blue flames amidst the chaos of the battlefield, his cold voice in her mind. “Every time I think he can’t get worse, he does.”
She reached up and rubbed her neck. The memory of the noose tightening around Srot’s neck was still all too vivid. She could almost feel it again, almost hear his strangled cries telling her to stay away as the mage pulled it taut. Even half asleep, she couldn't ignore Srot’s pain. And the mage had known that.
“He doesn’t care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. And I don’t… I don’t know how to use magic yet. It’s all… instinct, I guess? The amulet tells me some things, but it really just… happens. And it drains me.”
She’d been so confused. Waking up in the middle of a battle, dragons talking in her mind, the mage continuing to torment Srot, being somehow inside of Srot—getting out of his head and throwing up a shield between him and the mage had all been instinct. Widening that shield and snapping the magical noose had been instinct.
And then the mage had played with her, forcing her to use even more magic to protect the dragons who were trying to get a handle on the situation and only making things worse for her. Trying to keep track of their movements while talking to the mage and maintaining that shield had been exhausting.
He’d taken advantage of that. He’d told her things he hadn’t told the dragons, shown her things he hadn’t shown them.
Followed her back to the dungeon at the bottom of the magic school when she’d passed out.
“I don’t know if I can fight him.” There was a tremor in her voice. “If I can learn enough in time to…”
She rolled onto her side and hid her face in her hands as the tears and the images returned. Father John screaming and writhing in pain, Kayla’s frightened blue eyes, Fred shouting, Ginger holding him back—and then an eerie silence. A motionless body on the church’s altar.
It had been a nightmare.
A nightmare that had been real.
Fire ripping across her skin, a stranglehold around her neck, the people she loved screaming and dying right in front of her, over and over and over again.
He wouldn’t leave her alone. He’d whispered to her, told her what he’d done to them and what he’d do to her, seeping into her mind like a poison and sifting through her memories, her thoughts, batting away her efforts to stop him like one swats a pesky fly.
It hadn’t stopped until Char shook her awake.
Char, who always appeared when she needed him the most, who had always been trying to protect her, even when she hadn’t understood or trusted him.
He was the reason she was safe now, at least for a little while. He was the reason she’d reunited with Jonah after all these years, the reason she could take the time to sort through her messy thoughts while the fairies doted on her.
He didn’t want to use her. He’d never wanted to use her.
Was it any wonder she fell for him?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfaPXW5Gmz
The fairies liked to hear about him. They stayed with her all afternoon, providing towels for her to dry off, helping her into the nightgown and robe, seeming to enjoy every mundane task and every word she said. They guided her back to the sofa and tucked a warm blanket over her lap, and when she tired of talking, they presented her with a book to read, a lighthearted fictional story, sweet and funny.
She didn’t realize how much time had passed until the door opened and they brought dinner to her.
“Oh, I thought I’d be eating with Jonah.” She set the book aside, making room for the tray the fairies propped up over her lap. “Thank you. I guess he always was one to get absorbed in what he’s doing and forget everything else. He really hasn’t changed at all.”
The sky had darkened outside the window without her noticing it. She ate in silence, looking around at the bright flames blazing in the wall sconces and the soft glow of the fairies sitting around the room. It all felt safe and cozy. She would have liked to see Jonah again, but now that she was living in this tower, they’d have time to catch up later. Knowing he was here was enough, because if nothing else, her recent experiences had taught her to treasure every good thing, no matter how small.
She never knew how long anything would last.
Would her relationship with Char last? Would he eventually decide she was more trouble than she was worth?
Would he even come back?
He’d promised he would. He’d always done everything he could to keep his promises to her.
And when she recalled the way he’d promised, the sound of his husky voice and the feel of the kisses he’d rained down on her, she had little room left for doubt.
A burst of warmth touched her lips.
She smiled and ducked her head to hide her warming cheeks from the fairies. They did that whenever she talked about Char or started to feel low, and it always lifted her spirits.
“Am I that obvious?”
She had a feeling they were spoiling her more than was their usual habit. They seemed to really like her, and the feeling was mutual. She liked their quick little movements, the way they danced together and apart, the way they seemed to have a genuine interest in everything she did and said.
She lifted her face and gave them a shy smile. “I’ve never met anyone like Char before.”
The fairies took the tray from her, and she turned toward the window, pulling her legs up beside her and resting her cheek against the sofa’s backrest. She knew she’d have a hard time seeing a black dragon in the night sky, even if he were there, and she knew he wasn’t. But she had to look. She had to scour every inch, every space between each twinkling star.
“He makes me feel…”
A touch of warmth on her chest made her look down at the fairy resting over her heart. As she watched, a few more joined it, increasing the heat to a comfortable, cozy level and brightening the golden glow.
They knew.
She smiled again and looked back out the window. “I… I think I love him.”
The fairies withdrew, a few untying the draperies while a few more turned down the bed and doused the wall sconces until the little creatures provided the only light. She sighed and stood, following their gentle guidance toward the bed.
“I hope he’s okay."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXgdcSGzgf
