‘You seem concerned,’ said Fae as she scratched Shadow behind the ears. His little wings flapped with delight.
I chewed the inside of my lip. There was nothing I could do about Martinez now, so there was no point in worrying myself too much.
‘It’s nothing,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘I just remembered something is all.’
‘Enough about me, anyway,’ said Fae. ‘Why don’t we talk about you?’
‘What’s to know?’ I said quickly. ‘I’m boring. You don’t want to hear about me.’
‘But I do,’ said Fae, stroking Shadow gently. ‘What are you doing so far from home with these five … uh … what are they again?’
‘They’re called Vulmessians. Hawthorne and Emilija were created by a Mage in Flamethroat Valley.’
‘Okay, so what are you doing in Belgium with five Vulmess … these things?’
I shrugged. ‘Camping trip.’
Fae smirked. ‘You are a bad liar.’
‘I know.’
‘So?’
‘So what?’ I asked.
‘Aren’t you going to tell me?’
‘There’s nothing to tell.’
The fact that Fae hadn’t heard of me, or seen my face before, was a good indication that the Realm was not searching for me abroad. Either that, or she had been disconnected from society for so long that she not had the chance to see the posters.
‘If you say so,’ said Fae, nonchalant.
She dropped the subject, for which I was grateful. Fae was a stranger, and I needed to keep my guard up. After all, hadn’t I seen her murder a man in cold blood?
I felt conflicted. I liked Fae a lot. She was strong and independent for her age, but at the same time, she scared the hell out of me.
~
I asked Fae to stay the night and rest – it was the least I could do after she’d saved me and Shadow. She was hesitant at first, but agreed eventually when Shadow’s whining became too much for her.
Fae lay down on the hard floor with her bow in her hand. She said she always slept with her weapon – just in case. I told her that there was no reason to worry, not with Hawthorne and Emilija around – they would protect us. But Fae insisted that she did not like being dependent on anyone – even an animal.
I, on the other hand, felt very safe indeed. No one would be trying to catch me in a hurry. And now, with Finn out of the picture, it seemed I was in no immediate danger.
~
I lay awake for most of the night thinking things over; the ease with which Fae had taken revenge on the man that hurt R?ven, and her hatred of men everywhere. In a way, we were very similar; I hated those who had hurt Helena, like Alastor Newman, Korra Waterson, and Nicholo Martinez. As a result of their role in the enslavement of humans I despised the whole damn Realm. Even Finn, who did not express any loyalty for the Realm, had played a part in the oppression of humans, simply by hunting me.
Suddenly, I was filled with such rage that it took a great amount of effort not to spontaneously combust. Strange, considering Fae was merely a few feet away, and her Power was to repress others. Perhaps raw emotion cancelled her Power out.
Hawthorne, who had been asleep in the corner with Emilija, looked up and stared at me. I wasn’t sure whether he had noticed a rise in temperature, or if he was so connected to me that he sensed a spike in my emotions. Either way, he knew something was wrong because he stood quietly and then lay down by my side, resting his chin on my legs.
When I finally fell asleep, I had an assortment of unusual dreams. I was flying on Hawthorne and looking down at a grand building that I did not recognise, perhaps because it was on fire. The sound of the building’s structure failing was deafening. Dust filled the air and clouded my vision, but I was happy - ecstatic, even. I was laughing as Hawthorne and I flew away.
When I awoke, I remembered the dream vividly; the elation I’d felt watching the structure burn to the ground, and knowing I’d done it. Part of me thought that perhaps the building I’d seen was the Realm Headquarters, but I couldn’t be sure.
It’s just my subconscious, I told myself. I’m just angry at the Realm. I do not want to burn down their headquarters. Do I?
I shook my head vigorously, trying to erase the thoughts that lingered.
~
The next morning was one of phenomenal beauty. It was the middle of summer so the sun was warm, the birds were singing, and flowers everywhere were blooming. Not only that, but the local wildlife was also out to play. Red foxes darted around the forest hunting squirrels and rabbits while Fae and I watched.
Shadow sat in Fae’s lap, loving the attention she provided. I couldn’t help but notice that Shadow’s size seemed to have increased since the night before. It seemed Fae had noticed this too.
‘He is much heavier than yesterday,’ she said, weighing him in her hands.
I shrugged. ‘They do grow fast.’
‘No, I mean, considerably heavier. But the other two are much smaller.’
‘Yes, Shadow was always bigger,’ I said.