“Mmm. Council thinks she must have been working a spell that went awry." She peered at me questioningly; I might have turned pale. She threw the cork at me. Hard. I must have quit breathing; I drew in a sharp breath. My thoughts twisted. Aunt Fannie wore a mean grin.
“Something else?” It was nearly a whisper, but I knew her hearing abilities.
She was enjoying knowing something I didn’t, dragging it out. I glared at her and something in my stare must have convinced her to go on. “The council was just able to save her in time. Almost couldn’t find the right words to turn the spell.”
A gush of air escaped my lungs. She’s alive.
Fannie continued to talk, berating me for looking so dumbfounded I thought. I was oblivious; my mind was doing somersaults like a pixie on sweet pea. Impossible. A thistle? How? What? Impossible. Had the council known she went running because I laughed at her? Had the thistle grown as she stood beside me? Was that what caused the sneezing? She would surely tell I was there. Ugh, another inquisition. What else had the council member told Fannie? He must have known I was a witness, why else would he have been here? I could still see the anger on her face. She would accuse me, I was sure. Somehow, Evelyn would make this my fault.
“Well?” Fannie was in my face.
I jerked back to reality. What was she saying?
“Where were you during the commotion? I’d think if you were at Junnie’s, you’d have known all about it. Why didn’t you warn me?”
Oops. “Well, I was… Junnie sent me home early because I learned a spell.” Fannie looked incredulous. I backpedaled. “Well, not a spell but I grew a… flower. And then I was so excited I was going to run home and tell you… but I took the back way and then…” Oops. “Well, and then I got lost. Sorry.”
Aunt Fannie was incensed. “You pigeon-headed, imp-brained…”
She ranted on and on.
The years of listening to it seemed to coalesce, and I was suddenly exhausted. “I think I’ll go lie down.”
“Do you think you can just sleep when you want to sleep? Whose tree do you think this is? You’ll lie down when I say you’ll lie down…”
Ugh. I tuned her out, knowing the outcome if I didn't.
Shortly after her tirade insisting I stay until I had earned permission to leave, my dear aunt Fannie tired of looking at me and sent me on my way.
I trudged out of the kitchen, through the main sitting area, and into my room. It was dark except for a small beam of light from a knothole in the wall. Fire was the one magic I had mastered; I had been able to light lanterns and candles for as long as I could remember, but I didn’t bother. If I was in this room, I wanted to be alone. And in darkness I felt more so.
Chapter Two
Chevelle
I was usually a late sleeper, but the next morning I was out of the house early. I wanted to get away before I had to face Fannie in the middle of her wine hangover, and I knew Junnie could tell me if Evelyn had turned the town or council against me. I rushed up the path and through the village gate, keeping my head down. No one generally went out of their way to speak to me, but I didn’t want to take any chances. The other elves didn’t have much use for one who wasn’t able to contribute. My lack of magic and skill had put me far from their minds. Except in the case of Evelyn, who sought to raise herself by lowering me, but always with such a thick coating of sweetness. It also didn’t help that I looked different and couldn't pull off the polished joyfulness of the other, normal elves. I wasn't wholly out of place, but unquestionably a blot on the family portrait of the clan.
I slipped around the village and through Junnie’s back yard, darting past a trellis toward the door. I ducked under the hanging ivy, caught my foot on a vine and cursed as I stumbled forward, nearly running into a large boulder. And then I realized the boulder was wearing a shirt.
Gradually, my head tilted upward, and I peered through my bangs to find a strong chin, stern mouth, and the darkest, deepest sapphire eyes I'd ever seen. Sure, lots of elves had blue eyes, but bright-light and shimmery. These were of the deepest blue. They must appear black in the shadows.
Suddenly, I flushed. I was staring into someone's eyes.
And, as quickly as I had come upon him, he was gone. He turned from me without a word and disappeared in a few long strides. I watched him go. Short dark hair, dark eyes, and a large, strong build. He certainly wasn’t from this clan.
Junnie cleared her throat. “Freya?”
I hadn’t realized she was watching me from the open door. Watching me watch him. I flushed again. “Who…” I trailed off.
“You needn’t bother yourself with him.”
She could see I would.
“Chevelle Vattier. He’s from a northern clan. He’ll be here only a short while. Council business.”
That brought me back to my mission. “Fannie said there was some trouble with Evelyn?” I asked.
“Yes.” There was something in her tone I didn’t recognize. “She’s fine now.”
“I was… yesterday, I saw her.”