I See Faeries

~chapter twelve~

Thieves

~

"So, what now?" I asked.

Roman grunted something unintelligible and hefted Lukas higher on his shoulder. I was surprised to see that the wounds the lucine's claws had made on his arms were already healed. Must've been a faerie-back-in-Elodin thing.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," I said, rolling my eyes. Roman wasn't exactly the most articulate man I'd ever met. 

"There," he said, pointing across the water at the buildings I'd seen earlier. "It's a place called A'tkumai. It's the farthest northwestern settlement in the kingdom. Very few fae live here, because of its isolation. This forest-" he gestured to the trees surrounding us "-is the thickest, most dangerous area of wilderness in Elodin, and only those with great motivation to do so risk traveling through it."

I eyed the beautiful trees warily. "Does A'tkumai have a lot of convicts, then? People that want to hide from society?" I asked, half out of curiosity, half out of concern.

The faerie shrugged. "Everywhere you go, you'll find unsavory characters with impure motives." He walked to the edge of the lake, until his dirty boots were almost touching the water. "A'tkumai happens to have more than the average town though, yes."

I struggled to get to my feet. My side stung fiercely, and I looked down to see blood seeping through my shirt. I'd forgotten that the demon clawed me.

Roman looked back at me, and immediately dropped Lukas like a sack of potatoes. "You're hurt," he said, rushing to my side, worry darkening his handsome features. He pushed me back onto the ground and ripped my tunic open, right down the middle. My face immediately grew hot. The only thing between Roman and my modesty was a thin silken breastband.

He seemed entirely oblivious of how exposed I was, however, and was focused entirely on the claw marks on my side. The pain was starting to lessen already.

"What are you doing?" I asked in surprise. "It already feels better."

He rocked back on his heels and held up his hands to show that he wasn't touching me. His expression was one of mild amazement. "Nothing," he said. "You're healing already. Before my eyes." I stared at him in disbelief. He pulled the torn half of my tunic away from the wound and looked at it again. "In fact, you're healed. It's scarred over."

It didn't hurt at all anymore. Stunned, I ran my fingers up and down my side. There was nothing there but a slightly raised scar. He was telling the truth. "Incredible," I murmured. "I've always healed quickly, but that was fast even for me."

He gave me a sideways look, and stood. "Healing, and something to do with air or wind, so far. Whatever will we uncover next?" He muttered as he walked back to the lake.

I stood and followed him, feeling unfairly blamed for things beyond my control. "I'm not hiding anything, you know," I insisted. "Things just keep . . . happening. You can't really blame me for these random abilities." 

Roman just shrugged, and turned away. The message was clear: conversation over. I crouched beside him and trailed my fingers through the clear water, deciding it wasn't worth arguing about. "Can the hunters follow us here?" I asked, changing the subject. I had a sinking feeling that I knew his answer already.

"Yes." He knelt on the shore. "If Dean can hold them off long enough, we may be able to put some distance between ourselves and the portal. If not . . ." he shook his head mutely.

I stared down at my hand, splayed on the sand beneath the water. "And this lake is the portal."

"Yes. When entering Elodin, most demons use the larger, faster portal in Rheithlyn - our capital city. This portal is rarely used, which makes it more dangerous. When the hunters enter the portal, it could keep them trapped in limbo for several hours before they can escape, because they're not faeries."