I See Faeries

~chapter twenty-three~

Fire and Smoke

~

"She's the Phoenix? The one destined to save the universe? She can't even defend herself from another human!" 

"Not just any human. He was her brother, and he was possessed. It was hardly a normal situation, Marcus, and besides - she's stronger than she looks."

"Hmm. I certainly hope so."

Marcus? Roman?  The voices filtered through the haze of sleep that still filled my head, and startled me into consciousness. They fell silent as I stirred and opened my eyes. 

I was in a large room. Sunlight streamed in through tall, narrow windows, illuminating my surroundings. It appeared to be a bedchamber, with few furnishings save for the bed I was in, the wardrobe against the far wall, and several cushiony chairs. The cold stone floor was covered by a thick woven rug, and a fire crackled in the modest hearth opposite the wall of windows. 

"Cassaundra?"

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of my full name spoken in his accented voice. I turned my gaze from the fire, to the pair of men standing near the foot of the bed.

The golden-haired man's mismatched blue eyes identified him as Marcus - the voice of incredulity from before, the man questioning my abilities. And who could blame him, I thought. I'm questioning myself.

And the man defending me . . . that was Roman. 

He looked rather worse for the wear, I realized as I looked him over curiously. His dark hair was disheveled, simultaneously flattened to his skull and sticking out in a hundred directions at once. He wore gray breeches and an un-tucked loose black tunic, and tall leather boots. Bloodstained bandages covered his left forearm, and the bulk of more bandages was visible beneath beneath the fabric of his pants. His normally lightly-tanned skin was a shade paler than usual, and the dark circles beneath his eyes suggested he hadn't been sleeping well. 

"Roman, what-" I began, concerned. The little voice of reason in my head said, You have no business worrying about him, but I couldn't help myself. He was so . . . compelling. I was drawn to him in spite of my better judgement. I care for him.

"How do you feel?" he asked, before I could finish my own question. He crossed the distance between us in two swift strides to stand at the side of the bed, looking down at me. His eyes were the grayish-blue color of a moody sky, and his brows furrowed with worry above them. Hesitantly, he lifted his hand to my face. A shiver ran through me as he brushed a strand of hair from my forehead. 

"Like I've been dragged behind a wagon," I admitted. My entire body ached fiercely. "But . . ." I trailed off then, as the magnitude of it dawned on me ". . . I'm alive." I raised my eyes to meet his, and found myself searching those stormy irises for answers. He held my gaze for a moment, before looking away.

"What did you see?" he asked in a low voice.

The dream. It came back to me quickly. The mermaids, the undersea castle, the amphitheater . . . and Njord. The mermaid queen, with her pearl pendant.

I told Marcus and Roman everything I remembered as succinctly as I could. When I'd finished, Roman's expression remained unchanged, and Marcus was rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.

"And you're sure it's her pearl that you have to take?" he asked finally, after a moment of silence.

I bristled at that, and sat up in the bed, glaring at him as I did. "Of course," I snapped. "Who else's could it be? Why else would I have had that dream?"

The blonde faerie held his hands up in an "okay, okay, you win" gesture. "Hey, alright," he said. "I'm sorry, I just had to ask." 

He looked genuinely apologetic, and I relaxed a little. "It's okay."

"Do you remember anything before the dream?" Roman asked abruptly.

Before. "Do I remember what happened with Torrin?" I asked, frowning. "Do I remember falling? Yes."

Roman nodded. "Anything else?"

Something about the faerie prince seemed off. He looked even more on-edge than usual, and Marcus kept giving him odd looks. "I . . ." I thought about it. "I remember you fighting him, defending me. I remember your eyes were black, and you had fangs." I glanced at him, not sure if the fangs were a sensitive subject. He didn't react, but I saw a flash of emotion in Marcus's mismatched eyes. Fear? But it passed too quickly for me to be certain.

"And?"

"Torrin cut you," I said, pointing to the bulge of bandages beneath his breeches, "there. And you tried to save me as I fell, but Torrin stopped you. I saw fire . . . and then Torrin was gone, and I saw you above me . . ."

I trailed off, my jaw going slack and my eyes widening as the pieces began to fall into place. "You did save me." My heart began to race wildly in my chest as I looked at the faerie. I could feel it pounding in my ears.

"How." It wasn't a question, really. More of a statement. Flat, curt, and softly spoken.

Massive leathery, bat-like black wings unfurled from his back as he leapt over the edge of the pit. They ripped through his tunic like paper, before they were quickly pulled back against his body to hasten his descent. His palms still smoldered like hot embers, and there was fire in Roman's obsidian eyes as he reached for me.

I knew. I couldn't believe it, but at the same time it suddenly made sense. 

"You're a demon."

~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: Sorry it's so short! Vote & comment if you want another update ASAP!