Orange Roses - REVAMPED

Chapter Eight: Gancanaghn Starved

"What?" I asked.

"This stupid thing hasn't closed for nearly two hundred years!" Eloy said as he kicked it hard. "But now it's closed!" He kicked hard. He looked pale and thinner  since I last saw him. His cheek bones looked sharper, but his cheeks almost looked hollowed. His eyes looked like glass and the harder he kicked the more I got scared that something might be shattered in him. 

I grabbed his elbow. "Eloy, stop. You need to relax."

Eloy glared. "Relax? Do you know how serious-"

"Maybe they just moved the opening?" Aine asked. 

"Do you know how stupid that sounds?" Eloy said. He went over to Aine. She glared and she let her wings turn a dark blood red. "This is one of the oldest openings to Faerie! It's older than this damn country!" 

"But it's not impossible!" Aine said. 

I nodded. "I mean, faeries do that all the time, right? It probably isn't too far. Some human probably stumbled into it on accident and they changed the location."

Eloy turned to glare at me. His face even started turning a different color. The saying, "if looks could kill," came to mind.

"Eloy?" I asked. I softened my voice a little.

 His pupils widened suddenly. Like he was getting super high. His whole body slouched a little. He put on a charming smile.

"Yes. That's probably it." He said, looking at me as his voice grew calm. It sounded almost cold. I hadn't heard it before. He probably only used it when he was pretending to be human. I didn't like it, but I wasn't sure what to make of it.. 

"We can look for it." I said. He nodded.

Aine flew close before landing on my shoulder. I led the way as we walked around the area. I felt Eloy's eyes burn into me. I didn't want to know if it was anger or frustration, but I didn't like it. I looked around the area. 

If I was a faerie market, where would I go? Something obvious, but not too obvious. Especially if some human stumbled into it. Especially if I didn't tell anyone that the market was moving.  There had to be some kind of sign that pointed the way. This was going to be a real pain if I can't find it.

I pulled myself up over a boulder. I took off my button up that I wore over the tank top and wrapped it around my waist as sweat dripped down my back. 

"Anyone seeing anything?" I asked. 

Aine shook her head. "No, I thought they wouldn't move it that much."

"Aine, why don't you go that way," Eloy said and pointed to a trail up the hill. "We can go the other way."

"No." Aine said without missing a beat.

What was that? I looked at her from the corner of my eye, but she didn't say anything. She felt stiff on my shoulder. Her wings almost glowed in the dark. 

Eloy got in front of us and stopped, looking back at me. Aine flew in front of my face and stood between Eloy and I.

"Back off. Love Talker." She said. 

Eloy let out a breath he was holding. He relaxed and ran a hand through hair hair. He smirked at me. It was oddly familiar.

His eyes glowed.

I stepped back from him. "Eloy, why are you-"

He grabbed me, slapping Aine out of the way. She yelped, hitting a tree.