MALAKAI (The 'Mala Series' book 1)

ct-7 Hidden in plain slight

        "I'm a fae" the woman said.

Garett stood unmoving between Sharaya and Roudog. He didn't know what was crazier. The fact that Cen was now raised from the dead or that he was standing in front of a fae.

"She was not dead. I simply healed her dying body." The fae woman said as though she read his mind. Wait a minute.

"Did you just read my mind?" Garett asked, feeling more violated than curious.

"Yes, your minds have no defense." she said with no remorse.

"Well we've never had to defend our minds till now." Garett retorted.

Sharaya ran over to Cen and rubbed Cen's cheeks with her hand.

"Leave these woods, there are worse things than the Aswang prowling around." the fae said.

"Aswang?" Roudog said "it's an ancient word for shape shifter isn't it?"

"Yes that is how you would call it." she said.

Garett could barely grasp all of this. The ancient books and texts that all seemed a myth were real. Because if there were fae's then there had to be others.

"How is this possible?" Garett asked but the woman turned and began walking away.

"Leave, I will not take your minds because no one will believe you saw me." she said.

"Wait." Garett called and tried to catch up with her. "I have so many questions. Are there more of you? How do you differentiate Fae and elves? And and what is this thing?" he brought out the ball given to him by the mysts and practically shoved it in her face.

She stepped away from him, her face had the look of fear on it.

"Put that thing away now." she said. Garett shoved it back into his jacket. "Where did you get it?" She asked.

"From the other side." Garett replied.

"You survived the other side?"she asked, her face now looking doubtful.

"Yes we did. But we lost three of our friends trying to escape." Garett said, not daring to look at Roudog's face.

She was silent for a while.

"Pick up your friend and follow me." She finally said.

"Where are we going?" Garett asked, but she just kept walking. Garett gave his companions a questioning look.

"Cen will need to rest." Sharaya said.

"Plus she might have answers to why we've being seeing things that shouldn't exist." Roudog added.

"Alright then." He walked over to Cen's unconscious form, threw his staff to Roudog, and with the help of Sharaya, he put her over his shoulder. "Let's move."

They walked, resting occasionally. The fae had amazingly healed Garett's wound. He was very uncomfortable being touched by a creature he knew from books alone.

It was first light before the fae woman stopped suddenly.

"We're here." she said

"What do you mean we're here? There's nothing but trees and dirt and snow." Roudog said impatiently. He had taken Cen from Garett a while into their walk.

Truly they were in the middle of nowhere, and if Garett was right, they were off route from Mohja, walking further east would lead them to the freezing sea. She came to Garett and his companions.

"Hold hands and close your eyes" she told them.
Weird, Garett thought but they all obeyed.

Then she touched his eyes with her fingers and Garett felt a slight tinge. He immediately opened his eyes and almost dropped to his knees. Roudog gasped.