The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 5

When we landed, the air was warm and sticky and my hair immediately stuck to my neck. It had been night when we left the sparkling city of Feloix Felaii, but here it was mid morning; the sun was a sultry white orb in the sky and a lazy seagull flapped its way across the pale blue sky. Exotic trees sprung up beside us; there were tall, waving fronds that towered over our heads, and thickets of bamboo and banana trees crowding around us. I turned to look at Apollo, the sweet, pungent smell of the trees pressing down on me, and found him looking around as well.

"Where are we?" I asked him forlornly. Our hands were still linked; it was Edilara who had used her Vita water to send us on our way. I could still see her lovely face in my mind, serious and unquestioning, as if she knew something was very wrong and wasn't about to get in our way.

"We're a couple miles outside of Ningde, a small town in China." Apollo told me softly, drawing the hood of his cloak up even though the trees' wide leaves easily shaded us. His eyes were still searching the foliage, as if he was waiting for something to emerge. "A very good friend of mine lives here, away from prying eyes."

"Is he a fugitive?" I asked curiously.

Apollo's laughter was suddenly mingled with the deep, sonorous sound of someone else's laughter. I stared in surprise; where there had been only a crooked banana tree looking forlornly down at the overripe fruit it had dropped, there was now a very old faerie staring in amusement back at me.

The only reason I could tell his age was because of the thin, spidery lines criss-crossing his luminously pale skin. His hands were the gnarled trunks of pale old trees, and his soft white hair cascaded down his back in a long braid. His wings were as delicate and beautiful as all the other faeries I'd seen, however they looked dusty and frail, like an aged spider web. He wore a simple pale robe that barely brushed the ground. And his eyes! They were a bright, energetic blue that almost seemed electric; they spoke of immense wisdom and experience, and they twinkled kindly.

"I suppose that is what I am, my dear." His voice was deep and soothing, like a lullaby. "It's best you accompany me inside before the authorities catch wind of a crook like me."

I blushed deeply, but Apollo beamed at the faerie and tugged me along as he approached him.

"Gantris, old friend." Apollo's voice was warm, and his bright green eyes sparkled like the faerie's. "It's so good to see you. This here is Lilah, my love."

I blushed even harder at Apollo's affectionate introduction. He'd been calling me that for months to his friends, but I doubted I'd ever get used to it.

Gantris took my hands in his, and I marvelled at how soft and silky his skin was. His bright blue eyes peered into my own, and I had the curious feeling he was peeking into my soul.

"Lilah." He whispered, a smile tugging at his lips."What a lovely name."

"Hello." I said shyly. This was a man I would love to have as my grandfather.

He smiled and held my hands for a moment more before abruptly turning away, waving at us to follow him through the thicket. "Come along now, it's no good for an old man like me to be standing in this heat."

Apollo chuckled in my ear as we followed. "Quite a jokester, that Gantris. He's probably five times stronger than me and can withstand this 'heat' easily."

"And he also has exquisite hearing." Gantris called back, and Apollo laughed again.

Gantris led us into a small circular clearing with tall thickets of bamboo surrounding it. A simple stone cottage had been constructed there, but it looked strangely out of place in the exotic surroundings. There was a basket of geraniums hanging from the window, and I was pretty sure those didn't grow here. A thin spiral of white smoke curled lazily into the air from a chimney on the sloped roof. The wonderful smell of coffee drifted back to me.