Moonfall | Book Two

CHAPTER 15

With only a few yards between them, Michael and the fairy stared at each other. Nightfall was upon them, and the last tiny bit of sun light barely illuminated the sky. A breeze whirled past them, pulling off the hood of her cloak before it disappeared into the trees. When she lowered her gaze he did the same, staring at the box in his hands, which held the bird inside.

There were three reasons for his visit to the Woodlands. The first, to tell her about the plan and obtain her light. The second, to ask her to take care of the bird. The third, to say goodbye.

After overhearing his father's plans for him, he had no choice but to make this visit his last.

He lifted his head and walked towards her.

The fairy did not meet his eyes when he stopped in front of her, she only continued to stare at the snowy ground.

"Hello."

"Hello," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

When another breeze rushed by, it blew a few stray strands of her hair into her face. She tucked them behind her ear, then made a move to turn away, but he gently grabbed her arm to stop her.

He stepped closer and held out the box for her to hold. She looked up at it, then up at him before taking it. He then reached behind her and slid the hood of her cloak back onto her head. When it fell past her eyes, he pulled it back slightly. Because Michael was not expecting it, he was caught off guard when their eyes met, and found himself staring into the brown orbs a little too deeply for a little too long.

Once he got ahold of himself, he took the box from her hands and stepped back. "I cannot stay long. I came to tell you the Witches have agreed to help. One of them is a friend named Zanna. Her coven helped the Fae before, so you can trust them."

She remained silent.

He did not expect her to jump for joy upon hearing the news, only some sort of reaction.

"She said the door can only be opened on Moonrise, and informed me of the requirements for opening it."

Her head perked up then, and she glared at him. Her expression was hard to read, and one he had never seen on her before. "And you are still willing?"

"I told you your escape ensures the safety of someone important to me. To do that, I am more than willing."

"Then you must know Fae light is one of the requirements."

He nodded.

She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, and that same hand then disappeared underneath her cloak and reappeared holding a dagger. Before he could react, she held out her left hand and sliced her palm with the dagger in her right.

His eyes darted back and forth between the blood dripping onto the snow and the calmness on the fairy's face and within her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Is this not what you came for?"

He placed the box on the ground, grabbed the handkerchief from her hand and pressed it on top of the wound. He had come for her light, but did not think retrieving it would have been so...gruesome. "And that was the only way?"

"Not the only way, but the quickest. Fae light is our very essence, making up every part of us, including the blood in our veins. Give this to your friend."

He ignored her, and pulled out his own handkerchief from his coat pocket. He used it to hold hers in place by gently wrapping it around her palm to tie it.

He remembered what Zanna said about the fairy being away from the Fae and the effect it might have had on her and her magic. Would the loss of blood only further weaken her?