Through the Fairy Ring

Chapter Nineteen

Fairies were strong. At least, Edlark was. He carried me all the way to his home without stopping to rest and without breaking a sweat. He also didn't say a word. My head bobbed like a rag-doll's against his broad and rather well-muscled chest. Combined with my nakedness and not being able to talk, any self-composure I'd had before stepping through the Fairy Ring was obliterated.

From a distance, the home appeared to be a magnificent extension of the cliff it sat on. Turrets soared skyward. The setting sun reflected a warm orange glow in the windows. As we drew closer, the truth of the Fairies' exile became apparent. The bricks and rocks that made up the walls were crumbling around the edges, and the fauna surrounding the house appeared overgrown and unkempt.

Children played outside and ran toward us as Edlark strode up the grass dotted pathway. They shouted questions to him in happy, curious voices about who I was and where I came from. I hoped Edlark had tucked his cape securely around me, so I didn't give the children an unintended education on human anatomy.

"She's hurt, younglings. Please open the door for me."

The tallest boy opened the front door, while a little girl with cornsilk blond hair padded along at my side. "What happened to her?"

"Nothing terrible. She'll be okay."

While I would disagree that nothing terrible had happened, Edlark's sensitivity to the girl surprised me. Where did the big, bad Fairy go?

He brought me inside and laid me on a chaise lounge in the parlor, careful to make sure my head was on the pillow at the top. He covered me with a light blanket. "I'll bring the Healer to take care of your back. Once the poison wears off, if it's not healed, it will hurt like nothing you've ever experienced before."

I tried to answer, but my vocal chords were still frozen. Damn.

Outside, the children returned to their game. I listened to them argue over who would be dragons, who would be warriors, and who would be monsters. Apparently the dragons were part of the good guys. Meara would love to play the game with them. I was pretty sure she'd want to be a dragon.

Not being able to move didn't stop the sensation of anxiety clenching in my chest. How much time was being lost from getting Meara and Garron the help they needed? I wanted to kick myself for being so trusting. I knew better than to trust just anyone. Even if the Realm appeared to be a quaint backwater country, there were still plenty of dangers lurking, and not all of them were creatures. Some of the people were more monstrous than the monsters themselves.

Soft footsteps approached the parlor, and a Fairy woman appeared in the doorway. A multitude of slender braids wound around her head, with soft black tendrils falling against her face and over her pointy ears. She wore a bright blue halter top and calf-length skirt A red shawl covered her shoulders and the tops of her folded wings, and she carried a basket full of white towels in her hands.

"Good afternoon." She crossed over to where I lay. "Perhaps not so good for you, though. My name is Guara and I am the clan's healer. King Edlark instructed me to heal your wounds before you regain feeling."

She smiled and touched my shoulder. "In a minute my assistant will help me turn you over, and then I'll get started."

Without thinking about it, I nodded my head the slightest bit. My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Guara's smile widened. "It looks like we'd better hurry. You won't be frozen for much longer now." She pulled out the towels and hung them across the back of the couch, and set three vials filled with brightly colored liquids on a nearby table.

A short, bulky male Fairy entered the room, and Guara explained to him what she needed. Together they lifted me from the chaise and rolled me onto my stomach, careful to turn my head to the side so I could breathe. One of them unclasped the cape and drew it away from my back, and then the assistant left the room.

Guara pushed gently at the edges of the wounds. It didn't hurt, but I could definitely feel it. The sensation was similar to how your lips feel after having Novocaine at the dentist.

I tried to tell her what I could feel, and this time a breathy sound escaped.

"Did you say something?" Guara paused, and then became a flurry of activity. "Not much time left."

She began to hum and again pressed the wounds on my back. I couldn't feel anything else, but periodically I heard vial tops uncorked, or the clink of glass when they were reunited with the others. Her humming became more melodic and eventually she sang quietly under her breath as she worked on my back. The longer she sang, the harder it became for me to keep my eyes open. A sense that everything would be fine, of well-being and emotional stability crept over me. I hadn't felt so calm and balanced since... well, maybe ever. The release of all the stress and emotion I'd been holding in check made me tired, and my entire body relaxed. My consciousness traveled on the sound of Guara's voice, and, completely without meaning to, I fell asleep.

When I awoke, the parlor was dark. One lit candle cast a dim light from the table in the corner.

"Crap!" I pushed myself to sitting. The blanket Guara had covered me with slipped from one shoulder, and I clutched the remaining fabric to my chest. How late was it? I touched my bare neck. And where was my owl pendant?

I stretched my arms above my head and moved my legs around. "Am I okay?" I whispered to try out my voice.

The answer, of course, was yes. I was back to normal. Better than normal, even, because the sense of well-being remained. Confidence filled me, and I knew I would be able to save Meara and Garron.

A dress made of gauzy green material draped over one of the chairs. My owl pendant rested on top, so I assumed the dress was there for me. The faint scent of gardenias followed me when I picked up the dress and my necklace, and accompanied me behind a dressing screen that had been added to the room while I'd slept. They must have bathed me, too.

That was an uncomfortable thought.

Maybe it was just my back they washed. Yeah, that's what I was going to tell myself.

I fastened the necklace before I pulled the dress over my head. The long sleeves, made of soft lace, clung to my arms, and the waistband settled into place just under my breasts, empire-waist style. The gauzy material created a voluminous skirt, which ended just above my ankles. All I needed was a set of wings, and I'd totally look like a Fairy. I quickly folded the blanket and set it on the end of the chaise lounge before stepping out into the hall to look for Edlark.