Vale of the Fae

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The scent of flowers was strong. Blooming here and there, some pink, purple, mint, orange. All the colours of the rainbow. Mac watched as a sea blue rose wilted, turning brown and crisp before fading. Normally another flower bloomed in its place, but nothing came. No matter how hard Mac stared at the empty space. His eyes flickered to a yellow flower, it died also with nothing taking its place.

"Her time is running out," a soft voice spoke. It should have startled Mac, but it didn't. His grip on Sophia's hand tightened and he didn't look at the goddess standing the other side of Sophia.

"She will make it. She's smart." He clenched his jaw.

"But the question is, young prince. Does she want this?"

Mac glanced up at Danu with daring eyes. The goddess stared down with content.

Silence.

"All I know is that she will not want to be alone. She will want to come back."

"But, will she want to come me back to this," Danu splayed her arms out, indicating the realm.
"Or will she want to stay in the human realm and never see or hear about Faerie again including g you." She added.

Mac stayed quite, in fear of saying something he would later regret. He knew Sophia will come back to him. He felt her belonging and her feelings towards him, even if she didn't know herself. She will return.
"You see, Mac. If she never makes it out of the in-between in time. You will soon forget all about her, everyone will. Just like how everyone for-"

"Just keep quiet!" Mac exploded. He rose to his feet. Hand on the scabbard of his sword ready to pounce and attack.

"I thought you were supposed to help or do something. All mighty one."

Danu smiled and bowed her head. "My work here is done."

Mac breathed a sigh of relief as the deity vanished, his heart was beating ten to the dozen, both from the hurtful words of the goddess and from his own anger. He dropped his hand away from the hilt and looked down at Sophia. Was Danu right? He had no idea. Sometimes deities can say things that are irrelevant or don't make sense, like cryptic text or a riddle.
Mac glanced at Kieran, sat perched on a log hidden almost entirely by foliage that had started to bloom ivory flowers. He was studying Mac with wonder, he had witnessed the whole thing.

"She is right, you know. You have been kneeling beside Sophia for almost twenty-four hours."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Mac questioned, he had a look of a lost man.

"Danu wants you to fight. She doesn't want you sulking beside the poor girl, that's not going to help get her back."

Mac looked back at the empty space where the goddess once stood.
"All that was just to get me to react and to do something?"
"I guess so," Kieran shrugged.

Mac looked about himself. He had no idea what he should do. How do you get to the in-between?

****

The Fitzwilliam was a huge white beacon against the grey backdrop of the city. Rain drummed down fast, like a curtain. It was a gloomy day. Sophia stood in the doorway of the museum, taking in the familiar smell of coffee and teacakes from the cafe further inside. Sophia felt safe amongst people, it was busy for once. Waking through the armoury exhibit and passed both rooms filled with european pottery and the arts of near east. Sophia couldn't help but feel slightly normal, as if she was on her way to the labs for work. It was nice and familiar, compared to last night, which was sleepless and filled with her own puzzling thoughts of what ifs and whatnot.

Sophia thought that a trip to the Fitzwilliam would do her good, she was secretly hoping that she could find a way out of this mess. Considering it was here when it all started. The labs were just the same the day she left, like an Apple store. Pristine white worktops lined the walls and stood centre of the huge room. Interesting artefacts were dotted around with actual MacBooks sat beside them. Sophia recognised few of her colleagues sat, inspecting the items. All In their own world, if the fire alarm sounded it would take them a good few minutes to take notice. Sophia knew how it was, she was one of them once. She walked further into the room, passing Ed, her senior coworker. He was looking at an item that looked to be from the medieval period. He had no idea Sophia was in the room, no one did. She was a ghost to them, she knew that. However, she was hoping that one person could see her.

Karina stood at the far end of the lab, her white coat and gloves were on. She had a look of concentration on her face. Sophia stared at her, it wasn't that long ago she and Karina were both together, in another world. She had no idea her colleague was Fae, not even her looks gave her away. But then again the magic of Faerie always protects its people with a glamour, so that in the human world they look more human. However, Sophia could see Karina's Faerie features. The tips of her pointy ears poked out of her dark hair, her eyes were large while the rest of her features looked carefully constructed and fragile. Was it because Sophia was in the in-between, that she could see everything how it was? More than likely.

"Karina." Sophia almost whispered. No reaction.

"Karina?" Sophia announced once more, more loudly that her voice echoed a little.

"Did you hear that?" Ed asked, his concentration broken. He stood looking behind at the other three.

"Nope." Sophia's other colleague, Tasha said. "What did you hear this time?" She asked, looking across at him.

"I'm not sure. It sounded muffled."

Sophia's heart skipped a beat. Was it her voice that Ed heard.

"It was probably your own mind talking to itself." Karina laughed as she typed on her Mac.

"Very funny, Karina." Ed chuckled. "I will give you that one, just this once though."

"Oh good. I'll just have to think up something else just as witty." Karina giggled.

Sophia watched with muse, as her old workmates joked amongst themselves. She missed that.
She stood beside Karina, to see what she was working on. She wondered if Karina knew what had happened to her, or if she was waiting for news from them about the crystal. Sophia stared at the screen, reading Karina's research. Karina was excellent at it, her words flowed effortlessly and always sucked you into the story she was telling. Sophia watched, Karina's fingers fly cross the keyboard and then back up at the screen. Sophia's heart almost stopped and lunged into her throat at the sentence displayed.

'I saw you as soon as you came into the lab. I heard you the first time around too.'

"How can you see me? I'm in the in-between." Sophia whispered.

'I know. You brought in the light fog, the curtain that clings on to its items, like a lead on a dog.'

Sophia's mind was reeling. Karina could see her, but how? She wasn't in the in-between she was quite firmly in the human world. As if Karina could hear her thoughts she typed.

'I have a gift. I don't know how or why. But can I see the unfortunates that are stuck in that world and I'm afraid if they knew I could see them, then they would drag me in too. You can tell no one, Sophia. You will have to pretend I can't see you. However, I will do what I can to help you.'

"Thank you." Sophia exhaled. At this moment in time Sophia couldn't care less if she got out of the in-between now or later. All that mattered was that someone, not of this world could see and help her get out.