The Faery Vow

Prologue

The night was quiet. There was no wind, no sound. The park was always peaceful at this time of night. No humans dared to come out to the park at this hour. They feared the dark, feared what lurked where they couldn't see. The moon shone through the canopy of trees, their gnarled limbs reached towards each other, creating a gloomy view of the of the treaded path. The sky was sprinkled with stars, many barely visible from the cloud of pollution.

Every few metres a light-post lit the path, their dim orange orbs creating a haunting glow. Soft footfalls sounded on the path and a girl came running around the bend. There was no urgency in her pace as she moved quietly on her usual run, not knowing that she was being watched.

In the darkness he watched her silently. For two weeks, he had watched her run this route every night. To the human eye, she ran alone.

To his fae eyes however, he knew she never ran alone.

Tonight a group of pixies followed her, leering and trying to knock her over. Their green skin glowed in orange in the light, their pointy fingers poking the girl and tugging on lose strands of her hair. Not once did she attempt to fight them off or yell at them to stop. It was as if she did not realise they were there.

But he knew she could see them. It was in her blood.

Her eyes remained fixed straight ahead, never moving, even when the pixies jumped in front of her, cackling in spite. Every night he had watched her from the darkness, wondering why she ran at this time of night, trying to think of the best way to approach her. If she was this determined to avoid the fae then he needed to be sure he could entice her to agree to his deal.

The darkness shifted and someone moved towards him.

"Still out here Kheelan? I thought you were going to talk to her yesterday?"

The man glanced at his younger brother with annoyance. "It wasn't the right time. What are you doing here Kalen?"

Kalen watched the girl get closer, eyes glittering with amusement. "I thought I'd come and give you the push you obviously need. The time between these worlds may be different but mother's patience will only last for so long."

"I know.' Kheelan sighed. 'That's why I need to do this right. I can't afford to mess this up."

The both fell into silence as the she rounded the next bend, passing them. Under the park light, her fae heritage shone through. She possessed the otherworldly beauty of the fae but she didn't attempt to accentuate it as most fae women did. Wearing a loose shirt and track pants, sweat clung to her skin, glistening as she passed under each light-post. Her hair stuck to her face, the caramel tendrils falling from her loose bun.

Kheelan moved forward slightly, just enough so the pixies saw him. Their faces froze in fear and they stopped dead as the girl moved past them. Glaring at them coldly, he slowly stepped back next to his brother and the pixies took their chance and bolted. They vanished into the darkness and soon the girl was alone again, watched only by the two men.

Watching her retreating figure, Kalen spoke quietly. "How can you be sure she'll agree?"

Kheelan watched her fade into the darkness.

"Because we stole something from her,' he spoke, determination tinging his voice. "I'm sure she would do anything to get it back."