Dark Magic

Chapter 20

Ryouko's POV

       Sitting atop a rocky outcrop, I gazed out at the placid waters. I had required some alone time, thus I ended up here; it reminded me of when I first came here, nearly drowning in this very sea. Some part of me hoped I'd see Aegaea again, for I hadn't since that day. I'm sure she'd never have any reason to speak to me again, I owed her a great deal.
       The air smelled of salt and wild things, just like everywhere else I'd been so far in Sapphira. I wonder how Aunt May's doing. I truly did; now that both Rei and I were missing, she was probably devastated.
       "Ryouko? My, you look much better than when I met you!" I looked towards a figure in the turquoise depths; Aegaea. Picking myself up off the rocks, I winded down the small pathway I had discovered the last time I'd been here, making my way towards the shore.
       "Aegaea, how've you been? It's been a while." I sat down cross-legged in the sand, smiling a bit; I was glad she was happy to see me, for she really was quite nice.
       "Oh, I'm doing just fine. What about you, last I saw you, you weren't doing so well. I trust you found Esme to be quite welcoming?" She flashed me a bright smile, her teeth pearly white. Though her dark hair was wet, it seemed silken and shiny, her skin faintly glowing. I really didn't know if I would be able to speak in her presence.
       "O-oh, I've been well. I found my sister; she was that other human that got here a while before me, I think." I heard a splash then; there proved to be nothing there, so I chose to ignore it. A while later, I heard it again, closer this time; upon noticing what had captured my attention, Aegaea smiled at me reassuringly.
       "No worries, that's just Llyr. I think you'll actually quite like him, he's always been a great friend of mine." As if on cue, a faery emerged from the water, with black eyes and tanned skin not much lighter than Aegaea's and... blue hair. How odd.
       "Llyr, we were just talking about you. Come, this is Ryouko; he's a human I met not long ago." She motioned for him to come over to her side. As he got closer, I noticed his eyes weren't black, but a deep shade of amethyst. They glittered like jewels in the evening light, as did Aegaea's eyes, though a deep gold.
       Smiling, Llyr waved at me. "Wonderful meeting you, I hope we can be good friends. Say, how does a human end up here in Sapphira these days? It's hasn't happened in hundreds of years, aside from the human that showed up just several months ago. And if you'd wish to not share, don't worry; it's just my curiosity gets the better of me at times." He smiled apologetically.
       "Oh, no, don't worry. Honestly, though... I don't really know. I don't remember much from my last day in the human realm." Shrugging, I traced a circle in the wet sand- which had already soaked my trousers.
       "Yes, I'd found him nearly drowning, so I rescued him. You owe me, by the way. That took a lot for me to drag you to the shore, so pay up soon." Aegaea wagged her finger at me, all seriousness; at least, until she broke into a grin. "I'm just kidding, you don't owe me anything. Though, I do expect you to visit often."
       "O-oh." I laughed nervously; even though the fae couldn't lie, they were able to circumvent that, so I hadn't been able to tell that Aegaea had done so. "Yeah, you guys are pretty cool, so I think I will visit a lot." They both smiled their perfect smiles, causing me to gulp due to the awkwardness.
       "That's perfect! Hey, do you know how to fight?" Llyr gave me a sly look. Shaking my head, he offered to teach me some time. It wasn't long before the sun had already dipped below the horizon; Aegaea waved me off, and Llyr just smiled.

                                 * * *

       I trekked back through the trees, ever careful so as to not snag my clothing on the spindly branches. It was eerily silent, save for the wind blowing through the treetops. The crunch of leaves echoed through the woods, loud in my ears. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, as if someone were following me; yet, the telltale sound of a second pair of footsteps not far behind didn't exist. Sucking in a sharp breath, I continued on.
       The wind's cries grew ever louder, echoing in my ears. The strange presence remained, and I swallowed down my fear as best I could. I was sure something was following me; what else could explain this feeling? Yet, I felt that I may be losing what little sanity I had left bit by bit; surely I was just overly paranoid. Keeping that one thought in mind, I hurried my pace just a little, eager to reach Esme's hut.
       The trees seemed never ending; I must be lost, then. It hadn't taken much time on the way to the beach through these very trees. I came to an abrupt stop, attempting to assess my surroundings with what little moonlight bathed the landscape, though to no avail. It was then that the prickling sensation across my back grew immensely; whatever it was that's been following me must be just behind me now. Turning slowly, I gasped slightly; it was the same faery from the other night; the Unseelie king he had called himself. Though it was yet again dark, the moon's light made his features much more visible than the last time.
       "I-it's you a-again." My voice was shaky, as I was paralyzed with fear. The faery's eyes watched me, uncanny in their vivid lilac hue. Though I was tall, his frame seemed to tower above me.
       "It is." His velvety smooth voice filled the silence, stirring something dark within me.
       "W-what do you want from me? Go a-ahead and kill me, I don't care. As long as you don't hurt my sister. I know you're watching her." Attempting to put on bravado, I calmed my fear, replacing it with anger instead. To my surprise, the faery laughed a bone-chilling laugh, which in turn caused fresh fear to rise in my gut.
       "I don't plan on killing you just yet." Those steely eyes drew me in, my mind becoming fuzzy at the edges. His words resonated within my soul; I did not accept them, and yet, somewhere deep within me, I knew they were true.
       "If you hurt my sister, I swear I'll kill you first. And if I ever find you watching her-" His lilting voice cut me off.
       "I don't plan on hurting her... and I haven't just been watching her, either." His lips lifted into a wicked smile, one that inspired death.
       "W-who are you? Yes, I know- you're the Unseelie king, I can believe that, but... who are you really?" I waited for what seemed like an eternity for his answer, his otherworldly gaze pinned on me.
       "I'm Kiaran."
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Dndjkskaksllala im dead .-. So now we know who the Unseelie king is! What do you think of Kiaran being the king? 😏
Anyway, hope you like this chapter!