Half Magic | Book 2

Thirty Nine: Eidelhein

I burned with questions as we walked through the rain. It was hard not to spew them all out, but with the curious looks from what I discovered were other half elves, I decided against it. At least until we were safely inside somewhere warm and dry and private.

Teyber had insisted I take his cloak, despite my protests that I had one of my own. He said theirs were treated for the rains they were accustomed to here, and in the end I wore a cloak that was about three sizes too big.

And Teyber himself was a mystery. I knew he had spent time with Lark, but his origins were a curiosity for me. He had long, dark hair twisted in thick locks, but under them I caught glimpses of ears like mine. He had seen his share of battles and had the scars to prove it. I hadn't seen so many scars since Thain, and even by fae standards Thain was old. If anything, it just made me more curious about Teyber. Apart from his rugged clothes and long hair, he kept a mostly shaven chin and wore little adornment except for a thin chain around his neck that held a thin ring on it.

We walked, darting from tree to tree to avoid the bulk of the rain. But even that didn't take us far until we were pulled to a twisting trunk that was bigger than the ones around it. Into the side had been fastened a swirling staircase that wound around the tree.

"Are you all comfortable with heights?" Teyber asked.

"I think so, are we climbing the tree?" I asked.

"Caw!" Puko took off, swirling around the stairs and up into the canopy.

Teyber laughed. "I guess that is a yes."

It was pretty clear that the half elves were still suspicious of Nassir and Schula. They didn't say as much, but the expression of the woman who had first spoken to us was of pure dislike, and she refused to be anywhere but the back of the line, watching them the whole way. But we proceeded anyway, Nassir and Schula saying as little as possible as we went.

The stairs took us up, and up, and up into the branches. I hadn't thought myself someone bothered by heights before, but the ground below continued to drift away and I realized I had never been this high up before.

"Where exactly is this place we're going to?" I asked, resisting the urge to reach in front of me and hold onto Teyber for assurance. Schula squeezed my hand, helping me feel somewhat better but not completely dispelling my unease.

"Eidelhein is only accessible from above. You will see when we get there," Teyber said, amusement plain on his face. "It won't be far."

I nodded and focused on where to put my feet, which was easier on the stairs then when I realized we would be walking between the trees on paths that had been placed in the high branches. There was a thin rope strung over the narrow wooden paths, and we were expected to hold onto it with a hand to stay upright.

"Don't look down and you will be fine," Teyber said.

I noticed that none of the half elves used the rope, and neither did Teyber. They may have been showing off, or they may just be that comfortable in the trees. Puko was happy to swirl and glide around us, especially after the rain overhead stopped and all we were left with was the wet drips off the tree leaves.

The rest of the journey remained in the trees. It felt longer than it probably was, considering the alarm and unfamiliarity with the high paths. Finally, we reached a break in the canopy. Ahead I could see a tree that climbed up high to a steep plateau where I could just make out evidence of more people.

It was a shock to see. The trees, and the buildings. Almost familiar buildings that were made from stones and clay and wound through the trees in a natural way, much like the buildings in the Wyldes were constructed to flow with the nature around them. They were beautiful, no surface was left unadorned. Colorful paintings and carvings were everywhere. As we grew closer, I could see the shear size of the structures too. Everything was grandly and elegantly built.