Starlight (Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen

Ro was dumbfounded at the fact that Arik let Annika ride with him. He was kind and gentle with her and it was so unlike him. Ro wasn't sure what to think about it. They spoke in German to one another and had nothing to say to her. Ro was alright with that. She was okay with not understanding what they were saying and even more okay with having some time to herself. Ro spent her morning reliving the past nineteen years of her life. She thought about her parents and how she had gotten over their deaths. She had been so young when she lost them, and wasn't sure that she would be able to get through losing her grandmother just as well.

Ro noticed Annika's face every now and then. She would let her sadness slip through, but soon Arik would say something to her that would make her smile. Ro was almost jealous of the way that Arik spoke to Annika. She wished that he had been that nice to her, but she realized that he was only being kind to keep the little girl from wanting to run. If he was mean to her she would have tried to leave at every turn. No matter how far you run, I will chase you. No matter where you hide, I will find you. Ro remembered what Arik had told her. There was no hope in escaping him. There was just no hope period. There was just survival.

Ro dismounted the mare when they stopped to water the horses. She used the time to stretch and walk around for a moment. The forest was so thick that Ro could not see more than five feet into the woods. There were vines and broad trees that peppered the area around her. Ro was cautious of Pixies and never strayed away from the horses when they stopped. She had seen other creatures in the forest, but they had never gotten close enough to be considered a threat. She knew that she had Arik's presence to thank for that.

Annika approached her suddenly, "Arik say you have lost grandmother."

Ro looked into Annika's pitiful eyes, "Yes. I did lose her."

"My mother..." Annika was struggling for words.

"It's okay. I know." Ro wasn't sure if Annika understood her or not, but the little girl gave her a slight smile.

Ro looked at Arik as he stood by the horses. He rubbed the stallion's back as he drank. Although he was only a few feet away from her, he felt so distant. Annika ran up to Arik without hesitation and pulled on his arm. She asked him something and he replied with a grin. Ro shook her head. She didn't understand it. It must have been impossible for even Fae to be horrible to children.

There was a rustle in the brush behind Ro. She turned towards it unafraid. She knew that nothing would dare bother her with Arik around. She stared at the movement of leaves until a small bird darted out of them in a flash. It made Ro jump, but then she laughed at herself. Laughter. It was the first time that she had laughed since she came to the Realm. Ro put a hand on her throat. She couldn't believe it. She had cried so much last night that she wasn't sure if she was even still capable of laughter.

There was a flicker of light coming from the brush. It caught Ro's eye. She watched the brush like a hawk until another flicker and then another. Fireflies? Ro leaned down in front of the lights. They were so small and subtle. She was surprised that she noticed them. Ro began to move a small branch of a shrub out of her way to be able to see the light source.

She gasped.

There were five extremely tiny Fae in the shrub. They looked similar to the Pixies only smaller. They began to lose their glow and moved to hide themselves behind leaves. They seemed afraid of Ro. They weren't aggressive like the Pixies. Ro moved a finger towards them. She wanted to touch them. To see if they were actually there.

"You will frighten them away."

Ro jumped as Arik's voice hit her ear. Her heart was pounding and she knew that she looked like she had just seen a ghost. Ro looked at Arik with a hateful glance. Arik ignored her as he looked down into the shrub and called out to the little creatures in the Fairy language. Slowly they began to creep out of the leaves. Their glows were the palest pinks and golds. They were beautiful. Annika stood beside Arik and watched in amazement as the tiny winged Fae began to dance playfully around them. They were not afraid anymore.