Enchantments ch 14
"What are you?" Tyler whispered. His hand reaching out to tentatively touch her hair. The piece he touched wrapped itself around his finger and petted him back. "I'm a fae," Xandria stated softly. "As in like a fairy?" asked Caleb. The other two were still staring open mouthed. "Yes that's another term for us" she stated. "Wow baby boy bagged himself a real life fairy princess," said Reid. "I thought fairies were small and have wings," said Pogue. Finally coming out of his shock to come closer.
"Sprites are smaller and I never said I didn't have wings," she said with a grin. "Cool can we see them?" said Tyler. He was stroking her shoulder in somewhat of a trance. "Wow the first girl I sleep with is a fairy," he said with a laugh. Reid was still staring at her, but he had a look on his face that plainly meant he wanted to ask her something. She smiled at him and Reid grinned goofily back.
Then he asked his question in the most serious voice they had ever heard him use "what court?" asked Reid. Pogue looked at him funny "what do you mean what court?" said Pogue. Reid sighed, "the fae are divided into two courts as they call them, the unseelie, or the bad and the seelie, the good" explained Reid.
Caleb looked at Reid like he was surprised he had even read a book. Reid shrugged "what so I picked up a book on fairy tales?" said Reid. "Well?" said Caleb "seelie" she answered. "How do we know your telling the truth?" said Pogue. "Because if I was otherwise there would a serous rash of spontaneous human combustion all over the school," she said
"You'd kill people?" said Tyler. "Only if they tried to harm anyone I care about" she said "so you would only defend someone," said Caleb. "Why would they incinerate people?" said Pogue. "Usually if something irritates them, they have very little self control," said Xandria.
"So its safe to assume she's telling the truth or we'd be sweeping up Reid by now" said Pogue. Reid flipped him off. "You defended Tyler earlier didn't you?" asked Caleb "yes, I didn't want to lose him" she said softly. Tyler blushed crimson; Reid elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a conspirator wink. Tyler pushed him off the stairs.
"Which brings me to my next question, why are you here?" asked Caleb. She took a deep steadying breath and Tyler unconsciously took a hold of her hand. "I'm hiding," she said meeting his gaze. Her bravery from earlier fading fast. "Why?" asked Reid. She looked at her lap for a second. "My father wanted me to marry some one I hate," she said softly. "If you hate him why would he force you to marry this guy?" said Pogue.
"Because the king asked him to, it would end a war between the courts" she said "so he's unseelie court I take it?" said Reid. "Yes" she said with a nod. Caleb ran his hand through his hair. She had just put them all in a very awkward and dangerous position. "Will he come after you?" asked Caleb. "I don't know, he would have to find me first, which is why I haven't used all that much lately," she said holding her hands in front of her face. "You have no idea how hard it is to not use it for everything" she said The rest of the group looked at Reid. Reid tried to look innocent, lost cause there."What?"He said throwing up his hands. They shook their heads and looked back at her. Reid frowned at them, and crossed his arms over his chest, snorting as he did so.
Tyler put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. "And if he does find you?" asked Pogue. "He'll drag me back and try to force me to comply or have me labeled a traitor," said Xandria."He won't drag you anywhere I'll make sure of it," said Tyler. Caleb cleared his throat and glared at Tyler. Tyler gazed back at him but didn't back down. "Tyler we need to have a word with you, alone" said Caleb. "Ah Xandria do you mind?" said Pogue. She glanced at Tyler as if asking if he was all right about. "It's ok, just go in the other room for a second, we'll be right with you" Tyler said. She leaned over and kissed his lips before rising to go. Her glamour sliding back on as she exited the room.
After she was out of earshot. or they thought she was. Caleb turned to Tyler. Tyler was still sitting on the stairs watching his friends. "What the heck has gotten into you, are you mental?" said Caleb. "Yeah man, if she's a fae what do you think that makes her enemies?" said Pogue. "The same as her" said Tyler. "Maybe in appearance baby boy, but sure as hell not in attitude" said Reid. Tyler glared defiance at his friends. "I don't care, I'm not letting anything hurt her" said Tyler. "I'm sure she can handle herself, it's you I'm worried about" said Caleb.
" I can take care of myself," said Tyler defiantly "baby boy I reliese you like her but this is suicidal" said Reid. "No it's not and I more than just like her, I love her." Said Tyler. "Don't you think that's a little premature" said Caleb. "No it's not, you fell for Sarah a whole lot faster remember" argued Tyler back.
"Ok, ok enough, if he says he loves her he does" said Pogue. "Yeah but that isn't the real problem, the problem is what happens when he finds her?" said Caleb. "And what are we going to do to stop it?" said Reid. The whole group looked at him. "What he's our brother, and he loves her," said Reid. Caleb rubbed his forehead as though he were getting a headache. "Fine if that's our plan then we need to know as much as we can about this asshole," said Caleb. "Thank you Caleb" said Tyler. Caleb looked like he wanted to throttle the boy. "Don't thank me yet, this may not work," said Caleb. "Yeah we may end up getting our ass kicked," said Pogue.
Tyler looked guilty for a second. And Reid slapped him on the back "it'll be all right" said Reid. "Yeah Pogue ascends in a few weeks and Reid another week after that" said Caleb. "With three of us ascended we might actually have a chance," said Pogue. Reid bit his lip; he was worried that he wouldn't survive to be there for his brothers in this. They were all worried, he just didn't know it. Or being the typical Reid he was, didn't acknowledge it. Tyler looked worried, very worried. Of all of them he would be last to ascend, thus he was the most vulnerable. Given the fact that he just stated he loved her, he would also be the first to step up for her.
Caleb was worried that it would be the last time he did. He sighed why did this shit keep happening to them? Why couldn't fate just let them be? Pogue also wore a worried look on his face, though for not exactly the same scenario. He had no doubt Tyler would step up to defend Xandria, but what if they weren't there to back him. Would they lose him? Would she aid him if he was attacked or would she allow it to happen? Where were her loyalties? Or would there even be a them to back him? What would they do if they lost Tyler?
Tyler watched his friends. He knew they were worried and he was too. How could he not be? Someone more powerful than Chase had been was out to get him. Strangely he wasn't scared about that. Just the possibility that it could get them all killed. What scared him more was the prospect of losing her, now that he knew where his heart truly lay. He happened to glance at Reid who was chewing on his bottom lip, obviously worried about something. Tyler knew Reid had been worrying a lot about his coming ascension.
He wouldn't admit it to the others but Reid was plainly terrified about what may happen. Tyler just hoped that the book was wrong and Reid would somehow survive it. Tyler didn't want to think about a world without his closest friend in it. Reid was starting to worry about the fact that they were all in brood mode so he decided to lighten the mood some.
"So how about we go look at some wings?" said Reid. They looked at him and said a collective "huh?" "Come on guys brood later, we have a real live fairy in the living room" said Reid. He started to the door "and she's hot" he said with a wink. Tyler got up to follow him. Just to make sure he behaved himself.
Xandria walked into he other room. She wasn't really out of earshot but decided to humor them. They had no idea how acute her hearing was anyways. Instead of sitting down she explored the room. Fairies of any sort are naturally curious by nature, she was no exception. Maybe that's why she liked it here so much, always something new to do.
Even the classes Reid called bore fests she liked because she had never heard that stuff before. Everything was so brand new to her. It truly was a brand new world. She picked up objects and looked at them. Took some apart and others she was clueless on how to operate them. While she explored she listened in. yes not really the polite thing to do but she would have had to go down the street to avoid hearing it.
She almost dropped what she had been holding when she heard Tyler say he loved her. She set the glass knick-knack she had almost dropped back on the shelf. She suddenly felt guilty. Not for the way she felt about Tyler but for bringing another battle to their doorstep. She didn't want any of them to get hurt. Especially Tyler, she wasn't sure what she was feeling right now. Or what love really even meant but she knew she didn't want to lose him. If that meant standing against her own people so be it. Exile wasn't really all that bad, not when you weren't alone in it. She had picked up a long copper tube and was looking through it at the doorway. Her thoughts on what they had said and the emotionally charged silence that followed.