Chapter 8.1

I don't remember the last time we had human visitors in the house. I'm glad that it's you.

Finishing my tea, I couldn't help but wonder about what Meleri had said.

In a way, I suspected that the contact between the mortal world and Prythian had to be simplified after the destruction of the wall dividing the two territories, and seeing a human wasn't unusual for the fairies. I was more than sure that all of them – even someone as young as my little kidnapper – had encountered a mortal at least once in their lifetime, especially considering that the Archeron sisters used to be mortal.

On the other hand, I didn't know what exactly happened in those one hundred years between the books and the present day. Maybe, humans and fairies fought some wars for the domination of the world, leaving the fragile trust between them in shreds. Maybe, as a result, the Night Court decided to chase away every mortal entering their land, and surely, my unexpected arrival had to scare the hell out of them last night.

Putting the empty cup aside, I glanced at Meleri and her parents. My little kidnapper didn't seem to be afraid or prejudiced against me. On the contrary, since the moment I showed up in the residence, Meleri had been the friendliest person I had met in Prythian. Not only did she make sure I was comfortable in their house, showing me to the yellow guestroom yesterday, but also checked up on me at night. She treated me as if I were a special guest who had been anticipated for a long time. And I had to admit that it was so sweet.

"Alexandra," Feyre said, drawing my attention. "Last night, you said that you couldn't go back home because of lack of magic. Is there magic on Earth?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. Earth is a land without magic. Fairies, elves and other magical creatures are just characters from books and stories," I replied. "But it's common knowledge that hundreds of years ago, so long before I was even born, some people believed that fairies were actually among them, sometimes stealing human babies and replacing them with their own offspring. Such children were called changelings."

"Why were they so mean?" Meleri asked, frowning. "Didn't they care about their younglings?"

Trying to hide my smile, I said, "You see, there were just made-up stories. I think that people in the past needed a way to explain all the deformities and diseases of their babies, so they decided to blame magical creatures."

"It's easier to accuse someone that doesn't exist," Rhysand cut in, "than to face life and its obstacles."

"Maybe that was the point." I shrugged. "I know for sure that people in my world used to believe in all sorts of supernatural beings. And yes, some of them supposedly possessed magic."

Fixing his eyes on me, he asked, "Is your world much different than ours, then?"

"It is. But I'm not sure how to explain it." I made a wry face.

"Try us."

Oh, boy.

"We use different kinds of vehicles and cars are one of them," I said. "They're machines made of metal which have four wheels and can be driven on streets. To cover great distances, we get on a plane and fly in the air."

Feyre raised her eyebrows. "Really? You fly in the air?"

I nodded.

"What does a… plane look like?" Rhysand asked, genuinely interested.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to describe a plane for them to understand. "It's like a metal carriage with wings," I answered. "You sit inside, usually with lots of other passengers next to you, and a pilot in front of the plane makes sure you take off and land safely."

Sitting next to me, my little kidnapper nodded several times. "Fantastic!" she exclaimed. "Can we build one here? Please?"

"I don't think it would be possible, Meleri," I said, trying not to think about them attempting to build a real plane. It would have been hilarious. "You would need a powerful engine and special fuel to make it work. Not to mention all the devices required to fly a plane. Honestly, I don't even know their names."

A little upset, Meleri sighed. "That's a shame."

"Don't worry, sweetie. You don't actually need a plane." Rhysand flashed his daughter a smile. "Bear in mind that some members of your own family can fly and winnow you to distant places."

A bit content, she nodded.

"For communication, we use phones," I went on. "We can talk with people who are far away from us, even somewhere on the other side of the globe. And thanks to the Internet, we can also have video calls, so we see those we have a conversation with. It's kind of fun." I smiled.

"It seems like mind-reading," Feyre said, watching me closely. "Since you admitted that you knew about our daemati abilities yesterday, I can only add that we don't exactly see the one we talk with."

I let out a nervous laugh. "Please, tell me that you're not reading my thoughts right now."

"We can't do it," Rhysand cut in.

I glanced at him. "What? I thought that you were an expert in mind-reading."

He smirked. "I'm still, as you said, an expert in mind-reading, yet when I attempt to read your mind–"

Feeling a bit awkward, I raised my eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I'm aware that admitting such a thing might be uneasy for you," Rhysand went on, "but that is the truth. From the moment you arrived in our house, all of us have tried to read your thoughts. It was done purely for safety reasons." He glanced at my little kidnapper and flashed her an affectionate smile. Then, he added, "Rian was the first one to try."

Of course, he was, I thought.

"When he noticed you in the hall, he slipped into your mind. But he wasn't successful."

"Neither were the rest of us," Feyre said. "There is… there is emptiness in your mind. It feels like a void with literally nothing inside."

I felt a cold shudder.

Rhysand gave me a serious look. "I have never seen anything similar. All minds, protected by a shield or not, have memories and thoughts inside. Yours doesn't. And that's odd."

Having swallowed hard, I replied, "But I do have memories and thoughts."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," he said. "They're just… impossible to reach. That may be cold comfort, but I suspect that none of the daemati in Prythian or Hybern could reach them."

Feyre leant back in her chair. "Maybe you are the reason, Alexandra. Maybe you and your world without magic are somehow blocking us."

"Well," I replied quietly, fixing my eyes on the pink roses standing on the middle of the table. "At least no one will poke around my memories, trying to change them."

Meleri let out a huff.

"My parents or siblings would have never done such a thing," she said. "Never."

"I know that." I smiled. "I wasn't implying anything."

My little kidnapper nodded slightly. "Good. I'm glad that we agree on this matter."

"We do."

"Thank you for the breakfast," Rhysand said. "I do hope we could talk tonight at dinner. We all look forward to hearing more about your world."

I flashed him a small smile. "Sure. I've got lots of stories to share."

And some are about you and the one that created your world, I thought. But I can't tell you any of them.

"Melly," Feyre started, "it's such a lovely and sunny day, so why don't you go outside? I'm sure that Alexandra would like to take a walk in the garden."

"The tour around the house!" Meleri exclaimed. "I've forgotten about it!"

Unexpectedly, she disappeared.

I frowned, looking at the empty chair beside me. "Wasn't I supposed to come with her?"

Rhysand let out an amused grunt.

"She'll be back soon," he added.

A few seconds later, Meleri did appear next to the table.

With a bashful half-smile, she glanced at me and said, "I think that I didn't take a certain young lovely lady with me. And I apologise for that."

I laughed.

"Don't worry," I replied. "I'm far from being upset with you." Then, I stood up and asked, "Shall we?"

Beaming, she nodded.

###

With Feyre and Rhysand still sitting at the table, Meleri and I left the breakfast room in a hurry. Immediately, my little kidnapper turned right, choosing the same way we used previously, and soon, we ended up in the hall.

"We will start with the rooms upstairs," she said, coming closer to the staircase and motioning towards the first floor. "Then, I'm going to show you the ground floor, and if there is still time before dinner, we might take a walk in the garden."

I smiled. "What an excellent idea. I can't wait to see your house."

She smiled too, seeming as excited as me.

"Come with me, Lexi," Meleri added and headed towards the stairs.

Following her, I kept glancing around the hall. In the daylight, I was now able to see all the paintings, which surprisingly depicted only people. I didn't have time to take a better look at them all, as my little kidnapper was halfway up the stairs, but I noticed a few Illyrians with dark wings and some female silhouettes with mountains in the background. Truly interested in the portraits, I made a mental note to ask Meleri to tell me more about them when we would return downstairs.

I put my foot on the first step.

Unexpectedly, the door behind my back opened.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Rian and the twins entering the house. Dressed in black leather armour, the three fairies were talking quietly. Each of them had visible traces of dirt on their faces and hands, and the men had swords at their backs. Even though Cerys didn't carry any weapons now, I was more than sure that she used something last night. She looked like a warrior princess, and everyone knew that a warrior princess couldn't do without a weapon, especially during a fight.

Carefully, so as not to fall down the stairs, I turned around.

Rian was the first one to notice me. He came to a stop in the middle of the hall and titled his head. "You're still here," he said.

I shrugged. "I'm still here."

He opened his mouth, but Meleri was quicker.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, stopping next to me. "Did you see Bryaxis?"

Coming closer, Cerys shook her head. "Not this time."

"Father and Mother will take over the search in the afternoon," Ciaran added. "Uncle Cass and Uncle Az will help them."

"I know. They told us at breakfast." Meleri regarded her siblings for a few seconds, and then asked, "Is anyone of you hurt?"

Gently, Cerys cupped her cheek and smiled, replying, "No, sweetie, we're not."

"We are just a bit dirty here and there," Rian chimed in, having taken a few steps closer. "But we're fine." He winked at her.

My little kidnapper sighed softly, and her sister let go of her.

"I'm glad to hear that," Meleri said. Then, she glanced at me and added, "I'm taking Lexi on a tour around the house. We will start with the rooms upstairs."

"Can I join you later?" Cerys asked, fixing her eyes on me. "I would love to hear some stories about your world, Lexi."

I flashed her a smile. "All right. I have already shared some bits and pieces about it at breakfast, but I can repeat them."

"Did you know that they can actually fly in the sky on Earth?" Meleri asked, her voice full of excitement. "And travel in metal vehicles?"

Rian raised an eyebrow. "Really? They can fly in the sky? With what? Using wings?"

"No, using planes and helicopters," I said. "Not to mention spaceships that can reach the Moon."

"Say no more," Cerys cut in. "Spare the details for later, will you?"

I laughed. "You truly have a thing about flying."

"What about you?" Ciaran asked. "Do you have a thing about flying?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "I'm afraid of heights, so no flying for me."

"And here I was," Rian chimed in, making me look at him, "thinking of taking you on a flying tour around Velaris." He sighed heavily. "That's a pity."

Cerys crossed her arms. "Good luck with finding a female who might be tempted by your generous offer, my dearest brother." Then, she glanced at me and added in a hushed voice, "Had you agreed, I bet that he would have tried to accidently drop you."

"I'm afraid you have mistaken me for somebody else," Rian said, frowning. "I would never do such a thing."

Cerys rolled her eyes.

Smiling, I whispered, "Sorry. You're far from being convincing."

"I know that you must have a lot of questions," Meleri broke in, "but Lexi and I were supposed to start the tour and go upstairs."

"By all means, off you go then." Rian flashed her a smile.

"Melly, try to stay away from their bedrooms," Cerys added, pointing to the two men. "They're messy, to say the least."

Huffing, Ciaran objected, "That's not true. You have mistaken us for somebody else."

"Have I?" She wasn't convinced at all.

"Absolutely," Rian replied.

Having rolled her eyes, my little kidnapper said, "Let us go, Lexi. I can assure you that they will argue even at breakfast. It's not their first time."

I chuckled. "Siblings can be sometimes annoying."

Sighing loudly, Meleri just nodded and started climbing the stairs.

I glanced at the three fairies one last time before I turned around and followed her.