Chapter 25

Ilayda recoiled when William tried to grab her arm. She seemed adamant on not leaving her territory but William persisted on.

Before the man had time to reach for her again, the girl threw her basket to his face and ran. Taipa reared in surprise of the sudden outburst and flailed her front legs out. William avoided these at the cost of losing his footing. He fell back and brushed the flowers and fallen petals off of himself. The man searched the trees until he saw a flash of white dashing over leaves. She was farther than he thought was possible but he did not have the time to reflect on it. He simply grabbed for Taipa’s reins and ran her in that direction.

The mare cantered beside her rider, and being the smart horse that she is, she slowed and stopped for William to climb up. Once he was safely seated, she galloped faster than she had done before with William.

The young man held on tight, the horse’s swiftness alarming his senses. When he felt used to the pace, he turned his eyes to the trees again, looking for the Fallen Angel.

She ran not too far ahead, the distance between them closing as the two neared. She was quick-footed, more nimble than any Human he had ever seen run. Her white dress thrashed behind her, still unstained by any grime, even as her feet splashed in puddles from the rain a few days ago.

The girl sensed their closeness and veered to the right, trying to catch them off guard. Taipa slowed and turned her direction. William held close to her body, afraid she would fall but she was hastily back on root as if she enjoyed the chase.

Ilayda’s person disappeared from view behind a tree. The man saw her arms grab a branch and start to climb. He pulled back on Taipa’s reins, slowing her down before he jumped off her still speeding form.

As William tumbled to the ground, he heard his wrist crack. He pushed himself up with his left arm and held his right arm to his chest.

He considered his options for a quick moment as he watched the elusive girl climb. He could try and scramble up behind her and take the chances of the branches holding his weight. The problem would be his wrist paining him more and the girl had more advantage.

Contrariwise, she had no other trees to climb over to. The next branch was too far for her to jump. Though she was out of his reach, she was trapped.

Ilayda had obviously figured out too little too late her predicament. She hit her head against the trunk of the tree and sat on a thicker branch, looking down on her pursuer.

“It seems we are both caught by ourselves,” shouted William. He got off his knees and brushed the dirt from his pants. Taipa trotted back to her rider and nuzzled his shoulder.

“It does seem that, but things can always change.”

“How do you consider that?”

“Well firstly,” the young girl started. “You have injured yourself. You must get attention for your wrist.” William massaged his joint and squinted up into the trees. She was not wrong but he could put off treatment until she had to climb down.

“It can wait.”

“And what of food? Your mare surely must need food. I can tell she is a spirited one when not fed properly.” William looked at Taipa and shrugged. She had a justifiable point.

“She has food in her pack. Are you not worried of your own sustenance needs?”

“I can fast longer than you would think."

“So we truly are caught by ourselves.”

“It looks that way.” The young girl smiled and brushed her black hair behind her ears. Her face tried not to reveal fading courage she felt.

William sat on the ground and watched the fading sun. In anything, he worried more for her than himself.

The night would be cold in the trees. Her transparent attire did not look as if it would keep her warm. Another problem was if she fell asleep. If she tossed as she slept, she would fall a long way, most likely ending in severe injuries or worse. He shook his head of the thoughts.

The man gathered kindling for his evening fire. Every so often he glanced to make sure Ilayda stayed in her place. He told Taipa to whiney if she moved. Taipa had nodded in response, being the uncanny smart mare that she was.

The sun started to set, casting an orange glow in the sky. Purple clouds splashed the horizon, threatening rain. Ignoring the weather’s moodiness, William brought out the last piece of saved meat the Fae had packed him. The aroma of the tender meat filled the air as he hoped it did. It was not long before he heard the quiet rumble of her empty stomach. He yelled to the girl hiding in the branches.

“Please come down. I have food and warmth.”

“I can manage on my own.” The curt reply vexed William. She smirked at his upset and started to brush her fingers through her black tangles leaning back on the tree. The man rubbed his growing facial hair and sighed. Her willfulness reminded him of his reason for finding this girl. He blocked the distressing thoughts and continued making conversation.

“You are as stubborn as Taipa here.” To that remark, the mare nickered and stomped her foot. He stood and patted her neck before taking out her brushes for her nightly grooming.

At least we have an understanding, William mentally spoke to the mare. She shivered under the brush’s strokes and hung her head low contentedly. He fought his thoughts of Evera but her sickly form kept intruding. Trying anything to purge his mind of her ailing body, he started to hum the lullaby from the music box of so long ago.

Ilayda perked when she heard his song. Her stirring went unoticed and he cheerfully continued.

“Hidden in shadows, they wait for you. Hidden in perfect bliss-- ”

“Hidden in shadows, love always flew. Hidden all blue eyes kiss. Hidden, the blue eyes kiss.” She spoke the last of the lyrics as her feet touched the ground. William had not even noticed her climbing down. He was in too much of a shock she knew the song that nobody had ever heard.

“You were the boy…” Her voice trailed off leaving William not only discomforted, but unsettled.

“At least at one point in a man’s life, they were a boy.” He tried to play off the intensity growing around the two but the air was already thick with unease.

Ilayda’s expression paled. Her eyes half lidded as if she were falling asleep.

“The woman came in the rain. The music box and necklace were hidden beneath her cloak. The couple refused the extravagant gifts.” William was reminded of Evera’s recollection. He was too oblivious at that point to notice her stares but he imagined she became much like this. “She passed off the things and left without another word.” Her eyes fluttered as the girl swayed from her own mental force.

William continued to stare at the young girl, confused and having nothing to say. Taipa glanced at each of them nervously, not understanding their discussion, only the tension hanging around. Ilayda opened her eyes and began to inhale deeply.

“What have you done with the Raven Necklace?”

Her back burned. She felt her skin break open, letting the slimy limbs slide out, less painfully than before. The sensation felt unnaturally natural but still unnerved her every time. She stood on her feet and let her wings open to full length then shut together. It was the dead of night so no healer or patient was there to see as she made the limbs disappear. Most Unseelie would be asleep by now, dreaming of desires and dance.

Evera stepped out of the sickbay for the first time in a long while. She was no longer bed ridden but she was kept in the sickbay for she was not allowed back to her bedchamber. It was too improper for her state of affairs.

The green eyed beauty wanted to explore her new abilities and strength. She had already mastered her wings appearing and retracting. The young woman found she could have the sinewy extremities recoil, leaving hardly a trace of their being except intricate blue veins drawn on her shoulders and back. The feeling of drawing them in cast shivers through her spine, but at least she felt a little more balanced.

A moment later, she found her way to the large combat arena. The seats were empty and no training was going about so for the first time, Evera could look at the real showground.

Rows and rows of terraced seats surrounded three of the four platform views. The fourth wall belonged to the entrance for fighters and actors. Fires burned on giant torches on the walls, lighting the stadium with a wavering glow. The low hanging ceiling held stalactites, ready to fall any second, adding to the danger of the slightly raise staging. It was terrible but it was an Unseelie masterpiece; simple yet tremendous.

Evera had never seen it so bare before, but even in her awe, she ignored the fact that she was going against everything she was raised to do.

Practicing alone was frowned upon. If you made even the slightest mistake, you would never know what had gone wrong. Unseelies lived for perfection; it was their number one desire. Despite Evera’s abnormal behavior, in her mind and soul, she was still Unseelie and with that, she still desired perfection.

Once she stood in the center of the room, she let her limbs expand. They reflected the glow of the never-ending fires, casting odd shadows on the walls around her. She flapped the wings once, shaking their stiffness off before she continued with her own special training.

For Evera, this was one of the few times in her life where she accepted her Fae heritage. She did not know her true mother, or her true father. She wasn’t able to say everything on her mind but she had her desires and her passion. She was determined and able and that is what being Fae meant.

As quietly as able, she practiced her abilities of speed and accuracy. She strengthened her wings and worked with her powers of visibility. She was going to be ready for whichever enemy Gwydion was fearful of. She would save her people, even if it was her last breath.