does it work? The stones touched, but I didn’t go to the dream place.”
“In this position, the halves are not quite touching.” He pointed between the two pieces and I took a closer look. “To travel, you have to squeeze the two sides together. But, not now!” he cautioned.
He sat back down, straddling the chair as before, and hunched toward me with his arms clasped on the back.
“ Do you know what their story is—my mom and dad?”
“That’s not my story to tell.”
“If I ask Mom about her story, how do I know she will tell me the truth? The whole truth! I am supremely pissed off with her, super confused, and trying to keep my wits about me. She has been lying to me my entire life. Oh, wait. No, she’s just omitting things. Part of the prep work for anything I do is research. I need facts. I’ll get nothing out of talking to my mom.” I sat down cross-legged on my bed and put my Hello Kitty pillow on my lap. “Start talking, Knight Boy.”
Startled by my insistence for details, Elwin stammer ed. “Your mother has a crystal so she can spend her dreams with your dad.”
“Why did she keep me from him?”
“It’s really not like that. Your mom couldn’t have introduced you to him. The crystal is for her connection. You mother and father are connected, joined as husband and wife, mates. No matter how much he loves you, he’s just not connected to you in the same type of relationship. Their crystal is their unique link, their connection.”
“ So, are you and I connected?” I blurted. “I mean, when you showed up we didn’t have any connection.” And apparently we still don’t have one . “So how does that work?”
“ We do have a connection,” he swallowed hard. “Your father has trained me for as long as I can remember to protect you, and I have been here since last May doing just that.”
“ You’ve been spying on me since last May? I feel so violated.”
“ I was not a peeping tom, Sarette. I wasn’t peering in your windows or stalking you. I’ve been close by in case there was a problem. There haven’t been any problems outside and you’ve always been very good about protecting yourself in here.” He spoke with his arm sweeping the room. “Your room has been a very safe place, thanks to the candles. Did your mom give them to you?”
“ No, I bought them in town.”
Elwin seemed surprised. “How did you know how to cast a protection spell on your house? I couldn’t get within five feet of it.”
“ I’ve never cast a spell. The most I ever do is light my candles. It’s not like I’m up here, chanting and dancing naked in circles with my arms stretched toward the ceiling. It’s just me with a candle and a Bic lighter that I purchased for $1.99 at my local convenience mart.”
“ The queen sent word a week ago that the timing has been pushed up. I’ve been trying to reach you here ever since. The water candle kept me out, so I’m not too concerned that you haven’t got another one burning.”
“ So, what? A week ago you became a peeping tom?”
“Stop with the pervert stuff. No, I didn’t peep. I could never make it close enough. Your protective circle was too strong. I needed a little help, so your grandmother came. I think you met her. She’s Paige, the one who brought the crystal to Visions for you to find.”
“ What? The little redheaded cutie? She was only five years old!”
“ She didn’t think you were ready to see her in her natural form, so she changed into something less imposing. Something ‘cute’, like you said.” Elwin shrugged. “You really didn’t do any ritual with the candles?” I shook my head no. “That’s remarkable.”
“ Why aren’t humans and fey allowed to be together?”
He raise d his eyebrows a little bit. “It hasn’t always been that way. Long ago, it was very common for a fey to fall in love with a human. The fey only truly fall in love once, but humans cannot come to Daearen. Many fey left to stay
“In this position, the halves are not quite touching.” He pointed between the two pieces and I took a closer look. “To travel, you have to squeeze the two sides together. But, not now!” he cautioned.
He sat back down, straddling the chair as before, and hunched toward me with his arms clasped on the back.
“ Do you know what their story is—my mom and dad?”
“That’s not my story to tell.”
“If I ask Mom about her story, how do I know she will tell me the truth? The whole truth! I am supremely pissed off with her, super confused, and trying to keep my wits about me. She has been lying to me my entire life. Oh, wait. No, she’s just omitting things. Part of the prep work for anything I do is research. I need facts. I’ll get nothing out of talking to my mom.” I sat down cross-legged on my bed and put my Hello Kitty pillow on my lap. “Start talking, Knight Boy.”
Startled by my insistence for details, Elwin stammer ed. “Your mother has a crystal so she can spend her dreams with your dad.”
“Why did she keep me from him?”
“It’s really not like that. Your mom couldn’t have introduced you to him. The crystal is for her connection. You mother and father are connected, joined as husband and wife, mates. No matter how much he loves you, he’s just not connected to you in the same type of relationship. Their crystal is their unique link, their connection.”
“ So, are you and I connected?” I blurted. “I mean, when you showed up we didn’t have any connection.” And apparently we still don’t have one . “So how does that work?”
“ We do have a connection,” he swallowed hard. “Your father has trained me for as long as I can remember to protect you, and I have been here since last May doing just that.”
“ You’ve been spying on me since last May? I feel so violated.”
“ I was not a peeping tom, Sarette. I wasn’t peering in your windows or stalking you. I’ve been close by in case there was a problem. There haven’t been any problems outside and you’ve always been very good about protecting yourself in here.” He spoke with his arm sweeping the room. “Your room has been a very safe place, thanks to the candles. Did your mom give them to you?”
“ No, I bought them in town.”
Elwin seemed surprised. “How did you know how to cast a protection spell on your house? I couldn’t get within five feet of it.”
“ I’ve never cast a spell. The most I ever do is light my candles. It’s not like I’m up here, chanting and dancing naked in circles with my arms stretched toward the ceiling. It’s just me with a candle and a Bic lighter that I purchased for $1.99 at my local convenience mart.”
“ The queen sent word a week ago that the timing has been pushed up. I’ve been trying to reach you here ever since. The water candle kept me out, so I’m not too concerned that you haven’t got another one burning.”
“ So, what? A week ago you became a peeping tom?”
“Stop with the pervert stuff. No, I didn’t peep. I could never make it close enough. Your protective circle was too strong. I needed a little help, so your grandmother came. I think you met her. She’s Paige, the one who brought the crystal to Visions for you to find.”
“ What? The little redheaded cutie? She was only five years old!”
“ She didn’t think you were ready to see her in her natural form, so she changed into something less imposing. Something ‘cute’, like you said.” Elwin shrugged. “You really didn’t do any ritual with the candles?” I shook my head no. “That’s remarkable.”
“ Why aren’t humans and fey allowed to be together?”
He raise d his eyebrows a little bit. “It hasn’t always been that way. Long ago, it was very common for a fey to fall in love with a human. The fey only truly fall in love once, but humans cannot come to Daearen. Many fey left to stay
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