are…” He put
on a smile for the girls.
The dogs raised their heads from where they lay by the
fireplace. With a little effort, Alise could hear them debating whether the two
men were friends or not, since they sensed something strange about them. In the
end, they decided the visitors were no threat and rested their heads back on
their forepaws. They kept their eyes open, though, and stayed alert.
“We would be better prepared if we knew what Gorem wanted,”
Rafe said.
Vale pointed at Alise. “He wants her .”
Alise shifted in her seat on the couch while Cassie shuffled
closer, obviously prepared to defend her friend.
“Because she helped you locate him?” Cassie asked. “Doesn’t
he have better things to do?”
“No and no,” Rafe said. “We know for a fact that he came
here after her. That’s why he crossed over in Malta at the same spot as you
did,” he said to Alise, “and followed your path all across Europe. He obviously
has some unfinished business with you.”
Alise shook her head and raised her shoulders dismissively.
“I don’t know what that might be. He already took everything away from me.”
“True.” Rafe counted on his fingers. “He took your wings,
you can’t perform proper magic anymore, and you declined your status as a Fairy
and ran to hide among humans. What more could he possibly want?” he asked,
glancing at the high ceiling.
His insistence was close to being hurtful, reminding her of
everything she had lost, but Alise wasn’t about to give into him. She would
talk when she was good and ready.
“Maybe he wants to kill her,” Vale said. “All the other
Fairies were found dead.”
“Others?” Cassie paled.
Alise tried not to think about the other Fairies. Maybe she
would succeed one day but, so far, it hadn’t worked.
“Right. Why didn’the kill you ?” Rafe stared
at Alise, his eyes hard and unforgiving. He wasn’t going to accept anything but
the truth.
“I don’t know.” Alise chose her words carefully. “I
thought…” She didn’t have to pretend it was hard for her to talk about it
because it was. “I thought he only wanted my wings. He took them, leaving me
lying there to bleed to death.” It still failed to make sense after that when
she had met Gorem that one other time. “I was lucky a Centaur found me.”
“It might be that he’s not the one who killed the other
Fairies, but I don’t believe that. So we’re stuck,” Rafe concluded, “which
brings us back to the same question. Why did he take your wings?”
Alise didn’t bother to answer. She didn’t have anything new
to add to the conversation.
“Okay, let’s tweak the question a little. What could he want any wings for?” Rafe tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, lost in
thought.
“Is there a spell he could use them for?” Cassie asked. “You
guys seem to be big on spells.”
“There are spells for just about anything,” Vale said, “but
I can’t think of any that require Fairy wings. I reckon you have to be a
skilled Wizard just to know them, then be willing to break several protocol
laws to cast them. And Gorem is far from being that. He is … was just
the Council’s secretary—”
“He’s nothing but a clerk,” Rafe bit back and hit the
backrest of a chair in frustration, making Cassie jump. “Which means we have to
deal with the Wizard who’s helping him first. Gorem can’t open portals or
create monsters, especially the kind of monsters we encountered. Those are not
monsters any of us could create. You need special skills for those.”
“You can create monsters?” Cassie’s eyes opened wide.
Rafe was a little taken aback by her question. “Well, yeah.
Anyone can learn how to do it. But it’s against the law to actually do it. I still have yet to see a monster do anything remotely good. Disgusting
creatures.” He pretended to shudder.
Vale shared Rafe’s disgust. He made a long face and sighed.
“All right. I’ll try to find out which
on a smile for the girls.
The dogs raised their heads from where they lay by the
fireplace. With a little effort, Alise could hear them debating whether the two
men were friends or not, since they sensed something strange about them. In the
end, they decided the visitors were no threat and rested their heads back on
their forepaws. They kept their eyes open, though, and stayed alert.
“We would be better prepared if we knew what Gorem wanted,”
Rafe said.
Vale pointed at Alise. “He wants her .”
Alise shifted in her seat on the couch while Cassie shuffled
closer, obviously prepared to defend her friend.
“Because she helped you locate him?” Cassie asked. “Doesn’t
he have better things to do?”
“No and no,” Rafe said. “We know for a fact that he came
here after her. That’s why he crossed over in Malta at the same spot as you
did,” he said to Alise, “and followed your path all across Europe. He obviously
has some unfinished business with you.”
Alise shook her head and raised her shoulders dismissively.
“I don’t know what that might be. He already took everything away from me.”
“True.” Rafe counted on his fingers. “He took your wings,
you can’t perform proper magic anymore, and you declined your status as a Fairy
and ran to hide among humans. What more could he possibly want?” he asked,
glancing at the high ceiling.
His insistence was close to being hurtful, reminding her of
everything she had lost, but Alise wasn’t about to give into him. She would
talk when she was good and ready.
“Maybe he wants to kill her,” Vale said. “All the other
Fairies were found dead.”
“Others?” Cassie paled.
Alise tried not to think about the other Fairies. Maybe she
would succeed one day but, so far, it hadn’t worked.
“Right. Why didn’the kill you ?” Rafe stared
at Alise, his eyes hard and unforgiving. He wasn’t going to accept anything but
the truth.
“I don’t know.” Alise chose her words carefully. “I
thought…” She didn’t have to pretend it was hard for her to talk about it
because it was. “I thought he only wanted my wings. He took them, leaving me
lying there to bleed to death.” It still failed to make sense after that when
she had met Gorem that one other time. “I was lucky a Centaur found me.”
“It might be that he’s not the one who killed the other
Fairies, but I don’t believe that. So we’re stuck,” Rafe concluded, “which
brings us back to the same question. Why did he take your wings?”
Alise didn’t bother to answer. She didn’t have anything new
to add to the conversation.
“Okay, let’s tweak the question a little. What could he want any wings for?” Rafe tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, lost in
thought.
“Is there a spell he could use them for?” Cassie asked. “You
guys seem to be big on spells.”
“There are spells for just about anything,” Vale said, “but
I can’t think of any that require Fairy wings. I reckon you have to be a
skilled Wizard just to know them, then be willing to break several protocol
laws to cast them. And Gorem is far from being that. He is … was just
the Council’s secretary—”
“He’s nothing but a clerk,” Rafe bit back and hit the
backrest of a chair in frustration, making Cassie jump. “Which means we have to
deal with the Wizard who’s helping him first. Gorem can’t open portals or
create monsters, especially the kind of monsters we encountered. Those are not
monsters any of us could create. You need special skills for those.”
“You can create monsters?” Cassie’s eyes opened wide.
Rafe was a little taken aback by her question. “Well, yeah.
Anyone can learn how to do it. But it’s against the law to actually do it. I still have yet to see a monster do anything remotely good. Disgusting
creatures.” He pretended to shudder.
Vale shared Rafe’s disgust. He made a long face and sighed.
“All right. I’ll try to find out which
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