The ground shook; air rippled out and tossed fallen leaves. Conall was crouched, one fist and knee on the ground, in a dirt hole. The earth looked freshly tilled where it had been forced to make way for him. He sprung up laughing, and dusted himself off.
I slammed to a stop beside him, and for a moment my body screamed at me to keep going. I was closer to Breandan. If I kept running and I would be at his side. Focusing on the fairy in front of me, I rushed to apologize.
"I didn't realize." Breathy with panic my tail thumped my shoulder repeatedly. "Forgive me. Are you right?"
My hands flittered around him and he caught one to kiss it.
"I am proud," he said bowed over my hand. "You will be glorious. I'm not heavy, but it was a good demonstration nonetheless. There has not been a female fairy with a talent in strength for such a long time." Conall sounded delighted. "But then you will be talented in most things." He released my hand and tapped me on the nose.
I blinked at the playful gesture. "It was easy, like throwing a ball. Gods, I'm wicked strong."
"I wait bated to see your castings."
My face crumpled. Magic was not something I suspected would come easily to me. "It'll be a while before I can control calling on the Source, and getting it to do what I want rather than whatever stray thought is passing through my mind."
"Aptitude will come quickly or not at all, such is the way of it."
"You said I'm strong for a female. Is there anything else I could try?"
"You're eager." Conall shook a little dust off, an efficient brush of his shoulder with an eloquent hand. "Every fairy is unique, and it will take time for you to learn your skills."
"I'm curious, what skills do you have?"
He walked off into the trees. "You ask many questions," he said matter of fact and jumped over a huge boulder roughly my height.
I eyed it, my healthy competitive nature goading me on. Sense caught up me and I walked around it. Conall waited patiently on the other side, and once he was visible continued walking.
I realized we had been travelling for an awful long time and that the forest had changed. It was sparser, and the trees swept down into a bowl shape with the land. The leaves had broadened and become darker, just as the trunks had become thinner and lighter. As the day drew to a close my eyes adjusted, and the world tinted to purple and blue again. My sensitive nose and ears picked up lingering trails, the snuffling of smaller mammals.
My senses stretched and I honed onto something, different. The 'being' sensed me touch her mind and nudged me away. She was of the two natured, a canine shifter of some kind. Startled, I scrambled back into myself. It was a shock. I knew of course there would be other demons Outside, this was their territory. But still, I was shocked. I sought the comfort of the familiar.
"Breandan," I murmured. I knew he was near but not in my line of sight or range of hearing.
"Yes, he is close." Conall was beside me. He'd stopped walking as I skipped on. "He'll meet us here." He motioned with his hand for me to continue walking.
I pushed a hand through my crazy hair and stepped forward. Entering the glade I saw a colossal building. Grey stone with marble statues adorned each corner and flanking the entrance. The slated roof was thatched, golden and half caved in. Trees and flowers sprouted on the ground inside, this I saw through the large glassless windows.
"Witch." Conall called and pumped his hand cheerfully.
"Hai, Rae?" a sunny voice called across the clearing.
I gawped at the blonde, blue-eyed cherub standing in the building entrance. Her hair was plaited into a messy braid, and she wore a plain blue tunic, and soft brown boots. She looked like an upper dwell. She grinned at me like we were the best of friends, and waved me forward.
Skipping ahead, she yapped over her shoulder. "I'm Ana or the white witch if you want to be formal about it." She shot a sour look at Conall.
I followed after her, totally bewildered by her and my surroundings. The building was solemn, and as I walked through the bold entrance pillars — fairy mouths open in silent scream — I wondered of its significance.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"A church. An old and secret place," Conall replied from behind me.
The plant life from outside spilled in through the windows, and ivy snaked its way up the walls, clinging to the grey stone in wild patches. Rows and rows of large stone steps circled the room. Seats? The building foundation was naturally steeped into the dirt, growing from the earth itself. My feet stepped springy, damp moss and crunchy thick grass mixed with flowered weeds.
"I like your eyes," she declared. "Your family always did have the most beautiful gold eyes." The witch-girl had an innocent, pixie like face and curly blonde hair. She waved her hands up and down my body critically. "You're meeting me in your true form. That is a good omen. Sometimes you come to me still disguised as human and what I have to say never goes down well."
"As long as you don't tell me what to do," I said and gazed at the buckled roof, "we'll get along just fine."
Ana smacked her forehead then clicked her fingers into points and nodded. "Sorry, I get confused somewhat when I meet new people. It takes a while to fit them into the bigger picture. The Sight gives me glimpses of possible futures, and you're radiating images like a beacon whacked up to max. It'll be easier for me once I've done a proper reading on you. The roads of your future will be clearer and we can-" She spaced out, her eyes flickered at something unseen. "Oooh, that is not good. Tell your blonde friend not to go outside on her own in the dark. In most futures it ends badly."
"Huh?" I croaked feeling a million miles behind.
"I'm trying to get a feel for where we are time wise," she enlightened. Her tiny palms flew up. "Wait. Has that vampire bitten you yet? You should have met him by now." She frowned and looked inward. "I'm missing something."
My heart thumped. She could only be talking about Tomas. I was hyper aware of Conall standing alert beside me at the mention of a vampire. I twisted my hands into my jumper pockets. "Uh, I don't know what you mean."
"Maybe if you never meet him you won't end up at Orchard. That's a relief. I did a reading on Breandan, and he ends up there in chains. He gets distracted because the vampire wants you." She frowned. "No wait, I think it's a humans fault. Damn, I can't see. Anyway, things get out of control. You know how vampires are once they've had your blood. Bottom line is in this future you all died. Sometimes you save him but not the vampire. Or you save the vampire and the human but not Breandan. I can't see what the difference is between one future and the other. My advice is to avoid Orchard if you can."
"Say-so," I said. Not that I'd ever had any plans to be in the company of Tomas for much longer or ever visit this Orchard place. "Y'know what, I'm going to be honest and say I have no idea what to do with anything you just said. I've seen and done unreal stuff today." Sensing its queue my tail whiplashed out behind me. "Nothing is simple anymore and everything frightens me. And you. Your supposed to be a witch and evil by default. You aren't what I expected."
"Old woman with a hunch back, raspy cackle and a pimple on her nose?" She asked in a bored voice. "Cauldron and a cave?" I nodded guiltily. "Damn. Stereotyping is a bitch. Yes, witches are bad, but I'm the exception to the rule." She stepped toward me and I stepped back, wary. She extended her hand and I eyed it warily. "Let's get this done. Sorry to disappoint, but I don't peer into your palm and trace lines. Hold my hand, I won't bite."
Taking a deep breath, I reached out and clasped the undersized hand in mine. Ana's pupils dilated into coin-sized black holes, swallowing the whites of her eyes. The skin on my fingers started to tingle.