Page 21 of Flame and Starlight

Every day I woke up wondering if Aoife would come find me. Every day that ended without her showing up was a disappointment, and that hope of being taken home was quickly dwindling. Asher’s seed of doubt he planted in my mind about her getting close to me for nefarious reasons was growing, sprouting roots, and taking hold in my heart. I didn’t want to believe that my best friend would have been spying and plotting behind my back. I just didn’t think she had it in her. But obviously a lot of things I had believed weren’t true. I believed my world was the only world, and that clearly wasn’t true, seeing as I was now living in one ruled by magick.

I still hadn’t told anyone about the emotions I could sense from people either. It terrified me when I had first arrived and Mavka touched me. I knew those emotions weren’t mine, but I had written it off as exhaustion. But then when Emric had touched me and I had that same feeling, I knew it was some sort of dormant power awakening in me. Which was just the perfect talent for an anxious person to have. My entire life, my mind had held me back from doing so much, terrified of the thoughts of other people. Social anxiety, my therapist had labeled it. Now I was able to feel others’ thoughts every time they touched me.

I got more curious and a bit braver with each day I was here. I would let Mavka touch my bare skin as she buttoned my clothes or handed me a cup of tea. Each time her emotions would flood into me, tasting sweet and soothing. I would make contact with Emric throughout our training more often than I would at first. My fists would come into contact with his bare arms or face, and I could feel his emotions pour over. His were always focused but on edge, like he was just waiting for me to burst into fireworks.

“Where are you today?” Emric asked, bringing me out of my trance. He threw a right hook, and I dodged it, not bothering to swing back. I took a step back and held up my hands to signal I wanted a break.

“I’m getting frustrated,” I said, running my hands over my face. “I’m getting stronger, better, but not inhumanly so. I’m still a very breakable human.”

“You’re breakable, but you’re stronger. You’ve got muscles forming, and you’re getting much better at hand-to-hand combat.”

“You’re fighting at my human level, not your Fae level. If you did, I’d be dead in a few minutes.”

“Give yourself more credit. You’d survive at least five.” He smirked, and I punched him in the arm.

“Hilarious,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Look, I have never been around a halfling that was stowed away in the human world for so long. Normally halflings, or changelings, are brought back here much sooner. Your magick is buried very, very deep. We just haven’t kick-started it yet.”

I stared out one of the windows while I thought hard about telling him about how I could feel other Fae’s emotions and thoughts. On this side of the castle, I could see the front gardens leading out into wide-open fields. They rolled gradually up and down until they ended in thick pine trees. The road that normally split them down the center and led into the woods was covered fully with snow, no tracks to be seen.

I knew whatever I told Emric would get back to Asher, but maybe it should. Maybe if I told Emric, word would get back to Asher, and he would come back and give me some answers. I had been living here for over a fortnight with very little information as to what his stake in this whole thing was and what my future was going to look like. Because there was no way I was going to stay here for the rest of my life just training with Emric and reading in the library. I sighed.

“I think that a little bit of my magick has actually made itself known,” I said at last. I braved a look at him out of the corner of my eye, but his posture hadn’t changed. He just looked at me with questions in those violet eyes.

“And what little bit would that be?” As if out of his control, his eyes flicked to my still-rounded ears and then back to my face when he found nothing had changed there.

“Okay, I probably should have told you both this when I first got here, but I wasn’t sure what was actually going on until recently. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about before I brought it up.” He looked at me and nodded, telling me to continue. I took a deep breath and flexed my fingers a couple of times. “I can feel your emotions.” His eyebrows shot up so fast I thought they might fly off his face. “Only when we touch,” I amended. “And it’s not just you. It’s Mav, too. I guess anyone I touch, really.”

Thinking back to the times Asher had touched me, I realized that last statement wasn’t actually true. I had never been able to sense what Asher was thinking or feeling. The only insight I got into his brain was his shadows and biting words.

“That’s definitely new,” he said, crossing his arms. I caught some wariness in those eyes. Like me keeping this from him had been an invasion of privacy that he didn’t appreciate. I couldn’t blame him. When I found out that Asher was able to sense my feelings and also keep track of me with his stupid little cloud of dust, I wasn’t too keen on the idea.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” I jumped up and sat on the table that was pushed against the wall and watched him think it through.

“So,” he said, turning to face me, “let me try and understand how this actually works. Can you hear my thoughts when you touch me? Like actual words?”

“No,” I said and picked up an apple I brought for a snack, taking a bite. “I can’t hear what you’re thinking like stream of consciousness. When our skin touches, it can’t be through clothes. I just feel how you feel. If it’s a really strong emotion or if you’re really focused on feeling one thing, I can kind of taste it.” I took another bite and pulled my legs underneath me as he sat down next to me, not having to jump up.

“What have you felt from me?”

“I only really touch you when we are fighting, and so you’re really focused and honed in on that. Not much room for emotion. Sometimes, though, I can feel your hesitation, like you’re wondering if the next punch you throw will be what sends me over the edge.” I swallowed another bite and smiled. “One time I touched you while we were both laughing at something Ideon had said, and your joy tasted light and fluffy like marshmallows.”

He snorted softly at that and shook his head. “You know I have to tell Asher this, right?”

I rolled my eyes but nodded. “Any insight as to where this magick comes from or why I have it before you go running to His Highness?” He took the apple out of my hand and bit into the other half.

“If you keep calling him that…” He trailed off and shook his head with a smile. “I’m not sure where that gift comes from, Alys.”

He saw it as a gift? I couldn’t really think of it that way, yet anyway. I didn’t see where it could help me in this world, still in a human body. If anything, it probably made me more of a target.

“As far as I know, none of the High Fae from any court have that ability. Do me a favor?” he said. I took my apple back and nodded. “Don’t tell anyone else this, okay? Let me speak to Asher and see what his thoughts are.”

I gave him a salute and jumped off the table. “Promise,” I said and chucked the apple core into the bin. “We still have a bit left before lunch.” I wiped my hands on my leggings and rolled my neck. “You going to come fight me, or have I worn you out?”

He laughed and made his way towards where I was back in the middle of the room. “Careful, Wheezy,” he said, cracking his knuckles, “or we’ll find out just how long you can last against a Fae at full strength.”

I leaned back, hand on my chest, with an exaggerated bark of a laugh. “Do you think His Highness would be pleased if you killed his little pet?” I asked as I squared up.

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