Page 21 of Their Chosen

“The mission was a success!” He clapped a large hand on Baer's shoulder in congratulations. “I told you he was the man for the job,” he said to Lennox.

“He did a good job.” Lennox's words made the man beam.

He turned to me again. “Welcome to Kharthas, our outpost in Avalon. It is my honor to welcome a Chosen. I wish you every success in the trials.”

“Thank you?” I stated and glanced up at Arryn.

“Thank you, Sir. Commander Ashford, may I introduce Rhowyn Hunt. Rhowyn, this is Commander Ashford.”

“Nice to meet you, Commander Ashford,” I responded politely, unsure if I should offer my hand to shake or not. I did so anyway, but he eyed my hand questioningly like Arryn and Lennox had before. I pulled my hand back and grabbed my bag strap again, my face heating at my awkwardness.

“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.” He bowed slightly toward me, one hand pressed against his chest. When he’d straightened, he said, “Please, allow me to offer my quarters and some refreshments after your travels.” He gestured a hand behind him, and I realized that this portal had a tall wooden fence around it with a single gate in and out.

“Thank you, Sir. That would be most welcome.” Arryn replied.

“Of course. This way.” He turned and led us out of the gate. Lennox followed first, and Baer fell in behind him. Arryn's hand found my lower back, prompting me to follow as well and sending heat to my belly at the intimate touch.

As we exited the gate, I noticed other people all around us with several buildings inside another larger fence. It reminded me of the crude forts from the early days of the U.S. that I remembered seeing models of as a kid. Noticing pointed ears on everyone else outside of our group, I allowed Arryn to catch up to me and asked him softly, “Why don't you guys have ears like everyone else?”

“Oh, that's because we're wearing glamors. We'd stick out in the human world without them, so they're a must when we travel there.” He laughed softly and then waved a hand down his face. His features changed slightly, his ears now pointed. But what was most shocking was that he had somehow become noticeably more attractive. He had been gorgeous before, but now, my breath caught in my chest, and I stopped in my tracks suddenly.

He laughed at my reaction, grabbing my hand to pull me along. “Now you see why we must wear glamors.” I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I didn't. I just allowed him to pull me along, even if he didn't have to put much effort into it. We caught up to the others soon, but I couldn't help wondering how Baer and Lennox would look without their glamors. I had wanted to jump them before, but without their glamors, it would be a lot more difficult to restrain myself. Surely, all Fae couldn't be this good looking because if they were, I would be at a distinct disadvantage.

That reminded me of another question I had. “Why don't I look like y'all? If I'm fae, shouldn't I have one of these glamors?” I vaguely remembered asking my mother about this, but it wasn’t until now that I realized she’d deftly avoided answering this part. Why wouldn’t she tell me about this? Why withhold this information from me?

“Of course. Being back here, I can sense it on you. We'll get it removed as soon as we can,” he promised.

“Okay.” I wasn’t certain if I was ready for my appearance to change, but I also didn't want to be the only one that was different. Especially now that I was here. Surely, I could learn how to replace this glamor before I went back to Earth.

We walked up the steps to what appeared to be a small home and followed everyone else inside. I heard the Commander yell out, “Jameson! Please fetch some refreshments for our guests.”

Another fae scurried out of the room as Arryn and I entered. Arryn shut the door as I took in the surroundings. I noticed a couple of desks off the entry and caught sight of an open doorway that revealed a room, with a large table and desk inside it. In front of us, where the Commander now guided us, was what looked like a living room with chairs and a fireplace. Other doors also led into the living room, one of which Jameson hurried through, but they were all closed now. The Commander gestured to the chairs. “Please sit. Jameson will be back shortly.”

I took a seat on a small, cushioned bench, with a tiny table in front of it. Baer plopped down next to me on the bench to my left, while Lennox sat in a chair on his left. The Commander reclined opposite me and Baer, the table between us. As Arryn sat down on my right, Baer spoke to him, “You've already removed your glamor. I guess we should as well.”

“Yes, Rhowyn was asking about that,” Arryn responded as Baer and Lennox made their own gestures, allowing the glamors to fall away.

As soon as they did, my eyes were drawn to them, and the air caught in my chest. Heat gathered in my limbs, running from head to toe and then back up to settle in my center. I crossed my legs to relieve the pressure and tried not to shift in my seat. My assumption had been spot on. Both of them had only managed to increase their attractiveness with that single gesture. And of course, it was just my luck that Lennox became almost impossible to look at, his features now so much more striking than before. It definitely wasn’t fair.

Baer turned to face me, my breaths shallow as his attention settled on me. “You can remove yours now.”

Put on the spot, and not sure how to proceed, I spluttered a little. “Oh...uh...About that, I'm not sure how to do that.” I was completely out of my depth. Toto, we weren’t in Kansas anymore.

“It's fairly simple to remove your own glamor. All you need to do is hold your hand in front of you, feel for the magic itself, and then pull it away like you're pulling down a sheet,” Arryn stated simply and patiently, fully aware of how I was feeling, and I was grateful for it.

“Okay...” I replied, finding myself a little hesitant to remove my glamor, not really wanting to appear too different. I maintained eye contact with Arryn while feeling all the others watching me closely. Deciding to just go for it, like ripping off a band-aid in more than one way, I lifted my hand in front of my face, palm facing me. “Like this?” I asked Arryn.

He nodded encouragingly. “Many find it easier to focus when they close their eyes and allow their senses to open to the sensations around them.”

“Alright.” I did as he advised and closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. As an athlete, I found it easy to shift my attention, and as I extended my senses outwards, I was shocked to feel a tingle in my fingers. I moved my hand up and down and felt something shift under my touch. I could also sense the same force around each person in the room, but it was varied, almost like a signature.

“I think I feel it. Is this magic?” I asked, still dumbfounded by the thought of magic; though after this, I could no longer deny its existence.

“Yes. It is. Now, see if you can find an edge around you. Once you find the edge, you should be able to grab it and pull it down and away,” Arryn instructed further.

I nodded again, keeping my eyes closed and my breathing even. My hand returned in front of my face, and I searched for the edge. As I sorted the sensations, I felt a spot that seemed to be more concentrated than the rest that surrounded me, like a seam in a shirt. Moving my hand, I tried to grab the seam, but it slipped through my fingers, sliding away from my grasp. I chased the spot and tried again, but it continued to flit away from me.

“I feel what you're talking about, but I can't seem to get a hold of it. It keeps slipping away,” I said as I made another attempt. Opening my eyes, I dropped my hand in frustration. “I don't think I can do it.”

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