Page 122 of Cry of the Firebird

"Whatelseare you?" Anya asked.

"If I tell you, will you tell me how you came to be on this train? Will you trust me and believe that I'm here to help you, Anyanka?" His fingers lightly stroked the soft underside of her wrist, his magic brushing against her again.

"Yes, I'll tell you everything," she found herself saying dreamily. A warm mist was rolling through her, and the incessant flickering of power under her skin calmed.

"Very well. I am Álfr," Aramis said.

"Did you say an elf?" a cynical laugh escaped her lips before she could check it. "An elf with a French name."

"I'm not an elf like your fairytales. I am Álfr. It's Norse. As for my French name, Aramis is the closest I could get to my real name in the human tongue."

"Prove it. Prove that you are an elf...or Álfr. The legends call you the Fair Folk, but you look just like a handsome thirty-something human man."

"It's a glamor, so I can blend in." He said it with such sincerity that Anya found herself believing him. The cynical part of her still won out.

"Show me."

Aramis sighed as a rush of power poured from him. The change started at the top of his head and flowed down his body in a ripple effect.

Anya had seen good looking men before. Yvan was a fine example of human male beauty, strongly built, long-limbed, you could see him riding a horse and using a sword as well.

Trajan was one step more towards refinement, well-groomed, well-spoken, and elegant in manners, but he was still human or human-shaped, with the slight flaws that came with it. Those small unidentifiable traits that made him look human.

The man who sat opposite her now was so far beyond anything she had experienced that her head was unexpectedly filled with clichés, eyes as blue as sapphires, skin as pale as snow. Ethereal. Angelic. None of those well-used descriptions could ever justify him.

Yes, his eyes were blue, but they were so deep and so clear you couldn't help but think that this blue was the first shade of blue that God created. His skin was unmarred and flawless. There was a sheen to it under the fluorescent lights like crushed pearls had been rubbed into it. He seemed to be lit from the inside, some force that illuminated outward. High cheekbones gave strong structure to his deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and a smiling mouth. All of this was framed by very thick, glossy silver-white hair. His true face wasn't terrifying like Tuoni's had been, but it was otherworldly.

"Wow, you're like Thranduil if he decided to slum it with humans," Anya said as her hand reached across and touched his cheek in fascination before pulling it back quickly.

"Who?" he asked.

"Never mind," she said, embarrassed that she had spoken the thought out loud.

"Do you believe me now?" Aramis asked as his human guise slid back into place.

"I believe you," she said and swallowed hard. "Is that why my magic acted like it did? Because you are Álfr?"

"What yourfródleikr, your magic, did was quite unusual. We are a magical race, but I have never had that happen before. It's as if it recognized my true nature." Aramis brushed his fingers along the top of her hand, leaving trails of warmth. "Tell me what has happened, Anyanka. You won't regret trusting me."

"I better not, for your sake. I have lots of protectors already, and none of them are fans of the Illumination," she replied.

Aramis looked at her expectantly, so taking a deep breath, she told him everything that had happened since Tuoni had visited and turned her world on its head. An empty bottle of vodka later, Aramis sat across from her, wide-eyed.

"If your vision of Ladislav and Vasilli was correct, what the Darkness plans to do violates the treaty and could completely destroy Russia. It's a risk the Illumination can't take," he said gravely. "Also, I know now more than ever that we need to protect you. Your power has infinite possibilities to grow, and you'll always be a target because of it."

"You can't be so naïve to think that the Illumination won't try to recruit me or whatever it is you do. I don't want to join them, and they won't help me without my allegiance," Anya said and folded her arms. "You won't convince me otherwise."

"I won't lie to you. The Illumination wants me to apprehend you."

"I would like to see them try. The Darkness tried it, and look at how it ended for them."

"I'm not trying to threaten you, Anya," Aramis said calmly. "You need to close the gate because you're the only one who can. They won't make a move until then. The things they could teach you…"

Anya shook her head. "Stop it, Aramis. I'm not interested. If you follow us to Russia, I can't stop you, but I won't be taken as a hostage again without a fight."

"There wouldn't be any force involved, Anya. It's for your protection more than anything else."

"Yeah, I really doubt that. From what I hear of the Illumination, they aren't much better than the Darkness," she argued.

---