Page 18 of Of Pixies and Promises
He didn’t really want her. This was a relationship of convenience and need; one that would end soon.
Chapter
Eight
In his boxer shorts, Sid sat next to Nyra and stared out at the vast expanse of the lake. Glimmering lights flickered in its depths, but the most magical sights were outside and on the shore where glowing, buzzing creatures danced. Plants pulsed with holy light. It was magical. Breathtaking. A completely new world.
And a tragedy that humanity wanted to destroy it so they could mine metal and other fae-forbidden resources. He could see how stubborn humanity was now. An entire culture existed here in Elphyne without those resources. This culture wasn’t just existing, it flourished.
He couldn’t deny that nature was more vibrant here. It wasn’t just the bioluminescence but the lushness and the activity. At this small size, he saw life from a different perspective. Bugs, plants, sprites, furry animals, and flying beasts weren’t pests he could swat. They had lives, joys, and failures. They shared in this existence too. There was so much more to this life that he never noticed at full size. Alternatively, he could ignore so much more at this size too.
The problems in Crystal City seemed far away.
The societal walls between Nyra and him were nothing.
They were just two beings basking in the moonlight, appreciating the wonder of life.
Nyra had asked him if he sensed something in the water. At the time, he wasn’t sure what to look for. He was like a fish asked what it felt like to walk on land. She was disappointed, but it was probably for the best. If he stayed with her, he would only continue to disappoint her, which left him in a hard place.
He couldn’t be with her but didn’t want to leave Elphyne. This journey opened his eyes, ripped out his soul, and showed him how to let go of those stubborn thoughts. It filled the emptiness that had plagued him. Satisfied the yearning. Half these fae weren’t monsters like the president had preached. They definitely weren’t tainted or poisoned. There was no disease he would catch—quite the opposite. Here, illness was healed. Just look at Nyra’s wings now whole and functional where flames had burned them only hours ago. His hand was still scarred but didn’t ache like it once did.
Humanity was the problem… or rather, the current leader of Crystal City.
Maybe Sid could track down Silver. He’d heard whispers of a people smuggling operation that helped unhappy humans escape into Elphyne. He could help.
Maybe he could return one day and find Nyra. He would see her as a queen with a worthy harem. She would see him as an old man. He scowled at the thought and glanced at her sitting morosely beside him. Her sadness was palpable, and he wanted to take her in his arms and erase it all with his touch, to bring her to bliss as he’d done once before.
Instead, he scooped water and scrubbed blood and guts off his skin. There wasn’t enough water here on the shore, so he got to his feet and stepped toward the lake. The warm water lapped at his skin like an old lover’s caress.
Yes, it seemed to say.You’re here. You belong.
“Sid,” Nyra said, a warning note in her voice.
He glanced at her with a frown. The shore was further away than he’d thought. Water came to his knees now.
“Don’t go into the deep,” she said. “Or the Well Worms will take you down.”
“The what?”
“The Well Worms.” She gestured to the open lake and further along the shore to where a jetty and a supply hut stood before the forest. He hadn’t recognized the large shape in this small form. “This lake is the property of the Order of the Well, and it’s where Guardians are made.”
He glanced to the endless depths reflecting a crescent moon. Those whispers he’d heard…
Nyra said, “The Well Worms drag you down into the deep. They look into your heart and judge your worthiness. The survival rate is low. Very low. Something like three out of ten lives to tell the tale. The rest float, their corpses bloat, their unworthiness a shame for all to see. Apparently, it’s a horrific process, and coupled with the low survival rate, not many volunteer to become a Guardian.”
Sid stepped away from the deep. He would be one of the floaters with all the fae blood on his hands. He quickly washed and tried not to look at the scarred hand, but it seemed to glare in the moonlight. He was stupid to think Silver would welcome him after how he behaved. Not only had he almost hit her, but he’d continued to work for people who wanted this beauty destroyed.
“You should dress,” she suggested when he returned to her. At his frown, she explained, “I have enoughmanato shift you back to full size. You’ll need to dress if you want your clothes big too.”
Oh.
That was fast. Ignoring the lump in his throat, he dressed. He smoothed his hair back and retied it into a knot. He scratched his growing beard and then went to stand a few feet from the water’s edge where she remained. She wouldn’t look him in the eye, and it hurt more than he cared to admit.
“Once you’re full-sized, the bargain will be done,” she said quietly, studying her fingers.
He gave a curt nod but frowned when he realized she wasn’t coming further ashore.
“What about you?” he asked.
