25. TWENTY-FIVE
twenty-five
Before long, our need for the nymph’s assistance becomes embarrassingly clear.
Laelia, as she cheerfully calls herself, leads us down paths that aren’t paths at all.
She moves erratically but nimbly, showing no hesitation while navigating the tighter tangles of forest. Meanwhile, Dante and I must squeeze haphazardly between trees at times.
I keep the lantern lit and raised for my immediate surroundings, but Laelia’s skin gives off a glow of its own, growing brighter the deeper we venture into the forest. She doesn’t bother with human guise after a while—though she does abruptly stop twice to get our opinion.
“This is more convincing, isn’t it?” she asks, turning to us with faltering tan skin and multicolored eyes.
“Thoroughly convincing, if you’re attempting to look like the most annoying creature on earth,” Dante says.
Laelia looks at me dolefully. “Your husband is very rude. Callistia won’t like that.” She brightens somewhat. “Perhaps offer him as a blood sacrifice—surely you’ll get your heart’s desire in exchange.”
“Now there’s an idea.” I smirk at Dante’s seething expression.
As we venture on, Laelia hums to herself. The foliage responds like a massive, purring beast, parting for her and even caressing her at times. She is adept at helping us avoid the more dangerous bits of the forest—after nearly leading us right into them.
“Oh, not that way,” she says casually, turning on her heel and moving past us.
My lantern’s light catches upon a vast patch of white silk. Stomach churning, I squint and see multiple segmented legs as thick as my arm creeping out from behind a nearby tree. I hurriedly steer Dante away when he murmurs curiously about what the beast’s blood might taste like.
Another trap awaits on the path soon after—and Laelia does get caught in it.
One moment she’s traipsing in front of us.
The next, she vanishes from the ground, caught in a net of vines overhead.
Before I can even reach for my blade to cut her loose, she hums her way out of it.
The vines lower her back to the ground and release her.
She then proceeds as though this is a common occurrence for her.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that human hunters are the reason these things are nearly extinct,” Dante mutters to me.
The further we go, the more the woodland hums with undeniable energy—with magic. It also seems to play upon Laelia’s mood. Her movements become more spastic. She cuts in front of me several times, more of a hazard than any of the twisting roots.
After I nearly trip on my face for the second time, she barely glances over her shoulder. “Oh, sorry!”
“It’s fine,” I grit out.
Dante raises his eyebrows hopefully. Can we kill her now?
My lips pinch. I’m starting to consider it. At this point, I’m beginning to wonder if she’s not simply leading us in circles—either purposely or because she’s forgotten where we’re going.
But something changes and makes me come to a standstill with Dante beside me.
Every cell in my body feels…awake. The air is clean and thin, alive with an invisible energy that feels stronger than anything I’ve sensed thus far.
A buzzing sound rings out overhead, accompanied by the rustle of branches.
I ease closer to Dante and reach for a blade, imagining grotesque insects bearing down on us.
But no. As I search overhead, a trio of diminutive glowing lights become visible—blue, violet, and green.
Fairies have found perches on the branches. And they do not look pleased.
“What’s this?” one fairy says.
“Trespassers,” says another. “Very determined trespassers to have made it this far.”
“Thank the earth!” Laelia chirps, dropping into a deep curtsy before the fairies. “I thought I had taken a wrong turn. Peaceful greetings, honored ones.”
I know I’m not imagining the flat looks that the fairies exchange with each other.
“Laelia,” the violet one says in a honeyed tone that rings false. “How far did you make it this time before finding yourself in peril?”
“Much further than usual,” Laelia says proudly.
“Then found yourself in the clutches of outsiders,” the green one says. “And decided to bring them straight into our territory.”
The fairies’ eyes fix on Dante and me. The blue one sneers. “Has the witch sent you on an errand to take another of ours?”
They descend, circling like predators as they assess us.
My breath catches when I take a closer look at them.
They’re fierce despite their delicate stature–each no more than seven inches tall, just like the wingless corpse we’d found in the witch’s hovel.
So humanlike and beautiful—and unsettling.
The murdered one at the witch’s hut had been as vibrant as them not too long ago.
Did that one leave behind friends, family?
“We’re not with the witch,” I assure as calmly as I can manage. “We mean no harm—we only want to proceed.”
The violet fairy pauses in front of Dante, her face pinched in a scowl. “This one… He’s not what he appears. A beast that does not belong to this land.”
“A beast? I’m your hero!” Dante holds out his arms and gestures to himself. “I singlehandedly destroyed that witch, I’ll have you know. A warmer welcome is usually in order for saviors, no?”
The blue fairy laughs snidely. “And we should trust the word of a vampire? That’s ended well for many, I’m sure.”
I can’t help but snicker, earning a sharp look from Dante. Laelia, however, blinks in Dante’s direction and takes a wide step back. “You’re a vampire?”
“Stars, how have you survived this long?” the green one sighs.
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Dante remarks, as though this might help his case.
As much as I’d like to simply push forward, I have a sick feeling that we won’t be able to walk past these fairies without permission.
While they tend to keep to themselves, there are ghastly tales of their abilities when they are threatened within their territory.
I’d rather not provoke them and find out for myself whether they can transfigure unwanted guests into trees.
The very thought of that particular legend sends a chill licking down my spine, and I eye the towering beeches around us with morbid curiosity.
“He may be a vampire, but you must know that I am utterly human,” I try, stepping forward.
“I have no magic or fangs to threaten you with. Dante did kill the witch, I assure you, and…and I am very sorry for what happened to that fairy. We would have helped if we could. But the witch is gone now, and she’ll trouble your people no longer. ”
When the fairies eye me doubtfully, Laelia insists, “They are pure of heart. They rescued me when I would have surely died.” Thankfully, she leaves out the fact that we only released her with urgency when her use became clear.
“You do not bear the witch’s sickly aura,” the green fairy admits, bowing his head. “We are indebted to you for killing her—and that debt is paid in full by allowing you to leave with your lives. Turn back, and count yourselves lucky.”
Dante scoffs. “We’ve indulged in this little game long enough. I’m not taking orders from a glorified moth.” He takes me by the arm and starts to tug me past the fairies.
“Then you can die here,” the violet fairy says matter-of-factly.
Dante laughs so hard that he’s nearly wheezing. “That’s adorable. And how exactly do you plan to do that? Tickle me to death?”
With a simple wave of her hand, the violet fairy casts a spell.
The forest around us shivers, bending to her will.
Before I can brace myself, Dante’s hand is torn from mine.
A yelp escapes me as vines drag him backward.
He grunts, digging his hands into the earth, gouging the dirt but finding no purchase.
He’s slammed into a tree hard enough to crack the bark and wrench the breath from him.
“Alright,” he gasps, struggling against the vines as they pin him to the tree. One tendril closes slowly around his throat. “Point taken. Bitch.”
I dodge a vine that creeps toward me like a warning. “Please, you don’t need to do this!”
“His tone is unacceptable,” the violet one grits out, her fingers still coiled, keeping the vines taut around Dante’s prone form. He’s twisting, trying to grab for his dagger, but it’s pinned to his side.
“Ignore him, he talks like that to everyone. He’s an asshole, but he means you no harm. We have urgent business here to see Callistia.”
For a moment, I wonder if my comment will be the thing that ultimately kills us. The fairies grow even more agitated, turning their accusing stares onto me.
“What is your purpose with the Great Healer?” the blue fairy asks in a voice that says my answer could mean life or death.
“A… A request that’s for the greater good,” I say. “You can tell the difference between lies and truth, can’t you? We come with pure intentions.”
The fairies deliberate. I hold my breath, watching them drift closer overhead to speak in hushed tones. I steal a glance at Laelia, as though she might have a better read on what our fate will be. But she looks as hapless as me, her pitch-black eyes wide, ivy-colored lips parted.
We can’t have come all this way for nothing. We can’t.
Something breaks in their conversation, and the violet one pulls down to my eye level.
“You may follow us and request an audience.” She pauses, looking over my shoulder in Dante’s direction with a wrinkle of her nose.
She waves her hand with an aggrieved sigh.
The vines constricting him yield at her command, slithering back into the roiled earth.
“Both of you, I suppose. But we will have a sacrifice in exchange for your safety. Nothing is free.”
Dusting himself free of moss and dirt, Dante comes to my side, rummaging in his pocket. At the scrape of coin, the fairy holds up her hands.
“Your money has no use to us,” she says. “It must be something precious, irreplaceable. It must contain the essence of a person.”