Chapter 16 #2
“I should depart as soon as I can. My father will be suspicious if I am away much longer.” He grabs my other hand and looks down at my mouth for a split second.
Is he going to kiss me goodbye? Are we people who kiss goodbye now?
I think I accidentally still have the channel of our thoughts open from before because he chuckles before leaning in to kiss me.
I let myself soften into it and bring my hands up to his neck as he places his hands down on my legs and leans in.
Oh wow, this feels good. Before we can really get into it he pulls away and gives me a swift peck on the forehead before standing and heading for the door, wrapping his cloak back around his shoulders and sliding on his boots as he goes.
“Stay safe,” is all he says and gives me a wink before disappearing around the corner.
I am left, kneeling on the floor, staring out the doorway, feeling the tingle of where our lips met and immediately feel his absence.
How can I miss someone so much already? I shake my head and get up to dress myself, wondering what my days of waiting will look like, already impatient for his return.
Impatient to get out of here and find Oleander.
I need a distraction or I will go crazy.
Perhaps Gaius needs help with the animals.
I know enough about animal care from my summer at the Easthelm Wildlife Rescue that I could be of some use.
I also think of the mess so many creatures would leave in a confined space for multiple days and shudder at the memories of cleaning the enclosures at the rescue centre. It’s for the good of the animals…
When I am done tying up my dress and pulling on my boots I turn around and am met with the grey wolf, standing in my doorway, staring at me. I freeze and suck in a breath. Shit…shit shit shit.
Calm yourself. I stick by my vows to Gaius, I hear a feminine voice roll through my mind. My eyes widen and I blow out a breath I had been holding.
“How can I hear you? Am I still dreaming?” I pinch myself hard but am just left with an angry red mark while I am indeed still standing in front of the wolf.
Do not be senseless. Where has the large one gone?
She shakes her head causing the dense fur around her neck to swish side to side.
Understanding dawns on me as I register that I am able to hear her thoughts because she brushed up against me last night.
My eyes widen at the implication of being able to read the thoughts of an animal.
“Gaius can hear your thoughts too!” I say, she just huffs a sigh and trots away. “Wait!” I call after her, running out of the room and down the tunnel that leads back to Gaius’ space. I will get some answers!
I come careening around the corner, nearly tumbling into a doe, and have to grab the wall of the tunnel to stop myself. She lets out a little yelp in response and jumps out of my way, prancing across to the other side of the cave, her bambi following close behind, eyeing me warily.
“Sorry!” I whisper-yell as they retreat, so as to not scare anymore of the creatures. I scan the room for the wolf and see she is back on the sofa, her spot, and is glaring at me.
Be quiet, clumsy fae. Gaius is in trance. I hear her say as she tips her head in the direction of the crystal cave.
Gaius is floating, cross-legged in the centre of the small cave and appears to be humming to himself.
What in the actual – His eyes snap open and he plops down onto his butt, his hair stays floating above his head for a split second before getting the memo about gravity and springing back into place.
“Oh, you have awoken,” he says as he nimbly uncrosses his legs and hops out of the cave.
He walks right up to me, leaning his face close to mine while squinting and scrunching his eyebrows together.
“You have been in the crystals. I warned you, you were not ready!” he accuses, pointing his boney finger at me.
“I had no control over that! I was dreaming. Also, why did you not tell me that you are an Etherealist?” I counter, pointing my finger back in his face.
He makes a harrumph sound and waves his hands by his head.
“You never asked!” he chuckles. “The crystals came to you in a dream, you say? Hmm we will have to remedy this.” He chews on his top lip, surely getting a mouth full of moustache as he regards me.
I try to ask him how we would remedy that when he interrupts, ”I see the fire wielder’s son has departed.
Good good.” He seems to be speaking to himself but raises an eyebrow at me.
“How did you know Embrys is the son of the man who started the fires?” I ask, raising my eyebrow back at him and placing both my hands on my hips.
“I know a great many things, child.” He turns and motions to the crystal cave.
“I have not heard the term Etherealist in a long while, but I suppose you may claim me to be of the House of Ether. Others know me as a Mind Walker.” He spins around and walks over to the sofa, plopping himself down next to the wolf.
I give her a wary glance, still not entirely trusting and she huffs, rolling her eyes, as she jumps down, making space for me to sit next to Gaius. I tentatively walk over and sit at the edge of the sofa, taking as much space as possible between me and the old man.
“I was told the House of Ether had been wiped out since the reign of The Wolf King, something about their allegiance to the late King?” I ask, looking at this man in a new light as I realize that I may be related to him. A bit of hope glimmers in my cracked heart.
“I absconded from my duties to the rulers of this continent long before The Owl even ascended to the throne. You see, my talents were not particularly well suited to aiding the royal line.” He shrugs and I look around at his cave.
“You mean you’ve been here for hundreds of years? How old are you?” The thought of how long a fae life could be is a daunting thing.
“Most do not live to this age. I have been sustained by my work with the crystals. I wandered for a great many years after leaving my duties, before stumbling upon this cave. This forest called to me and told me of its lore and its need for help. In exchange for my protection of the animals, she gifted me access to her magic.” His eyes sparkle at the memory.
A bunny hops up into his lap and nestles in.
“What do you mean by ‘leaving your duties’?” I ask and another bunny jumps up onto the couch and sniffs in my direction, twitching its little nose, before deciding I am safe and jumping into my lap; I flinch and keep my hands far away from its mouth, remembering the blood thirsty bunny from the Tanglewood Forest.
“This is not the kind you fear. The Tanglewoods have their own special breed,” Gaius chuckles and I visibly relax. I give the bunny a tentative stroke then decide it is just a cute, harmless thing that isn’t vying for my blood. Gaius shakes his head and continues on answering my questions.
“We are the advisers, my child. We see and understand the weaving of all things.” He waves a hand in front of his face as if he is seeing and feeling the very same threads he speaks of.
“The Divine Mother bestowed upon us the charge to guide the other fae and creatures in their actions of creation and destruction. She cultivated within us a deep longing to serve others and to act with unwavering justice!” He clenches his fist in the air, “otherwise our abilities would have been far too powerful. Although, there have been a few dark wielders in our land’s history but they burn themselves out rather quickly.
” He seems to be lost in thought as he looks to the crystals and chews on his moustache again.
Is this why I am the way I am? Why I felt so at odds with those I grew up around?
“What are your talents? Why could you not be of use?” He seems to remember I am beside him with a little start.
“Oh, I get a bit lost deary. The animals draw me back to myself but if I tarry too long in the labyrinth of human and fae thought… well I am utterly lost. I served as an adviser in the Palace when Edmund, The Owl, was but a lad and… well suffice to say that I was not the most comforting fae to have in company. I could not direct my mind-walking and would find myself in the head of some far away creature and would forget who I was entirely. I was told I would be found walking the halls of the Palace talking to myself quite often. Not all of those from the House of Ether have the same abilities or control. We are quite a diverse bunch. Or… were I suppose.” He frowns as he looks down to his lap, which now houses three bunnies and one chipmunk.
I am relieved that not all Etherealists turn out like Gaius but I wonder what that means about my own abilities.
I know I can occasionally read and transfer thoughts and the visions or mind walking, seem to have been limited to just Embrys until last night.
It doesn’t feel like what I am able to do is of much use at this point. What was my mother able to do?
“I know you left far before her time but… would you know of my mother, Inanna?” A sliver of hope shines through my eyes but his small shrug and shake of the head quickly douses it. His face does a strange scrunched up thing, his expression slowly changes as he widens his eyes.
“Wait, I do recall in my wanderings The Owl lamenting for one he called Ina. His Ina. She had been stolen from him.”
Did he say his Ina? Could it be the same person? He reaches out to touch me and I have an initial instinct to pull away but something deeper within yells at me to let him. As his old calloused hand brushes my cheek he gasps and his eyes roll back in his head.
“What? What do you see?” I grab his hand in mine and give it a squeeze. Oh shit, is he getting lost? I look around the room to the animals that are quickly gathering and make eye contact with the wolf as she pushes her way through.
He is traveling, we must wait, she reassures me and I look back to Gaius, seeing his eyes slowly roll back down and blink at me in confusion.
“Gaius, are you all right? What did you see?”
“Oh Ina, hello.” He smiles and pats my hand.
“I’m not Ina, I’m Nuria. Gaius, did you see my mother? Are you able to see into the past?”
“The past… Was I in the past?” He looks around at the animals surrounding us and nods his head as if he is listening to them speak.
“Yes, I must go back into the crystals. Forgive me deary, I lost myself for a moment. Now I must go find what I lost.” He gives me a blank stare and a little, dopey smile as he slowly gets up and shuffles back into the crystal cave.
Great, he really is a nutter. Was he talking to my mother?
I wash my face in my hands. These past few days have been too much.
This massive question mark that has been looming over my head for my whole childhood is being dissolved too rapidly and yet, not rapidly enough.
My brain needs a moment to catch up, to understand.
It feels as though there is a missing piece to my past that is so close to being slotted into place but I still feel lost and confused.
The connection I have with Embrys feels old and right, which confuses the crap out of me.
He said he had been waiting for me, as if he knew I would come.
I should have asked him more about his time with my mother and what could have possibly created this mental bond between us.
We very well may have been tethered together against our wills.
Is that an ability of the House of Ether?
Did she have unique gifts? Gaius mentioned not all Etherealists…
or Mind Walkers, have the same abilities.
Perhaps my mother was stronger at creating ties between people.
I both want more answers, and for all the answers to stop to allow my head to stop spinning.
I guess my expression has my inner turmoil written all over it because when I look back around, the animals have inched closer to me.
A fox has settled over my feet and the doe from earlier is resting her chin on the back of the sofa, near my shoulder.
Several birds line the sofa’s back and I can see the three ducks from last night waddling towards me from the kitchen, followed by a raccoon that appears to be holding a steaming cup of tea.
“For me? Why, thank you,” I laugh, reaching out to grab the mug. The sweet and caring nature of these creatures brings tears to my eyes, tears that have been readily falling more and more these past few days.
“I’m all right, I swear. I haven’t lost the plot, like a certain someone.
” I point my thumb towards where Gaius is now napping in the crystal cave and give the animals a wink.
His snores rumble through the space and seem to accentuate my claim.
The creatures chitter in response; At least someone appreciates my jokes.
It may be possible that I am lying to myself. Am I actually all right?
With not much else to do but ponder the meaning of my life, I decide instead to enjoy my cup of tea and thoughtlessly stroke the bunny that is still nestled in my lap.
I am stuck here until Embrys returns. I need to do something…
something… I shake my head feeling lost once again but the rumbling of my stomach takes over my thoughts and I remember I haven’t eaten in probably twenty-four hours.
I gently plop the bunny off my lap and head to the kitchen, noticing some fresh duck eggs calling my name. Breakfast is something I can do.