Chapter 53
VALANCE
The last trace of Faerie faded into the horizon, blurring into a line indicating distant land. Fading out of my life forever.
I stood with Kormac at the back of our ship, sailed by magic, all part of the wish.
Sailing to the human realm.
I rested my head on his shoulder. “Goodbye, Faerie.”
“Goodbye,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Terrified. Excited.”
“Me too.”
There were no maps, no humans on board to tell us much about this new realm. Humans who drifted into Faerie didn’t remember much of their homeland. Only a scattering of things. Not even my angelus lover knew any details beyond its existence in the far east.
I couldn’t wait to learn of them for myself.
Leaving Faerie didn’t come without emotional struggles. After all, the realm was my home, the place I expected to live and die within. Yet I was glad to leave it behind after everything that’d happened. The thought of existing there now seemed exhausting, untenable. A realm no longer for me.
Seagulls flew overhead, heading back toward my motherland. I watched the white bodies go, swallowed into the horizon.
“So,” Kormac said. “This is love, is it?”
I chuckled. “What are you talking about?”
“The butterflies in my belly.”
“You have butterflies?”
“Your fault, My Prince.”
I winced. “I’m no prince.”
“You’re mine.” He nudged me with his hip.
“Not the cursed prince or the scary Sidhe fae prince from my past. He’s long dead, the real you shining bright.
The one I fell in love with, the one who makes me smile, who gives me these butterflies.
” He turned his body to the side. “The pretty man wrapped in nightmares who turned out to be a dream come true.”
I blushed, nervous under his regard. “Stop.”
“Who would have thought we’d be so in love?”
“Not me.” I touched his lips with my fingertips. “Thank goodness we were pleasantly surprised.”
“Absolutely, My Heart.”
“Your Heart?”
“Always.”
Our lips met, the magic from flesh on flesh as potent as it had been the first time we’d kissed.
What a strange web fate weaves. Sometimes, it is wonderful to be caught within its silk.
“Dance with me,” he said, taking my hand.
“Pardon?”
“Dance with me.” He offered me a sheepish, delightful grin.
“With no music?”
“We don’t need music.”
“No?”
“No.”
I took his hand, my palm singing under his touch as it always did.
A hand on my waist, his eyes full of softness just for me. “Ready, My Heart?”
“I’m ready, My Darling.”
He wrinkled his nose, giggling. “Darling?”
I jabbed him lightly in the side. “Is there a problem?”
He shook his head and twirled me across the deck. “I like being your darling.”
We danced to the music of the waves, the sea air, the call of seabirds flying overhead. Drifting in our own patch of paradise.
After weeks of sailing east, we finally arrived at a sprawling port city. A mass of buildings, tall and short, in all manner of colors spread out before me, climbing a hill. From the deck, I heard the busy sounds, took in all sorts of scents—from the acrid to the pleasant.
The air was as hot as Summer, the sky a magnificent blue. The sea breeze was the only relief we had. I’d removed my cloak hours ago.
“We’re here,” I whispered. “We’re really here.”
My insides were a tangle of knots, the fear of the new overripe.
Kormac took my hand. “Take a breath, Valance. If you need the well, go to it.”
A few deep breaths, and his skin on mine, calmed me somewhat.
Our ship settled itself in the harbor, dropped a gangplank onto the large jetty with a loud boom. Humans gathered around it, welcoming us to the city.
A tall woman with short blonde hair and radiant brown skin, dressed in white and blue striped clothes, seemed to be in charge.
“Hello, there,” she said in a tongue we both understood.
“Hello,” Kormac answered.
“I’m Harbor Master Katherine,” she responded. “I wasn’t expecting your arrival. Are you traders?” She watched me for a few long beats. “Oh. You’re fae?”
I tensed. “You know of the fae?”
“Yes. Sometimes your kind come from the west, seeking something new. Much like humans set off in the direction of Faerie.” She smiled. “We’ve had quite a few fae come here for new beginnings.”
Kormac brushed the back of my hand with his.
“You do?”
She nodded.
“Humans forget this realm when they head to my motherland,” I said. “Will I forget Faerie?”
She folded her arms. “They forget?”
“Yes.”
“Anyone who comes here from Faerie remembers things about that world.”
“They do?”
She nodded again. “No fae or returning human has ever forgotten Faerie. Though returning humans is rare. You’re the first one I’ve seen in ten years.” She gestured at Kormac.
“In fact, there is a tavern dedicated to fae tales as told by fae,” she added, pointing at the line of buildings in the harbor, all squeezed together as if fighting for space.
“Emerald Glove, if you’re interested. The stories are always entertaining, but I don’t like the sound of Faerie. No offense.”
“None taken,” I answered.
There must be something in Faerie’s air to cause the memory loss and something here to reverse it.
I didn’t really want to think about it too deeply, relieved to not have my memories removed. As many horrors as I’d faced back home, my memories were part of the fabric of me. Mine.
I moved closer to Kormac, our hips bumping.
“Welcome to Cuttlestone City,” Katherine said.
“Please head for that white building there.” She pointed to a small, narrow building at the end of the jetty.
“You will be granted asylum, given official papers, as well some money and a room to help you begin your lives. It’s a loan, so you will have to find jobs in the city to pay it back. ”
That did not sound like a system I wanted to be part of. I wasn’t work-shy, but I also didn’t want to be stuck in this city.
“Cuttlestone is a welcoming place, though not without its perils. Like anywhere in the world.” She shrugged. “Avoid the western quarter at night and be wary of pickpockets around the harbor. Other than that, I wish you the best of luck.”
“Thank you,” Kormac said, squeezing my hand.
“May we help with your luggage?” she asked, smiling at our joined hands.
I’d forgotten about our luggage, so overwhelmed with this welcome and the information.
I can’t stay here…
“We can keep it safe for you while you sort things out,” she added.
“Then yes, please,” Kormac answered.
“It will cost you five silver—after you receive your money, of course.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice shaky.
Other humans dressed in the same blue and white stripes hurried onto our ship, not at all concerned of it having sailed itself.
Kormac and I headed for the white building to be met by a friendly, red-faced, bald gentleman with an incredibly curly mustache.
He did as Katherine had said—gave us money, parchment we both signed to officiate our lives here.
He told us we would have to wait a few hours for a room, to go out and get a feel of the city.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” I said to Kormac as we stepped back outside.
“Neither was I. Are you okay?”
“I… I think so. Overwhelmed.”
He kissed my cheek. “Come on. Let’s look around.”
Did he want to live here? I would follow him if this was what he really wanted. Only… Only I couldn’t…
By the gods!
Cuttlestone was packed with life, of humans and the odd fae.
So much noise, so much to see. It frightened me.
I’d been to cities in Faerie many times, but this was different.
I wasn’t here as a prince with an army of guards around me or any form of diplomatic power. I was a stranger in a strange land.
As we wandered the cramped streets, weaving through markets, passing bakeries and taverns and shops, I made sure to keep close to Kormac. Once again, he became my protector, our soul bond infused with his undying power. He would keep me safe, alive.
I can’t stay here…
Should I say something?
After a few hours, I relaxed as best as I could, and embraced the energy of the city. Sampled foods from stalls, the fashions, the trinkets expertly made, everything this place had to offer. Even saw a Gentry fae kissing a human down a small alleyway. But I still didn’t want to stay here.
Tell him…
What if I disappoint him?
Kormac purchased a few books, some parchment and ink, and a couple of human realm maps from a stall.
“This will help us,” he said, handing money over to a human woman.
There were some humans who eyed me warily, who whispered to one another. Sometimes kind, sometimes not.
“Valance?” Kormac said as we turned into a quiet, cobbled street.
“Yes?”
“This isn’t for us, is it?”
“What do you mean?”
He took my hands in his. “Jobs in the city, assimilating into this busy life. Taking a room.” He shook his head. “We didn’t come here for that.”
“No.” I smiled, relieved.
“We want adventure. We want to explore these lands.”
“We do.”
He lifted my hands, kissed each of them in turn. “Then let’s make that happen.”
We returned to the white building and handed back the money, keeping five silver and making a promise to send the shortfall later.
The cheerful man was surprised but happy with the arrangement.
“You can have a good life in the city,” he tried.
“No, thank you,” Kormac and I said together, laughing as we left.
We paid Katherine and took what we needed from our luggage. Weapons sheathed, clothes, and some food into our generous sacks. Easy to carry for our journey ahead.
“Would you like to buy the rest?” Kormac asked the harbor master.
What a great idea.
After a peek at the fine silks and some jewelry I’d brought with me, she paid us handsomely for the rest of our things.
“Thank you,” Kormac said, pocketing the bulging coin purses. He faced me. “We’re set, My Heart.”
We went to pay back the mustache man. Once again, he was surprised and happy. He tried to get us to stay, but we refused him.
A pretty human woman entered, distracting him. He pulled on his mustache, his eyes bulging. We were no longer relevant.
“I can’t see it happening,” Kormac quipped under his breath.
“You never know,” I said. “Just look at us.”
“True.” He kissed my cheek.
Hand in hand and free, we headed east through the city toward the limits of this noisy place.
“This is so exciting,” I proclaimed, more relief flooding me. I would wilt being trapped in Cuttlestone. That wasn’t the life I wanted. Thank Danu Kormac had said what I couldn’t.
“I can’t wait to see what happens next,” my human love said.
We kissed again on the edge of the city, facing rolling green meadows, roads with traders moving back and forth, humans on a walk on a fine day.
A whole world waiting for us to meet it.
“Ready?” he asked, squeezing my hand.
“More than ready.”
Kormac and I would be fine. We would be glorious.
Bonded once again, this time gladly and so full of love, we were on a path toward happiness and adventure.
I was more than sure shadows would lurk along the edges of that path.
Such is the price of living. But our love would be the light to chase them away.
After all, we were written in the stars.
The End