Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Without another word, she grabbed her phone and sank into her couch, opening up the web browser to begin her search. She knew Aodhan was wearing his beanie for one reason or another, so she would start with that.
She typed in ‘creatures with strange ears,’ and the results came through almost instantly. There were six possible answers: elves, fairies, pixies, hobbits, vampires, or orcs.
Sierra quickly memorized the list and cleared the search bar.
Aodhan had said he wasn’t an elf, and for some reason, she was inclined to believe him.
So, she searched ‘fairies’ first, scanning through the first few web pages in the results.
Fairies had a human appearance except for their ears, so that was a definite contender.
Pixies were similar to fairies; except they were often depicted as smaller than humans.
While she wanted to eliminate them, she kept them in mind because their mischievous nature did sound a bit like Aodhan, especially based on the very recent developments within her apartment.
She quickly eliminated hobbits, vampires, and orcs, mostly because Aodhan didn’t have what seemed to be the basic characteristics.
Sierra looked up from her phone and looked around the room. Although she couldn’t see him, she had a feeling he was still hanging around, “So, fairy or pixie, which is it?”
In an instant, Aodhan materialized on the couch next to her. Sierra might have been startled under any other circumstances, but after the events of the past hour, nothing he could do would surprise her right now.
Aodhan sighed and leaned back. “No one calls us fairies anymore. We are just known as the Fae.”
Now, Sierra had been expecting some big confession to come out, but hearing the words come out of his mouth wasn’t the same as theorizing in her head, and she suddenly found herself not knowing what to say.
“Fae…” The word came out of her more as a gasp, but Aodhan could hear her.
“Yes.”
Her heart was pounding in her chest. “So, you’re really…?” Her thoughts were one big jumble, and she touched her hand to her forehead, pinching her eyes shut as she tried to come to terms with the realization that Aodhan wasn’t human.
“Yes,” Aodhan repeated, removing his beanie with his left hand. As soon as it was off his head, Sierra could see his pointed ears poking through his long brown hair.
Sierra reached up as if to touch them, but before her hand reached his ears, she realized how rude it was to touch someone without their permission and yanked her hand back.
“It’s okay.” He lifted his chin in the direction of her hand. “I don’t mind if you touch my ears.”
Sierra nodded but kept her hand in place, trying to think of what to ask next. “So…Fae…”
Aodhan let out a short chuckle. “Yes, we’ve covered that.”
Sierra tried to swallow, her throat feeling dry. “I…uhh…want to ask some things, but my throat is dry. Do you want water?” She stood up and walked to the kitchen. “Wait, can you even drink water?”
For the second time in the last few minutes Aodhan laughed; a new record in Sierra’s eyes. “Yes, I can drink water. You humans always say the darndest things.”
Sierra grabbed two glasses out of the cupboard, filling them with water from the tap before walking back to the couch and handing one to Aodhan.
She folded her legs beneath her, situating herself so she was facing him. “So, do you eat food too?”
“Of course. Food in our land is a bit different, but we can eat human food all the same.”
“And can humans eat your food?” Sierra asked, thinking of one of the articles she had skimmed, which said humans who ate fairy food would be trapped in fairyland.
“Yes. I’m not sure where the rumor came from that humans couldn’t. Our food is different, but it won’t enchant or trap you.”
“Ah, okay.” Sierra sipped her water, her heart racing, as Aodhan took a sip of his. “And can you do magic?”
He nodded. “Sort of. You already saw that I can shift myself to other places, and I can also make it so you cannot see me. I think it is a defense mechanism, as most Fae can do it. I’m better at shifting location than most of my kind, though.
Many of us can also use compulsion, which you saw last night in the library.
And there are those of us who have special and more unique powers. ”
Sierra thought back to the drunk student who had been so intent on dragging her out of the library and how he had suddenly done everything Aodhan had said.
She tried to think if there was any situation when Aodhan might have used compulsion on her, but she couldn’t remember doing anything she hadn’t wanted just because he had said to.
Still aghast and unsure what to even ask, she decided to see what information he would offer of his own accord. “Anything else I should know?”
Aodhan let out a breath. “Many believe that the Fae were an early race of humans. And most of my kind believe the same. But over the past few centuries, many have come to the human world and married humans, and some have even brought their partners back to The Hills. As a result, many of us don’t have very strong magic anymore. That’s what makes my abilities unique.”
Sierra raised her eyebrows, “The hills?”
“My people, besides being called Fae, are often referred to as the Sidhe, which is Gaelic for ‘people of the hills.’ What they don’t know is that the word actually comes from the name of my world, which has been called Sidhe for hundreds of years.
When I refer to my home in your language, I just call it ‘The Hills’ to make things easier. ”
Sierra nodded. “And back to the powers thing? How do those work?” Sierra knew she should be feeling some form of shock right now at all of these revelations, but honestly, she had spent most of the day mentally preparing for him to be a vampire or some other sort of blood-sucking beast, so this Fae discovery didn’t seem so bad.
“I can sense emotions. But I’ve heard that many generations before me, my gift, or ‘powers’ as you call it, was to be able to influence and change emotions as well.”
Sierra tilted her head to the side, somewhat in disbelief that they were having this conversation. “I’m a little confused. So, for people who had your gift in the past, it was different?”
He took a sip of his water. “Yes. Our magic tends to manifest in very specific ways, and it is often passed through familial lines. For example, if your mother is good at healing, you likely will be too.”
“Ah, I see. So your parents are both good at feeling emotions?”
Aodhan shook his head. “Just my mother, and she, like me, can only feel them but not change them. Her mother, my grandmother, reportedly could change the feelings of an entire army and convince entire kingdoms to surrender during her lifetime.”
“Interesting.” Sierra drained her glass and set it on the side table. “And your father has no gift or magic?”
Aodhan continued, “My father's family is from a line that could once control the weather. But, like most lines, intermarrying has weakened the magic. Now, my father can just sense the weather.”
“But you can’t?” Sierra asked.
He shook his head. “No. Fae can sometimes receive both of their parents’ magic, especially if the bloodlines are strong. But my father's line is so weak that both my sister and I only received magic from our mother.”
“That’s sad.”
Aodhan brought his eyes to meet hers, and she could see something, maybe pain, reflected in their depths. “It is.”
Sierra thought back to the other things she had read. “Can the Fae tell lies?”
“No. But it’s interesting that as the bloodlines of magic have grown weaker, our ability to avoid the truth or to deflect questions has increased. But we cannot outright lie. It’s one of the main things that sets us apart from humans.”
“And what about the dangers of making deals with the Fae?”
“Somewhat true. Because we live so long, and we cannot lie, the word of a Fae means a lot and is considered binding law in Sidhe.” Sierra looked confused, so Aodhan continued, “No, we can’t trick you into crazy things like in the stories, but never make a bargain with a Fae you don’t intend to keep because we will force you to follow through.
And while some Fae have become more modern over the years, there are many who will kill a human for backing out of a bargain. ”
Sierra was digesting everything he said, and her mind caught on his mention of their lifespans. “So, how long do you live?”
“A long time.” Sierra raised an eyebrow, as Aodhan went on.
“We age about five times as slow as humans meaning an average lifespan is 400-500 years. But we also aren’t afflicted by as many diseases or illnesses as you are, so it is possible to meet Fae that are 800 or 900 years old, though they are often feeling their age at that point. ”
“So, I’ll ask you again. How old are you?”