Chapter 19 Tegwyn
Tegwyn
Distant voices rend the night air, and I hold my breath.
We’ve been on the move for eight hours, and with every bump on the road, I curse a little bit louder.
This trip would’ve been far easier if I could have used my glamour, but that kind of magic would only drain my reserves.
Besides, I’m still making up for the loss back at the roadside.
Glamouring myself and Ivy simultaneously took its toll, and it’s still costing me dearly.
A good night’s rest should do the trick.
We just have to find an inn willing to take us in. Fortunately, I know just the place.
Ivy is silent beside me. We haven’t spoken since we left the roadside.
I know it’s not the most dignified way to travel, but it was the only way I could smuggle us into the city without wasting magic.
We shouldn’t be too far now.
The voices grow stronger, and Ivy stirs uncomfortably. I feel my way through the apples until I find the warmth of her cloak. “Not long now.”
She sucks in a breath. “Okay.”
The cart rolls to a stop, and my claws retract of their own accord—a reflex reaction. It’s fight or flight mode now.
The canvas unfastens above us, and then light pours into the cart. The veiled face of a king’s guard enters my line of vision, and I lie perfectly still, hoping Ivy has the sense to do the same.
His beetle-black armour shines before the flickering sconces on the fortification behind him, and I spy the silver-eyed crow on his breastplate.
King Corvis’s seal.
If only these humans realised they were swearing fealty to a Fae of all things, they’d be beside themselves with rage.
Ivy swallows audibly on my left. I hope the guard doesn’t pick up on the sound.
Luckily for us, he’s human, and human beings have shit hearing. Meanwhile, I can hear every thump of his heart behind his breastplate. Ivy’s heart beats like the wings of a songbird, and I focus on the sound, letting it soothe me as it has done these last few weeks.
I won’t let anything happen to her. If these men spot us, then I will gladly fight in her honour.
Finally, the guard drops the canvas, and I loose a breath as he urges the driver onward. “Lift the gate!”
The knot vanishes in my chest, and I wipe the sweat from my forehead, smiling victoriously.
Our gamble paid off. We passed the inspection.
An iron portcullis screeches upward, and the cart moves once again. The light fades as we pass through a tunnel that reeks of damp, but the smell has nothing on what comes next.
Excrement.
Human excrement, to be precise. I cover my nose, bracing for the worst. The Eastern Market is the most crowded in the kingdom, and it’s going to be a real challenge to remain unnoticed.
Mindless chatter reaches my ears, and I roll my eyes, wondering how these creatures became the dominant race. They absolutely have nothing of substance to say.
The cart parks along a cobblestone street, and I pick up on the sharp scent of ale. It looks like we’ve stopped outside a public house.
Typical.
“When I say run…” I announce, getting to my feet.
Ivy sits up beside me, eyes gleaming brightly as she nods. “Got it.”
We’ll have to move fast. If we’re caught, the driver will report us to the guard, and I’ll tear them all apart if they dare lay a hand on Ivy.
There’s something I’ve always wanted to try. And I think it may just work. But it could be costly…
I just hope she doesn’t throw up on my boots.
Well, here goes nothing, I tell myself as I grip her arm.
“Run!”
Ivy
One moment, I’m leaning on a heap of bumpy apples, and the next I’m flying through space and time.
Everything flashes by. The sky becomes the earth, and the city lights become the stars as I shut my eyes, listening to the rhythm of my own pounding heart.
Tegwyn is my only anchor in the chaos, and I hold onto him tightly, thinking I can hear the rapid beat of his heart.
Then it all stops, and I gulp as if I’m drowning, hands shaking as my head spins like a globe.
My vision warps and folds, and I don’t know my left from my right, which way is up, and what way is down. Tegwyn has his arms wrapped around me, and I hadn’t even noticed I’d been gripping his coat like a lifeline.
His breath tickles the shell of my ear as he chuckles lightly, holding up my entire weight. My body trembles, and I cling onto him tighter, hooking my knees around his waist to secure myself in place.
“You can let go now, Ivy. It’s over. We’re safe.”
Safe?
“Wh-what happened? Why did the world move so fast?”
He's still sniggering down my ear when he pushes me against a hard surface, and the sensation of cool stone brings me back to earth.
“Because, princess…I rippled us away before that bumpkin could realise we were inside his cart. Look…”
I peer over his shoulder, finding the ‘bumpkin’ in question. He picks up a chewed apple core, pinching the stalk between his fingers as he investigates its mysterious origins, and a nervous giggle escapes me.
Of course. Now it all makes sense.
I just travelled at Fae speed. At least I have a name for it now.
Rippled. Tegwyn rippled us away to safety, and it was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life.
He studies me carefully beneath his hood. “Do you feel all right?”
I’m still laughing when I meet his gleaming eyes. “That was amazing! Can we do that again?”
His mouth parts, and I can’t help myself now. It’s like I’m drunk on his magic.
“You don’t feel sick at all?” he continues, brows knitted in confusion. “I took a huge risk just now. I wasn’t entirely sure how you’d fare.”
I continue to chortle, my mind heady from his lightning speed, and I’m neither here nor there. I think I left my head back at the cart. Now I’m away with the faeries… Literally.
Tegwyn still holds me, and it appears he’s afraid to let me go. We’re tucked away safely inside a back alley where no one can see us, and it’s like we’re the only two souls left in the world.
Somehow, I see the world in brand new colours, and everything is so much brighter than it was before.
What has come over me?
Tegwyn tucks a gloved finger beneath my chin to investigate my eyes, and I’m still tittering like a crazy fool.
“Oh… It appears there were some side effects after all. Your pupils are enormous.”
“As are yours. I can see myself inside them.”
And I can, too.
I spy two little versions of myself inside the black holes of his yellow eyes, and they suck me in, consuming every little part of me.
He huffs and steps away, taking his glorious body heat with him. Then he grips my upper arm and drags me further into the alleyway, leaving the hustle and bustle of the thoroughfare behind us.
I can barely walk on my own feet, and I’m still giddy from moving at his Fae speed. “Where are we going?”
He exhales, creating a cloud of vapour. “To find a place for the night. There’s an inn this way where they don’t ask questions. It should suffice.”
We soon arrive at a crooked, two-storey shack that appears to have been built into the masonry of the wall.
A scrawny black cat watches us on the front step, but unlike the pony or the doe, it doesn’t gravitate to Tegwyn.
It hisses when he steps too close, but the faerie rips off his scarf, hissing right back in the same language. Alarmed, the stray scampers off once it spies his fangs, and I look after it sadly. “Poor cat.”
Tegwyn tsks, “It had it coming. Now come. Let’s get you inside.”
He leads me into the building, and we arrive at a battered front desk. The hunchbacked man barely glances up from his deck of cards as Tegwyn checks us in. “One room, please. Two beds.”
“We only got single beds, kid.”
Tegwyn’s eyes shift towards me, and a light blush takes over his gold-green face. “You must have something. Surely...”
“He told you there were no twin rooms left, shithead. So, take it or fuck off.”
A shrill, guttural voice responds this time, and I peer over the desk, spying a small, wrinkled creature with tattered bat ears carrying his own deck of cards.
He glares at me with bulbous red eyes, and I hide behind Tegwyn.
Now I notice the underbite of the concierge of sorts, and to my surprise, he has tusks. Large ones.
He’s Fae.
They’re both Fae.
No wonder they don’t ask questions. This place must be riddled with magic, and they want to keep it that way.
I bet the humans don’t know about this adorable little shack tucked away inside this alleyway. Tegwyn pinches the bridge of his nose. Then, with a defeated sigh, he accepts the single room with the single bed, muttering to himself as he leads the way up the rickety stairs.
It looks as if we’ll be sharing, and now I understand his blush because I have one of my own burning up the sides of my cheeks.
This is going to be awkward.
We arrive at our room on the second floor, and it’s overrun with cockroaches.
Tegwyn chases the insects away with a flick of his magic, then passes out into a moth-eaten chair by the fireplace, shutting his eyes.
He points at the bed. “You take the bed…”
I creep towards the bed in question, finding that it’s surprisingly clean when I lift away the linen sheets. They’re fresh, soft, and smell like daisies. Tegwyn’s magic, perhaps?
“But where will you sleep?” I ask, peering his way.
He waves his hand down at the chair he’s lounging on. “On the chair, of course.”
No. He should sleep comfortably. He needs a good night’s rest to replenish his magic; he’s used far too much already.
I shake my head. “No. You should—”
His eyes snap open, and then I meet that burning amber. “Just take the bed, Ivy.”
I’m overcome with something, and I have no idea what’s coming over me. I just don’t like the idea of him sleeping on that stiff chair.
Well, if he insists on sleeping rough, then he should at least get a fire going.
As if reading my mind, he clicks his fingers, and then flames appear in the hearth, flickering and filling the room with heat. Unfortunately, his energy recedes further, draining the colour from his face.