“How dare you trick me? You defiant fool. I have to let you pass now, but make sure you stay out of my way again, I cannot be tricked twice. We shall meet again, I promise that!” Shade was hurled to the ground, coughing and gulping down air. Lady Blythe was gone as quickly as she had appeared. Nothing else was around, nothing but the dark woods.

“Is she gone?” Shade whispered. Her breath had still not caught up. “What did she want with me? And what, the hell, is she?” She brought her knees to her chest and sat rocking back and forth, willing her heart to stop racing and slowing her breath. Jack knelt down, is hand on her shoulder. He gave it a firm squeeze.

“Lady Blythe is like she said, Queen of the Dryads of the haunted forest. I really don’t know what she wants from you. Quite strange, she disappeared decades ago and has not been seen until now. Queen Zinara, of course, assumed she was dead.” He looked up at the surrounding warriors. No one seemed to have a clue what was going on.

“Unless the Lonares have been working overtime and attempting to sabotage or stop us in our tracks. This feels like Lonares treachery all over it. How did you know, Shade?” He stood up offering Shade his hand. She looked up at the handsome Teleen warrior, taking his hand as she pulled herself to her shaky legs. Tears streaked down her face. The Dryad queen was scary as hell.

“Know what?”

Jack looked at her intently; searching her face for something that Shade knew nothing of.

“That she liked riddles; you saved yourself and us with such a quick wit. Amazing!”

“It wasn’t me,” She shook her head. “My spirit guides are speaking to me, helping me. They gave me the idea and then told me the answer.” She coughed again and breathed in deeply.

“Well, quite a handy trick there. I hope they come in handy more often than not.” He nodded at her. “Shall we continue? Everyone, make sure shields are up; we will not be caught so unaware again. Count us lucky she didn’t have an appetite for meat today.”

Shade’s mouth dropped open at Jack. He glanced at her and smiled. “Just kidding, she’s vegan.”

She groaned and straightened up. Shade shook her head and fell in line with the warriors, eager to leave these woods behind.

Chapter Five

The Teleen hills were like large swells of waves, flowing with the greenest emerald grasses in existence; the blades of grass swayed lightly and caressed the winds. The air flew in constant rushes, whipping everyone’s long tresses about them like tangled and dancing ribbons. Shade’s own wavy brown hair looked to be the shortest of the entourage’s. Everyone’s hair seemed to be almost waist length at least, except for Ewan. Many had extravagant braids and ribbons or thin ropes wrapped through like extensions. Most of the colors were unnatural colors, none a human man or women would ever possess naturally. Waves of gold brown, reds deep as rubies and browns like tiger’s eyes flowed in the breezes. It was quite a dance of flashing colors.

Shade felt a twinge of jealousy. Nothing but human light brown hair danced on her head, nothing fey-like about it. It made her wonder what she had that resembled the fey at all. Maybe she had turned out to be fully human. Maybe they had the wrong girl after all. Could be she had no magic besides her spirit guides. She couldn’t perform glamour or heal anything, let alone fight or enchant like the Dryad queen. Shade shivered, recalling the queen’s cold stare and the ice-cold air prison that kept her tight within her grasp. The air had tightened to the point that it made her want to faint. It was not something she cared to remember.

Her legs burned with the constant strain of hiking up and down the hills. They appeared smooth with grass but were rocky and uneven on the ground. Her tennis shoes were not meant to go through such rigorous hikes. She paused, leaning over, placing her hands on her knees. Her lungs ached with effort, breathing felt like a burning torture. A faint metallic taste clung to her mouth and she coughed up spit. She was not a fan of the physically gifted. Her idea of a good time was curling up on her bed with a thick book. No way would she have voluntarily done anything that resembled hiking before this. Short of camping at campsites where you could walk to your car and a public restroom, that was as close as she got to being outdoorsy. This sucks.

“You alright?” Soap paused just ahead of her and leaned down to see her face.

Shade’s cheeks were pink with heat from the strain. She swallowed her strange tasting saliva and nodded. She then turned to Braelynn, who had also come to a stop by her, and put a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle pat.

“The trail will be hard, not just for you but all of us. You will get used to the rigorous terrain as time goes by with the more you do. Are you having trouble catching your breath? I have a potion you can take for that. It’s kind of like asthma medicine. Most fey don’t have that kind of trouble but I treat all kinds of people. I knew it was a possibility with a human coming along. Let me know if you need it.” Braelynn offered. She smiled and nodded, patting Shade on the back and turned to continue on. Shade sighed and closed her eyes. She knew Braelynn was being kind but her words had made her feel somewhat inferior, being human and all. She wondered how all of the fey felt about humans in general. Stereotyping was probably not just a human trait and she wondered if the group thought she was weak.

She straightened up, nodded to Soap as she breathed in and resumed up the hill again. The afternoon sun burned down on her, her hair feeling afire. She swung her backpack around and opened it, thinking about her baseball cap she had stuffed into it earlier. It appeared to her fingers as fast as she had thought it. She was never going to get used to how cool that was. She closed her bag and pulled the cap over the wavy strands that now fell away from her ponytail. She was glad she remembered to bring it; her head was thanking her for it.

Shade was about to ask someone if they were getting any closer to the mountain caves of the Teleen when she heard Ewan’s booming voice echoing back at her.

“Land ho! The mountains are but about a mile away, not too far. We’ll be eating dinner in no time.” He chuckled back towards the group and patted his belly.

Ewan wasn’t the only one thinking about food. Her stomach had been protesting for the last hour. She had had snacked on a granola bar but it had gone straight through her. She’d worked up an appetite for something a bit more substantial. The last mile seemed to drag on more than the last five. Shade’s back and shoulders ached from carrying the backpack, though it wasn’t too heavy, just any kind of weight gets old after carrying it for awhile. She was not cut out for this hiking crap. She was sweaty, thirsty and worst of all; a thin layer of dirt seemed to cling to her skin. She had streaks across her face from the mix of sweat and dirt. Her hair frizzed out under the cap and some of it was stuck to her moist neck and was itching up a storm. She swore she must have a blister or two forming on her feet and her knees felt like they were going to fall apart.

She rounded one of the last hills and gasped. The mouth of a cave roared above them, it was pitch black and very wide. The dirt and grass continued into the cave until the blackness swallowed them up. The wind howled over the hole, wailing eerily. To Shade, it did not seem like anyone lived here. This can’t be it.

The rest of the gang gathered around the entrance as Ewan held up his hands to the air and mumbled some words. Shade looked around, not seeing anyone else around them. She did get a feeling of being watched though. She looked up the cliffs that gave way into a jagged overhang; the rock formation was shaped like a half moon, and it wasn’t just a simple hole in the wall or opening. The rocks were expansive and they looked as if they may crumble onto anyone who dared to walk into the cave.

She suddenly felt the shiver of glamour, like ripples in a pool of water, all around the cave. Of course! It was a deterrent, like a spell of reluctance to whoever passed by, to make them fear the large hanging rocks and avoid it like the plague. As Ewan spoke softly, the glamour melted away, revealing an enormous double door. The door had intricate carvings and was made of heavy wood that appeared old and weathered. Shade drew in her breath, amazed by how beautiful it was. The wood blended into the shades of rock around it and seemed to fade into the background if you did not stare right at it. Wow, what kind of people live here to make such a fascinating entrance? She watched as the group gathered around the great doorway while Ewan gave a good shove on the enormous doors. They creaked loudly as they opened and from the moaning sound it was clear they were not opened too often. He motioned the group to follow him.

As they entered the archway they all were swallowed by the dark but soon there was a flickering light from the torches that lined the walls. The doors swung and loudly closed behind them with a thunderous clap. Everyone jumped and some had even drawn their weapons while staring at the large doors. It seemed they had closed themselves because no in the group had done so and there was no else in the room. This is unsettling, Shade turned back towards the cave. Where is everyone? She thought as she followed her group and wondered when the people who lived here would greet them.

They walked the cave and soon they were lead into a massive room. There were tall columns that reached high above them; they were made of the same grey-streaked white stone as the rest of cave. There appeared to be no one there but to Shade’s surprise, the torches around the room began to brighten. She noticed figures appearing out of the shadows and they were also holding torches. They had materialized from the darkness as suddenly as in a blink of an eye. Each one of them was dressed in guard’s uniforms. They were engulfed in white and blue flames; the hot fire crackled along their skin. Shade was reminded of Jack and his powers. Surely, they must be Teleen.

The group had paused in the middle of the room. They were now completely surrounded by the guards. Their eyes shone hot and bright and their fingers and arms rippled with the electricity crackling down their bodies. They seemed absolutely scary. They were like Jack had been, when he had shown her his true self. She hoped they were not here to harm her. They made her hair stand on end as their magic and power buzzed across the room. It was like a swarm of bees, tingling on her skin and making her hair frizz out with the static.

“Um, Ewan, are we in danger here?” Sary asked. She had one hand on her bow and the other with an arrow, ready to fly if needed.

He waved back at her shaking his head but not responding. His other hand flew up, palm facing the guards as he spoke. “Guard of the Teleen, we are here under invitation of your queen. Our Queen Zinara has sent word of our arrival. Please stand down. May I speak with the Captain of the guard?”

The group tightened together as the guards’ proximity grew closer. Everyone backed into each other as sword after sword was drawn and arrows pointed. Knives also were unsheathed and glinting. Shade was sweating and feeling her stomach knot into a tight cramp. She pulled one of her own knives out of her pack and held onto it tightly. Once again she realized her lack of training for a fight. She felt na**d and exposed, as she shrank into the circle of bodies around her, and let them shield her from the guard.

The Captain of the guard stepped up and pointed his sword to the ground, he glowed a brilliant white blue all over any of his exposed skin. The fire burned so bright, it hurt Shade’s eyes to look at him. He nodded and almost immediately weaved glamour over his lighted body and assumed a more human appearance. His tan skin over his large muscles still seemed to glow slightly. His eyes were like a blue/green fire that slowly turned to steel grey, and gleamed in the torchlight. He was extremely handsome and his long, dark-black hair was pulled back tightly into a low ponytail. Shade sucked in her breath in awe of him. He narrowed his eyes at the group and smirked.

“So, this is Queen Zinara’s last hope, huh? Don’t really look like much, do you?” He laughed, but it sounded full of spite more than anything else. “You were so easy to surround and entrap. I thought for sure that she would have known better than to send such a weak force to do the job of soldiers. I will never understand her ways.” He walked around the group, all their weapons were drawn but no one seemed to be holding them in attack stance. Everyone was waiting. Waiting for what, Shade wished she knew.

He came around to stand by Shade, having passed by the ring of warriors of her group as if they weren’t there. He was staring at Shade with an intensity that almost dug into her skin. He reached out to her to touch her chin. Shade stepped back, remembering what Jack had told her about touching a Teleen. He could electrocute her if he really wanted to, or not. She was not going take the chance to find out.

“Are you afraid of me?” He laughed out loudly as his hand returned down to his side. He seemed to be pondering a thought while studying her face. She made no movement. Leaning forward, he gave a slight tilt to his face, whispering just loud enough for her to hear him. “You rightfully should be.”

He gave his head the slightest of shakes and spun back around towards his guards. He paused signaling them to back off and then turned back to the travelers.

“I have announced you to our queen. She will be most pleased to meet all of you, especially your precious halfling.” He chuckled, sending a tingle across Shade’s skin. He wasn’t just Teleen. She was willing to bet he was something else too, she was almost sure of it. She wasn’t quite sure that he knew it though. Jack couldn’t do magic with his voice like this one could. Shade shivered from the after effects of the rippling laughter. She ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to rub the feeling away with the warmth of friction. She wondered how it was that she could sense that he was different. Maybe a power of hers was waking up within her.

The guard had mostly left by now, after the Captain had signaled to them to leave, and they fell into step behind each other. Everyone was not quite relaxed yet but they were on alert. The group fell in behind the soldiers and followed suite. The hall seemed to stretch on forever and Shade’s stomach grumbled again. She hoped that they would find a nice banquet waiting for them. She could only hope for such a thing from what she had seen so far.