The sky above her was the most beautiful shade of blue she had ever seen. The sun shown down on a grassy meadow and the blades blew in the wind rhythmically. The trees around them were tall and strong with large leaves that were a bright vivid green. Birds fluttered from tree to tree, chirping happily. Lilly felt as if at any moment a beautiful big eyed, tiny waisted princess would emerge, spinning out of the trees singing some ridiculous song about nature, or love, or needing to get away from her wicked mother.

“Technology has not polluted their realm the way it has in the human realm,” Cyn explained.

Lilly made an “oh” expression with her mouth as she continued to take in the realm before her.

“Do we find them or do they find us?” Cypher asked the Fae.

“We will go deeper into the realm, but they will definitely find us before we even know that they are upon us.”

“Excellent,” Lilly groaned, “because you know I didn’t want this little adventure in our story to be easy or anything. I mean seriously, where would the crazy excitement in that be?”

Cyn’s brow furrowed at her and Lilly laughed. “Sarcasm Cyn, it’s a coping mechanism I learned from my daughter and her best friends.”

Cypher took Lilly’s hand in his and smiled at Cyn. “Just nod your head like you understand and it might make her stop.”

A slight smile crept up on Cyn’s lips and that made Lilly smile even wider.

“Let’s go,” Cypher said, as he tugged on Lilly’s hand. “Stay alert,” he added.

“Have I mentioned that I’m so hungry that I might consider gnawing one of my arms off?” Lilly asked in between breaths as she kept up with Cypher’s long strides.

“Only twenty three times,” Cyn answered, not sarcastically, just stating a fact.

“What’s the quota for mentioning hunger before food is finally the answer given, instead of a dry retort?”

Cypher chuckled at his mate. He loved her quirky sense of humor, and her ability to handle stress so well. He even loved when she complained, like now, because it meant he got to hear her beautiful voice.

“I haven’t exactly set one,” Cyn answered. “But, when I do, you’ll be the first to know.”

Lilly’s mouth dropped open as she eyed Cyn. “Were you just being sarcastic? Oh... my gosh you were... you just totally tossed sarcasm at me like a pro.”

Cyn shrugged. “I’m learning to cope with you.”

That comment brought a cough from Cypher as he tried to stifle his laughter.

Lilly’s eyes narrowed but the sparkle in them made it clear that she wasn’t really irritated. “I’ll let that one slide because I figure you need the practice.”

An hour later they finally stopped and Cyn reached in the pack that she carried on her back and pulled out a loaf of something thatlooked a lot like bread. She tore off two pieces and handed one each to Cypher and Lilly.

Lilly glared at the bread and then looked up at Cyn. “Please tell me this is just an appetizer.”

“It’s more than it appears to be,” said Cyn.

As they ate their bread in silence, Lilly began to realize that Cyn was right; there was more to this bread. She felt full despite the small amount she had eaten and she felt her body being infused with energy. She was just about to remark on this when suddenly Cypher was on his feet from one breath to the next. His eyes narrowed as he stared into the trees and his head tilted to the side, listening. Cyn had stood as well and was looking in the opposite direction as Cypher. Lilly started to stand but stopped when Cypher looked at her and put a finger to his lips. She moved more slowly as she rose, trying not to make a sound.

Cypher narrowed his eyes as he searched for the elves he knew were watching them. He'd felt their eyes on them for several minutes now. He also knew they had been following them for quite some time. He didn’t feel like they were in danger, but he preferred to be able to see his potential adversary, and not have wonder if they were indeed planning to attack. He looked over at Cyn and saw that though she too was alert and looking into the forest, her stance was relaxed, indicating that she did not feel a threat either.

“You would find out our purpose for being here a lot quicker if you revealed yourselves.” Cypher’s voice carried though he didn’t yell.

Silence met his words as they waited to see if the observers would reveal themselves. Several moments passed. Finally, a tall form stepped around one of the large trees. He strode forward until he was in the center of the clearing and the light of day revealed his appearance. He was tall with long lean muscles. His hair was blonde and straight, hanging down his back. There was a single braid in front and some sort of adornment woven into it. He took a step closer revealing sea green eyes, high cheek bones, thin lips drawn tight in a straight line and a strong jaw. His ears were slightly pointed at the tips but not any larger than a human’s. His clothing looked as if he had walked straight out of Lord of the Rings, complete with a bow slung across his back. He didn’t say anything right away he just stared. His eyes landed on each of them, evaluating the level of threat.

“I am Thalion, of the Elves. What brings a human, a Warlock King, and a Fae Guardian into our realm?”

“We went to a bar first, but that joke didn’t seem to pan out, so now we’re going for a human, a warlock and a fae walk through a Veil. Doesn’t quite have the same ring, but we’re hoping the outcome is better than at the bar.” Lilly knew she was rambling and she had tried to tell herself to shut up, but for some reason her mouth just kept moving. Cypher glared at her and she mouthed “Sorry” to him.