“Not yet, Cær ta’il!” I whisper gently and reverse the glamour spell.
The magnificent Taer Vallhen dissolves. Dark nothingness and a belt of barren floating rocks replace the pearl of the elven kingdom. A chilly wind sweeps over us, powdering us with fine black dust. Distant starlight pierces the murky air around the massive hovering rock on which my hideout stands.
Without magic, the water quickly cools, and Celeste shudders. Covering her bare breasts, she turns to face me.
Her beautiful face freezes in confusion.
“Diaphonus, where are we? Tarcyll? What happened? What was that explosion?”
So, she remembers. Venom taints my veins when she mentions Tarcyll. A vision of her, panting, lips parted, as she watched the spymaster fondling her friend. He would have had the girl straight in the middle of the club and then move on to Celeste without blinking; I’d seen him do it before. How can she still hunger for the lusty spy when she can have the fair and pure priest?
“It is a place between places, a moment frozen in time. My hideout between the realms. I shaped it to remind me of my home—" .
“You glamoured me again, didn’t you?” she snaps, and I feel my power over her crumble.
“Let me explain, Celeste.”
“How did we get here?” She looks around in confusion, suddenly appearing small and helpless, and I gesture to invite her out of the water into my chambers, where I have warm blankets and a fire.
“I portaled us here.” She lets me wrap my arm around her shoulders, and I gently guide her out of the pond.
“You used magic and disclosed our location to that monster chasing us!” the human hisses and struggles against me, yet I hold her tight until she relents like I would hold a tiny, wounded beast while healing it.
“The Dreadful One is not interested in harming us, the Hunters.” I calm her while walking her into my bedroom. “And you are the one who cast a spell first, Celeste. When you… had your release with the spy—”
She freezes, looking around with eyes wide. I guess it’s a lot to digest.
“I was… glowing,” Celeste says softly as if speaking to herself, “and for a moment, it felt like… like I was levitating!” She looks at me questioningly, and I nod. “I was using my magic!”
We enter my hideout. The chamber hasn’t changed much since she woke up inside. Just the deep sapphire of the skies over Taer Vallhen has melted into the darkness of the interdimensional void.
I wrap her in a blanket and seat her next to the crackling fire. She looks like a scared human child in the flickering light.
“Tarcyll is probably unharmed. When Fae withdrew from the human realm, all kingdoms agreed to keep our existence hidden and operate in your world in utter secrecy. No Hunter would risk a conflict with another unless there is no gain. And the Dreadful One is after you. You are safe here. He cannot enter this place. The wards protecting it are ancient and powerful, and it is hidden well among the cosmic chaos,” I add, trying to cheer her up.
“Tarcyll is probably unharmed? And that’s good enough for you?” Celeste is furious. So unusual for her reserved demeanor. Her eyes glitter with rage, and I suddenly feel like a monster. “I thought you were friends.”
“More like competitors turned partners due to a common interest. And I am sure he would understand that I took you to this safe place to protect you. The arcane wave you released when you climaxed was noticed all over the Crystal Serpent,” I answer, rubbing her shoulders and feel the already familiar sting of jealousy and possessiveness. I am treading dangerous ground here.
We sit in silence. I give Celeste time and space to adjust.
“What are you going to do with me now?” The flames reflect in her strange eyes, and I am again drawn to her in a way I have never felt in my long life. Was it a coincidence that I have crafted the illusion of us as cæer-ta’alm, souls bound to find each other in all planes of reality? Is this what I desire?
“Feed you, as a start.” I gesture toward the dining room, where the table is already loaded with steaming plates. The mouth-watering aroma tickles her nose, and she stands up and follows me to the feast I have just created.
Moments later, the human dunks pieces of golden-crusted bread in the stew, chews flavorful tomatoes, and helps herself to large pieces of aged cheese, flushing them down with a strong mead. A drink she was cautious about at first but praised later.
Brows arched, I watch her eat and enjoy the sight. Humans and their short, hurried existence, fragile, like candles on a windowsill, beautiful and fleeting like shooting stars… What an irony to place the hope for our powerful kind in one of them.
“And what comes after?” the woman challenges behind the raised glass.
“You know what we are after, Celeste,” my voice rumbles and startles her. “You have cast a spell. Powerful enough to draw the attention of the enemy.”
She winces under the blanket, “You have saved me…” she mutters reluctantly.
I nod.
“I know how it works now, Celeste,” I say softly and study her face. “I know how to reach out to that power locked inside you. And you know it, too.”
