leave the trees behind us, we can fly, run fast, or travel by horse if available. We won’t have horses because there are none so close to an iron city. We can’t run because you wouldn’t be able to keep up, and we can’t fly because some of us can’t fly at all. That leaves one option: walking.” He kept his eyes on the path, swinging his short sword in front of him to slice off a branch that had swung back toward them.
“What about using a car? Or even an airplane? Why not go that way?” She felt utterly confused and not one bit satisfied with his answers. She was starting to wonder what was so great about being a faery if you couldn’t do regular things like drive, or ride in an airplane.
“No way would any faery ride in one those things. They reek of iron! Like I’ve told you, iron is deadly to faeries. If faeries stay around iron for long periods of time, they become seriously ill.” He snickered as he beat back another branch and walked along. He seemed amused and maybe a little frustrated that he had to explain the iron sickness again.
“But, you and Jack can tolerate it,” Shade replied. “Is it just you and him then? Plus, it doesn’t bother me at all either. Why? I’m part faery, supposedly. Is it because I’m part human?” She dodged a large leafy bush that was in her way just before it slammed into her chest.
“Yes, I suppose it’s because you’re part human, though not all halflings are so lucky. The fact that you’re half human, you get the best of both worlds. It’s the human part of you which allows you to escape from the dangers of iron sickness, and you can hide in the iron cities without any problems.”
“What else are the faeries vulnerable to?”
He furrowed his brows and seemed to pause for a second to ponder her question. His contorted features made her smile, realizing she’d never get over how amazingly handsome he was. She wondered if he had a girlfriend in this fairytale life of his. It made her glad he didn’t need glamour, even though none of them wore it at the moment, besides Jack. They were staying within the Guildrin forest until they reached the valley of the Teleen so no human interactions would be part of the trip. It made her wonder how big the forest really was. She had so many questions, she just didn’t know where to start.
“Well, if you think about faery stories, they can be quite useful in helping you defend yourself against the fey. Cold iron is toxic, as you know. People can fend the fey off by reversing their clothes. That works mainly against the more sinister creatures of Faerie. We also have an ointment of truth that humans can use to have ‘true sight’, unless a faery allows them to see past our glamours or tricks. Fire keeps most wild fey away; I guess they don’t like the burning carbon. I’m not sure, though. Not much of it bothers me, but anything not related to nature is pretty much an anti-faery charm.”
“I would always keep some sort of a memory charm on you to remember your way home. Those are impervious to spells any faery might throw at you to make you forget who you are and enslave you.”
“You don’t sound like a friendly bunch.” Shade snickered. “Honestly, I can’t see you guys being that bad.” She waved toward the other warriors and shook her head. “I just don’t get it.”
Soap laughed a deep, taunting laugh that made Shade glare at him. She hated being laughed at. Shaking her head, she continued on, ignoring his snarks. The other warriors were already a good deal ahead of them.
They remained in silence for a long time after that. No one spoke. Everyone silently hiked along, slicing down branches. Only the crunch of dead leaves and twigs filled the afternoon air. The birds twittered above, sometimes flying in groups with their wings flapping loudly. It wasn’t easy moving fast in the forest. Roots and uneven ground were plentiful, threatening every footstep with a fall, or worse, broken bones if one
“What about using a car? Or even an airplane? Why not go that way?” She felt utterly confused and not one bit satisfied with his answers. She was starting to wonder what was so great about being a faery if you couldn’t do regular things like drive, or ride in an airplane.
“No way would any faery ride in one those things. They reek of iron! Like I’ve told you, iron is deadly to faeries. If faeries stay around iron for long periods of time, they become seriously ill.” He snickered as he beat back another branch and walked along. He seemed amused and maybe a little frustrated that he had to explain the iron sickness again.
“But, you and Jack can tolerate it,” Shade replied. “Is it just you and him then? Plus, it doesn’t bother me at all either. Why? I’m part faery, supposedly. Is it because I’m part human?” She dodged a large leafy bush that was in her way just before it slammed into her chest.
“Yes, I suppose it’s because you’re part human, though not all halflings are so lucky. The fact that you’re half human, you get the best of both worlds. It’s the human part of you which allows you to escape from the dangers of iron sickness, and you can hide in the iron cities without any problems.”
“What else are the faeries vulnerable to?”
He furrowed his brows and seemed to pause for a second to ponder her question. His contorted features made her smile, realizing she’d never get over how amazingly handsome he was. She wondered if he had a girlfriend in this fairytale life of his. It made her glad he didn’t need glamour, even though none of them wore it at the moment, besides Jack. They were staying within the Guildrin forest until they reached the valley of the Teleen so no human interactions would be part of the trip. It made her wonder how big the forest really was. She had so many questions, she just didn’t know where to start.
“Well, if you think about faery stories, they can be quite useful in helping you defend yourself against the fey. Cold iron is toxic, as you know. People can fend the fey off by reversing their clothes. That works mainly against the more sinister creatures of Faerie. We also have an ointment of truth that humans can use to have ‘true sight’, unless a faery allows them to see past our glamours or tricks. Fire keeps most wild fey away; I guess they don’t like the burning carbon. I’m not sure, though. Not much of it bothers me, but anything not related to nature is pretty much an anti-faery charm.”
“I would always keep some sort of a memory charm on you to remember your way home. Those are impervious to spells any faery might throw at you to make you forget who you are and enslave you.”
“You don’t sound like a friendly bunch.” Shade snickered. “Honestly, I can’t see you guys being that bad.” She waved toward the other warriors and shook her head. “I just don’t get it.”
Soap laughed a deep, taunting laugh that made Shade glare at him. She hated being laughed at. Shaking her head, she continued on, ignoring his snarks. The other warriors were already a good deal ahead of them.
They remained in silence for a long time after that. No one spoke. Everyone silently hiked along, slicing down branches. Only the crunch of dead leaves and twigs filled the afternoon air. The birds twittered above, sometimes flying in groups with their wings flapping loudly. It wasn’t easy moving fast in the forest. Roots and uneven ground were plentiful, threatening every footstep with a fall, or worse, broken bones if one
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