forehead. He was under the most pressure right now; his spell was what was keeping us all protected from this mysterious being. “Would you answer a few questions for me, Ottalie?” Ibrahim asked, his voice going soft to mimic hers.
She pressed her lips together, suppressing a broadening smile. She slipped her hands behind her back, where she held them, bashfully. Her pale green irises twinkled as she remained gazing back at Ibrahim without answering.
“We don’t mean you any harm,” Ibrahim went on in his quiet tone.
Even at his words, she backed away slightly. Her back hitting the tree trunk behind her, she glided around it, until she’d gone out of sight again.
But no footsteps sounded of her walking away, and we could hear her soft, shallow breathing. She remained behind the tree, just… waiting.
She was playing some kind of game.
Ibrahim inhaled, glancing nervously from me to my father. “Let’s move forward,” he muttered beneath his breath.
Our group approached the tree cautiously, stopping about five feet away.
“Ottalie,” Ibrahim repeated, like he was coaxing a child. “I would like to speak with you.”
Her hand extended around the tree again. Her forefinger outstretched and curved in a subtle beckoning motion.
“I am shy of the others,” came her whisper. “I wish to speak only to you.”
Ibrahim groaned, cursing quietly. “Looks like I’m going to have to use coercion,” he whispered. “I’d been hoping to avoid that.”
He outstretched his palms and moved forward, as if to summon the marsh dweller to him. But before Ibrahim’s spell could even reach her, she had darted off, swift and light as a spirit, through the trees. As though she could sense Ibrahim’s intentions.
We darted after her. If we lost her, we’d be back to square one.
“Wait,” Ibrahim called.
She let out a high-pitched giggle, which echoed eerily around the forest.
“Chase me if you want me,” she called back.
Ibrahim narrowed his eyes as we hurtled after her. I could see that he was attempting to get her when she dodged a tree and came into our direct line of vision, but she was so swift. As though she was flying, rather than running through the sludge.
We were also being impaired by the speed at which the solely-physical beings among us could run, i.e., everyone other than us fae. We weren’t that far behind her. And it was just one marsh dweller. One girl. If I could just grab her…
As I caught Lucas and Kailyn’s eye, I could see that they were thinking the exact same thing. We just needed to catch up with her and pin her down, for Ibrahim to cast whatever spell he wanted to on her.
“Ibrahim, we should—”
Before I could even finish my question, Lucas gave in to impatience and zoomed forward, away from Ibrahim’s protection.
“Wait, Lucas!” Ibrahim shouted.
The urgency of Ibrahim’s voice shook me. This was a bad idea after all.
I was about to follow Lucas and pull him back, when, in a blur of alabaster, the marsh dweller soared toward Lucas, and the two went tumbling into a rolling brook.
“Lucas!” all of us roared, hurrying to the water’s edge.
I expected to see the two of them underwater; perhaps the marsh dweller had been trying to drown him. Instead we saw a far more terrifying sight… nothing.
Just the rocky bottom of the stream. No signs that my uncle had ever entered the water at all.
Lucas and the marsh dweller had vanished.
Lucas
I had been lost in some kind of deep sleep, cocooned by warm liquid, thick as honey.
As my senses slowly returned to me, my brain lit up from an unearthly scent, a fragrance made in heaven itself. I hadn’t even known that it was possible to derive so much pleasure from a smell.
I drew a breath, my eyes slowly lifting open. My first vision was a ceiling of virgin white flowers. They were bound together in garlands, and draped so thick that I couldn’t even see what the ceiling was constructed of.
My neck creaked as I tried to
She pressed her lips together, suppressing a broadening smile. She slipped her hands behind her back, where she held them, bashfully. Her pale green irises twinkled as she remained gazing back at Ibrahim without answering.
“We don’t mean you any harm,” Ibrahim went on in his quiet tone.
Even at his words, she backed away slightly. Her back hitting the tree trunk behind her, she glided around it, until she’d gone out of sight again.
But no footsteps sounded of her walking away, and we could hear her soft, shallow breathing. She remained behind the tree, just… waiting.
She was playing some kind of game.
Ibrahim inhaled, glancing nervously from me to my father. “Let’s move forward,” he muttered beneath his breath.
Our group approached the tree cautiously, stopping about five feet away.
“Ottalie,” Ibrahim repeated, like he was coaxing a child. “I would like to speak with you.”
Her hand extended around the tree again. Her forefinger outstretched and curved in a subtle beckoning motion.
“I am shy of the others,” came her whisper. “I wish to speak only to you.”
Ibrahim groaned, cursing quietly. “Looks like I’m going to have to use coercion,” he whispered. “I’d been hoping to avoid that.”
He outstretched his palms and moved forward, as if to summon the marsh dweller to him. But before Ibrahim’s spell could even reach her, she had darted off, swift and light as a spirit, through the trees. As though she could sense Ibrahim’s intentions.
We darted after her. If we lost her, we’d be back to square one.
“Wait,” Ibrahim called.
She let out a high-pitched giggle, which echoed eerily around the forest.
“Chase me if you want me,” she called back.
Ibrahim narrowed his eyes as we hurtled after her. I could see that he was attempting to get her when she dodged a tree and came into our direct line of vision, but she was so swift. As though she was flying, rather than running through the sludge.
We were also being impaired by the speed at which the solely-physical beings among us could run, i.e., everyone other than us fae. We weren’t that far behind her. And it was just one marsh dweller. One girl. If I could just grab her…
As I caught Lucas and Kailyn’s eye, I could see that they were thinking the exact same thing. We just needed to catch up with her and pin her down, for Ibrahim to cast whatever spell he wanted to on her.
“Ibrahim, we should—”
Before I could even finish my question, Lucas gave in to impatience and zoomed forward, away from Ibrahim’s protection.
“Wait, Lucas!” Ibrahim shouted.
The urgency of Ibrahim’s voice shook me. This was a bad idea after all.
I was about to follow Lucas and pull him back, when, in a blur of alabaster, the marsh dweller soared toward Lucas, and the two went tumbling into a rolling brook.
“Lucas!” all of us roared, hurrying to the water’s edge.
I expected to see the two of them underwater; perhaps the marsh dweller had been trying to drown him. Instead we saw a far more terrifying sight… nothing.
Just the rocky bottom of the stream. No signs that my uncle had ever entered the water at all.
Lucas and the marsh dweller had vanished.
Lucas
I had been lost in some kind of deep sleep, cocooned by warm liquid, thick as honey.
As my senses slowly returned to me, my brain lit up from an unearthly scent, a fragrance made in heaven itself. I hadn’t even known that it was possible to derive so much pleasure from a smell.
I drew a breath, my eyes slowly lifting open. My first vision was a ceiling of virgin white flowers. They were bound together in garlands, and draped so thick that I couldn’t even see what the ceiling was constructed of.
My neck creaked as I tried to
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