lesser civilization.” He actually says this with a straight face but the gleam in his eyes tells me that that is far from the real reason.
I’m about to say something else when Mom and Dad float through the living room wall. Mom has a determined look on her face and Dad has a worried one. He floats to my side and places his cold hand on my shoulder in a show of support. “Julienne, there has to be another way. We can’t put our daughter’s life in the hands of a complete stranger.” Finally, someone is taking my side.
“Jim, I don’t see that we have any other choice. I just don’t know enough about the ways of the Fae. That knowledge was not passed down to me. I don’t know if that is because it is lost or if my parents were planning to include that in my education but I left before that time.” I can see some lingering guilt in her eyes about how she left her parents.
Dad looks long and hard at Kallen. Finally, he asks, “What would you do to protect my daughter?”
What? He’s seriously considering this, too? “Dad, no! What is wrong with you guys? You were the ones who told me not to talk to strangers let alone go off with one and here you two are saying I should do both.”
Kallen once again ignores my complaints. “I believe it would be best to keep her in the mountains where she could practice her magic without drawing attention to herself. I would be able to shield our path from detection by Maurelle and Olwyn.”
“You mean live outside? In the snow?” Yeah, like that’s going to happen!
Kallen has that disdainful look on his face again. “You are half Fairy. Living in the open air should come naturally to you.”
“Yeah, well, apparently I didn’t get that gene. What’s your plan – to live in caves and eat berries from trees?”
“If we are lucky enough to find a cave that would provide adequate shelter from precipitation, then yes.”
Seriously, this is not my life. I cannot really be standing here discussing living in caves with a Fairy. And my parents are on his side. Definitely an alternate reality.
Mom still has that determined look on her face. “Xandra, if he takes a blood oath to protect you and he fails, he will die.”
Well, there is that I guess. But that’s still not enough for me. “How can you seriously be floating there telling me I’d be safer with Kallen when you can’t even say his name?”
Mom looks confused. “What?”
“Not once since we brought him inside have you called him by name. If you trust him so much then how come you barely look at him or talk to him and you don’t use his name?”
“Xandra, I am not doing that. I have no problem calling him by his name.”
“See, you did it again! You said him instead of Kallen.”
“She will not speak my name because it will lessen the affect of her magic on me,” Kallen says from the couch.
I think Mom is just as dumbfounded as I am. “What do you mean?” I ask him.
Kallen looks at me evenly as he explains. “It was probably taught to her when she was very young, as it always was with Witches, that calling a Fairy by name lessens the effect of her magic on that Fairy. She may not even realize she is doing it as it was probably repeated so often to her when she was young that it became etched into her mind as a natural response. Apparently some of the old teachings have held true.”
Turning back to Mom, I ask, “Is that true?”
Mom gives me a half shrug. “I do seem to have trouble letting his name pass through my lips.”
I whirl angrily back around to Kallen. “So what you’re saying is that every time I have said your name it has lessened my ability to use whatever magic I may have against you?”
I don’t miss how he has to keep his lips from curling up on the sides. “Your Witch magic may not have such a
I’m about to say something else when Mom and Dad float through the living room wall. Mom has a determined look on her face and Dad has a worried one. He floats to my side and places his cold hand on my shoulder in a show of support. “Julienne, there has to be another way. We can’t put our daughter’s life in the hands of a complete stranger.” Finally, someone is taking my side.
“Jim, I don’t see that we have any other choice. I just don’t know enough about the ways of the Fae. That knowledge was not passed down to me. I don’t know if that is because it is lost or if my parents were planning to include that in my education but I left before that time.” I can see some lingering guilt in her eyes about how she left her parents.
Dad looks long and hard at Kallen. Finally, he asks, “What would you do to protect my daughter?”
What? He’s seriously considering this, too? “Dad, no! What is wrong with you guys? You were the ones who told me not to talk to strangers let alone go off with one and here you two are saying I should do both.”
Kallen once again ignores my complaints. “I believe it would be best to keep her in the mountains where she could practice her magic without drawing attention to herself. I would be able to shield our path from detection by Maurelle and Olwyn.”
“You mean live outside? In the snow?” Yeah, like that’s going to happen!
Kallen has that disdainful look on his face again. “You are half Fairy. Living in the open air should come naturally to you.”
“Yeah, well, apparently I didn’t get that gene. What’s your plan – to live in caves and eat berries from trees?”
“If we are lucky enough to find a cave that would provide adequate shelter from precipitation, then yes.”
Seriously, this is not my life. I cannot really be standing here discussing living in caves with a Fairy. And my parents are on his side. Definitely an alternate reality.
Mom still has that determined look on her face. “Xandra, if he takes a blood oath to protect you and he fails, he will die.”
Well, there is that I guess. But that’s still not enough for me. “How can you seriously be floating there telling me I’d be safer with Kallen when you can’t even say his name?”
Mom looks confused. “What?”
“Not once since we brought him inside have you called him by name. If you trust him so much then how come you barely look at him or talk to him and you don’t use his name?”
“Xandra, I am not doing that. I have no problem calling him by his name.”
“See, you did it again! You said him instead of Kallen.”
“She will not speak my name because it will lessen the affect of her magic on me,” Kallen says from the couch.
I think Mom is just as dumbfounded as I am. “What do you mean?” I ask him.
Kallen looks at me evenly as he explains. “It was probably taught to her when she was very young, as it always was with Witches, that calling a Fairy by name lessens the effect of her magic on that Fairy. She may not even realize she is doing it as it was probably repeated so often to her when she was young that it became etched into her mind as a natural response. Apparently some of the old teachings have held true.”
Turning back to Mom, I ask, “Is that true?”
Mom gives me a half shrug. “I do seem to have trouble letting his name pass through my lips.”
I whirl angrily back around to Kallen. “So what you’re saying is that every time I have said your name it has lessened my ability to use whatever magic I may have against you?”
I don’t miss how he has to keep his lips from curling up on the sides. “Your Witch magic may not have such a
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