This Stephen was stunning; he would definitely stand out in a crowd. He kept his brown hair short but his strong beautiful eyes glowed grey/white and sharp swirling Celtic type tattoos framed one side of his face in brilliant blue. He had a scar that ran down the other side of his neck that he had probably earned in battle. Shade hoped she wouldn’t have to engage in any type of fighting on the journey she was about to begin.

“And Rylan, well, he is quite extraordinary. He is part Teleen, like Jack, but he has a skill for shape shifting, and can be almost anyone you can think of. There are not too many of his kind left. We don’t know what else he is; he came to us as a young child, lost in the forest. But, he is loyal and handy in a pinch.”

“Who’s Rylan, Ilarial? I don’t remember him being introduced.” Shade’s eyes landed on the handsome man sitting next to Jack, who was studying her intensely. She couldn’t recall his name. His long, golden-brown hair loosely framed his face nicely and his brown eyes gleamed at her. This was the man who had winked at her across the table earlier. Shade felt her cheeks flush at the thought and stared at her plate.

“People call me Soap, my lady,” he said. “But my real name is Rylan. Nasty little nickname I caught when they first found me, dirty as an alley cat. I think my fascination with soap sealed the deal. I don’t believe I ever had a bath before that day. I was about six years old when our dear Ilarial found me wandering the nearby woods I don’t remember much before that. I have been thankful for her and my queen’s most gracious hospitality ever since. It would be an honor to defend you on this quest, Shade.”

He bowed his head, as her name rolled of his tongue, making her heart flip. His presence was intoxicating. He didn’t seem to drop any glamour at all. She ripped her gaze away from him, she was sure her face was an unfavorable shade of scarlet red. Shade kept wondering if he had any glamour on and if her feelings were caused by his magic.

“And last but not least, Ewan,” Ilarial said, waving her hand at the husky quiet man, who sat at the other end of the table. He happened to be seated next to Sary. Ewan was large man, with big hands, and burly hair all over. His squared jaw was busy chomping hard on each bite of food. His thick, black and greasy hair was slicked back, and stroked his shoulders. He was large and didn’t seem like someone you would want to fight with in a bar. “He is part giant and human and very strong. He would be the one you would want next to you in a fight. He has been almost everywhere and will be your guide to the land of the Santirans. I believe he’s the only one who has even been there.”

The husky man gave a slight nod to Shade and continued shoveling food into his mouth. He had polished off two plates already. He wasn’t bad looking, just rough around the edges.

Shade sipped her juice, realizing how exhausted she was. She wished to see her mother, sister and brothers. What would they be doing? Brisa, what would she think when Shade didn’t show up at school in the morning? She slipped her cell phone out of her pocket and looked at the time. It was eleven pm. She had ten missed calls from her mother, and three from Brisa. She began dialing her mother’s cell when Ilarial placed her hand on the phone and shook her head.

“No calls will work from here, Shade. I know you fear for your mother, but I will take care of her. She will be okay, and I can weave a spell to help her believe you will not be gone long. I can make her believe you have been at a friend’s house, maybe? And the rest of your family too, they will not notice you are gone, I promise. I also promise to you there will be no pain for them. Time works differently here in the faerie lands than they do in the human mundane world. You will not be missed; I say that in a good way, though.” Shade swallowed hard with a nod. She obviously had to trust these people. She saw no other way but to do what they asked of her. “Ilarial, about the voices in my head, what do I do with them? Can you make them go away? Can I learn to control them? I feel like banging my head against the wall sometimes when they won’t stop. They make me go where they want, and if I don’t listen they become intolerable. They’re the ones who led me to Jack and subsequently to you and this strange world. I can’t live like that. It’s distracting and I feel like a slave to it. What if they tell me to not go on this journey, or go somewhere else? I am powerless to ignore them. What if they drive me insane?”

Ilarial nodded, thinking hard about Shade’s words. She sighed and seemed to come to a decision. “Follow me; you will sleep in my quarters tonight. I will give you a potion that will help you control the voices, it will aide in blocking them out when you want to; it will also help you listen to them when you’re ready to. Having more control over The Voices will help you develop your own powers. You will be able to decide your own fate, while you are still so young and untrained. If you practice, in time, you can learn to use them for your own benefits. This is a difficult task, but I will help you. Will you agree to this?” Shade nodded and felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Finally, there is someone who could help her after all these years. She just prayed that it would work.

Ilarial led her back through the branches of tunnels that led to her own chambers. She made up a bed in the second room. She then motioned to Shade and indicated she should get in it. She handed her a bottle that was filled with a silvery liquid.

“Take this Shade; it will last until you return here, probably a couple weeks. It will help you be calm also, don’t worry; I’m not drugging you. It’s just a pleasant side effect of the water, and it will quiet the voices in your head,” she said again, “I’ll be in the other room, across from yours, if you need anything at all.” She gave a warm smile and Shade felt the familiar calm. She nodded and poured the liquid down her throat; it was sweet, but left a metallic aftertaste. Licking her lips she smiled at Ilarial as she exited the room. She pulled the thick soft blankets over her body and squeezed her pillow under her. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep in the silence.

Chapter Three

Shade woke up and it was still dark. There was only a sliver of light shining around the corner and from the room; the door had been left open. She had a queasy feeling and for a moment and felt like she had temporary amnesia. Sitting up, she dangled her legs over the side of the bed. She was beginning to wake up as the blood began circulating more through her body. She looked around at her surroundings and the events of the previous day rushed back into her. She wondered what time it was.

Her cell phone was still working and she grabbed it from atop of her backpack that was beside the bed, on the floor. After she flipped it open, the bright screen hurt her eyes, and she squinted at the little digital clock 5:15am. No wonder she felt tired, she was not used to waking up so early; she was always a late bird, rarely making it to school with more than a minute to spare.

Both her feet touched the cool stone floor, and she as she bent over, she felt around for her socks and shoes. She wondered what she would take for clothes on this journey. She couldn’t very well ask to stop by home to pick up some stuff. Well maybe, maybe her mother would be gone most of today. She’d have to ask Ilarial if it was possible or she would be faced with the endless stench of not changing her clothes. She slipped on her shoes shaking her head and stood up. Nope, definitely must get some stuff from home. She walked into the main room of Ilarial’s chamber. This is where she had first seen the great oracle.

She was unsure of the coming events of the day but she had her backpack and she decided to examine her ‘supplies’. I doubt there is anything useful in here for a perilous journey, Shade sighed. She unzipped the bag and observed the contents. In the bag were her schoolbooks, along with some snacks. Her mp3 player was also nestled in the small zippered pocket in front, as well as a dozen pens, pencils, erasers, a stapler and a tube of lip balm. Other than her books and snacks, there was only her notebook that was full of poems and stories she constantly wrote in when bored.

Shade then shook her head and sighed. She had to stop by her house and dump her textbooks and fill it with essentials. She needed her toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, washcloth, towel, toiletries and such. Probably any non-perishable food and water she could carry would be good too. She ran her hand through her matted, long brown hair; it was wavy and frizzy from sleeping on it. She groaned, because she needed a brush badly. She heard a swish behind her and whirled around to see Ilarial standing at the doorway of the suite.

“I tried to be quiet, I did not want to scare you. Here, take these clothes. I know you need things that you must get from your house. I have already cast a spell on your mother. She will leave at seven am to run errands and shop with your siblings. She is just fine and very happy; I will make sure of it.” She handed a pile of light but luxuriously soft tunics. There were also trousers included; the material was soft and felt like pajamas. Ilarial also handed her a belt and leather strings to tie the tunics with. She also furnished some leather hard-soled shoes; these were also soft but surprisingly sturdy.

“Soap can take you to your house, he is on his way. Do come back by ten am. That is when they will be about ready to leave. Can I see your backpack? I can help lighten the load with a shrinking spell, anything you place in you pack will shrink inside hundreds of times its normal size and return to normal when you take it back out. Whatever you want, just summon it and it will come straight to you. You can bring anything you wish.” Shade nodded in awe, as she handed the pack to her. Ilarial whispered the spell softly and ran her hand over the pack, closing her eyes. When she was through, she returned it to Shade.

“There, see? It’s light as a feather.”

Shade held the pack and it felt really light, as if it was empty. She opened it and reached inside for one of her textbooks, it appeared in her hand immediately, though she couldn’t see anything inside the dark pack. “Wow! That’s amazing! I can stick whatever I want in it now, right? Does it have a weight limit? That is just way cool!” Shade felt her excitement fluttering through her now, her fatigue evaporated.

Ilarial laughed, “Yes, dear Shade, anything you can think of, a most useful spell don’t you think? You could move your whole house in one trip.”

She smiled warmly, that same smile that felt like cozy hot chocolate melting the cold of winter away. She motioned for her to follow her into another bedroom. This one belonged to Ilarial. Her bed was in the centered in the middle of the room. It was layered with thick, clean, but colorful blankets; and there were also a number of pillows. To the far side of the room was a rack, filled with weapons, silvery knives and sharp stone arrows, and wooden tipped ones that filled the corner. There were also hatchets, axes, throwing stars and daggers that overflowed the rack.

“Please, choose some weapons. I find that if a weapon calls to you, it’s meant to be yours solely. Feel them sing to you Shade, touch the metal and the wood, tell me what you feel. Please, take the ones that you like.” She motioned to the weapons, as Shade gaped at them from the doorway. She stepped closer and reached out to touch them, her fingers landed on an ornamental dagger. There were gems on the hilt and they were glistening in the candlelight, along with the blade of the dagger. The blue and blood red jewels brightened as Shade’s fingers brushed the handle.

Shade stepped back with excitement in her eyes. “Wow, they feel like they are buzzing under my skin! Is it magic?” She reached out and touched some of the throwing stars, which hummed equally as loud as the dagger. They were glowing with an eerie blue and green hue around the steel. She could feel the power radiating through the dagger, it made her heart race and her fingers tingle.

“Go ahead Shade, take some and place them in your pack, you may need them sooner than you think. Your aim will be true; your strength will increase hundredfold with them. Just use them wisely and never in haste.”

Shade frowned at the ominous statement; she didn’t want to need to use any kind of weapons! Who would? She placed several stars, daggers and a sword in her pack, all small enough for her thin hands but big enough to do some kind of damage, if only she knew how to use them. She looked at Ilarial, pausing with slight fear rising to her throat.

“What if I don’t come back? What exactly are we going to go through, that I would need such an entourage and magical weapons? It’s kinda freaking me out a bit. I’m just a regular girl; I really am not an outdoorsy type of gal. Why do I have to do it, Ilarial? I don’t see why it has to be me.” Shade felt a tightening in her throat as panic set in and it became hard to breathe. Pressing her lips tight into a flat line, she took a moment to gather her thoughts before she frowned and continued. “You need a half blood, I know. Why me though, I can’t be the only one on earth? Why me? Please don’t be offended but I really don’t want to go!” Tears welled in her eyes and she did her best to keep them from spilling onto her cheeks.

“Shade, I am truly sorry that you feel this way. I know it’s very overwhelming and confusing. I have foreseen that you, and only you, can do this and come back alive. I have not told you this but there have been others brought to me before, but they were not suited for this.” She paused, sighing deeply and stroking Shade’s hair back. “Don’t underestimate yourself, you are strong and carry powers you have barely begun to explore. The warriors will help you; teach you how to use your magic and strength. Let them in, heed what they say and show you. You are in the best hands now. I know you will come to know that this is not a curse but a blessing.”

Someone cleared their throat and both of them turned around. Soap bowed his head as he entered; ready to take Shade into the unknown. “Soap at your service, Shade. Hello, Ilarial. It is time to for us to leave.” He straightened and waited quietly.