The boiling, lid-covered pot idling in the corner of the room fills it with a pleasant heat, and decorates it with a savory aroma. Revus, Faraine, and I are hiding near the ceiling atop a beam of wood above the living area that stretches from one wall to another. Revus and Faraine peek down at the commotion below while I sit listening to the unknown words as they disrupt the peace of the elves' home.

It sounds like two guys are talking? So Rhys, but who’s the other? I dart my eyes back and forth from the well-built, handsome, black-haired fairy to the slender, youthful, blue-haired one. Tracing their movements, I watch them for any changes in their body language to try to understand the situation below. Dang it, I have no idea what’s being said. And listening like this is driving me crazy. I bite my lower lip and, alongside Revus, crawl over to the edge of the smooth timber.

Glancing beneath us, in the center of the room, I see a table with two blonde elves seated around it. One is Sana, the elven woman with shriveled hands I just healed. The other is Shelly, a young elven girl that I have recently started interacting with. They are both staring intently at two other blonde elves, both men, who are talking in front of a door to the right of the kitchen.

I gulp. Wasn’t he-

“What are you doing?” Revus inquires as he pulls me away from the ledge.

Turning and looking up at him, I shoot, “What? I was just looking.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean.” Revus quietly snaps back, “If you fall-”

He suddenly goes silent, staring blankly at me. A moment later, he turns his head slightly as if to listen in on what is being said below.

I furrow my brows and start to ask, “That guy-”

“Shhh,” Revus hisses, raising his index finger over his lips, his eyes turned away and his focus elsewhere.

Revus’ eyes go wide as he and Faraine turn to look at each other. I don’t like that look.

I poke Revus in the leg and he directs his attention back to me. I agitatedly ask, “What happened?”

“Hang on,” Revus snaps once more, “It sounds like they’re almost done.”

As I sit there moping, I bring my hands in front of my mouth and clasp them together. I think he was with those people that… that captured me. A chill runs through my body as painful memories of my wings being ripped from my back flood my mind. Please. Don’t be about that. Please. I clench my hands tighter. Just go away. We’ve already got enough to deal with.

Thunk. Click.

Sounds of a door closing and a metal lock echo through the now voiceless room.

Revus leans back, placing his hands on the ground behind to prop himself up, and exhales heavily. He stares up at the ceiling and very clearly utters, “Fuck.”

“Can one of you fill me in, please,” I anxiously plead.

“Simply put, the elf that was just here said that there are some hunters coming to town,” Faraine starts to explain, “and one of them is the leader in charge of the hunters.”

“Like, the guy at the top?” I remark skeptically.

Faraine nods a few times, “Yeah, him.”

“Argh! Why?” I bellow, placing my hands over my face. After a brief moment, I pull my hands away, return my gaze to Faraine, and glumly inquire, “Is it because we escaped?”

“Nope,” Faraine answers, turning and pointing to Revus, “It’s because of him.”

I look at the forlorn fairy. He is still facing the ceiling, but he is giving me a sideways glance. “They’re coming here for Revus?”

“Apparently,” Fararine sighs.

“Do they know we’re here?” I probe.

“No,” Revus definitively affirms, “From what that enōōfen said, they think we’re still in the mountains.”

“Then why?”

“Because these en-” Revus starts to say, but stops and sits up straight. He turns to me and continues, “Because Rhys was a part of the group that captured you.”

I tilt my head slightly. He called Rhys by his name.

“Basically, the leader of the hunters is coming to speak with the group that captured us to learn more about Revus,” Faraine clarifies.

“But why Revus?”

“Who knows?” the black-haired man gripes, “Maybe because I attacked them?”

“It sounded like they were focused on your black wings,” Faraine comments.

“Why would they care about that?” I ask.

“My best guess is that I look different,” Revus replies, looking at me, “Most fairies that left the spectral realm were either newborns like yourself with white wings, or fairies like Faraine with, at most, two elements.” Revus manifests his wholly black wings, lustrous yellow glitter dances off of them. “Mine however, are rare. So…” His wings dissipate, leaving behind nothing but the glowing yellow dust. “…perhaps they see me as something unique that they need to study.”

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I glance from one to the other, their bodies tense. Revus is clenching his fist tight. Faraine is fiddling with her bangs.

I lower my head and regretfully ask, “Should we leave?”

Light, rushed chatter of the elves, and the gentle bubbling of food being cooked, ripples through the room.

“I think it would be best if we left,” I somberly mutter, “My condition hasn’t-”

“Evetta,” Revus interrupts.I look up at him as he continues, “Everything’s going to be fine, so you don’t need to be so upset.”

“He said that these new hunters will be in town tomorrow,” Faraine notes, “If that’s the case, there’s a good chance they’ll stop by here to talk with Rhys.”

“Shelara too,” Revus adds, “Since she also saw me a few months ago.”

“Hmm… I see.”

I bring my legs up to my chest, wrap my arms around them, and plant my face between my knees. “What if they find us though?”

“As long as no one says anything, no one should find us,” Revus states, “I doubt they’d think we’re staying at an enōōfen’s house, especially if they think we’re still in the mountains.”

I look up at him.

“Besides, even if they find us,” he glances at Faraine, “We’ll keep you safe.” He looks back at me and flicks my forehead.

“Ow,” I reflexively whine, rubbing my forehead, “What was that for?”

“Our priority is getting through this winter, so we’ll be staying here for the time being,” he consoles, smiling warmly, “And if that isn’t enough to ease your worries, then, if anyone other than this family discovers us, we’ll leave. Alright?”

I nod, smiling faintly, “Okay.”

“Adding on to what you said a moment ago,” Faraine joins in, “With us being this close to town, the likelihood of them searching here is lower.” I look at her as she continues to explain. “Aside from the mountains up north, they might think to look in the surrounding areas like Valnia, or even farther south if they expect that we’ve already passed by here… since the weather has been nice.”

“Yeah,” I agree. So, we’re going to be okay. I smile as I rest my chin on my knees.

“Good, then we’re all in agreement that we’ll be staying here,” Revus affirms, standing up. He walks over to the ledge of the wooden beam and peers down below. “I don’t know if it’s Completely safe so…” he glances back at me, “...for the moment stay up here.” He turns to Faraine, “Keep her company.”

Faraine nods courteously, “Of course.”

“I’m going to make something for dinner. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Alright, don’t scare them anymore,” I remark.

Revus manifests his wings, “I’ll try not to.” He sighs, then drops off the beam.

With Revus gone, I turn my head to look at Faraine, resting my cheek on my knees. Then, I say, “I don’t doubt that he’s trying to keep me safe but…” I spin on my butt, lift my head, and stare at the woman in front of me. “…was there anything he left out or didn’t tell me?”

“You think he’s hiding something from you?” Faraine inquires.

I sigh, “No, at least not this time, but… even now there are things he won’t tell me so… I just want to know that he’s being completely honest right now.”

“Hmm…” she ponders for a moment, “If there was anything that he didn’t mention… it would be how much they emphasized wanting to capture ‘the black fairy’.”

So he was keeping something from me. I sigh, placing my face between my knees. He doesn’t want me to worry about him. I get that, especially with my condition… but I wish he’d be more open with me about things. I hate being left in the dark. It makes me feel like I’m a burden.

“I have something I want to ask you,” Faraine states.

“What’s that?” I ask, lifting my head to look at her.

“Are you feeling okay?”

I tilt my head. “Yeah, I feel fine. Why?”

“Well…” she hesitates, scratching the back of her neck, “That was a lot of spīīr you absorbed earlier.”

“Was it?”

“Yes… it was.” Faraine declares.

“Okay… Geez, I get it.”

Faraine shrugs, “I don’t think you do.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“What you can do is pretty incredible,” Faraine emphasizes.

“But I didn’t do anything,” I reply, “I just touched her fingers.”

“Ugh!” Faraine shouts, “You’re such a natural that you really can’t get it…” She sighs, lowering her voice. “Listen Evetta, what you did isn’t something anyone can just do. With the amount of spīīr that was in her hands, I doubt hundreds of fairies, together, could have dealt with that.”

“And now you’re exaggerating,” I remark, rolling my eyes.

“Even if I am to a degree,” she explains, “doing something that a hundred fairies together couldn’t handle is still incredible, especially for a newborn.” She puts a hand up to her head. “You saw Revus try, and it looked like he almost passed out. Maybe one hundred Revuses would’ve been able to deal with it,” she shakes her head and chuckles once, “but not all fairies are as talented as him.

Please no, I can barely handle one Revus. Ninety-nine more, no thanks.

“And even if there were one hundred of him, it would’ve taken them some time to deal with it… and yet, you.” She points at me, “You did it instantly.”

Faraine’s energy tapers off as she drops her hand and goes quiet.

“Was it that big of a deal?” I ask, looking over to see her turned away from me.

“Yes,” Faraine murmurs just loud enough for me to hear, “Absorbing that much spīīr shows you have massive potential as a future skryver.” She turns her head to look at me again and claims, “But more importantly, by doing that, you saved Sana.” She smiles.

“I…did…” I guess it didn’t hit me because we got sidetracked by the hunters.

Faraine gets up, walks over, and sits down next to me, “You should be proud of what you did. You saved someone’s life.”

“It doesn’t feel like I did though. I just wanted to try absorbing the spīīr.”

“Even if it wasn’t your intention, the fact remains,” Faraine nudges me, “If Sana lives, it’ll be solely because of what you did tonight. Rhys will still have a wife. Shelly and Rydel will still have a mother. Their family will still be whole, all because of you.”

“It feels weird, getting praised for something like this.”

She smirks, “You’ll get used to it, I imagine.”

You say that, but you look really sad.

Before we can continue, Revus returns with dinner for the three of us. We eat his delicious meal in relative silence. Once done, he disposes of the eating utensils and starts talking.

“I’m thinking about going out and investigating the hunters.”

“Absolutely not!” I argue, standing up and grabbing his shirt, “It’s dangerous. They have those birds, and what if you get captured. You just said that they were looking for you!”

“I know,” he replies, “But if we’re going to stay here, I’d feel more comfortable if we had more information about them.”

“Faraine,” I look at her, “Please tell him how dumb his idea is.”

She glances at Revus and asks, “What information did you have in mind?”

“Faraine!” I shout.

“How many hunters are here.”

“Revus!” I bark, glaring at him.

“Where in town they’re staying,” he adds.

“Stop ignoring me!” I demand as I stomp on his foot.

“But I figured since we have time, and their leader is coming to town,” Revus looks down at me, unfazed, then continues, “I thought this might be our best chance to obtain information about where the captured fairies are being held.”

I stop.

Revus locks eyes with me. Where the… I slowly lower my arms. Right, there are others that have been captured.

“Sorry for hurting you,” I mumble.

“It’s okay,” he replies, “You didn’t.”

Faraine chuckles, then turns to Revus, “You know it’ll be risky, especially if you go by yourself.”

“I’ll be careful. I always am,” Revus states, “And it’ll give me a chance to assess the surroundings. Besides I want to do a bit of flying, being encased in ice has left me feeling stiff.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” I complain, “I want to go into the town too.”

“No,” Revus flatly refuses, “Not with the hunters searching for us. You still can’t fly either.”

“Please,” I beg, looking up at him ecstatically. “What about when my wings are healed? Oh,” I add energetically, “And if my condition isn’t acting up. Please Revus, I want to see the enōōfen town.”

Revus takes a deep breath and sighs heavily, “It’s just a town. You’ll see plenty more in the future. It doesn’t need to be now, does it?”

I quietly stare up at him, feeling my excitement deflate and my smile wane, “Like usual, you’re right. I know that, but…”

“I’ll think about it,” Revus heaves, “but only if your condition stays as is. Any ice and it’s an instant no.”

Looking up at him, I smile slightly, “Thanks.”

“Alright, come on, it’s dark outside,” he notes as he puts his hand on my head, “We should all get some sleep tonight.”

“Okay.”

Revus flies down to inform Rhys and the others that we are going to bed. Meanwhile, Faraine picks me up and flies me upstairs and into the giant bedroom we have been sleeping in for the last few nights. Faraine places me down on a gargantuan pillow that is atop a massive dresser hidden within the bedroom closet.

It’ll be nice to go into town and see how different it is from Svelta. Crawling over the pudgy material, I find a soft spot, adjust it until it is the most comfortable, and lay down. I wonder if they’ll have more devices like the one Sana let us use. I yawn as I curl up into a fairy-sized ball, pull my blanket over me, and close my eyes. A few more days. It feels like forever since I’ve last flown. Soon. Very soon.