“Who’s that?” Fen muttered, craning his neck to see.

“Looks like they ordered pizza, it’s the delivery person.” Axl replied, peering through the binoculars. “Oh, there’s someone else…hmm, he looks like Michael. I’d say Michael’s older brother. He’s got some sodas and a laptop bag.”

“I wonder why he showed up.” Fen frowned.

“Hmm. Let’s get a bird’s eye view again.” Axl said, putting down the binoculars. The bodyguard’s magic surged as he borrowed the eyes of a sparrow, and directed it to sit on Mercy’s windowsill. “This looks into the living room. They’re chatting. Looks like the older guy is hooking her phone up to his computer. I’d say they’re checking to see if you put any malware or trackers on it.”

“I didn’t and had no reason to, but I can’t say I blame them. Things were alright with her when I left the clinic, but I really don't blame her for still being wary." Fen shook his head, grimacing slightly.

“A girl has gotta be careful.” Axl said knowingly, letting his magic lapse. “Do you want to get closer?”

“I don’t know how we would without getting caught.” Fen muttered.

“I’ll go do another round. Make sure everything is alright in the immediate vicinity.”

“Thanks.”

Axl got out of the car.

Fen sighed, watching his bodyguard lumber up the stairs to walk around the floor Mercy’s apartment was on.

He’d had Breya get him from the clinic so that there was no way Mercy could recognize Axl, by sight or by magical signature, in case she was able to sense the differences in magical signatures yet. Not that Breya couldn't have done what Axl was doing right now, but…well, given his choice, Fen would always choose Axl. They’d been inseparable since childhood, so it only made sense that he’d choose Axl over Breya, who could be a little paranoid and over-protective, at times. Breya also wasn’t all that fond of humans. Axl, who was half-human, couldn't care less.

Despite looking like any human’s idea of a demon, complete with red skin, black hair, yellow eyes, goat legs, horns, and a forked tail, Axl was the kindest and friendliest of creatures, tied only with his wife, Rose, who was Fen’s housekeeper. She was also half-human.

As the walkways and stairs leading to the various apartments were open-air, Fen was able to track Axl’s progress as he ambled contentedly around Mercy’s floor, then headed back to the car.

“All seems calm. I listened at the door for a little bit, it sounded like they were playing video games."

“Right.” Fen muttered.

“We should get pizza too.” Axl told him.

“Fine.” Fen handed over his phone and credit card for his friend to order. “I want pepperoni and black olives and banana peppers. And pineapple.”

“Freak of nature.” Axl muttered jokingly.

“I don’t get it all the time.” he rolled his eyes. “Besides, it’s fine on pizza. You like sweet and savory just fine until it’s pineapples on pizza, you hypocrite.”

Axl just laughed, and tapped on the phone for a few minutes. “Alright, it’s been ordered.”

“Good.”

It was quiet for a few moments.

“I wonder what kind of pizza they got.” Fen muttered, idly curious.

“Want me to find out?”

“No, I don’t really care. I’m just bored.”

“Let’s hope we stay bored.” Axl said, frowning a little. “I’m not sure what will happen with her. She’s very visible now.”

“I know.” Fen murmured.

“She’ll be safe enough while she’s at work and around all those people, but when she’s at home could really be an issue.”

“Let’s not assume anything yet. It might be okay. She’s relatively unassuming otherwise.” the dark-haired fey man muttered, though he was just as much trying to convince himself of her safety.

Their pizza came, delivered right to the car, and they ate their respective pies without much conversation. The silence was comfortable, given how long they’d known one another. Hundreds of years had passed since they’d met, as they’d grown up together. Fen was the elder of the pair, but Axl was far more paternal.

The comfortable silence continued.

-

I shifted as I woke, and realized I must have fallen asleep on the couch. “Mm. Wha’ time is it?” I groaned, prying my eyes open, meaning to check my watch.

A pair of glowing red eyes hovered not two inches above my face, surrounded by a cloud of darkness.

Unable to help myself, I screamed, scrambling from my spot on the couch, which carried me over onto Thomas, who woke immediately.

“What?!” He gasped, waking with a start.

I swore as the glowing eyes came after me. I hauled myself off of Thomas and the couch, stumbling towards the kitchen, my mind on trying to find the salt. Salt had kept some of them away from me in the past.

“What’s wrong?” Michael asked sleepily.

Just as I was reaching for the salt shaker, the shadow with the glowing eyes was suddenly in front of me.

I tried to stop, but knew I'd wind up being carried forward and into the terrifying spirit by my own momentum. I had the worst feeling about what would happen if I touched the terrifying living shadow.

Just before I was carried into the dark spirit that had invaded my home, there was a loud crash, and suddenly, a blast of incredibly powerful magic surged through the apartment.

Then the spirit was gone.

“Oh god!” I gasped, sinking to the ground.

“Who the hell are you?!” Thomas’ voice cried.

I heard a familiar voice quietly ask, “Are you alright?” It was Fen.

“He, uh, it’s…it’s cool. We’ll explain in a minute.” Michael’s voice said, probably to Thomas.

“Wh-what…what are you doing here?!” I gasped, alarmed and confused, but reaching out to desperately clutch his arm nonetheless.

“I was worried something like this would happen.” the fey man sighed, shaking his head. “There were other spirits hanging around right outside your door.”

“I don’t think she’ll be able to stay here.” Another fey voice spoke.

I looked over, and blanched. This fey man was really quite scary. He had red skin, horns, a forked tail, and goat legs. The very picture of a demon. “O-oh.”

“This is Axl, he’s my bodyguard.” Fen said quickly, noting my wary expression. “He’s not as scary as he looks.”

“I promise I don’t bite, lass.” the bodyguard winked cheerfully at me.

For the first time, I noticed that both fey men were holding small round mirrors.

“Excuse me?” a quiet voice spoke from by the door.

I looked over, it was another spirit. This was the one I saw almost every day at the end of the hallway.

“Can you see us?” She looked mostly human, her dirty blonde hair in a bob-cut, but her eyes covered by a mask that looked like paper with a line drawn on it.

“I-I…” I was so out of sorts that I’d forgotten that I shouldn’t speak to the spirits.

“Oh! That’s unusual.” she said quietly, seeming surprised.

“Th-there’s one b-by the d-door.” I murmured to Fen.

He flashed his mirror at an angle and looked into it, “Oh. I see. The one with the mask?”

“The mirror lets you see it?”

“Yes. I’ll get rid of it.” He raised his hand.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Wait!” She cried, throwing her hands up into the air. “I’m not here to cause trouble!”

“Hold on, she seems peaceful.” I told him, then asked her, “What do you want?”

“What’s going on?” Thomas demanded.

“Just be patient!” Michael snapped at his older brother. "I'll explain later!"

“I just wanted to check on you after I heard the commotion. You always seem peaceful.” She paused, “Could you always see us?”

“Yes.” I said softly.

“I never would have guessed. Please be careful. You…you’re…like a bright light for us spirits, now. We’ll be drawn to you like a moth to a flame.”

“O-oh."

“Will these fey people help you?” the spirit asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

“I-I think so.”

“Good. You seem nice.” She smiled. “Please be careful. I’ll go now. I’ll do what I can to keep others away until you leave.”

“Th-thank you!” What did she mean, until I left?

The spirit smiled, then left.

“What did she say?”

“She said that…they’d be drawn to me now.” I muttered, looking down at my hands, “Sh-she said that they’d be drawn to me now, like moths to a flame.” Panic rose in me, and I put my head in my hands. “Wh-what am I-I going to do?! Th-they’ll k-kill me!”

“Mercy, what’s going on?!” Thomas demanded, striding forward and coming to a stop beside me. “Who are these people? Who were you talking to just now?!”

“We should let him see. And Michael, just so he can understand what Mercy sees.” Axl told Fen.

“Fine. Go ahead.” Fen nodded, then told Thomas, “We’re not human.”

Suddenly, the hazy glamours that I could usually see over all fey people dissipated.

“Oh my god!” Michael exclaimed, surprised, but grinning and clearly not alarmed.

Thomas, on the other hand, stumbled backwards several steps, swearing violently.

“We’re called fey.” Axl explained. “We’re here to help your friend.”

“That’s…what you look like, then.” Michael murmured, intrigued. He turned to his brother, quietly telling him. “Mercy has always been able to see them like this, through their disguises.”

“She can see more than just us, too.” Fen told him. “She can see things even we can’t see. Spirits. That’s what was standing by the door just now, and who she was talking to. I could only see them through the mirror.” he held up the small mirror.

“Th-there was one hovering over me a-as I woke up.” I shivered at the memory of the horrible shadow and its glowing red eyes. “I-it…was like a…a living shadow with glowing red eyes.”

Thomas gaped at me. “I-I thought you just…had an…intense imagination!”

“It’s okay if you thought I was crazy. Most people did. Except your brother.”

“I thought you’d…finally just grown out of it.”

“I learned not to talk about it, and how to ignore them. That’s all.” I shrugged.

“I-I…this is…insane.” Thomas sank down onto the couch, putting his head into his hands.

Stroopwafel and Sidhe emerged from their hiding places, and rubbed against me comfortingly. I reached out and petted one with each hand, drawing what comfort I could from my sweet little kitties.

“You…did you follow me home?” I asked Fen quietly.

“Yes. Like I said, we were worried you wouldn't go unnoticed anymore.” he shrugged.

I looked down. “I-I wish you hadn’t, but I’m…glad you did. Thank you.”

Fen was quiet for a few moments. “I’m sorry we kept tabs without permission.”

“It’s alright, given the outcome.”

Suddenly, the kind, masked spirit was in the doorway. “I hate to bother you, but I can’t keep the others away for much longer, they’re very curious, and I’m not not very strong!"

I relayed the message to Fen, feeling fear growing in me again.

“We should go.” Fen stood. “Michael, can you pack some of her belongings? Axl will bring them after we go.”

“What? Where are we going?” I demanded.

“My place. You’ll be safe there.” he told me, “We need to go.”

I could now see other spirits trying to push past the one who blocked their way. They were terrifying beings, all staring at me.

I took a deep breath. “What about my cats?”

“Axl, bring the cats too.” Fen directed, then turned back to me, “We need to make it to the car.”

“The spirits are trying to get in the door, though!” I squeaked.

“I see.” he frowned, then looked at the window. “I can get us out the window, but I’ll have to carry you. Is that alright?”

“I-I guess.” I muttered.

Michael hugged me close. “Be safe, alright?”

“I-I'll do my best.”

“She’ll be safe. And still able to contact you.” Fen told her. “We should go.”

A spirit had managed to get past the masked spirit, and was slowly getting closer to me. “Y-yes!” I whimpered.

“Alright.” Suddenly, the fey man whisked me off my feet, and with a flick of his wrist, used magic to open the window. Then we were perched on the sill.

Fen paused there, and I clung to him as I saw how far up we were, swearing vehemently in fear. Then we were falling, and I screamed, scrunching my eyes shut as the wind whipped past us.

Suddenly, the wind stopped, “You can look.” he told me.

We were on the ground, and he was walking swiftly through the parking lot, his glamour up once more.

I craned my neck and could see Michael waving out the window at me before ducking back in and shutting it.

Fen stopped by a black sports car, and put me down by the passenger side, and opened the door, then helped me in, as I was a little shaky on my feet after everything that had just happened.

Closing the door, he darted to the driver’s side and climbed in. I could see spirits drifting towards us. “C-can we go? Th-they’re coming!” I whispered, covering my face with my hands.

“Yes.” he started the car and started to drive.

It was quiet for a while.

“How is Axl going to follow us if you took the car?” I asked, finally having found my voice.

“Breya will get him in the car she has.”

“Who’s Breya?”

“My other attendant.”

I blinked. What now?!

-

Mercy was quiet as they drove. “I-I don’t even know where we’re going.”

“Like I said, to my home.”

“But where do you live?"

“In Faerie. We’ll have to use magic to get there.”

“Faerie?”

“My homeland.”

“I-I-I don't…where is it? I’ve never heard of it before. Is it an unofficial country where your people live?”

“It’s a very old, well-established country. It’s just not in this world, that’s why we’ll have to use magic to get there.” he told her, changing lanes, and using his magic to keep the lights green as he sped through traffic.

“Another world?” she sounded flabbergasted.

“Yes.”

“O-oh.” The young woman leaned forward, putting her head into her hands. “I-I don’t feel well.” Mercy muttered, then seemed to pass out.

Apparently that had been the final straw. Frankly, he was surprised she hadn’t fainted sooner.

So the spirits definitely wouldn't just ignore her, now. What other things might take notice of her as well? This thought filled him with a horrible sense of dread. There were older and darker things in the universe than spirits. Would those things now be interested in her as well? If they did, it would be his fault.

The fey man floored the gas, and soon sped down a deserted stretch of road. Pulling for his magic, he made the jump. The streetlights outside blurred, becoming trees as they entered Faerie.

The dread he felt dissipated with the jump to his homeland. There were spirits in Faerie, of course, but it would take them at least a little while to sense her presence, but if he could get her into his home quickly, then nothing would likely even realize she’d been brought into the realm until she left the borders of his estate. And only if she left unprotected, at that.

Now he was back in Faerie, he let his glamour drop, though Mercy could already see through it. Most of his people didn’t wear glamours while in their homeland, there was simply no need.

The gates opened with a wave of his hand, and he entered the protection of his own spells, more powerful than anyone’s. Nothing could get at the young woman now, not without his permission, anyways.

He drove up to the front entrance and parked. An attendant hurried out to take the keys as he went to the passenger side, opened the door, and scooped Mercy up again, though now she was unconscious.

Fen carried her up the steps, calling, “Rose!”, as the attendant drove the car away to be parked with the others.

Then Rose was there. Where Axl was every human’s idea of a demon or devil, Rose was exactly what humans would think of as a fairy, much like Amilee. She had sparkling dragonfly wings, beautiful pink hair, bright sunshine yellow skin, and comforting, dark purple eyes.

“Oh dear! Bring her this way, dear!” She directed Fen to follow her. Undoubtedly Axl had been in touch with his wife already, and let her know that she’d need to have one of the guest quarters ready when they arrived.

“Axl will be along shortly with her belongings and her cats.”

“Alright.” Rose nodded. She took them to a guest room just down the hall from his own quarters. “I thought, given the circumstances, it was better if she was close to you.”

“You did well.” Fen nodded.

“Good.” Rose smiled. “Let’s get her into bed.”

“Alright.” Fen nodded, he walked through the sitting room area and into the bedroom, laying her on the bed. When he spoke again, it was in Faerie. “She’s very scared. Do what you can to keep her calm and happy.”

“Of course.” Rose nodded, replying in Faerie.

“If…if by some strange occurrence, strange things begin to happen, let me know. Spirits are drawn to her, now.”

“That’s awful!”

“Yes.”

“I’ve got a mirror I can use to keep a good eye out. Should we arrange for a permanent guard?”

“Not right now. But if my spells prove less powerful than they ought to be, we may have to consider it.”

“Give yourself some credit, dear, you’re the High King of the Fey. The magic on these walls is among the most powerful in any world.”

“I guess…but what magic might there be out there that we don't know about?”

“Not much. Besides, you’ve had a god inspect your protection spells and say they’re unbeatable. She’ll be safe here.”

“Still.”

“Why…why the concern, sir?”

Fen was quiet for a few moments. “All of this is my fault. It was my fault she got burned, and it’s my responsibility that her magic was woken. So that the spirits are now taking notice of her is entirely my fault. She’d been able to live a relatively safe life up until now, and…well, that ability is gone now.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“Don’t apologize, Rose, I was stupid. I should have just left her alone.” Fen sighed, shaking his head. Then he managed a smile. “You’ve done well. I need to go send some messages. Please keep an eye on her until she wakes up."

“Yes! And then I’ll draw her a nice bath and bring her a lovely tea tray!”

“Sounds good.” he nodded, then paused, and said, “Don’t…let it slip who I am to her, alright? Let me tell her that. Just call me Fen, like I want you to anyways.”

“Alright.” Rose nodded.

“She’s a commoner, for lack of a better term.” he grimaced, “Let her serve herself and do things for herself as much as you can stand, she’s not used to being waited on the way most of our guests are, it would make her uncomfortable.”

Rose laughed, “I can work with that!”

“Thank you, Rose.”

“It’s my pleasure, dear!”