Sorem awoke on the fourth day, renewed. The first thing he did was listen but there were no words uttered about him. He was dressed and out the door, heading to the lagoon but bumped into someone at the bottom of the steps.

“Watch it,” the man growled and spat. “Filthy ‘uman.”

The words puzzled him, and he would have turned to watch the blond hair man’s retreat but a voice reached his ears.

Vadde.

“Well, is he here? I must return this to him. It must be today.”

Sorem spun around, looking for a possible source. As this was his first time using this magic, it brought a disorientation.

“I do not think it wise to engage him,” the innkeeper’s voice came. “He’s strange. He has wealth but no purpose when here. That is not common for an inn. In fact, I have a cousin—”

“Yes, yes. Good, good. I suppose I should simply leave it with you then. But that seems so rude.”

“No. Don’t leave it with her,” Sorem whispered, panicked. “Jvalan, where is she?”

But the Jvalan’s interests lie elsewhere. “We must follow that man. He—”

Sorem struck the cage then made his way into the tavern upon the silence.

And there she sat in her beautiful white dress, his handkerchief on that filthy counter.

Sorem brushed himself off and took a deep breath before sauntering forward.

He hoped to look casual but as he closed in and the innkeeper leered at him from behind the bar counter, he realized just how impossible that was, a bit too late.

No matter. He was already close. The innkeeper leaned in to whisper and Vadde sat up then turned on the stool, her hands on her lap, smiling wide.

The greeting had Sorem slowing in his stride but then it propelled him forward again—she was happy to see him.

Feet falling faster, Sorem closed in. A force shoved him aside and Vadde jumped down to greet the blond man from before.

“Matax. Look at you! What has become of you?”

The man was tall, and lanky and Sorem only caught his balance in time to see him take the chair beside Vadde.

Unlike others who wore varying degrees of animal hide, Matax wore the regular clothes of a peasant. The grimace on his face as he sat came with a complaint. “I have business with you. More specifically, with your idiot bedfellow.”

“Stop calling him my bedfellow. And where is Jeze?”

Matax opened his mouth to yell but paused and looked around. “Good question.” He considered her words. “Was I supposed to wait for her?”

Vadde shook her head, amazed. “You are the worst person I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting. Where is she?”

Making a sound under his teeth, he jumped from the stool and stomped out. “I’m going. I’m going.”

Now on his feet, Sorem closed the space between them.

Sorem was slow to sit down but had little recourse when Vadde spotted him.

“Oh, good morning!”

Even her voice was a dream.

The innkeeper looked between them. When she walked away, Sorem felt more at ease.

“Here. I’m glad for the chance to give this back to you in person. And thank you. I wasn’t at my best when we first met, and your generosity touched me.”

Speaking of touched. She rested the handkerchief on her modest bosom in an action meant to show sincerity. Flashes of her body invaded his mind’s eye and he fought to ignore them.

Once the folded cloth came to a rest on the counter before Sorem, he felt hollow. Now there was nothing to connect them.

She observed his body language well. “What’s wrong? I’ve washed it, if that’s your worry.”

But as she reached for the handkerchief, he did as well, and their fingertips touched.

The sound she let out and the accompanying blush had Sorem staring at his hand now resting atop the white cloth. This felt addictive.

His heart thumped, his pulse raced, and he opened his mouth to say something he deemed charming, but the words weren’t his.

“What’s that?”

Vadde’s eyes remained on the bird cage on Sorem’s hip. It was small enough to garner few curious inquiries usually. Of course someone as beautiful as Vadde would be equally as keen.

Normally, Sorem would brush off questions regarding the Jvalan but today he was eager to impress her.

“This?” he said, unhooking the cage. “This…this is something magic.”

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“Oh?” But her pretty lips continued with that o shape until her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. “Jeze!”

The young woman to enter was equally as blond as Matax.

Vadde hurried to take her hands and lead her to an open chair. Matax flopped down on Sorem’s left and banged the counter.

“Mustn’t you feed us?” he bellowed.

His counterpart walked unsteady. “Matax, mind your manners.”

“But we’ve wasted such energy taking this blasted form, woman.”

Jeze gasped. “Matax!”

Her admonishment had Matax offering a glance at Sorem before looking away.

“Oh, this man carrying the fairy? I doubt he’d be stupid enough to try something.” Matax’s head rotated until he stared Sorem down directly. “Right?”

Sorem puzzled over his words for some time, but Vadde returned to his side, curious.

“Fairy? What fairy?”

Matax pounded the counter again. “Food!” he demanded. When nothing came of his efforts, he sat down and answered Vadde. “He’s carrying around an empty cage. Doesn’t it stand to reason it’s got a Fae in it?”

His astute observation had Sorem panicked but it drew Vadde in.

“Is that true?” Vadde asked, though she leaned in and squinted at the seemingly empty cage. “Is there a fairy inside here?”

Matax, at first looking for the innkeeper, glanced at Vadde and warned, “Don’t put your finger in there. You may not get it back.”

Vadde drew her hand away before doing just that.

Her big brown eyes took Sorem in. “Sir, do…do you have a fairy in this cage? Has it done something wrong?”

All eyes shifted to Sorem and he sat up. But beyond their scrutiny, he had concerns of his own.

Matax was his first problem, so Sorem turned to the man and demanded, “How do you know so much about the Fae?”

The tall figure tensed. Matax blinked and shook his head.

Impossible. The spell didn’t take. A glance at the Jvalan on the counter in the cage showed her eyes fully open, staring Matax down. She was distracted, somehow Sorem knew, so he pounded the counter, much like Matax and she glanced at him.

The Jvalan closed her eyes once more and Sorem felt confident enough to inquire again.

“How do you know so much about the Fae?”

Matax turned in his chair and leaned forward. “How do you?”

What was happening? Why wasn’t it working?

Panic filled Sorem’s body, but he tried again. “Do you know much about fairies?”

Matax’s black eyes gleamed as he smiled. “Do you know much about fairies?”

Sorem lost all words. How was this man able to counteract the spell?

His resistance didn’t last for long because he fought to keep his mouth closed but failed and opened his lips to confess, “Yes. I know quite a bit about fairy folk.”

Jeze, and even Vadde, gasped.

Adequately satisfied, Sorem sat up. It could work, even when someone resisted.

“And why is that?”

Matax stared him down yet again. His jaw vibrated and he opened his mouth to answer but the innkeeper rushed in.

“Wyrn’s here! He’s returned.”

Vadde jumped to her feet, her face aglow. But just as quickly, all amicability vanished and she scanned the room, desperate for escape.

“What are you for?” the innkeeper asked.

“Tell him you didn’t see me,” Vadde declared, hurrying to the window. She shocked everyone by hopping up and catching the sill. “And tell him I didn’t ask about him. And that I’m furious.” Once she climbed up, she sat there and begged, “But not too angry. Just angry. And if he’s asked if I’ve asked about him, you let him know I haven’t.” When she turned to climb down, she lost her grip and slipped out, taking a terrible fall if the scream was any indication.

Sorem rushed to his feet, intent on providing rescue but she popped her head up again.

“But not that I haven’t thought about him at all, you understand. Just not much. In fact, you haven’t seen me!”

And in a flash, she was gone.

Sorem puzzled over what had just happened.

She was running from someone. Someone frightened her.

Perfect.

He could provide his services.

With a smile perhaps too wide, he turned to run out of that inn but came back and snatched his cage and his handkerchief from the blond brute before doing so.

The Jvalan was inconsolable. “What are you doing, idiot? Do you know who that was? Go back! What of your quest? Go back!”

Sorem shook her violently enough to gain silence as he rushed out. He had to catch up with Vadde before losing her completely.

As he closed in on the front door, a short man nearly collided with him.

“Move! Get out of my way!”

The hunchback stepped out. He had the nerve to say, “I’d argue that you are in my way. But I doubt that’s how you’d interpret it.”

Sorem ignored his empty words and hurried out into the streets. He looked left, then right but it was to no avail—Vadde was gone.

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