#feyxhuman

[ink-and-sunbeams]

The Fey Path

Everytime my father asked me where I escaped to, I lied.

This was my gift, deception. It's not a sweet gift and it's not a gift that one should abuse. You have to care for it neatly. Otherwise, one day that gift may end up becoming a knife in the back placed there by your own hand.

This lie. The lie I handed to him so easily was something well-worn and entirely unimportant compared to the truth.

Green leaves and the summer warmth swam around me comfortably. I had walked this path many times, but each time it changed slightly and each time it became even softer beneath my barefeet. Excitement made me clench my fingers more tightly around the basket I'd been carrying.

I knew I had to share this.

Finally, I made it to the place where the willows bend and sweep their graceful branches across the face of the river. He wasn't here yet, but that was fine because I wanted the chance to settle first.

Unwrapping the contents of my basket, I brush my hands across the surface of the silver box that had been carefully nested inside. I knew once I clicked it open I would find a stone that swirled with a storm beneath the surface.

"What did you do?"

My friend and research partner was not entirely human. His body was a mangle of earthbent nature. So much so, that if you looked at him at a certain angle you would swear on your life it was just another shadow spot in the woods.

Dark hair twisted, tree-branch and ivy-tangled down across his eyes. Eyes, that were looking rather suspicously at me.

"Well, hello to you too." I sniped back.

"I did not say hello." His tone was as level as always as he made his way to sit down next to me. He peered over my shoulder at the silver box.

"Yes, I'm aware, I just- nevermind." It's always difficult to remember that sarcasm was not something that could be wielded against him. It didn't matter. I was too eager to share.

"Do you remember when we were talking about how some witches could take things out of dreams? Bring something back?"

He hesitated. "Yes. I remember, but that kind of magic is severely old and dangerous..."

I waited a moment for him to catch up as I gave him a better look at the stone. Recognition flooded his eyes.

"You didn't!"

A smile broke out across my face. "I did!"

"Bree, you did not." He was being a lot more serious than I thought he'd be.

"Look, I know that it is a bit on the dangerous side, but after we are done I can put it back." I kept my tone light and uplifting. Even he couldn't bring down my excitement. Not for this. "Just think of what we can do. This can unlock the door. You can get back! And, if I keep it or if I study it, maybe I can find a way to unlock that door permanently."

He was quiet for a long moment, but I saw the hunger in his eyes. He wanted to go back home, he had been stolen away from the main path for far too long.

Softly, he spoke. "The door isn't meant to stay open. The paths will come and go as nature intends, even witches can't keep that from happening. Maybe I can go back. Maybe. But if I do that means I probably won't be able to come back, and you... We may not be able to find each other again."

Now it was time for me to be quiet. It's not that I hadn't known this could be a possibility. It's just that I understood him too well. Being kept away from your true home was a story that I had also been apart of, my name penned in absolute ink. If I could write him a different ending then anything else wasn't as important.

"I know that. I do. But, I also know you and I know that being here isn't helpful for you. And you already helped me, so it's time I returned the favor."

That he nodded to. Favors. Bargains. Rules. All were important things to him. Personally, I often found them annoying. Like walking face-first into a spiderweb.

"Ok. Maybe you are right," He conceded, "Maybe. But if we use the stone to open the gate, it will use up an incredible amount of magic. And it will attract the attention of other unfavorable creatures. We'll need a plan."

"Perfect! We can make a plan. What's the worst that could happen?"

"We could both die."

"Let's not think about that. Now, how does this thing work?" I lifted the stone to the light.