The Story of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book One

Chapter Eight

The plane landed on a lonely tarmac, scraped clean of snow but surrounded by towering piles of it. The silence out there was heavy, broken only by the distant whine of the plane's engine as it powered down. No airport. No control tower. Just an endless expanse of snow, stretching out as far as the eye could see.

As I stepped off the plane, the cold hit me like a wall. It was bitter, biting into the thin fabric of my football jersey and threadbare jeans. My teeth chattered, and I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the icy sting spreading through my limbs.

"Where the hell are we?" I mumbled through clenched teeth, rubbing my arms for warmth. "Antarctica?"

Without a word, Erick draped a heavy cloak over my shoulders. It was warm, far too comforting, considering the source.

He wasn't forthcoming with the where, so my next question was how we got there.

"Magic," he replied with a dismissive shrug, "The quick answer is magic. The longer answer would hurt your head."

I shot him a sharp look, the sarcastic response only deepening my resentment. Of course, it was easy for him to act superior. He had everything-power, knowledge, privilege-while I had barely survived the last four years. My stomach twisted with a mixture of anger and the lingering betrayal that still cut deep.

"Oh sure, accuse me of being stupid, why don't you? Thanks," I sniped.

He gave me a long sigh, and seemed regretful.

"Well, since you want to know..." Erick began a long dissertation on the intricacies of why there was only one tarmac and no tower or airport. It started with a long-winded paragraph on the science and nature of portals and ended with the various physiologies and abilities of air faes.

We got into a sleek, black limousine, the kind that screamed wealth and privilege. It was a stark contrast to the rugged nothingness outside. As I sank into the plush leather seats, I tried to ignore Erick's presence beside me, but it was impossible. His voice droned on about air fae and portals, but I barely listened, focusing instead on the limo driver's silent figure. Anything to keep from acknowledging that Erick was right there, close enough to touch.

As Erick droned on about the mathematics of illusion, I studied the driver. He was a silent guy with hooded eyes and a beak-like nose. The moment we came up to the limo, all he did was nod and open the door.

I would have loved to have had him introduce himself now, anything to interrupt Erick. The seats of the limo were comfy and this was not helping me stay awake. And I wanted to stay awake.

After finding myself in his arms while I was unconscious. I felt the need to be awake.

After Erick finished his explanation, he continued to face me in silence. That face of his, so familiar and so hated, had haunted me for four years. I hated the little starbursts in his eyes; I hated his shining hair that reminded me so much of the snow around us, and I especially hated that mouth that still looked kissable.

Those lips upturned a little as his brow lifted in silent question. 

Realizing that I was staring, I sought something else to think about other than Erick's lips. "My friends - "

"They are coming with Keenan and Enan in another car."

"Enan and Keenan. That must have been Tweedle Dee and Dum's actual names. 

Their parents had rhymed their names. 

How... twinsy. 

I wondered which one was which but wasn't interested enough to ask.