Faerie Ring

Chapter 3

Mina was sick of waking up in strange places.

Luckily the tiny cabin she awoke in wasn't as strange as the meadow. The bed she lay in was soft and there was a simple dresser pushed up against a wall along with a vanity table. It simple and chic, but it was also a place completely alien to her.

Spyros was sitting at her bedside, handing her a cup of what looked liked water. "You should drink, I'll explain everything soon enough."

Mina took a sip, and then another. God, she'd never take water for granted again, she was so damn thirsty.

"Explain while I drink." His eyes, cold and calculating, seemed to follow her every move. This close up she could study his face more clearly. His skin was brown and he had a slight scar in his cheek, pale compared to the rest of him. And he was utterly gorgeous, if she was being frank. His black hair was wavy and all over the place, untamed and wild. Quite the opposite of him currently.

"Alright," he sat back slightly, crossing an ankle over his knee. "This Forest is one of many in the Kingdom of Ashraven. Ashraven is ruled by one King and Queen, while the forests are ruled by one single monarch. Are you following?"

Mina frowned. "One single monarch? Why not two? A King and a Queen? Or a Queen and a Queen?"

"It's not traditional," Spyros explained. "My mother, she may be queen but she may not rule. The oldest offspring will always be first in line for the throne, it has always been done this way."

"Are you first in line for the throne?"

"Yes," Spyros said simply. "Each of the forests have a different. Goldenbrush is the one you're currently residing in. Mellowdew is another. Windfeather and Honeystar are the others. The four forests are divided into sections, cardinals if you will. We are the west. Honeystar is the east. Mellowdew is the south. Windfeather is the north. Understood?"

Mina gave a shake of her head. "I need to write this all down."

"Perhaps later," Spyros continued on, not questioning whether or not Mina needed a second to think. "There's more to know, politics and all, but you need to understand why I brought you here from the mortal world. Your mortal world, to be more specific."

"My mortal world? What does that mean?"

"The world you came from, of course. It's much too complex to explain now. Humans do not exist in this realm, but we know of their existence in others. Think of it as many different beads on a necklace. Each the same in likeness but the coloring is different, maybe the shape is off. That is what these realms are, to transport and ship in between worlds."

"So what you're saying," Mina handed back the empty glass to him, motioning him to fill me into the cup. "Is that I'm easy to transport in between these worlds for.... What exactly?"

Spyros slowly poured more water into her glass, the pitcher steady in his hands. Strong hands, she noticed. Working hands, from the look of it.

"That is what I'm trying to explain to you," he handed back the cup. "There has been a murder. A friend of mine, brutally assaulted and cut up and thrown into the river. Your job is to find out who did it."

Mina stared at him, uncomprehending. "Pardon? I have to find out who killed your friend? Why?" She backtracked. "I'm sorry for your loss, truly, but we've only just met. I barely know you. Why...... why me?"

"It was the will of the spirit," Spyros motioned towards the door, to the outer world. "To bring a human to our rescue, to show that a weakness has been brought forth to us. The Faeries rule this part of the forest, but we are not invincible, we cut and bleed as easily as a babe. That much was proven just a few days ago. You must help us."