Of Thorns and Glamour

My Own Battles

The next day feels like a blur, and I think Caleb notices me drained. "Did you get enough sleep?" I nod my head, but my eyes glaze over while reading with him.

After a few minutes I see a cup of tea in front of me and I sip it slowly. "Thank you," I say to him and give a small smile. Although I couldn't hide the havoc behind my eyes with the new information about Malphas and my mother. I barely want to think about Inchiki, as my stomach turns and the acts we preformed the other night. 

Caleb eyes keep glancing at me. "Did you give it to her yet? The bracelet, I mean," I ask him. He shakes his head, "When is the ball she mentioned?"

His eyes grew wary, "I'm going to give it to soon, we haven't spoken since then, but the ball at the palace isn't for another month or so. Honestly I won't attend unless she says yes." There was something else in that sentence, but if he won't explain more on the subject matter, I won't push him. I finish the rest of my tea, and felt much better, even if it was just a forceful awakening. "After an exceptionally bad day I always drink this tea, but it's hard to come by." He smiles at me, "So where are you from?" Curiosity on his face, so I just point up. "North?"

"Sure," I suggest, having to stay vague, "but you have a lot of questions, so why we do a question for a question. Why Silvia?" I lean back in my chair and cross my arms, robe folding around me like a blanket.

His eyes glimmer with nostalgic thoughts rising, "We met five years ago in class and became close, but something happened to her. We drifted apart and she started to care more about the politics of society, even though she always complained about it beforehand." He looks at something on his desk, "Still, I love the way she smiles, and how in-depth about her work she can be. We went through so many trials together, and I almost took advantage of how easy it was to get a long with her. I wish I could scream down the void at my past self for not telling her how I felt sooner." He ran a hand through his thick wavy hair, his glasses fallen down his straight nose. I watch him, as this was the only mortal I've gotten to really know. He took a sip of his own glass of tea, probably already cold. "Why didn't you apply to get in, it doesn't appear you lack financial funds."

I lace my hands together on my lap and stare into my tea cup. "I only was able to come here recently, and I only learned about this place about a month ago," his brows arch, questioning more, "I didn't want to go through any process of finding my abilities, so hence I recruited you as a teacher." I pull a small bell ball out of my pocket, tied to a string of dried grass, "If you have need to message me, please write on a small paper and ring this bell." I ring it and my faerie appears before me, "I will be gone tomorrow, but if you are unavailable please let me know prior and give the note to her." She steps on the papers between us, and Caleb looks at her with astonishment.

"What is she? A little folk with insect wings?" She flew up to his face and he held out his hand as she sat on his wrist. "She feels so real," he says while examining her.

"She's corporeal right now, but she's my familiar." I smile at her, and then stand up, grabbing my own sheets of notes. "I will see you again." I tuck them into my robe and my faerie disappears before his eyes. He blinks and looks back up at me as I walk out, giving him a loose wave of my hand as my goodbye. Once I'm downstairs, I unlock the door that leads to the library with my skeleton key, and enter into the shop. I drop my glamour and I turn the key in the other side of the door. Green bright light fills the shop and I open it to the forest we had been in before, and begin making my way to the spring.

Crows notice me and fly overhead, and I let Umbra out of my shadow. "Stay nearby," I give her a silent command of allowing her free to explore. She gives my hand a nuzzle with her wet nose, and runs off. I make my way up the path, finding the creek and follow it to the spring. I notice more flowers had grown around it, and I take off my clothes once I stand near the edge of the spring. I dip in to the warm milky water, it glows lightly with each ripple I make, and I soak in it silently. The sunlight gleams overhead with only small clouds passing over it. Small birds sing in the distance and the wind rustling the trees, and I lay out my cloak after I was done to dry off in the sunlight, the heat warming my bones. "So warm." I didn't realize I had drifted off to slumber until I wake up startled after I heard a crack of a branch. I sit up and saw the god of the forest across the way.