James and the Fey (Legends of Pinewood 3)

5. When Your Powers Go Mild

"Uh, hello," I nervously greeted the 'lord of the fey' who apparently was real (unless he was a cosplayer with a very convincing costume). "My name is James. Nice to meet you."

Laurian didn't return my smile, nor the small wave I gave him in all my nervousness. He slowly took me in, like he was appraising me. "A human man," he stated.

"Yes, correct," I replied. "And you must be a spring fey, I guess?"

"He is the lord of spring," Isen corrected me. "And the ruler of this forest."

"Who I am doesn't matter," Laurian told Isen, though he kept his eyes trained on me. "What matters is that you have seen Dillon in the darkness. Tell me, how was he faring?"

I grimaced. Having everyone stare at me was awkward. Having to deliver bad news while everyone stared at me made it even more awkward.

"If I'm honest, he didn't seem to be doing well," I said. "I heard crying, and then he attacked me with sharp vines."

"Not a strange reaction, given that everything in that cursed land wishes to harm him," Isen replied. "He's not expecting a friend in the dark."

"Are you a friend to the fey, James?" Laurian asked.

I let out an uneasy chuckle at the intense way the lord of spring spoke and looked at me. "I don't know about that. We've only just met."

"Let me simplify it for you then," Laurian said. "Will you use your gift to save Dillon, or will you not?"

I shrugged. "I mean, of course if I'm able to help someone, I will. But I still don't know if I can help and what exactly you want from me. To fall asleep and somehow bring Dillon with me when I wake up?"

The silence that fell after my question lasted a little too long for my liking. I darted a glance at Laurian and then Isen. "What?" I asked.

"You mean to say... you don't know how to get Dillon out?" Isen eventually asked.

I cleared my throat. "Well, given that I didn't even know my nightmares were supposed to be a 'gift' rather than a huge inconvenience that cost me many sleepless nights before yesterday morning... No, I don't."

Both Isen and Laurian stared at me like they saw water burning. Thankfully, Xavier looked just as confused as I was, which at least confirmed to me I wasn't the only one completely in the dark here.

"What? What did I say?" I asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You don't know how to use your gift," Isen repeated.

I blinked. "No, I don't. Like I just said."

"That's impossible," Laurian furrowed his brows. He regarded me like I'd just offended his ancestors and dog in one breath. "That is like saying you don't know how to breathe. You know how to do it."

"Maybe it needs some time," Xavier suggested. "It's not exactly common among humans to be able to leap to different worl—"

"No," Laurian cut Xavier off. "You're born with a gift and know how to use it or you are not. If he doesn't know how to use it already as an adult, then he doesn't have the gift. You wasted my time."

First, I felt nothing but shock at the man's sudden harshness. Then, the anger set in and I silently fumed. Lord of the spring fey or not, who the hell did this man think he was?

They wanted me to come here. They tried to convince me I had some sort of rare gift. And now that they'd dragged me to their part of the woods halfway against my will, they had the nerve to tell me I was already supposed to know everything about my weird dreams?