When Embers Grow

Chapter Eighteen, Part Two: Red Eyes

With a crease between her brows, she paced down the hallways and towards her chamber. Alex should still be there. After rounding the millionth corner, she finally made it to her rooms. She swung open the door and marched in to find Alex fast asleep.

"Really?" She shook her head with a small smile and padded over to him, casting aside the book that his head had lay face-down on. She chuckled softly as a quiet snore sounded from him. Without intending to, she caught sight of her reflection. And froze.

"My hair," she whispered out loud. "Alex..." She shook him, "Alex, wake up!" He jolted awake and jumped out of the chair, frantically looking about him. When he found no foes ready to spring out at him, he looked at Ivy in a confused manner.

"What is it?!" He asked, as if he couldn't take it anymore.

"Look!" She hissed, pointing a finger towards her hair.

His eyes widened as he took it in. The few strange coloured strands that had been almost invisible, had grown overnight and took up half of her hair. Including a not so invisible strand going through her fringe.

She hadn't found time to ponder over what Iel had told her about her heritage. Part of her hadn't wanted to.

"I'll tell Irian!" Alex declared and turned to go.

"No! Do not tell him, don't tell anyone you hear me?" She spun him back around to face her, a stern expression on her face.

"Okay, okay, I won't." He held up his hands in defeat, then lowered them when he looked at her properly.

"It's happened again." He murmured, staring at her in wonder.

"What?" She asked quietly, touching her face self-consciously.

"Your eyes. . ." It was his turn to spin her around, so she could face the mirror.

Her eyes were a cloudy green colour that was much duller than usual. Except one thing. Usually, the green dominated the gold but this time. Oh, the gold flourished. Bright and enchanting and mesmerising.

"The-" before she could get any further, someone burst through her door and practically fell into her rooms. She whirled around, a dagger in her hand and was met with coal black eyes.

"Ivy something's happening, Fairies all over the castle are becoming more enhanced. Their original rareness becoming more noticeable, abilities becoming better." It was Iel. Instead of his usual icy blue eyes, his eyes were like whirlpools of nothingness.

Poetic, she thought.

They were a vast darkness and a startling contrast to his even whiter hair.

"What's going on?" She asked nervously, glancing at Alex who was standing stock still.

"Irian thinks it might be Roman." Iel replied rather cautiously.

"Roman? Why would it be him?"

"Irian thinks that we may have underestimated him-" Do not underestimate him, the princess had said. "-that he might have some powerful allies, people with magic on their side."

"Well, what do we do?" Ivy asked, sometimes orders made her feel capable.

"We round the Fairies up, and face our problems head on."

"What book did you read that out of?" She asked, laughing despite the situation at hand.

He just gave her a pointed look and turned towards the door, then paused and looked back at Alex.

"You can't come." He declared, eyeing up Alex in something quite similar to disgust.

"What? Why?" Alex demanded, his jaw clenching and fists tightening.

"Because your not a fairy, are you?"

"No, I'm not. But I should be there for Ivy." Alex glanced at Ivy as he said this.

Iel huffed out something that sounded like a laugh.

"There for Ivy? You haven't-"

"Iel." Ivy interrupted, glaring at him.

"Alex, I'll be okay. Just stay here." She took Iel by the elbow and guided him towards the door. After shutting the door with a soft click, she turned to Iel.

"What was that about?"

"I-" he sighed and looked at the ground. "I don't know."

"Well," she searched for words and then, when nothing came up shook her head. "Oh, let's just go."

They walked in silence until they got to the large room that Iel had discreetly rounded up the Fairies in. It was a simple room with low hanging beams, white walls and a large oak table that took up more than half of the room. Iel nodded to a place in the uneasy crowd and then turned and walked to the other side of the table. She weaved her way through the crowd until she had a good view of Iel and couldn't help but notice that few women were there, mostly confused looking men. The only woman other than herself was a frail looking old woman who was hunched as far away from the crowd as she could get.

A few men gave the woman dirty looks and sneers. Which only made the woman whimper and curl into herself.

Ivy frowned and went to step forwards but found herself held back by a strong vice-like grip.

"Wouldn't be in here ma'am, or is it sir? I can't tell from your clothes." She blinked in astonishment at the large man in front of her.

"Quite frank, aren't you?" She raised her brow as she spoke.

"So sorry about my friend here, miss. A bit of a blunt one I'm afraid." Suddenly, another giant man swooped in a put an arm around his friend, smiling down at her warmly.

She felt rather smothered.

"Uh, it's fine-" She began but was cut off by the first man.

"Friend? I'm your brother you little rat." The menace in his voice made Ivy feel uncomfortable.

"Brother I am, unfortunately."

"Well, you little-" but he didn't get to finish, his brother was already gone. With a grin, he turned and vanished into the crowd.

There was more people than she expected.

The first man turned and then paused and turned to look at her, right into her eyes. She forgot to breath. Before, she hadn't really been looking at him. His eyes were a glassy deep red with a single black circle lining the pupil. It was breathtaking, along with his handsome features and fetching style. However, she couldn't help but feel cold all over. In London, he'd be identified as a Fai and be hanged for it.

She prayed that, that law didn't extend to the Sorkinians.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead closed his mouth and smiled rather dashingly. Then, with an inclination of his head, he was gone. Disappearing through the crowd much like his brother.

She turned towards where Iel stood with a shake of her head. Trying, and failing, to get those red eyes out of her head.