Beyond Glamour

Chapter 4

             The sun was hiding behind a massive patch of cloud but the light wind made Whitney think that tomorrow might be sunny and warm. She slowed as she approached the rising grey giant done in the Neo-Gothic style that housed the Business classrooms. She eyed the gargoyles, she had no idea why someone had decided they were what the school needed, and wondered if they would stay little stone figures. Yesterday evening’s sighting of a tree that was in fact a green-haired man had left her looking at everything with suspicion and a little fear, Bract’s warning still echoing in her mind.

            Her thought of him seemed to act like a summoning because when she glanced up the path, she saw him walking towards her. He smiled slightly at her through his pursed lips and waved a hand, his lively whistling audible to her. She nodded and stopped in front of the trio of benches that stood before the Business building.

            Bract slowed as he approached her, his whistling fading out as he grinned at her. “Where’s your shadow?”

            She nodded towards the stone steps that led up to the door in front of them.

            He glanced at the building then looked back to her. “In there? I thought he’d be out here, glaring at me for talking to you. He is very attached to you.”

            Whitney shrugged as she did her best to concentrate on the human version of him she could see. It seemed to help a bit, bringing that vision of him into a bit sharper relief though the horse she could also see still hovered over his features like a ghost.

            He returned her studying gaze, looking her over from the very top of her pale curls down the relatively short distance to where her feet crushed the yellow-green grass of the courtyard. Then he smiled at her, eyes crinkling up. “I’m glad you agreed to meet with me again. How are you adjusting?”

            “She’s fine,” Dylan said from behind Bract, making the other man jump. He moved around until he stood beside Whitney, his eyes fastened to the Fae.

            Bract recovered quickly, saluting Dylan with such an overblown gesture that Whitney smiled slightly. “Well then, shall we be on our merry little way? I only ask because I don’t think this is the best place for a discussion such as ours will be.”

            Whitney nodded when she saw Dylan glance at her. “This way then,” she said, walking towards the river and the benches she knew would be empty. No one went to the river this early in the year. Not when there was still a chance of snow and mud was everywhere.

            The way the horse him pranced while human Bract sauntered along beside them made Whitney think he knew where they were going. She supposed since he was a Puca that it made a lot of sense. He probably spent a lot of time in rivers and ponds, she guessed, noting the way his horse ears were pointed forward.

            Water squelched up through the half-dead grass they walked along, their path indicated by the more yellow bit of grass, only its trample dead appearance left of what had been a path before the snow.

They heard the river before they saw it, its water brown and gushing, still swollen with the melting snow and ice. The benches were as empty as Whitney had guessed they would be, the flaking green paint on them mercifully dry after a rainless day. Dylan and Whitney sat down on the left one and Bract perched himself on the other, his legs drawn up to his chest.

“How long does what you dropped in her eye last?” Dylan asked after a moment of silence.

Bract sighed. “It’s quite permanent. Unless we find a way to remove it, but the others don’t think that’s very likely. It’s incredibly rare and hard to make and I can only imagine that an antidote as it were, would be even worse. We’re still looking into it, on the off chance it’s been done before, but I’d suggest not being too hopeful.”

“You said it’s dangerous to see through their disguises. Why?” Whitney asked, leaning against Dylan.

“My kind don’t like it. Seeing through our glamour leaves us naked before you. You can see what we truly are and we have no defense against that. It’s happened before, and more often than not, the mortal does something stupid and gets themself killed. That’s why I really think you should work with us. We can help.”

“Like you helped by doing it to her in the first place?” Dylan asked, arms crossing over his chest as he glared at Bract.

Whitney put her hand on his arm, squeezing it gently until he uncrossed his arms. The sound of police sirens had them both jerking in that direction. As the wail grew closer, she slid her hand down his arm until she could clench his hand. He returned the pressure as they both stared through the bare trees at the tiny patch of road only visible in the leafless months. Only when the police cars passed them did they loosen their grips though neither dropped their hand away, the sighs of relief they let out done almost in unison.

Bract watched them both with what looked like fascination to Whitney. “You two truly are a set, aren’t you?”

They looked at him, then at each other before shrugging. “What help would you want from me?” she said, meeting his gold eyes with her almost black ones.

He smiled again, his teeth very large and white. “It’s easy, really. Just tell us what you see when we point to certain people. They’ll be Fae of course. Knowing what we’re up against will help us get the upper hand against the Court.”

“What court?”

“The Fae Court. King Alberich and Queen Etain,” Bract replied, his voice darkening when he said the royal names. “Because of them, my kind has suffered for centuries, trapped under laws so oppressive that we are but shadows of what we once were.”

 “You told us our kind would try and hurt her just because she can see them, even without helping you. So isn’t helping you, and pissing off the rulers of your kind, just going to be even more dangerous?” Dylan asked, frowning.

            “More dangerous than you know, mortal,” came a hissing voice from beside them. All three turned to watch the creature climb over the riverbank, eyes bright and teeth bared.