"When I woke up the next morning my family was dead and my hair and had started to turn white," I kept my eyes closed as I told him my story. I was almost able to watch the events happen again like a movie in my mind. I only opened my eyes when I he...
I sprinted towards my dorm assuming once there I would be safer until I was able to leave; no book was worth the trouble that he may cause. My heart raced again my chest, threatening to explode as my legs screamed as I pushed them harder than they had worked in a long time. From the extra exertion, my breathing was becoming fast and irregular which became more noticeable as the temperature started to drop and a fog came from my lips every time I let out a sharp exhale.
I never got that far. As I sprinted across an open field I heard a grunt behind me and I screamed as I was tackled to the ground. The man was on top and flipped me over so I laid on my back looking up at him. My hair fell from my bun and I probably looked like a wild animal as I attempted to kick and claw out from under him. "Stop fighting me! I just want to talk!" He shouted at me, his voice had the exact opposite effect of what he wanted.
I raised my hand up to hit him and he finally caught my wrist. I let out a glass-shattering shriek as his ring hit my skin and started to burn me - iron. "Let me go, you're hurting me!" I begged as I finally went still under him. He pinned my hands to the ground on either side of me, his ring causing spider web-like burns to expand into healthy tissue. He removed his ringed hand, but only for a second to pull up the sleeve of my cardigan before pinning me back down. He was breathing heavily and pain radiated through my arm which seemed to be magnified with him sitting on top of me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood and goosebumps appeared on my skin just from being close to him. "Who are you, what do you want?" I breathed looking up at him as my chest quickly rose and fell.
"I could ask you the same thing." He said breathing heavily as he stared down at me. When he saw that I wasn't overly willing to provide information about the situation he sighed. "My name is Kieran Bianchi, I'm a Disir Guardian. Your turn."
I continued to stare up at him with confused eyes. I didn't know what that meant, "What do you mean you're a Disir Guardian?" I questioned instead of answering his question.
Kieran's brown furrowed as he shook his head, "How do you not know? The land you are on is sacred to the Aodh family." He explained as if I was an idiot and I continued to look at him blankly. "One of the Three?" I slowly shook my head and he groaned. "One of the Three Royal Families of the Fae? There is a portal to the Fae world here which only the Aodh family can operate, I protect it. Technically speaking no normal Fae should be able to walk on this ground so I repeat, what are you?"
There was a long silence between us which only the rustling of leaves and crickets could be heard. I let out the breath I was holding as I admitted, "I don't know. I only knew I was Fae from someone else shouting it at me before they tried to Shish Kabob me. I am here because I heard about the book collection on folklore and mythology. I want answers." I said seriously to him and he looked down at me shocked as if he didn't believe a word I was saying.
"How do you not know what you are?"
I glanced down to his chest and pulled at my arms again, "Get off of me. We aren't playing 20 questions like this, not here." For a minute Kieran stayed on top of me before he sighed and pushed himself off and into the grass beside me. I sat up and looked at my arm. The skin was black and red from where his ring touched me. "I don't know what I am because I grew up in a human home. I didn't realize what I was until I accidently killed all of them and stopped aging." I hissed as I shook my head as if it was somehow his fault.
"You're a Changeling." It wasn't a question, but that was something I had already assumed. "That makes even less sense..." Kieran trailed off as he stood up, offering me his hand. "Come on, let's find a better place for us to talk."
I didn't want to go with him and I had no problem telling him exactly that. "I'm not going anywhere with you." I protested as I brushed off his hand and stood up. I took a few steps back from him which eased the anxiousness I had from being around him.
Kieran's jaw tightened and he shook his head, "I don't think you understand, I wasn't asking. I can't have you walking around here, doing whatever you please."
"And if I go with you? You've already chased me down, tackled me, burnt me with iron, and pinned me down. How the hell am I supposed to trust you?"
"Trust me or not, you aren't walking around on my land where you can cause unimaginable problems! We are getting answers then getting you back to wherever you belong." Kieran raised his voice back at me. He reached out and grabbed my arm, "Come on." He started to pull me along.
Kieran was stronger than he looked, his grip was impossible to break free from no matter how much I tugged and dug my heels into the ground he managed to continue dragging me along. "Let go of me!" When he didn't respond or even take note that I said something I let out a scream, "Someone, anyone help!"
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Would you trust Kieran?
Things are starting to heat up and we are slowly making our way into the fantasy world. We now have the theory that Tasnia is a Changling and we are introduced to another type of fae - a Guardian Disir (whatever that is). More answers to come!
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