Through the Fairy Ring

Chapter Two

The inside of the village hall had been transformed. Evenly spaced torches blazed on the walls, the light casting a warm glow on the golden designs etched into the scarlet ceramic plates and goblets waiting on the dining tables. Two fireplaces, located at each end of the room, roared and threw off the chill of the early spring night.

People chatted loudly, competing to be heard over each other's voices. The majority of them were men of older age and dressed in white shirts and dark colored vests. The women wore dresses similar to mine and I mentally thanked Alis for directing me to a fancier dress with a fitted bodice and long flowing skirt. Even though I felt like a fish out of water, I didn't look like one. I smoothed the wrinkles Garron crushed into the silky aquamarine fabric of my skirt when he'd sat on my lap before I left and searched the small clumps of people gathered around the room for Arden. He should have arrived by now.

In a back corner stood three tall men with pointy ears and diaphanous wings that lay folded against their backs. All three were dressed in black pants like the villagers, but instead of wearing shirts, colorful sashes decorated with beads and gems covered their chests.

Arden had told me about a growing rift between the villagers and the fairies who live on the island, Shee-Elan. In fact, the conflict was the reason for the dinner party. When he'd mentioned fairies, I'd thought of the tiny winged creatures of fairy tales. I never would have imagined fairies as normal sized, extremely handsome, well-muscled men.

The tallest had white-blond hair and a cranky expression. Perhaps he felt as uncomfortable as I did. He glanced toward the door and caught me staring at him. I tugged the corners of my mouth into a polite smile and turned away, a flush of embarrassment creeping up my neck. I better find Arden quickly, or I might just walk out and put this stress-inducing evening behind me.

My hand involuntarily reached for the owl pendant he'd carved for me the first time I'd been to the Realm, the first time we'd met. As Daragward—the custodian of Darag-Leigh's lands—he is connected to the life contained within Darag-Leigh in a symbiotic relationship. Despite a literal electric connection between us that even he couldn't explain, he'd made it clear we couldn't move beyond the good friend stage, although he'd never explained why not.

I moved through the attendees, careful to stay away from the fairies. As I neared the head of the tables, the invisible connection between Arden and I nuzzled against the contours of my body like a fuzzy tremor. Clued in he was near, I finally recognized his tall, broad-shouldered silhouette talking to a much shorter, mustachioed man.

Arden rubbed a hand over the back of his neck beneath the long chestnut braid of his hair. He turned to face me directly, a light blush on his cheekbones and a spark of delight warming his golden-brown eyes. He took my hand and brushed a kiss on my cheek. "There you are, Hazel. I had begun to worry you weren't coming."

Unprepared for the direct skin contact, I inhaled sharply. The familiar scent of woodsy pine, fresh air, and musk that always surrounded Arden made me dizzy. Usually, in public situations, Arden had his Daragward face on, which meant we both were to suppress our feelings for each other. The uncharacteristic warmth was a welcome, if confusing, surprise.

Arden stepped away, but continued to hold my hand. "Have you met Hahm, the village master?"

"Not officially." I struggled to speak normally, but managed to get out the words with only a hint of breathlessness. Hopefully Hahm wouldn't notice.

Over Arden's shoulder I noticed the blond fairy watching us. Something about his expression, a curious mix of irritation and disgust, made me pull my hand from Arden.