Fateful Signs (Ballad of the Seer, Book Three)

Chapter 18 - Faerie Tale

Lily followed a path, straight to the north, using the sun as her guide. The faerie had told her that she would find assistance if she went that way. That's what brought them to a small dive bar on the side of the road. Apart from a half-dozen cars, a row of motorcycles were lined up next to the front door, which gave Lily a moment's hesitation, but if this was the place, she wouldn't let anything stand in her way. Besides, she could handle herself.

The drunken thoughts of the bar patrons invaded Lily's mind the moment Duncan opened the door for her. She found it terribly ironic that alcohol, the very substance that nullified her powers, would be what made others' minds open up. All of their internal barriers were stripped away.

The pungent aroma of stale beer and cigarette smoke filled the air. The booming chords of rock music blared loudly from the speakers in the ceiling, the lyrics incoherent under the heavy-handed guitar riffs.

Lily stopped when she heard the thoughts of the bikers who had gathered in the far corner near the pool table. A few of them played the game, taking long swigs from beer bottles and mugs of the amber liquid. The eleven men - and four women - thought in a language that Lily had never heard. She didn't want to admit it, but the words did not sound human.

Upon closer inspection she saw that the rowdy bunch weren't entirely. Human, that is.

Beneath the thickest glamour that Lily had ever encountered, she saw that their skin was all manner of unnatural colors - blue, pink, green. One man's skin looked like the bark of a tree. The few that had shades of human skin tones were different in other ways: their fingers stretched longer than any normal human's; the tops of their ears grew to a point, some more so than others; their eyes were inhuman, with slit pupils, or irises two and three times the size they should be. One had all three deformities. Most of them had sharp angular features that made them appear slightly alien. With the exception of bark man and one of the women with a gnarled face and crooked yellow teeth, they were all extremely attractive.

Given their appearance, Lily assumed that they were all different types of faeries. It was strange to see them in real life. She had read extensively about them in her magic book, fascinated that an entire race of people, especially such a large group as the Fey, could exist in secret. They were her first real contact with supernatural creatures - not counting Jack.

The other patrons paid the bikers little attention, even though they were obnoxiously loud. Lily didn't understand why until she examined the others around her more closely. Everyone in the place, with the exception of Duncan and herself, were faeries. The staff included.

As Lily and Duncan moved toward an empty table, she noticed that all of the faeries were giving them sidelong glances, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Is it just me or they all staring at us?" Duncan asked, sliding into the booth.

She put her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his. Her lips brushed his earlobe as she whispered, "They're all faeries."

Duncan pulled back to look at her. "Really?"

Lily nodded.

He tapped his temple - their code for her to listen to his thoughts, when they didn't want to be overheard. Over the past few weeks, they had needed to use that more than once. She had even learned how to push her thoughts into his mind. They could have entire conversations without ever having to say a word. I still think this is a bad idea. His words rang in her mind. The words were soundless, but she could feel his voice, different from hers.

Lily rolled her eyes. He had been saying that for the last hour, as they hiked through the forest to get here. I get it. But maybe she can help us. My magic book says that faerie magic is ten times stronger than witch magic. They may have a way to stop Camilla. Or even to find your dad. Isn't that worth the risk?