A World Of Treason and Tides

Chapter 12: See carefully, Venus

"Why are we in the middle of a forest?" Emma questioned.

Ryan answered, "Because that's where my house is."

We took a bus from Cambridge to Southampton, but I never realized till now, why Ryan would not allow us to take my car.

The moment we arrived at Southampton, Ryan's demeanor changed. From the carefree, easy-going teenage guy, he became the serious man who liked to play with swords. We had been walking for almost like an hour. Ryan did not even sweat, while both Emma and me were trying our best to keep up with him. I wished I had the fae strength that Ryan possessed. For the last thirty minutes, we had been walking through a forest and it became extremely difficult to move any longer.

I had consumed every drop of water I had, which I was deeply regretting as there was no water left for me to drink. My mouth had become parched and my legs felt numb.

The trees were so dense at this part of the forest, I was afraid I would trip and not be able to get up. Ryan said it was where his house was but as far as I could see, there were only tall, wide trees and long grasses— no sign of a house. I also did not understand what was so secretive about his house. He told he could glamour things, so why not build whatever kind of house the faeries liked to live in, at a nice road and then glamour it, for the humans. The pangs of dizziness that hit me due to the lack of sleep the past few days did not help either.

I stumbled upon a rock and gripped Ryan by his shoulders. Emma was way behind us and it felt nice to have some support. I leaned into him and closed my eyes for a few seconds.

"Are you okay? Let's get you seated," Ryan said. He then looped an arm around me and took me to a nearby log. "You don't look okay."

"I am not." My voice came out hoarse.

"Wait. I am fetching you some water," Ryan said and just then Emma came and sat on the log.

"For me too," she said.

Ryan nodded and went to look for any source of water. But I had not seen any trace of water in our entire way. So, it was unlikely for him to find one, unless he used some fae magic. I focused on the wildflowers to keep my mind diverted from the dizzy and nauseated feeling, and also to pass the time, as it was difficult for both Emma and me to talk.

Ryan returned surprisingly early with filled bottles of water. I wondered where he got all that water and decided to ask him later. As for then, I drank as much water as I could and even splashed my face with some. The water was different from what I usually drank but it was probably how pure and unfiltered water tasted.

"Can you walk now?" Ryan asked softly.

"Yes."

"Good. Let's get out of here before it is dark." Ryan immediately started striding towards a much denser part of the forest.

"God, he is so weird," Emma exclaimed.

"You bet," I said bluntly. Ryan's weird and secretive behavior was starting to annoy me too.

Darkness had fallen over the forest when I saw a less dense stretch of land in front of us. Ryan continued walking and he seemed to be looking at something, though there was nothing to see except bare land.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"At my house," Ryan smiled.

"But..."

"See carefully, Venus," Ryan said, interjecting me. "Do not try too hard, but wish from your heart to behold what lies infront of you."

A few minutes passed but nothing happened. I could not see what lied infront of me. Ryan saw me concentrating. He pressed, "You know that it is here, you just need to acknowledge it. Once again, do not try too hard. Forget that we are here."

I did all he said. I even saw Emma going ahead of me and looking at the land like it was something else— something out of the reach of us, humans. But, I still could not see anything, could not feel anything.

Ryan was right.

I was trying too hard.

But it was impossible for me to ignore him while he was looking at me—looking at me like he was amused—amused at the thought that how humans were unaware of them, of all of their magic, their glamour. It was impossible for me to forget that my parents, my sister were taken away by one of Ryan's kind, and it was impossible for me to forget how treacherous the fair folks were.

I had trusted Ryan when I thought he was a human like me, but knowing that he was not- I did not know if I could trust him anymore. Yet, I was there with him, for my family. The constant reminder of the fact that by bringing Emma with me, I had risked her life too was not helping either. Maybe, I could not see past the glamour as I was afraid that once I did, I would not be able to forget any of it. I liked to read about fantasy worlds in books, but maybe, I was afraid to step into one which was real.

But, I needed to let go of my anger, my insecurities— I needed to step into that world to rescue my family.

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Hope you all liked CHAPTER 12 of "A World of Treason and Tides". Do vote and comment if you liked.😊

I am so sorry for the late update and for the short chapter.

But, again, I hope you all enjoyed. XD