The Amulet (12 page)

“Just one more try?” she asked.

He didn’t answer. Before she even had time to
comprehend it, he was gone and her dog was sitting in front of her.
She heard a noise and looked up to see her dad’s car coming down
the driveway.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Faedra and Faen strolled over to where her
dad had parked his car, and greeted him as he opened the car
door.

“Hi, Dad. Did you have a nice time with Uncle
Leo?” she asked.

“Actually, we had a very nice time,” he
replied with a smile as he got out of the car and planted a kiss on
his daughter’s forehead. “How about you? Did you go for a ride on
Gypsy?”

She’d forgotten all about her horse and the
ride she was supposed to take that day.

“No, I didn’t in the end,” she said, playing
for time until she could come up with an excuse as to why she
hadn’t. “I just ended up relaxing in the garden. I didn’t want to
wear myself out and be tired this evening.”

He gave her a thoughtful look. “Well, I’m not
sure how much relaxing you did, darling. You look exhausted.”

“Do I?” She feigned ignorance and made up
another excuse. Truth was, she did feel exhausted after using up
all that energy practicing with her power for most of the day. “I’m
just hungry. I was going in to get myself a sandwich when you drove
up.”

They all headed to the front door. Henry
opened it and gestured for Faedra and Faen to enter first.

“What time are your friends picking you up
this evening?”

“They’re coming around about seven.”

“I know I haven’t really mentioned this
before because you are always so sensible, but I feel, as your
father, I need to say something.”

Faedra smiled. She had been expecting the ‘I
know you are legally old enough to drink, but don’t over do it’
speech. “Don’t worry, Dad, Amy is designated driver tonight, and I
promise I’ll only have a couple. I have no intention of waking up
with a throbbing headache tomorrow morning.”

Henry looked visibly relieved by her
response.

Faedra wandered through the dining room
towards the kitchen to make herself a sandwich and caught a
sideways glance of her reflection in the mirror hanging on one of
the walls as she walked past. She stopped dead and reversed back a
few steps until she was standing in front of it. Faedra looked with
surprise at the person staring back at her with a shocked
expression.

“Oh, my God, I’m nearly gray,” she gasped as
she took in her features. Her skin had taken on a pallid grayish
tinge and there were dark circles developing under her eyes. “No
wonder Dad thought I looked exhausted. I look like I’ve got one
foot in the grave.”

She rushed into the kitchen and made herself
a plate of sandwiches, wolfing them down as if it was the first
thing she’d eaten for days.

“Steady on,” Henry said as he walked through
the door and caught Faedra stuffing a whole sandwich in her mouth
giving her chipmunk cheeks. “You’ll get indigestion if you eat that
quickly. Anyway, wanted to let you know that I’m going out with
your uncle tonight, so I’ll be leaving around six thirty.”

She acknowledged him with a nod of her head,
her mouth still full to overflowing with the sandwich she had just
stuffed in there. She looked over at the clock on the oven. She had
a couple more hours to go before her friends arrived; that should
give her plenty of time to get ready, and hopefully, to
re-energize. Faedra certainly didn’t want to go out looking like
she was on her last leg. She prayed that the sandwiches would do
the trick.

They did. A half hour later she dared herself
to look in the mirror again. Her usually radiant skin and sparkling
eyes stared back at her. She heaved a huge sigh of relief and made
a mental note to take snack breaks while practicing with her power
in the future.

She went to her room, grabbed her bathrobe,
and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for
her evening out with friends. She was looking forward to it. When
she had finished with her shower, she wandered back to her room,
her hair piled on top of her head, wrapped in a towel. Faen had
waited patiently outside the bathroom and was following her up the
stairs to her bedroom. When they got to the top of the stairs he
lay down and didn’t attempt to enter her room this time.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she closed the
door.

She padded over to her dresser and commenced
her ritual of putting make up on and drying her hair. The former
didn’t take long at all; she had almost perfect skin, so just a
dusting of powder, a little eye shadow, mascara, and lip-gloss, and
she was done. The latter took considerably more time, as her hair
was so long and thick. She leaned forward, turned her head upside
down and continued on with the arduous task.

A while later when her hair was dried and
styled, her face glowing, and natural, she wandered over to her
closet. Due to the fact that she hadn’t done what most teenage
girls do on their eighteenth birthday and go shopping for a new
outfit, she looked with deliberation at the clothes that already
existed there, and decided on a pretty royal blue dress with thin
straps. It had a fitted bodice that nipped neatly in at the waist
flowing into a full skirt that skimmed her hips, and came to just
above her knees, accentuating her figure perfectly. The color
complimented her skin and hair, and she felt really good in it.

“I’m off now, Fae,” she heard her dad call
from the bottom of the stairs.

“Okay, Dad, have fun tonight.”

“You, too, darling. Hey, did you know Faen
was out here?” he asked in surprise.

“Yes, Dad, I’ll let him in a minute.”

She heard her dad mutter something about
never knowing Faen to be shut out of her room before as he walked
out of the dining room.

She sighed. She had to admit it did feel kind
of odd not having him in with her, but that dynamic had completely
changed now, and would never be the same again. There was a heavy
feeling in her heart at the thought. Her dad’s car door slammed.
She watched from her window as he drove up the driveway and out of
sight.

She wandered back to the closet and took one
last look at her reflection in the full-length mirror that was
attached to one of the doors. That’ll do, she thought with a smile
and wandered over to her door to let Faen in. She never knew which
form he would be in now, but guessed that because her father had
left he would probably be in his true form.

She was right. Faen was standing in her
doorway when she opened it, all six feet of him. He didn’t make her
jump this time; she looked up at his face and smiled. She wasn’t
sure, but as his eyes skimmed over her, his usually stoic features
melted for just a split second to reveal something more like warm
approval, but then it was gone in an instant. She wondered why he
was so loving with her when he was in his dog form. Always wagging
his tail, always looking pleased to see her. But in his true form
he seemed distant, almost as though being there was an
inconvenience. She brushed the thought aside. It seemed like they
were stuck together for the time being, whether either of them
wanted to be or not. At the very least, until she had learned all
she could to defend herself against the Unseelie.

“You look very nice, Ms. Faedra,” he broke
the silence, and pulled her from her reverie.

“Thank you.”

“Where are you going tonight?” he asked.

“The Old Brewery House in the village,” she
narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

“Because I am going with you, of course,” he
replied.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” she said defiantly.
“It’s a girl’s night out with my friends. You can’t come.”

“I will be there whether you like it or not,”
he reiterated with a firmness that was undeniable. “I told you, I
will not make the same mistake twice. Do not concern yourself, I
will blend into the background, no one else will have to know I am
there.”

She looked him up and down. Blending into the
background was not something Faen would accomplish, especially
dressed as he was.

She sighed. “Okay, I understand that you want
to stay close to me, but you will definitely not blend in dressed
like that.” And she gestured down his body with her hand as if
showcasing something unusual.

He looked himself up and down, and returned
his gaze to her. “What’s wrong with what I am wearing?” he
asked.

“You look like you have walked straight out
of a Disney movie,” she replied somewhat sarcastically, then kicked
herself for sounding so rude.

He looked perplexed.

“Faen, what you are wearing is very old
fashioned. You have seen how humans dress nowadays. You need to
wear something more… modern.

“Oh, modern,” he replied. “I can do modern.”
And with one of his blurs he was standing in front of her in a
complete change of clothes.

She took a step back and sucked in a breath.
She hadn’t expected him to look so good in modern clothing.

“Ms. Faedra, you look shocked. Are you
alright?”

“Absolutely fine,” she squeaked, as she took
in the ultra modern Faen.

From top to toe he was dressed in designer
clothing. Shiny black boots with a square toe. Jeans that were
belted at his waist with a black leather belt, accentuated with a
buckle that looked like a silver Celtic rose. He wore a black
t-shirt that fit him like a glove, skimming every contour of his
torso and upper arms. She swallowed hard, it was an involuntary
response.

“Will this work?” he asked.

“Yes,” she breathed, “that will work just
fine.” Then she noticed the design on his belt buckle and lifted
her wrist to examine the bangle her father had given her
earlier.

“Your buckle, it’s the same design as my
bracelet.”

Faen looked at her and the corners of his
mouth turned up very slightly in a knowing smile.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

She was distracted by the crunch of gravel as
a car appeared coming down the driveway. When she turned back to
him he was holding a tiny clay pot with a cork stopper in the palm
of his hand.

“You will need this,” he said, offering her
the pot.

“What is it?”

“Rub a little on your eyelids. You will be
able to see all fae now, even if they are trying to hide themselves
with glamour.”

She did as instructed and rubbed some of the
ointment over her eyelids. She figured she could use all the help
she could get. A warm buzz lingered on her eyelids for a second,
but when she opened her eyes and looked around, nothing seemed out
of the ordinary.

“Thank you.”

Faen nodded a ‘you’re welcome.’ Then they
both turned their heads when a loud rapping could be heard from the
front door.

“That will be Amy and Zoë. Stay here until
I’m gone. You know where the Old Brewery is; I’ll see you there,”
she made to leave and then thought of something else. “Oh, and
Faen, please try to look inconspicuous.”

“I will try, Ms. Faedra.”

She grabbed her purse and almost ran down the
stairs. Faen watched from the window as Faedra got in the back of
her friend’s car. As soon as they were out of sight he was outside.
Although the pub was a few minutes down the road by car, he arrived
before they did.

“Good grief the car park is full tonight,”
Faedra commented as they pulled in.

“It’s Saturday, Fae, what do you expect?” Zoë
replied.

They got out and looked up at the outside of
the pub. Actually, it was more than just a pub. It was a Georgian
house that had been built in the late eighteenth century for a
wealthy landowner. It had since been turned into a hotel with a
very nice bar. The beautiful old building still retained many of
its original features. Because of Faedra’s love of all things old,
she enjoyed coming here, if only to soak up the atmosphere and
imagine what it must have been like to live there when it was
originally someone’s home.

“Come on, dreamy,” Amy snapped her from her
thoughts. “Let’s go in and get you your first official drink.”

She responded with a smile and they trooped
in through an open door way. The heavy oak door had been propped
open with an ornamental doorstop. It was such a balmy evening; the
owners had decided to let the fresh air in. As they entered the
bar, Faedra stopped dead upon seeing Faen relaxing at a table in
the corner of the room. She narrowed her eyes at him. How did he
get here so quickly?

“What’s wrong, Fae?” Zoë asked looking over
to where Faedra had turned her attention, then looked back at her
with a confused expression. “There’s nothing there.”

“What? Sorry, nothing I’m fine,” she
spluttered, and continued to the bar, glancing back at Faen who was
giving her a wry smile. She narrowed her eyes at him in
response.

“Where’d Amy go?” she asked upon noticing her
friend’s disappearance.

“Probably to the bathroom,” Zoë responded
nonchalantly.

A couple of minutes passed, and they had
their drinks in hand. Faedra had decided on a nice glass of red
wine.

“Hey, you guys, you have to come and see
this,” Amy said as she burst through the door. “They have a new
statue back here, it’s so cool.” She came over and grabbed Faedra
by the arm.

Faedra slid reluctantly off her bar stool and
allowed herself to be half dragged by her friend through the door
towards the bathrooms.

“Where? I can’t see one,” Faedra said when
the corridor they were in was empty, except for a row of floor to
ceiling windows that ran the length of it to reveal the beautiful
courtyard outside, complete with fountain.

“It’s just through there,” Amy pointed to the
double doors up ahead.

“Amy, I hope you haven’t been snooping around
again,” Faedra said with a frown.