The Gazing Globe (13 page)

When he turned to her,Aftongasped. A faint green aura began to surround him, and she could see that Blain's ears came to beautiful points. His hair fell about his shoulders in long, soft brown waves. His eyes glowed in the dark, and the whites were now silver and the centers were shaped like green stars. She'd seen fairies enhance their eyesight in such a way so they could see at night, but she'd never seen the centers shaped like stars. The rest of his physical appearance had changed in much the same way as any other fairy who made the transition from human to their real form. But why had it caused so much pain?

Blain tilted his head and looked at her. "What happened?"

"If I had to take a guess, I'd say you believe me now," she whispered.

Blain sat up and looked around him. He touched his chest, his face and his hair and knew that an amazing transformation had taken place. His skin had a faint greenish hue. He placed his hands on either side ofAfton's face.

"What am I? What has happened to me?"

"You're...you're a fairy, Blain. And how beautiful you are,"Aftonchoked out as her fingertips touched his hair.

Blain glanced back over one shoulder, saw the dark wings threaded with silver veins and turned back toAfton. For a full five minutes neither of them said a word. He simply stared at her.

"Now what do I do?" he finally murmured, in shock.

"Since you changed, I...think you can change back."

"You think'?" Blain gasped, and he began to tremble.

"I'm sure you can," she amended. "The only thing I don't understand is why it caused you so much pain."

"It was like being born," he murmured.

"Of course! That's it!"Aftongrabbed his biceps and gazed into his lovely eyes. "When fairy babies are born, they get their wings sometime in the first year after birth. I've been told it's very painful for them the first time. Their parents fret over the suffering the little ones go through. But whenever their wings come after that, there's no pain. Maybe that's what happened to you. You've been waiting all these years to become what you really are. Being half Druid must have had some delaying effect. Or maybe you just needed to believe."

Blain stood up, andAftontried to look away from his nakedness. The man was every bit as well endowed as she'd thought he would be. He'd obviously forgotten how he'd shed his clothing so his wings could unfold and his body could adapt. Muscle rippled as he moved.

"I feel like I'm breathing for the first time, like I'm connected to everything in nature." He slowly turned and looked around him. He held up his hands, looked at them, then clenched and unclenched his fists.

Aftonagain gasped in wonder at his wings. They were the most exquisite things she'd ever seen in her life. She wanted to reach out and fondle them. Deep midnight blue, their edges glistened in the moonlight and the veins were shot with glowing, silver light.

Blain turned and pulled her to him. "You did this, or you helped me do it. When I believed in the magic you showed me, it triggered the change. I believe you now,Afton. I believe in it all!" He released her, stretched his arms toward the moon and looked up into the night sky. "How could I not believe?"

"You should change back. We need to get back to the farmhouse, Blain. Shayla will know what's happened, even if you're in human form."

"No." He stepped back and shook his head. "I've spent my entire life being denied what I really am.

Now I want to know everything, and you're going to tell me all you know. Neither of us is leaving here until you do."

Six

"Blain, I don't think this is a good idea I had no way of knowing what would happen when I accepted your challenge We should go back to the farm and tell Shayla and Hugh that you're able to shift into fairy form "

"I don't want to go back yet I feel so alive It's as though this was the way I should have been all along "

He paused and looked around him, almost intoxicated with the raw energy "Tell me what to do, Afton How do I use this power'? What do I do?"

Afton could see by his expression that he was both beguiled and frightened by his transformation Perhaps it was some kind of side effect from having been denied his powers What would the Druid half of him be like1? She started to reiterate that they should go back to the farmhouse, but she knew he wouldn't go until he had his answers

"I don't know what to tell you I wasn't prepared for this. You should be asking a fairy your questions, not me. And Shayla should work with you on whatever gifts your father's blood may have bestowed."

"You're all I've got Help me please," he begged, taking her hands in his His touch was warm and electrifying "All right, I'll try. But first, you have to put something on. " She turned her back to him, suddenly too aware of his nudity

Blain sensed that Afton was blushing to her roots His clothing was scattered about the clearing, but it wasn't appealing to him to wear the heavy garments in his present state He liked the feeling of the night air on his bare flesh and wondered if that was a fairy trait It would explain his strange habit of running nude through the woods, and it was a huge relief to know why he'd done so

"Afton, when I made the change, it almost burned my skin off to have any contact with clothing "

"You may be related toHighlandfairies. They don't like much clothing at all in the summer. At other times, they wear soft leather. Here, use this."Aftonbent and tore some of the soft green fabric from the bottom of her robe. There would still be more than enough to preserve her own modesty while covering him decently.

Blain grinned as she held the green fabric out behind her without turning to look at him. He tied the soft cloth sarong-fashion around his waist. It wasn't as comfortable as being nude, but it was better than the heavy pair of jeans lying on the ground.

"Are you decent?"Aftonasked.

"I'm covered, if that's what you mean."

Aftonslowly turned and sighed in relief as she saw that most of the lower half of his anatomy was concealed. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about this Order." Blain watched as she sat upon a nearby rock.

"The Order is older than recorded history. Once, centuries ago, our kind roamed about the land freely.

We didn't try to hide ourselves from mankind the way we do now. Most of us tried to live in harmony with the outside world, but the problems came when some of our Order used their powers unwisely.

Humans began to fear us all and, to the outside world, we became evil. We were hunted for decades.

Many of our people were destroyed or chased into seclusion, and that's where we remain today. Since then, only legends of us lived on. Today, that's all we are—legends, stories people tell their children at bedtime."

"And the members of this Order...tell me about them." Blain knelt at her feet and hung on every word she said.

"Well, there are different factions such as trolls, ogres, gnomes, pixies, sprites and the like. Druids are another faction, as are fairies. Each faction is a member of a clan depending upon their ancestry. Each clan has its leader. Within the clans are classes. The fairies, for example, have warrior classes, gatherers, and so on. Clan leaders take their orders from Shayla. She holds the most sacred title of Sorceress of the Ancients. She has power and dominion over us all. Our leader is always a woman, and she may handfast or not, at her discretion "

"Who was the person wanting to destroy my parents?" Blain asked

"That was old Freyja She was Sorceress many years ago The Order had a law which stated that we should all keep to our own While Shayla interprets that law to mean that anyone in the Order may interact with anyone else within the Order, Freyja interpreted it to mean that factions should not intermingle She wanted fairies to stick to their kind Druids to Druids, goblins to goblins and so on "

"So she couldn't stand the fact that my mother and my father fell in love7" Blain turned to face the woods and leaned back as close toAftonas his wings would allow.

"Yes Freyja was very strict, even cruel Many were said to have feared her She was predisposed to practicing the very blackest kind of magic Shayla challenged her for the right to lead the Order Had Shayla lost that challenge, Freyja would have had her put to death But Freyja was the one who died Their struggle was that fierce "

"So Shayla took Freyja's place by force?"

"Yes It had to be that way Freyja was intent on keeping the leadership and power at all costs You see, whoever is Sorceress may choose who succeeds her Sometimes that's someone within her own bloodline Most Sorceresses in the past have chosen their successor based upon strength of character, wisdom, and the ability to lead with equity, regardless of blood ties With Freyja, it was exactly the opposite She only wanted the power for herself To keep that power, she'd have probably mated with any Druid just to get a daughter who could rule after her Someone she could control In that way, she would have kept some kind of power for a very long time, or influenced our laws through her own bloodline It's said she bragged about doing just such a thing You might say her belief in ruling incorporated a kind of nepotism She would have killed a great many in the Order with her dark ambition There are horrible stories about her "

"But how did such an evil woman get control in the first place >"

Aftonshrugged. "Freyja was chosen by the Sorceress before her. She deceived everyone into believing she was good and just. Some say she was a wonderful person at one time, but the dark side was always in her blood, and she eventually chose it over the powers of good and light. There were those who fought on her side, but they were evil as well. And they were killed during a battle which ensued as Freyja and Shayla fought."

"Is it true Freyja would have killed my parents if she'd found them?" Blain's voice was dangerously soft.

"She would have killed them and you. Even though you were nothing but an innocent child."Aftonran her hand through Blain's long hair. The thought of anyone hurting him was abhorrent to her.

Blain turned to face her. "I want to see the Order and meet these people. It must have almost killed my parents to have left their world and run here. They must have constantly hidden everything from everyone. The same way they hid everything about themselves from me. I remember traveling a lot. It seemed we never stayed anywhere very long until we got here."

"Something about this place must have made your parents want to stay. I can't imagine having grown up outside the Order. Especially since Shayla began to rule. She's wise and fair in all things, Blain. She would never have threatened your parents in such a way that they'd feel compelled to run or be forever parted from one another. She's much more open-minded and equitable. But she can be provoked."

"You were afraid the other day when you told me more about who I was. You were actually trembling," Blain said, remembering how he'd felt the need to protect her.

Shayla wanted to expose you to your heritage. It was her place to do so, not mine. I don't really believe she would ever do me physical harm, but there are things she could make me do when we get home that are quite odious. Certain chores I don't like. I've quite overstepped my boundaries, and she'll be furious." She sighed and pushed her hair back.

"It was my fault for goading you. If I'd known you weren't feeding me a load of malarkey, I'd have been a damned site more patient."

"Are you really all right with this, Blain?" She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's part of me. How can I deny it? I'm only sorry my parents felt they had to run all of their lives or be persecuted for loving one another. It seems no matter what world it is, some things don't change."

"What do you mean?"

"Whether it's in this alternate world called the Order or in the one I learned to call reality, people are still prejudiced. Do you think your people will accept me,Afton? Will their old beliefs keep me from learning more about the Order, or will I be hunted the way my parents were?"

"No, Blain!"Aftonknelt beside him. "Shayla would never allow any of those past prejudices to harm or restrict you. She came here to bring you back, to give you the chance to know what your heritage is. No one will counter her wishes."

He placed a hand alongsideAfton's face. "Do you think it will be that easy, honey? Do you think Shayla can change people's feelings just by telling them to think differently? I'm from the outside world, after all."

Aftoncovered his hand with one of hers. What could she say to assure him of something she wasn't so certain about herself.

Before she could come up with an answer, he sighed and said, "I'd better try to change back into human form. Heaven help me if I can't."

"I don't know how to help you do it, Blain. I don't have shape shifting abilities."

He took a deep breath and slowly released it. "Then I'm on my own."

Blain stood and backed away fromAfton. His heart was beating so hard he was sure she must hear it.

If he couldn't change back, his future would be limited to hiding on the farm. There would be no escape for him anywhere. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. In his mind, a picture formed of his human half. Heaviness engulfed him, like a weight being placed on his entire body. It was so difficult to bear that he fell to his knees.

The next thing he heard wasAfton's voice calling to him and telling him that everything was over. He opened his eyes and tried to focus. Without his fairy alter ego's night vision, everything was black as onyx around him.

"Blain, it worked. You're back the way you were before. You did it!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"It feels like something's pulling me into the ground," he moaned.

"That's probably because you aren't yet used to what's happening to you. Fairies are air creatures.

They have the ability to fly for very short distances, and they're stronger than humans."

"Fly? Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"I was afraid you'd try it and get hurt. You need to be with your own kind before attempting something like that. Now, we have to get back to the house. If Shayla or Hugh wake up and find us missing, we'll be in for it."