Between (14 page)

Seth’s eyes drop to the ground, and when he raises them to mine, he presses his lips together in an almost-smile that isn’t happy at all. He exhales heavily, and I can tell he’s glad he wasn’t the one who had to tell me about my parents. I nod at him. I’m glad, too.

“You’ll be interested to know what our young muralet did this morning,” Alexander adds, stepping away from the tree.

Great. I slump back into Joe’s shadow and sit down again, disappearing into his leaves, while Alexander recounts the morning’s events for Seth. I watch Seth’s face go from annoyed to concerned to downright angry.

“Really?” Seth asks me when Alexander’s finished. “You couldn’t just stay in your room like I asked? Your first morning in Ellauria and you had a run-in with a harpy
and
attracted Clara’s attention?”

Seth’s eyebrows pull together and his mouth sets in a straight line. The fact that he considers attracting Clara’s attention to be on par with attracting a harpy is endlessly amusing to me. “Why does Clara matter?”

“Clara is a member of Principal Command,” Alexander says. “We have no interest in any PC members taking notice of you. Speaking of which, I should head to Central Hall to manage any rumors Clara may have already started. The weekly status meeting starts soon. The two of you will be there, correct?”

Seth stares me down and replies, “Yes. We’ll be there.”

The founder nods and takes off walking in the direction from which we’d come. I watch him leave. Like last night, the world seems bigger the smaller he gets. “What is Alexander?”

“Alexander,” Seth says, turning his head to watch Alexander disappear, “is a dragon.”

I snort. Of course he’s a dragon. Obviously.

Seth’s expression doesn’t lighten. He shifts his mouth to the side and watches me, waiting for me to get it.

No way. “Wait, you’re serious? He’s actually a dragon?”

He nods. “He’s actually a dragon.”

“Like, a fire-breathing animal. That kind of dragon?” I fold my arms across my chest and nod along with my words. I can certainly see the personality traits of a dragon. But the rest?

“Well, no. The fire-breathing thing is sort of an embellishment that humans came up with,” he says, stepping into Joe’s shade and finding his own branch to sit on. I watch the branches move as he sits down, shifting together and providing support wherever he needs it. “Dragons work with energy, not fire. Alexander, like most dragons living among other creatures, uses a glamour spell to mask his appearance. No matter how pleasant they are, dragons are pretty terrifying to look at in their true form.”

“That’s an impressive spell,” I mutter, looking back to where I’d last seen Alexander. No wonder I can’t quite get a handle on whether Alexander is more human than animal.

“Dragons are highly skilled in the use of magic. Every famous wizard in history has been a dragon,” Joe says, speaking up for the first time since Seth arrived.

Seth smiles at the tree’s friendly face. “Hey, Joe. Long time no see.”

“Good to see you, Seth,” the tree replies. “I hear you’ve been given the task of guarding Miss Charlotte.”

“Charlie.” Seth and I correct Joe at the same time, and then we smile at each other.

“Charlie,” Joe repeats, and the corners of his mouth lift, too.

So today, I’ve been chased by a harpy, saved by a fairy, and brought to the source of magic by a dragon wizard where I met a talking tree. I close my eyes and press my fingers against them, rubbing.

“It’s okay if you’re overwhelmed,” Seth says. “It’s a lot to take in.”

I want to roll my eyes and thank him for giving me permission to be freaked out. Instead, I open my eyes and study him. “You’ve always had a weird way of knowing what I’m feeling.”

Seth hesitates, and Joe says, “Oh? She doesn’t know?”

His eyes roam over the leaves above our heads while he talks. “Well, I told you I’m a jeravon, and I have healing abilities. In addition to that,” his eyes flicker to mine for an instant, “I’m an empath. I sense emotions. So, for example, if you’re angry, I know it.”

Is that supposed to be impressive? I’m pretty good at telling when someone’s angry, too.

“But not just anger,” he adds quickly. “Any emotion. Like right now, you think I’m full of crap. Or sheet, as you say.”

I smirk. “I always think you’re full of sheet, Seth. It’s my default opinion of you.”

He shakes his head, and the slightest smile runs across his lips.

What would it be like to feel another person’s emotions? Does he feel mine all the time? “How does it work? You just feel the emotions of everyone around you?”

“No.” Seth scratches the back of his head. “I choose who I’m tuning in to. I have to be pretty close by. I can’t just read what you’re feeling from any part of the realm.”

“So you can tune in and out of anyone you choose?”

Seth shrugs. “Pretty much, although the closer I am to a person emotionally—like you or Sam or Lulu—the more easily I can read that person.”

“You two should get going,” Joe interrupts, ruffling his leaves and bouncing us from his branches. “The meeting will have started by the time you make it back to Ellauria.”

“Right,” Seth says, raising his eyebrows and looking across the Source in the direction Alexander and I had come from. “Thanks, Joe.”

I dust off my shorts and smile. I awkwardly pat one of Joe’s branches. “It was nice to meet you.”

Joe laughs. “I’ve known you for years, love. We’ve just been waiting for you to come home.”

The treefolk around him rustle, and I step back as they twist and release a burst of laughter. Seth catches my eye and winks.

I look back as we make our way around the Source, but the treefolk have stopped their dance. Joe’s face has receded, and while they don’t look like normal trees, they don’t look like talking trees, either.

Whatever a talking tree is supposed to look like.

I watch the Source’s surface as we pass. I wonder what it feels like. What it tastes like. Is it like water?

“Listen,” Seth interrupts my thoughts. “I meant what I said earlier. You can’t go off on your own like you did this morning. I have to know where you are. We can keep you safe, but you have to let us. I have to be able to trust you to follow the Fellowship’s rules.”

The same rules that had kept me so well hidden from the Mothman. Right. I smile a tiny close-lipped smile that means nothing other than that I heard what he said. “Sure.”

He stops walking and releases a huff of air. “I mean it, Charlie. I’m responsible for your safety. If you can’t do as I ask, I won’t hesitate to use extreme measures.”

Oh, good grief. He’ll have an ankle monitor on me by the end of the day.

Seth smirks.

“What?” I ask.

“Really?” Seth tilts his head. “I just told you I’m an empath. You think I don’t know what you think of me?”

I smile, thinking of all the times he’s annoyed me and been fully aware of it. And then I cringe.

What about all the times he hasn’t annoyed me? Sure, they’re few and far between, but all the times I’ve noticed his smile? Or the way he wears a T-shirt better than any guy I know? Every single time I’ve felt nervous around him or wondered what he thought of me?

Oh, my God. He could feel that? Can he feel my horror right this very second?

He clears his throat, unable to look at me. “Come on. The meeting’s about to start.”

Ugh. I’ll take that as a yes.

E
IGHT

S
eth and I make our way back through the tall, white trees. My legs ache as we climb the steep hill to the field behind Artedion. I hear the crowd in the Clearing before I see it. The entire area is filled with creatures I know only from fairytales and movies—leprechauns, griffins, fairies, centaurs, and even a cyclops, plus several species I’ve never seen before.

No gawking. Eyes forward.

“This is the weekly meeting I told you about,” Seth says, his words tickling my ear. He keeps a hand on my arm and leads me toward the front of the crowd. It’s a mess of wings, hooves, long hair, and brightly colored creatures. Tall, thin, short, round, with two, four, or six legs—I do my best to keep my gaze steady and my mouth closed.

As we move toward the head of the Clearing, closest to the wooden platform where Alexander is talking, the crowd takes on a different shape. The closer we get to the front, the more they look like me.

Yesterday I would’ve called them human; today I know better.

I mention this to Seth, and he nods. “Right. There’s a reason for that, actually. The creatures who actively work for the Fellowship are the intelligent ones—critical thinkers, complex languages, et cetera.”

Seth tips his head toward a line of creatures crouching on the ground to my left. They look part-human, part-monkey, each with a five-fingered hand at the end of their tails. “The ahuizotls there, they’re nice and they mean well, but they’re never going to be able to run missions. They’re pretty erratic, and we can’t trust them not to try to eat a mortal if the opportunity arises.”

I instinctively take a step to the right, stepping on Seth’s foot in the process. He stumbles a bit and snorts. “They’re nothing to be afraid of. They just enjoy the taste. Besides,” he ducks his head closer to my face to give me a pointed look, “you’re not a mortal.”

Right. Still getting used to that.

I keep an eye on the ahuizotls as we move forward. Seth places his hand on a gargoyle’s shoulder; the creature smiles, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth, and steps aside to let us pass.

“Anyway,” he continues, “all kinds of creatures work for the Fellowship, but to be an Aegis, you have to be able to pass as a human. The ones near the front are Aegises. We stay up front in case we get called up to report on our missions.”

I spot Lulu standing right next to the stage. There’s no way she can pass as a human with those wings. “What about Lulu?” I ask.

“She’s the pixie delegate on Principal Command. She stands wherever she wants,” Seth says and changes direction slightly to head toward her. Good. I could use a little Lulu time.

I try to listen to Alexander, but a group of younger creatures catches my attention. They’re all different species and all wearing royal blue ribbons, like the one pinned to Keiran’s shirt this morning.

“What’s with the ribbons?” I whisper, nodding at them.

Seth follows my eyes. “Those are Apprentices. That’s not a ribbon, it’s an aernovus. It signifies to everyone that the creature wearing it is an Apprentice.”

So Keiran’s an Apprentice. Good to know. I swish my mouth from side to side and look pointedly at the obviously blank spot on my own shirt. “Where’s my aernovus?”

“I’d planned to give it to you in your room this morning.” He emphasizes
planned
enough to remind me that I hadn’t followed orders. I look sideways, pretending not to notice. “We’ll find time later today,” he adds.

“Should I stand with them?”

“No.” His answer is so quick it almost makes me laugh. Of course he wants me right under his thumb.

“Hey, guys!” Lulu scream-whispers and flashes a gleeful smile when we reach her. “You missed it. Alexander told off one of the fairies because she forgot to close a fairy ring yesterday. I thought she was gonna cry!”

Seth stands beside her, and I place myself slightly behind him so I can look around without Alexander realizing he doesn’t have my undivided attention. It’s not that I don’t want to know all the updates, but it’s hard to ignore this many creatures all in one place.

I glance back at the Apprentices, performing a quick headcount. Thirty, maybe? Several of them look mostly human, but there are other populations represented as well. Pixies, fauns, gorgons, and a couple very short, ugly creatures covered in green hair. Trolls? Ogres? They definitely belong to the family of Shrek.

I spot a tall blond head of perfectly mussed hair in the middle of the Apprentices. Keiran turns just as I realize it’s him. He lifts his chin in a quick nod of recognition, and my cheeks burn on instinct.

“He’s cute,” Lulu comments. I immediately snap my attention frontward. Seth turns to see who she’s talking about, and now I’m sure my face is a shade or two brighter than my hair.

“Don’t stare!” I put my hand over the side of my face, hoping Keiran isn’t watching this all unfold. Seth studies me for a moment, his expression unreadable, before turning back to Alexander.

Oh, crap. What did he just get from me?

OK. Emotion check. I lower my chin to my chest, staring downward like I can see the emotions radiating from me. Embarrassment. A little nervousness. Thinking someone’s cute isn’t an emotion, right?

I’ve never been the kind of girl who broadcasts her feelings. The idea that Seth sees right through all of my fronts is terrifying. This is completely unfair.

Seth glances over his shoulder again, and I tilt my head upward, staring straight into his eyes.

Feel that, Seth? Annoyance mixed with irritation and a dash of
I-hate-this
.

“Why can’t I stare at him?” Lulu whispers. “You think he doesn’t know he’s hot? Here’s what I’ve learned about boys, Charlie—the good-looking ones expect us to stare at them. They’d be all freaked out if we didn’t.”

I widen my eyes at her, giving her the universal
shut up
face. I don’t want to talk about Keiran. I especially don’t want to talk about Keiran with Seth standing right in front of me.

“What?” she asks. “You don’t think he’s cute?”

I shake my head, shrug my shoulders, and do a million other little gestures to demonstrate how much I couldn’t possibly have any idea what she’s talking about.

“You okay?” Her green eyes dance. “Having some kind of seizure?”

A couple Aegises give us disapproving looks for talking. I clamp my lips together to keep from laughing, and she winks at me. Seth nudges me and tips his head toward the stage.

“Next up,” Alexander’s voice booms. “We were able to take care of the fairy sightings in Wales last week. We all need to be particularly vigilant in Europe. The number of sightings there has increased nearly twenty-five percent since this time last year. At this point, we’re not sure if it’s negligence on our part or a sign of heightened awareness in the mortal realm—but we’re keeping an eye on the situation. If this continues, we may have to declare all of Europe off-limits from nonessential creatures for a few years.”