31. Calmed

Kelly wound up getting undressed and into the large bed, and she was soon fast asleep. I was a little surprised, considering we'd only been up a few hours after sleeping an entire day. I chalked it up to the three or four drinks she'd had, and the stress she was dealing with.

As for myself, I was wide awake and kind of wired at the prospect of reading all the books I'd grabbed. The enchanted necklace meant I could read Fae as well as speak it, and I spent most of the night sitting at the table studying.

I took a break at one point to get out of the fancy dress, it was kind of uncomfortable and very not-my-style. I dug through the wardrobe in search of something relaxed and comfortable, and wound up wearing a sort of knee-length tea-dress. It might've been a nightshirt or something, I wasn't sure. It was comfy though, especially without anything on underneath it.

By the time my candle sputtered out I'd devoured one book and was about a quarter of the way through the second. I'd already learned a few useful new spells from that first book, and I decided to try using one of them rather than get another candle.

A small globe of light appeared over the table and hung there like a tiny moon. The light it gave off had the same soft, cool tone as moonlight. It was kind of calming, but at the same time I let out an excited little giggle. I was proud of my little accomplishment. Then I turned my attention back to my books.

I must have drifted off at some point, as I felt myself slowly nudged awake by my girlfriend's hand on my shoulder.

"Tegan. Hey Tegan," she said softly.

My eyes fluttered open and I grumbled slightly. My back and neck hurt, I'd been hunched over with my head on the table.

She scolded me quietly, "You should've gone to bed, silly."

Kelly was still naked as she settled into the chair across from me. She poured herself a glass of juice and had a sip.

Sunlight was streaming in the windows and our whole room was brightly lit. I rubbed my eyes and picked up my own half-empty glass and drank a few gulps, then stood up and stretched. I tried to work out some of the kinks in my neck and back, then sat back down with a grin.

She asked "How late did you stay up reading?"

"Not sure," I replied. There were four books in my 'done' pile, the fifth was open on the table before me, and the sixth hadn't been looked at yet. "I guess, four and a half books worth?"

She rolled her eyes and had another sip of juice. Despite her spending the full night in bed, she actually didn't look that rested. She still looked stressed.

"I was thinking last night," I gestured towards the desk in the corner. "We could both write letters for our moms, and get Maeve to have them sent over. So our families know we're ok?"

Kelly frowned, "Do you think she'll actually do it?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I think we can trust her. But it'll be a good test I suppose, if she does it."

Kelly sighed. She was definitely still stressed, and now she looked worried again too.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "We'll be ok. Things will be ok."

She sighed again, then asked "How are you staying so calm through all this?"

I shrugged slightly, "I don't really know. I guess part of it is I'm sure Maeve isn't going to hurt us."

There was something else I wasn't sure I wanted to admit yet, but I was starting to wonder if I felt so calm here because this was my family home. Even if that were true though, I still had no intention of staying.

After a few moments I gave Kelly another confident smile and said "I know we'll get home again. Don't worry."

"How can you be sure?" she asked, still sounding nervous.

"Maeve told us last night, remember? There's a meadow in the forest to the south. The 'wall' between the worlds must be thinner there, that's where Liam went across. So that's where we'll go, when it's time to go home."

Kelly sighed. "Neither of us knows how to do that, Tegan."

I grinned and picked up the second book from my 'done' pile. "I know how. That's why I grabbed this book. It's basically about fast-travel spells, both within a world, and between the worlds."

"Fast travel?"

"It's like teleporting or whatever," I grinned.

She frowned as she asked, "And you think you can do it? For real?"

I set the book down and nodded, "I think maybe I've got a touch of Taralynn's gift. I've learned about a dozen spells since last night. So yeah, I think I can get us home."

Kelly looked thoughtful as she had a few gulps of her juice. Finally she asked, "Then why bother sending letters home? Why don't we just leave, go home right now?"

I sighed, "At dinner Maeve said it wasn't safe for me on Earth. After what she told us last night, I understand why. That Eileen is probably still searching for me. I mean, if she just wanted me dead Liam could have killed me when I was a baby right? She wanted me alive but somewhere Maeve couldn't find me, so she had Liam hide me on Earth. There's got to be something else she has in store, and if we just go home now? Sooner or later she'll find me. That puts you in danger, and my parents, and maybe even your sister and mom too."

I shook my head, "So I think we need to deal with the situation once and for all. Figure out what her plan is, figure out what other secrets Liam is keeping, and fix it. Once the danger is gone, then I can go home."

Kelly frowned as she listened. She still looked anxious, stressed.

After another minute or so I suggested, "We could ask Maeve to send you home. You're probably not in any danger if I'm not around. You could go home, see your sister and your mom, and let my mom know I'm ok. You don't have to stay here Kelly."

"No way." There was no hesitation as she shook her head. "I'm not leaving you here alone. We'll stick together and figure it out. You're right, facing the threat head-on is better than going home then looking over our shoulders forever."

"Thanks Kelly," I smiled. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, but I'm glad you're here with me."

She drained the last of her juice, then asked "So what sorts of spells have you learned?"

I grinned and gestured at the books as I replied, "A handful of utility spells, the spell to get us home, some more defensive magic, and a couple combat spells."

She frowned, "Combat spells?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Check this out."

I turned and raised my right hand towards the fireplace as I murmured the words. Dark ripples bent the fabric of the air, as the spell surged between my fingertips and the fireplace, crossing the span of several meters in an instant. There was an explosion of sparks and flame as the logs and hot coals were suddenly ripped and splintered as if the whole lot had been dropped into a wood-chipper.

"Holy shit!" Kelly gasped, eyes wide.

I nodded, and with a sombre expression I said "I seriously hope I never actually need to use that on a living thing. But I figured, we're in danger. It'd be stupid to ignore the possibility that we might need to fight for our lives."

"Yeah," she nodded slowly. "I hope you never need to use that either. But honestly Tegan? I feel a little better knowing you could do it if you had to."

She poured herself another glass of juice and said "Ok. I'm going to write a note to my mom, then I guess see about getting dressed. How about you?"

I thought a moment, then decided "I'm going to finish reading this book I fell asleep to, then I'll do a note for my mom as well. If they'll let me, I'm comfy just wearing this for now. I don't want to be bundled up in a tight fancy dress all day long, and there aren't any jeans or t-shirts in the wardrobe."

Kelly sighed, "It's probably taboo or something for girls to wear pants."

I grumbled, but worried she might be right.

Kelly got up and took her juice over to the desk, and I picked up my book and continued reading. It was the book on combat magic, there were another couple spells in it I wanted to try and learn.

It took me another hour or so to finish the book, and by then Kelly had written her letter, got washed up in the bathroom, then found something to wear. It was another dress but it looked more relaxed and comfortable than what she had on last night.

As I set the book in my 'done' pile she commented "I hope you're not going to start on that last one. I'm getting hungry. I don't know if they'll come get us for breakfast, or if we're supposed to ring for food, but either way I want to eat."

"Ok Kelly," I smiled. "The last book can wait till later." I pulled on some underwear and my sandals, but didn't bother with any additional clothes. I was comfortable like this for now.

She pulled the bell cord as I moved to the desk. I wrote out a brief note to my mom, telling her I was safe but that I couldn't get back home right away. I asked her not to worry, and promised to be in touch again as soon as possible.

I was just finishing up when a maid arrived. She knocked once then entered and stood just inside the door. She wasn't the same one from last night, but she was dressed in a similar outfit. She looked a little younger, more my age rather than Kelly's. Though I realized I was still thinking in human-terms, all the people here were probably at least a hundred years older than Kelly and me.

The maid curtsied and asked, "What may I do for you?"

Kelly asked her, "What are the arrangements for breakfast? Can we get food brought to us here, or do we need to go to the dining room or something?"

I added, "And when are we supposed to meet with Maeve again?"

"I can bring breakfast to you both here, ma'am. And I will have word sent to Lady Maeve that you are both awake. She will likely send someone to inform you of the rest of the day's plans."

Kelly thanked her and the girl left, closing the door behind her.

"That's kind of convenient," Kelly commented, "But I also feel kind of guilty, you know? Like, if we knew where the kitchen was I could just go grab us some toast and coffee."

"Do they even have coffee here?" I asked.

Her eyes went wide, "Oh crap. I have no idea."

Since we had more time to kill, I started reading the last book. This one wasn't about spells as such, but it was a topic of personal interest to me. It was all about changelings. I was only interested in the first part of the book, that described the details, benefits and drawbacks. I didn't need to know how to do it, what spells were involved. I wasn't looking to do this to anyone else, I just wanted to know what it meant for me.

The maid returned ten or twelve minutes later, carrying a large tray. There were fresh pitchers of juice and water and some clean glasses. There was a bowl of fresh fruit, a platter of freshly baked buns and pastries, and a couple little pots of jams, jellies, and honey. And two plates, and some napkins. She laid it all out on our little table, then took away the pitchers and glasses from last night.

Finally she informed us that Maeve would send someone to collect us at around midday. Then she curtsied again and left us to our meal.

Everything tasted amazing, and I was starting to get the feeling that would be a theme for our visit here. Maybe it was something about the place, like it was supposed to be a magical world, maybe all the food magically tasted fantastic.

I kept reading as I ate, but after a few minutes Kelly commented "I thought you weren't going to start that last book just yet. What sort of spells are you learning now?"

I grimaced and set it aside. "Sorry Kelly. It's not spells. It's basically everything I didn't really want to know about changelings but figured I should probably find out anyways."

"Oh," she sighed. "Not a lot of good news, I expect?"

"Not really," I shook my head. "I already guessed it wouldn't end well for the human children that got replaced, but I didn't think it would be quite like that."

She obviously knew some of this already, as she sighed. "I'm sorry babe. Just remember, it's not your fault. You didn't do it, you didn't ask for it."

"I know," I sighed as well. "I'm just glad I was adopted, you know? It means the human kid I replaced wasn't my parents actual son. And by the time the adoption happened, it was me rather than him? So they never had a human child that was lost. They always just had me. That's about the only thing that makes it bearable."

After that unhappy thought, the two of us finished our breakfast in silence.

PurpleCatGirl