Realm of Wings

A/n: My dear readers! I know I haven't been updating lately but I haven't been feeling well mentally, the last few months. But with medication and help from others I'm doing much better now! Thank you for your understanding and patience and I hope you will continue this journey with me. 💛

Jade, getting angered in one of the rooms they just entered:

“For fuck’s sake! He said he killed only a few!” I screamed, referring to the black-haired douche that I had given a new chest cavity while looking at the pile of already decomposing monk bodies, that were bundled up together in a room the most distant from the main hall.

“I knew I shouldn’t have killed him that soon! Motherfucking ass!” I yelled again while going back to a room where I had seen white sheets stacked in racks. I grabbed a few and Angela followed me as well.

In the short time that I had met her, she became rather clingy to me. Not that I particularly hated it, it was just that I wasn’t accustomed to anyone else besides Neil. He knew to keep his distance, especially when I was angry, but Angela just stuck to me and helped me where she could. I didn’t need to look behind me either, I just knew that she was there so I threw her a pile of white sheets and she caught them mid-air.

“Are we going to take the bodies outside?” She asked me.

“Yes, they need to be praised for their presence in life and then ceremonially cremated. And the way that they are tossed in there, isn’t going to sit well with the living monks. So I want to get this done as soon as possible.” I stated and Angela just nodded in understanding. I’m assuming that Earthly religions are somewhat strange to experience for Fae, so I wasn’t condemning Angela at all, for not knowing this basic information.

We bundled them up, one by one and carefully carried them outside to put them on the centre square. By then, Kallan and the other soldiers had cleared the rest of the monastery and had given the ‘go’ to the other monks to come out.

Of course, they were devastated to see all their religious companions and cried as well. Their instant prayers filled the air and we gave them the space to honour their bodies.

“Thank you for doing this.” I turned around and saw an old monk standing next to me. His orange clothes were filthy and his hands and face were showing signs of malnourishment, but he wasn’t going to complain about it at all. He just stood up straight and bowed to me gracefully. I took his hands in mine and bowed as well.

“It’s the least I could do. I’m sorry that we have disrespected your temple of serenity like this.” I said while pointing towards all the blood that was still littering the floor of the main hall.

“Don’t worry, Jade, that will be clean in no time. I’m just glad that the talisman finally reached its destination.” He said while nudging towards my pocket, there where I had put the stone in.

I reached inside and took the little wooden box out. “How would you know about…” I wanted to ask the man but he suddenly was gone. I looked around but couldn’t find the same old man anywhere! Had he been the one that whispered to me earlier? Am I going crazy?

“You never lie, do you?” Kallan suddenly asked me, interrupting my search for the disappeared old man and infuriating me instantly. I sighed deeply as I couldn’t understand that he was asking me this over and over again! If he keeps on doing this I’m going to rip his balls off earlier than he might have anticipated.

I haven’t been lying a single time to him! I might’ve held back some information, as the rune that I had shown him, wasn’t the only mark on my arm, but other than that, every time he asked something, I had given him the correct answer.

“Sorry, I’m not going to ask you again.” He quickly apologised as soon as he saw my facial expression. “Please just tell me, where did you get the rune on your arm?” He genuinely asked me now and I couldn’t just get angry at him again. This game of cat and mouse just has to stop at some point and I guess we have reached it now.

“I have it since birth and Sister Anselma always made me cover it with clothes until I figured out how to shield it with energy.” I explained while thinking of Sister Anselma and the way she raised me as if I was her own daughter. I tried to hide my sad smile, but I think he could see right through it, knowing that I was somewhat mourning a loss.

“Jade, there is still so much that is unknown about you. You don’t understand any of it, but believe me, I don’t either. The fact that you have magic but didn’t go through any ritual; or why these guys knew where you were and lured you out; or even why my brother was here to get this item, which has a rune on it that is on your arm as well; all of it, it’s just confusing.” He explained himself.

“I know, but you’re just holding me back instead of helping me to figure it all out. Could you just please believe me that I have nothing to hide?” I asked him while lying to him for the first time, as I actually had something to hide.

“Yes, I guess I could.” He replied with a soft smile. God, he looks good when he smiles!

But shit… His trust in me was tearing me apart now, as I don’t like to lie to people.

“Well… If you are going to do that, believe me I mean, I have more to show you.” I said hesitantly while scratching the back of my head.

“Really? Is this a ‘you never asked’ sort of thing?” He said while folding his arms and raising one of the corners of his lips. He was about to become a little more annoying than I’d like him to be, but I let it slide this time.

“Yeah, you could say that. You know about the rune on the inside of my wrist, right?” I asked and he nodded. “Well, that’s not the only mark I have.”

“What, you have a bunny on your ass?” He grinned.

“Well, there used to be one but it just crawled up inside yours!” I laughingly replied and pushed him on his chest.

If he hadn’t been such an ass from the beginning, I might have liked him as a friend, as I surely enjoyed having this banter with him. But I quickly cleared my throat as I realised we were still in a monastery with plenty of dead monks surrounding us.

“But no, no bunny. I actually have a few more tattoos on my body, which I have hidden.” I said in a whisper, to not want to disrespect the monks in their prayers. “But I don’t want to show them to everyone here. You know what, I will show them when we are in Kyalthemar and we’re alone in a room, alright?” I asked him and he nodded at first before his face turned into a big smile.

“No! Don’t even go there!” I immediately interrupted him, pointing at him with my finger, as I didn’t want him to sexually comment about me wanting to be with him alone in a room.

“What? It’s not like you have been afraid to show your body to us.” He shrugged and chuckled.

“Yes, that’s because I don’t care what people think of me. But we are in a sacramental place right now and I still have to have some leverage for you to take me to your world!” I said, still lowering my voice.

He began to think about what I said and when I explained that I had to have some leverage, he even scrunched up his brows for a split second, which makes me doubt that I maybe never had to have any leverage at all. Was he going to take me with him, just because I’m Fae? Is he that generous or just easy-thinking? I mean, a few hours ago he wanted to drag me with him in a cage and now he just gave up on it? What kind of emotional rollercoaster is he dragging me into?

“She never has to have any leverage to come with me.” I suddenly heard a voice say, in a different tone than what I had heard earlier but it was still muffled.

“Sorry?” I asked Kallan.

“For what?” He asked.

“Weren’t you saying something, just now?” I clarified and he shook his head. “Never mind.” I muttered and Kallan looked even more confused.

After this awkward moment, Kallan gathered up his soldiers and ordered for one of the blue-winged men to summon a portal. I had seen one of these portals earlier, when the soldiers arrived behind the building where we parked the car, and also when Kallan’s brother Seph left through one, but it still baffled me to see one being created.

“Am I on time?” Neil suddenly said behind me and I nodded. I had given him a call earlier to get here, as I didn’t want to leave Earth without him. “I have informed Sister Margaret as well, she wishes us good travels.” I nodded again, grateful that he had thought about doing that. Of course, I would never forget her but I’m not very good at saying goodbyes, and I don’t know how long I was going to stay in Kyalthemar. Maybe I will never return to Earth… Who knows?

I looked forward again, seeing how the magical blue waters were swirling in the air to create an oval-shaped pool of glimmering water before the centre of it became clear like a mirror. And only after a few more seconds our destination became more clear, ripple-free as if it was just a thin piece of glass.

It showed a room with old bricks and a black tiled floor and also some other Fae that were standing at the ready, showing wings and having weapons in their hands to attack any trespasser that wasn’t allowed to go through the portal.

“Say your goodbyes, Jade.” Kallan said when he came standing next to me, nodding towards Neil.

“No.” I answered directly.

“He can’t come with us.”

“The hell he can.” I angrily stated. “I’m not leaving without him!” I continued while pushing Neil behind me to shield him.

“No human has ever come to our realm, Jade. It will simply not be allowed.” He continued with a saddened face, truly feeling sorry for him not being able to come with us.

“It’s alright, Miss Jade. I’ll stay here.” Neil said but I wouldn’t have any of it.

“If you are afraid that he will tell anyone, he won’t! He never told a single soul about me and he isn’t going to start now. Besides, he is old, have him have this pleasure of exploring a new world before he dies.” I said with a stern face towards Kallen.

“That wasn’t meant in a bad way, by the way.” I said to Neil while looking behind me.

“Non-taken, Miss.” He kindly replied and I turned my face back to Kallan again.

Kallan growled annoyed but conceded with my determination and pointed his arm up as if he was granting us passage through a curtain, to guide us on stage.

One by one, the soldiers stepped through the portal until it was only Trixie, Kallan, Neil and I left.

“How am I going to explain this to my father?” The same muffled voice from earlier sounded while no mouths moved. Father? Was it Kallan that was talking? But how?

“Yes, that is going to be fun!” The same female voice from in the hallway sounded now, apparently replying to the first one. But still, no mouths moved!

These muffled voices that were completely confusing me, suddenly made perfect sense now as Kallan replied to that snappy remark by scoffing towards Trixie as she was stepping through the portal! I wasn’t going crazy, I can hear their thoughts!

“I’ll go first so that no one will kill you two on sight.” Kallan said and all I could do was give him a nod in understanding.

Kallan was gone now and I pushed Neil towards the portal. He was still hesitant, but he wouldn’t dare to go against me, so he just walked forward and got swirled into it, right away.

I took a few moments, knowing that I was now also able to hear people’s minds, which is something that I want to stay hidden for a little while longer. This because I was about to enter into a new world where everyone and everything is unknown to me. My newfound ability could come in handy when the King and Queen wanted to decide to hide a few things…