In love

Hannah

The red lights roamed behind Fae Academy, creating a sparkling aurora of mass proportions. Dawn was about to break, which meant the fairies were still sound asleep in their dorms, lounging on puffy flower beds. I was wide awake, as I had been yesterday and the day before and every single day since I came into this hellhole because my faerie stepfather married my mortal mother. They got hitched after their second date, but who was I to judge?

It was hard to sleep, with nightmares plaguing me every night. So I made a game of it. Whenever I got a nightmare I would toddle down to my stepfather's room, steal his ancient red wine, and drink a cup that I would share with Gareth, my adopted brother. He was also forced to attend this horror institution. Before lessons started, we'd sneak out inside his office, dilute the remaining wine with water, and write a nice letter.

The contents of said missive were nothing short of subterfuge, and a little bit of luck. You see, we'd blame the bully of the Academy, the duke’s heir, Salix, who had made our lives a living hell since we came here. Fortunately, Gareth had once had to make a project with him and, because of his eidetic memory, he could copy the bully’s writing well enough.

And did I forget to mention, our old man was the principal of the Academy? Yes, it was embarrassingly true. I tried to tell him about the bullying, but he asked me if I had any proof of it, then looked disappointedly at me when I didn’t. I did lie to him, not too often, but I deserved a little trust.

Today, as usual, we crawled like soldiers in a war zone toward our stepfather's door. Some people would roll their eyes at our dramatics, but I think it made half the fun. It was very little I would find fun in Fae World. I was brimming with success, making my steps light, and questioning my brother.

"Did you write the missive?" I whispered, looking at him with my honey-brown eyes, searching for an affirmative answer.

"Naturally," he grinned, holding the letter up with pride on his face as if he was presenting me with the Holy Grail.

"Good," I said, rubbing my palms together like a cartoonish villain. A few loose strands of brown hair disrupted my vision, so I tucked them behind my ears.

"You do know we're gonna be grounded forever if he catches us, don't you?" Gareth asked, for the sake of asking really. He was looking forward to the thrill of the adventure, his blue eyes twinkling mirthfully in my direction.

"It's for a noble cause," I assured him.

We opened the door. It creaked slightly but Lex was sound asleep at his desk. We tiptoed toward his wine stashes, all of them covered by dust and spiderwebs. Lex's office was a contrast, every book in place, clean, and almost sparkling. Sickeningly sanitarian, like a hospital. We quickly put the letter near the wine stashes. The contents of it were as follows "I, Salix, oldest son of duke Blackcone, the illegitimate brother of the king himself, had taken the liberty of borrowing your elvish wine for the night. You should feel honored, principal."

We tried to stifle our giggles, well aware of the consequences of not being quiet. I surveyed the room one last time before escaping. Our grumpy stepfather was asleep at his desk, the wooden owl watch was ticking on the wall, and several pictures of mom and us were hung around the room. If you ignored the wine stash, this place was almost cozy.

"Let's hurry," I urged and almost had a heart attack when Lex rose up and said, "What's the hurry, children?"

My yellow-haired brother screamed and I tried to play dumb, making it seem like we were ensorcelled to be here. Like it was a joke set up by one of the fae folk, namely to come to the principal's office and say ludicrous things.

"Is your fridge running?" I asked, out of the blue.

"Excuse me, little girl," Lex asked, his brow furrowing.

"Master said to tell you to go catch it!" I yelled, trying to appear subservient, with my head in the clouds, ensorcelled.

My stepfather approached, looking deeply into my eyes. I tried not to squirm yet I failed. He smiled.

"Nice try, Hannah. Were you truly enchanted, your pupils would have dilated."

I cursed his ability to know everything.

"We came here because we missed you!" Gareth intervened, jumping to my aid.

"We never get to see you," he said.

"How odd, considering you still call me intruder behind my back, Gareth," Lex responded. His striking green eyes twinkled just like Gareth's eyes did a few moments before.

"I, that's because-" he stammered.

"It’s none of your business!" I shot out, infuriated that he had seen through our façade.

"Anything involving my children is my business," our stepfather said coldly. I tugged on Gareth's arms, trying to excuse us, albeit rudely, out of the room.

"Children? Next time you blame Salix for stealing from my wine stashes, I will make you resolve your differences by locking the three of you in a room together."

He knew. Of course, he knew! And if that wasn't a good incentive not to try again then what was? I would rather be in a room with a starving grizzly bear than with Salix. The bear would try to chomp on my arm, confusing me for dinner. Salix would try to ensorcell me to cut my arm off myself! That was if I didn't have any rowan twigs on hand to ward off his magic.

Sadly, my stepfather did not approve of my and Gareth's ingenuity. He very much bemoaned it. Every time we proved ourselves capable of having a modicum of intelligence higher than that of an amoeba, he put on a pained expression. Almost as if we were fated to be juvenile delinquents, and end up in an oubliette somewhere in Fae Prison. Gareth used to joke with Lex on this subject, telling him, "As soon as I reach majority I'm going to get more acquainted with prison bars."

At first, he took that as a hopeful proclamation of Gareth wanting to work as some sort of fae security guard in Weeper's Wail, the most famous fae prison. It was a very prestigious job. The jail itself boasted the fact that it was even more impenetrable than Alcatraz. Unfortunately for our stepfather, every time Lex breached the subject, his hope dwindled to ashes. In such a spectacular manner!

One specific example would be this bit of conversation that happened four months ago. I still remember it vividly well. Lex had cornered Gareth into the kitchen with a frantic look on his face, having changed his mind about his stepson becoming a prison guard, because of its' bad reputation. You see, sometimes the inmates tried to escape, and killed guards, and if they were unsuccessful, even themselves. Plus, he was also worried about Gareth's "human fragility," or whatever that meant.

The conversation went on like this.

"Gareth? Son! I strictly forbid you to become one of the unfortunate victims of Fae Prison. As your father, I-"

"But Lex, I don't even want to become a prison guard," my brother said, throwing him a sly look.

"Thank the stars!" he looked so relieved, his voice booming inside our odd new apartment.

"I want to be one of the prisoners! Free food, hot, amazonian pixie guards, imposed isolation so that I'm allowed intimacy if I show them I am too dangerous to share the oubliette. It all sounds magnificent!" he shouted, making our stepfather groan in despair.

I loved it when he joked. He did that less often than usual now that we were pupils here. We walked quickly to our respective dorms, taking in the beige walls, the color of natural marzipan. I walked to my room, decorated with dark, blue moonstones for luck and a picture of Salix Blackcone I used to shoot arrows at. Don't misunderstand me. I hated him with a passion. One day, he just swaggered over to me. His eyes were like the tempestuous sea as he handed me his picture.

I would have thrown it in the bin if it weren't for his smug face and poisonous words, "Would you look at that, little mortal? Now you finally have the picture of immortality. Treasure it, think about it, admire it, before you succumb like a helpless babe to death's cruel grip. Like all you perishable things seem to do."

I was furious at his remarks. So, of course, I took the stupid picture which should have definitely ended up in a bin, and used it for archery practice. I even embellished it by writing some unseemly comments on the margins about Salix’s unstoppable urge to photograph himself. I may or may not have written brilliant facts like Blackcone compensating for something he lacked inside himself, and about me almost worrying for him. Yes! I was almost deeply concerned that the old myth about cameras stealing souls may have been true in his case. But then I reminded myself that Salix didn't have any soul, to begin with.

Or if he had, he didn't show it to me.

The upside of being a mortal in the Fae Academy was that we got our own dorms, we didn't need to share. This little special rule was instated a few decades ago when Janie Bloom, a sixteen-year-old the same age as me, got her rowan twigs and berries stolen from her while she was sleeping. By whom you ask? Her dorm mates who shamelessly stripped her of her only protection then proceeded to ask her embarrassing secrets. That was how they found out how the previous fae headmaster, her adopted father may have been unfaithful to her mortal mother.

Even in Fae Land, marriage was important. They went even further than that and said it was sacred. Anyone who dared cause trouble to the union would be cursed for all eternity by flesh-eating maggots or even worse, mortality. After the rumors of the last principal got out, his reputation was tarnished causing him to quit his job. Then no one heard of Janie again. Hopefully, she went back to the human world. But nobody knew for certain.

When I first came here, people were comparing me a lot with Janie. It got even more irritating when they decided it would be jolly good fun to call me Janie instead of Hannah and to accuse my stepfather of being unfaithful to my mother. Lex had some faults, mainly that he was not my biological father, who also died a few years ago. I knew I was unfair, it was not something he could control. But no matter his faults, he was the most sickeningly in love and faithful husband in the entire world. It was fortunate for him, otherwise, he would have found himself impaled with cold iron if he broke my mother's heart.

However, I could not deny that I was also sort of fond of the fae. He was caring, in his own way, worrying about our mortality, searching ancient tomes for hours in the hope that he might find a solution to it. He accompanied me and Gareth in the mortal world, trying to blend in. We tried to rope him into going to the movies with us and helping us skip school. Not that we were lazy, just that we were ahead of everyone and wished for some free time. He even went on a picnic with me, Gareth, and mom once, when he told us more about his mysterious world and his childhood.

Apparently, he had once been a high-ranked soldier not too long ago, because he liked to protect his people. However, he despised bloodshed and felt like his true calling was to instruct the children.

"Not that there's much difference between incompetent new recruits and disobedient children," he'd mutter, smiling our way, winking.

The hours passed by faster than a malevolent troll running through a civilization of Lilliputians. Soon enough I had to go to my first class. The only solace I had was that it was Monday, which meant there were the shortest amount of hours in the week. Friday amounted to seven long grueling hours of history class, talking about the war between orcs and fairies. God, I hated Fridays and I used to love them!

I dressed up in formal Academy clothes. That meant I was dressed up in a sparkling white tunic with a sparkly, rainbow-colored, wings symbol, black leggings, and matching shoes. On the back of the tunic was the Academy's motto, "Magic everlasting won't do your homework for you. We'd know." Strange motto, huh? It was also written in the faerie language, in the same bubbly, rainbow colors that made me appreciate the darker shades.

It was very over the top if you asked me. Do even their clothes need to scream "We're fair folk, so we dress like medieval pop stars!"

Once clothed, I took my notebooks and ran down the hall. I was the only one, besides Gareth, who used notebooks instead of parchment. For that little blight on my person, the teachers always scolded me. But I did not care, I relished in it. I wanted to remind myself that, despite our unsuccessful attempts to blend in and stick like a sour thumb, I was different, human.

The classroom was colored vermilion and white. A strange combination, compared to my plain brown-colored classrooms in the human world. There were magical objects everywhere in the room, and of course, we were forbidden to touch them. There was a Valkyrian sword that could cut through dragon skin, a lasso that would make even humans tell only the truth, not that kindness wouldn't achieve the same thing and a sphere. I had no idea what it was supposed to do. It was rumored to be even more magical than the other objects. But I bet that it was just a knick-knack professor Graysnail had bought from his holiday. Why else was he encouraging the rumors, neither lying nor telling the truth? It must have been hilarious for him!

It was a trick faeries were capable of, they distorted everything and made even the truth a chance for lying.

The room was buzzing with energy, fae children of the noble families whispering precious secrets between themselves. It was not much different than in the human world, except there, the humans could lie, and complement each other even if they did not mean it. I caught a wisp of conversation.

"My Veradisia, you look positively repulsing today! When was the last time you encountered a comb?" a forest-haired fae said playfully to his longtime girlfriend.

"You charmer you..." the fae girl muttered while rolling her eyes.

"Now no need to get defensive, love. You know I can't lie."

"Neither can I. I look positively brilliant compared to you!"

That last remark got a lot of cackles. I smiled slightly. If my classmates weren't always judging me for what I was, we would have gotten along pretty well.

I took my regular seat. It was next to my brother, Gareth, and a shy faerie boy, who seemed to not talk with anyone. Ever. Honestly, we did not know if it was because he thought himself the center of the universe, or if he was just painfully timid. But he handed me my dropped pen once when I accidentally dropped it during an important exam. So I figured he was alright in my books.

However, that boy, Aeon, was missing today. And guess who had taken his place instead? The biggest thorn in my side, Salix. He walked slowly, reading something small and sleek in his hands. I squinted a bit and leaned toward him, curiosity getting the better of me.

It was a magazine from our world about...cooking? No way! Why would pampered heir Salix be interested in cooking lessons? Unless he planned to poison someone. He took his place, turned his head toward me, and gave me an impish grin. My blood boiled.

"This is not your usual place, Salix. Planning to steal everyone else's chair?" I questioned.

"I don't see anyone's name on the chair, little law bringer. Do you plan to arrest me?" he licked his lips, blue eyes staring into the depths of my soul.

My cheeks colored bright red. I was embarrassed.

"Y-You're off the hook today."

I wanted to hide under a rock somewhere. There I wouldn't see his stupidly handsome face and flirty voice. And I wouldn't react just like he planned to.

Finally, Gareth entered the room just a few seconds before our teacher, Mr. Graysnail made his appearance. He sat to my left. Our teacher looked impeccable as always, except for his orange tornado-like hairdo, and cracked round glasses with thick frames. He coughed, and complete silence enveloped the classroom.

Mr. Graysnail was one of those teachers who did not take nonsense. Whenever we encountered him in the corridors, he was easygoing, even funny, but come Monday he would adopt an angry disposition befitting a funeral. Salix had once asked him, none too gently, "Professor, why are you always harping on us? Did somebody die?"

Graysnail smiled, looking like a white shark about to take a bite, and answered, "The only one dying is you, young duke."

"Is that a threat?" Salix snorted, crossing his arms.

"Dying of boredom when I make you organize the Academy library alphabetically and chronologically! If you weren't my star pupil..."

Our professor had favorites, like all the others. He thought "Bargains," in the first semester. What did the course entail? Nothing short of teaching a bunch of fairy teenagers how to scam regular people. Of goods, years of life, even souls. I tried not to get offended early in the semester when they first talked about human gullibility. Instead, I nourished my desire to learn and gained good wisdom out of the torturous lessons. It goes without saying that I was also one of his star pupils.

"We are on lesson seven, chapter two. The dangers of bargaining. In this treacherous world, even our best assets can turn against us. Exhibit A, the fae protagonist of many medieval ballads, that were lucky enough to be composed. Who can tell me his name?" the professor asked.

Crickets sounded. I raised my hand up to respond around the same time Salix answered.

"That Robin Goodfellow, ho, ho, ho!"

That sarcastic ho, ho, ho was indeed what the evil faerie used to add in his ballads, usually put at the end of sentences.

"Also called Puck," I responded quickly, not wanting to seem less knowledgeable than Salix. He frowned. I hoped he felt threatened by my rivaling intelligence.

"Yes, indeed," Graysnail hissed, his face lighting up, azure eyes shining like liquid diamonds.

"It was said that poor Puck was gravely injured because of a bargain with a clever human woman. The deal was as follows " Puck would get the life of Lady Lydia's child in exchange for the child to survive childbirth and after he had lived a full life exactly like Puck's. At fifty years of age, Puck came to take the child and do as he pleased with his life, however, his mother opposed it. She said that since the evil fairy agreed that her child could live a full life exactly like Goodfellow's, Robin could not take him. Now, why was that?"

No one dared to answer the question which we knew he was much too eager to answer himself from his tone of voice.

"As his life was immortal and her child, Michael lived only for a hundred years at most. He could never live a full life exactly like Puck's, as not only was Robin's life happier, being filled with immortality, but also different."

"What happens next, children?" he asked expectantly this time, and I dared to answer.

"Puck got mad."

"Well, of course, he got mad, mortal. Who wouldn't?" Salix said, scandalized.

"He tried to curse Michael with immortality, only to be stabbed in the heart with cold iron by Lydia. After that, he had never been seen again," Gareth commented, joining the conversation.

"I bet he was too ashamed of being bested by someone he saw as unrightfully less than himself!" I snapped and my brother hi-fived me.

"Well, I think-"

"Nobody cares what you think, Salix!" I yelled, huffing like I had walked over one hundred stairs. My classmates' whispers multiplied like fiery red ants, coming to feast on a delicious, spongy cake.

"Blackcone, Heart! Settle down!" the teacher scolded us, curling his lip disapprovingly. It was unfair, he started it!

I nodded glumly, trying to overlook the ugly troll sitting to my left with golden leaves adorning his ebony locks. Graysnail turned, writing something on the inky, flying blackboard. I tried to copy diligently when a piece of paper in the shape of a swan hit me on the head.

"Hey!" I hissed and turned to my assailant. Salix was smirking widely and gesturing with his hand for me to open the paper swan. I did just that while rolling my eyes. Let it never be said that I backed down from any challenge.

On the yellowed manuscript, these words were written 'How fares thee, little mortal? I am splendid, by the way, now that you have stopped talking.'

I growled, writing my own response on the last page of my notebook, and ripping it mercilessly. I threw my answer at his head, to his eternal delight.

'Happy with my silence and yet you engage me with conversation? What do you want Salix?'

Another yellow paper swan landed gracefully on my desk.

'I'm bored. I propose, a bargain.'

'No!' I wrote back, just to infuriate him.

'Next period is flying. Race with me. When I win, you will bestow upon me one of your honeyed kisses, my lovely foe. Were you to win, I will pretend that you are worthy of the same respect as we faeries are. Deal?'

I could not stand his mockery anymore, nor his abundant arrogance, more plentiful than the ripest golden apples in Idunn's garden. Or the juiciest purple grapes of Dionysus. I was also famished and tired. When these two circumstances combined, I tended to act rashly.

'You're on, Salix.'

The shuffling of feet on gravel was the sound of defeat, yet I had no intention to lose. So I hastened my steps and tried to walk like an assured, fearless warrior of tales gone by! I managed not to trip toward the racing arena, so I take that as a victory.

I inhaled cold, misty air, for it was very foggy outside. Just my luck. Not only am I an inexperienced flier now I am a blind one too. Faerie eyes adjust much better to darkness or fog.

I clutched my arms in a vice-like grip and rubbed them gently in a mindless caress. Chills ran down my body because the weather decided to be a very unpleasant mistress. The trees danced in the wind like swaying mummers, and they would soon enough bemoan Salix’s defeat. Or mine...

"Hannah? Where are you going in this weather?" Gareth asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He had caught up to me on the way.

"I can't tell you," I grunted out.

"Is it top secret?" he asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Let's just say you wouldn't approve," I try to move past him only to be stopped abruptly. He took hold of my arm.

"Hannah?" he looked serious.

"Alright! I might have, made a bet with Salix."

"When did you...? The notes you were passing in class?"

I nodded.

"And what does this, bet entail?"

"A race in the arena. If I win he will finally treat us with respect around here. If he wins I have to, um, kiss him," I groan.

"What? A poisonous frog would be a better boyfriend, Hannah!" he screeches.

"He's not my boyfriend! God, Gareth concentrate."

"Oh, I will concentrate alright. Concentrate on the fist to the face maneuver. Salix won't know what hit him."

"Don't you think I can take care of myself?" I asked him, a bit hurt.

"Look. I know you're a good fighter and that you're likely to break all the bones in his body, but leave something for me to kick too."

"Why?" I snorted.

"It's a brother thing," he explained, oh so logically.

Buzzing sounds began to overwhelm me so I put my hands on my ears and gritted my teeth. I almost forgot the fanfare that only a challenge in the arena could provoke. The race was announced by a magical, disharmonious french horn. It was liable to carry the sound far, but not too far. It couldn't be heard from inside the Academy, but anyone outside the protective charms and spell could and would hear it. Salix wanted an audience.

Gareth and I hurried our steps and soon enough found ourselves in the fabled arena, with half the school already sitting in their seats. They were not allowed to move. The victor would be announced by magical means after crossing the finish line. His or her name would be written inside a giant golden bell. Only then would the students be able to find out and until then, they would have to suffer tremendous anticipation.

Also, all the students resembled tiny little ants in comparison to the vastness of the arena. It expanded beyond the seats of the students, far away near a crystalline river with golden fishes that grant wishes and a crooked, dark forest. Many medicinal plants and tempting fruit were found inside. Yet all those wonders came with a price.

"So, you came! I've got to admit little mortal, at first, I'd thought you would bail on me," he said, all teeth.

"And miss the look of defeat on your face? Fat chance, Salix," I said.

"You've got nowhere to run, mortal. We both know who would win. So how about you forfeit now and-"

"Were she to forfeit I would have to punch you in the face to protect her from your kisses," Gareth said and I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. Salix gaped and he added, "Just saying man, I'd bruise your face."

"It would be an improvement," I piped up, wanting to see his scandalized expression. Oh, Salix. Ever the vain one.

Gareth laughed as Salix hissed and said, "Don't say I did not give you a chance to keep your dignity, little Hannah."

Would you look at that, he did know my name.

Goosebumps ran over my body, and my eyes lightened up, I felt like I was on top of a huge mountain. I was blending with it, I was sturdy, impenetrable. Though I was a bit frightened, excitement rushed through my veins. I will win! I have to win.

Golden sprite dust enveloped me lovingly, as I spread it around myself, again and again. Just to be sure I don't run out. Salix was smirking, probably thinking this will be a piece of cake. I'll show him. It might be foggy but I had a plan. I just had to follow Salix right behind in order to not get lost then at the last moment when the golden shining line reveals itself, I had to speed up. I'll take him by surprise by being slower than him at the start, that way he would drop his defenses, and when he least expects it, I'll win.

"Fellow students, this mere mortal has challenged me to a race, as you can see. I shall prove once more that fae folk has the supremacy!" he yelled and the masses shrieked in approval, clapped, some of them even barked. Fae folk were strange. I knew only my brother was going to support me, but still, it was a bit hard to swallow the fact that the entire student body, minus Gareth, wanted me to fail. All the more reason to try my best.

Salix and I took our places at the start line. Gareth stood behind us and yelled impassionedly "start". The Blackcone heir winked at me then spread his eye-catching silver wings around, hitting me in the face with them. For a second I panicked, but I soon came to my senses after Gareth screamed "Hannah!"

'Fly! Fly! Fly!' I thought desperately as Salix and I started ascending into the air.

Salix

The burgundy blush on her cheeks was adorable, as was the homicidal and manic look in her chocolate-colored eyes. I have seen baby fae with more talent at flying than her yet still she persevered. It was admirable, foolish yet admirable.

It was time to burden her some more.

“You would look splendid in a caramel dress. It would match your eyes.”

“Wh-what?” she said, surprised enough that she stopped thinking about flying long enough to descend somewhat.

“Rockets, planes!” she shouted, desperately trying to stay afloat. She almost descended into the river with the wish-grating fishes if I did not catch her hand at the last second.

Her grip was tight, almost blocking my circulation. And yet she refused her defeat.

“Let go!” she yelled, beginning to squirm and loosen her grip. I, in turn strengthened mine.

“So that your golden sprite dust would dissolve? I think not. Give me a challenge, Hannah and some thanking for helping you would not be remiss,” I said amused.

“We both know you only took hold of me so that I wouldn’t wish you to become a pancake on the ground!”

“That is not thanking,” I hissed, displeased with her stubbornness.

“How sharp of you to notice,” she said ironically.

I struggled and took her in my arms. She screeched like a vengeful Valkyrie, swearing on her life not to take my soul to Valhalla. Yes, I knew Norse mythology. It was interesting and fun to pretend to be a mortal, as inferior as they were , they could be very creative. Especially in their norse retellings.

She stopped screeching suddenly.

Did she loose her voice?

“Let me go,” she whispered.

“Or what?” I asked amused.

She smiled seductively, put her hands on my shoulder; she wrapped her beautiful legs around my body. Leaning in, like a coiled snake with the most entrancing scales I have ever seen.

I did not understand. I knew I was alluring but, was she finally admitting defeat? Yes! Coil around me, my obstinate, tamed serpent. Lean into my touch. I shall be merciful in the face of your previous defiance.

Just when I thought she’d kiss me, she dared to hit me in an unmentionable place. And it hurt, unbearably so, like a thousand pointy needles dipped in lava! You probably did not want to know the details, but I couldn’t stop myself from sharing my painful experience.

I was burdened for a second and ended up in the river, nursing my wounds.

“Is that enough of a challenge for you?” she asked. Her laughter sounded strangely like bells. Her head was held high, her chin was up. My courageous Valkyrie left me, braving the fog and disappearing from sight.

I was maddeningly even more in love.

I managed to get out of the river, much later, and had to wait for my wings to dry up. That horrendous, beautiful mortal must have already won by now! I sighed, discouraged.

I grunted, took my robe off savagely, almost choking myself and began drying my wings faster. Even in the fog they shimmered.

Not wasting another second, I raced after her. We passed the forest, neck to neck. We clenched our teeth. Mine were sharp as I grinned predatorily. The only sharp things about the mortal were her mind and her tongue. I did not expect Hannah to get so much better at flying than before yet it mattered none. I was bound to win.

I tried to make conversation again, using the same tactic.

“How fitting that you chose to incapacitate me in such a manner. Did it feel nice?” I asked her.

“Hitting you? It was the coolest thing I have done since coming here!” she said, flying just as well as before. Her concentration must be on thoughts of flying.

“No, my serpent. Seducing me,” I said, waggling my eyebrows.

“It was a necessary evil. And I’m not yours,” she said, though she was blushing. Delectable.

“Then you agree that you are a serpent?” I asked jokingly.

“Only if you agree that you are a rat!”

“How offensive, my treasure,” I said and leaned close to her, “Especially, since I’m the serpent charmer.”

Then I blew a kiss into the air and finally noticed that her eyes were twinkling, staring at my naked torso. She looked away when she noticed that I figured out her little blunder.

I must have blushed too, because I didn’t comment on it. It would have been too easy.

At last the finish line was in sight. I sped with all my might, the mortal being not far from me. I didn’t even know how she could still fly. Golden sprite dust was very hard to control. Her sheer thoughts of flying must have transformed into sheer spite.

We touched the finish line at the same time, and for a second I was almost afraid I had made a fool of myself and lost.

Hannah’s brother, Gareth sped up and hugged his sister. He glared at me, and hid her from sight, like a ferocious brownie hiding their stolen treasure, as they were often prone to magpie-like tendencies. I raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

“Gareth, who won?” Hannah asked. Her voice trembled.

The mortal smiled and said, “It was a draw.”

Faeries of all kind were circling the bell, looking for the answer. They were laughing, mocking me. I heard an insolent redcap say, “As feeble as a mortal.”

How dare he?