Cassandra

  Ith sensed her gaze and looked up. A wide smile of pleasure split his face and he strode towards her. ‘Welcome,’ he called out over the din. ‘I’m glad you came.’

  So… was Ith Iznaya’s husband? That certainly felt right. They were two beautiful people with a lot of love to give and no reluctance to give it freely.

  Cassandra motioned to the swarm of children with a sweep of her arm. ‘You appear to have rather a lot of children.’

  ‘Very proud of them I am, too.’ He winked at her. ‘And this is Boggins.’ He gestured towards the beetle who was now leaning against his leg, apparently asleep.

  Cassandra and Ith chatted like old friends. While they talked, adults and teenagers began to arrive for lunch. Brack later explained that Ith and Iznaya were everybody’s favourite honorary grandparents and that their house had become the place to be for lunch. In their younger days, Iznaya had been an artisan and Ith a watcher. A watcher’s job, as far as Cassandra could work out, had something to do with watching humans. Ith was still considered an authority on humanity, although he no longer ventured out to ‘watch’. Iznaya still created gorgeous knitted garments and blankets, but nowadays they were special gifts rather than her contribution to the general community. Lately, their vocation was simply to be available: to provide a safe, loving, fun environment for whichever young fae needed to be entertained while their parents were busy. In truth, most children chose to spend their days with Ith and Iznaya, whether their parents were busy or not. They would rush their breakfasts and zoom across to Ith and Iznaya’s place as fast as their wings would carry them.

  Before long, Oonnora arrived, much to Cassandra’s relief. It gave her someone to talk to besides pathetically clinging on to Ith or Iznaya. It hadn’t taken long for her to comprehend that, although none of the adult fae were actually rude to her, they were not eager to be friendly either. Brack’s jokes from this morning echoed in her mind. Humans were not liked by the fae, and the animosity had its basis in their treatment of the natural environment. It stood to reason. Most humans were unhappy with the way humans treated the environment.

  Brack was circulating through the crowd talking to the adults in small groups. Every now and then they would look her way while they spoke. The expressions on the faces only served to convince Cassandra that her theory about the fae disliking humans was right. She wondered if they were objecting to the idea of her looking after the children. Thankfully, the children didn’t seem to realise they weren’t supposed to like her.

  Tani was there, but she was talking to her friends and conscientiously pretending to be unaware of Cassandra’s presence. It was no surprise, given what she’d said a couple of days ago. Tani was trying to minimise the damage to her reputation that a human living in her house was causing. Cassandra looked around for Chayton and was disappointed not to see him anywhere. She felt sure he would have taken care of her, even if he was still angry with her. She feigned total contented absorption in her conversation with Oonnora.

  It was mid-afternoon by the time fae started to leave. Iznaya fluttered around, giving out bundles of leftover food wrapped in soft leaves, earthenware pots of Ith’s special berry jam or fungus butter, or her own shortbread. Nobody was allowed to leave empty-handed. They were always very grateful for the gifts and hugged and kissed both her and Ith with genuine love. Hoards streamed out of the yard and across the agora. This was the time of day, Brack pointed out admonishingly, that Cassandra had stuck her head under the ti-tree and discovered them all on that first fateful afternoon.

  — CHAPTER 15 —

  Misfit

  Cassandra was required to accompany the family to the revelry that night, so they didn’t sit down to dinner.

  She found out that fae rarely ate formal meals at home, other than breakfast. They tended to either eat socially from food collectively gathered and shared, or else they grazed on whatever food they found while they roamed. They were vegetarian and masters at finding wild, edible plants, so they never went hungry.

  Brack, Oonnora, Tani and Cassandra were waiting at the front door for Chayton. Cassandra hadn’t seen him since he’d angrily carried her home last night. She was unsure whether he was annoyed purely because of her escape attempt (a romantic corner of her brain hoped that maybe it was because she had put herself in danger) or whether he had taken it personally that she had left him. Whatever his mood now, she wanted to look her best for him and was disappointed that Oonnora had so far not had any clothes made for her. She was still wearing her bikini and sarong, which Oonnora was miraculously able to have cleaned in the time it took Cassandra to bathe. Oonnora had looked through Tani’s wardrobe to find something suitable, but Tani was too tall and slender for anything of hers to fit Cassandra.

  The door at the very top of the house opened, and Cassandra’s heart beat faster. Chayton didn’t float daintily to the ground the way Tani did, but rather allowed himself to free fall until the last possible moment when his wings shot out to slow his descent just enough that he didn’t break his legs on impact.

  ‘Cultivate some grace will you?’ grumbled Tani as the family turned and marched out the door.

  Chayton walked close beside Cassandra on the way to the revelry. In the dark he was even more beautiful than he was in the light. His aura was a ripe-apricot glow, deepening to leaf green at the outer edges. More intense colours licked through it, giving the appearance of an aurora. He didn’t seem to be harbouring any residual anger; in fact, after a short while, he secretly slipped his hand into hers. Her whole arm tingled. It felt delicious to have him touching her.

  Crowds of fae flew overhead. Cassandra hated the family being grounded because of her. Most of all, she hated to think that Chayton might be resenting it. She needn’t have worried, though: when a group of his friends dive-bombed him on their way past, he shook off her hand and was airborne and giving chase in a split second.

  There was no doubt that Tani was resenting Cassandra’s presence: Cassandra sensed her eagerness to take to the air. It didn’t take fae intuition to know that Oonnora had given Tani very strict instructions to look after Cassandra, so she didn’t have the option of taking flight and disappearing into the darkness the way Chayton had. Tani wasn’t trying very hard to conceal the fact that she hated being stuck dragging a sad, dispossessed stray around with her.

  When Cassandra arrived at the revelry, she was almost glad her escape attempt had failed. It would truly have been a shame if she had gone home without ever seeing this spectacle. Colourful groups of fae mingled and danced on the ground, in the air and in the branches of trees around an enormous bonfire that was raging in the middle of the agora. A band of musicians were playing a hauntingly exquisite melody with a bewitching quality that conjured up emotions and images too beautiful to be expressed in mere words. The effect of the flickering fire surrounded by the glowing, twinkling bodies of the fae was heart-stoppingly beautiful.

  Interspersed within the circle of firelight were tables piled high with food and drink. Oonnora and Brack joined a group of adults sitting on a cluster of pigface leaves. Tani grudgingly led Cassandra towards a large group of girls standing in a circle. Cassandra’s trepidation grew with each step. It was hard enough breaking into a new group normally, but she was already unpopular just because of what she was. As they merged into the circle, silence descended and all eyes fixed on her. Each one held a look of wary curiosity. Tani introduced Cassandra, but Cassandra could think of nothing sophisticated or suave to say. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, her hand developed a mind of its own and jerked out a wave.

  ‘Hi.’ Her voice sounded shrill and immature to her ears.

  Had she actually waved?

  Moments more of excruciating hush, then the girls began to turn away and resume their interrupted conversations. Even Tani turned away.

  Cassandra took her complete social failure to heart. She looked around at the girls with their beautiful hair, their beautiful faces and their beautiful dresses. Their bea
utiful wings fluttered prettily behind them or hung gracefully at rest. They held their heads up confidently, chatted easily, and laughed tinkling, melodious laughs. She was dull, dowdy and frumpy in contrast to the company she was in. She deplored the mediocrity of everything about herself. She had no aura and no wings. She was ungainly and defective – a misfit.

  She would never belong here.

  — CHAPTER 16 —

  Real Magic

  The revelry felt endless.

  Cassandra’s legs were aching from standing in the same spot while she feigned interest in the conversations going on around her and wished she could sink into the earth. She might as well have, too, for all the attention the girls were showing her. She told herself she preferred it that way. The last thing she needed was to be engaged in conversation and suffer the humiliating tongue-tie of earlier. Worse, she was frightened that someone would verbalise the obvious animosity they all shared towards humans. Then the floodgates would open and she would find herself surrounded by a lynch mob.

  After what seemed to be many hours, but was probably no more than one, Cassandra tagged along after Tani and a couple of other girls to one of the refreshment tables. She spotted Chayton a little farther off. He was surrounded by friends, both male and female and was clearly very popular: the boys in the group were chatting and laughing with him and the girls were all but draping themselves over him. Cassandra watched for a while, wishing he would turn around and notice her. To be on his arm would change everything for her. She would become popular by association. There was no way she could approach him, though. What if he wouldn’t acknowledge her here, among his friends? It would be too humiliating to bear.

  Cassandra was startled out of her musings when a rabble of boys landed close by. They had broken away from a larger swarm of boys and girls who seemed to be involved in an endless and spectacular game of chasey high above the revelry. The boys were talking too loudly and cracking tasteless jokes. The girls pretended to disapprove and walked away, but Cassandra detected a little more sway to their hips and wings than usual.

  As she trailed Tani back towards their group, Cassandra heard Chayton call out her name. She turned and saw him flying towards her.

  He landed and took her hand in his. ‘Come over and meet my friends.’

  Cassandra felt enormous relief. She wasn’t completely friendless in this world. Chayton would look after her and make everything better. Tani turned and stared at the two of them, glanced at Chayton’s group and then back at Cassandra, directly into her eyes. For a moment, Cassandra thought she was going to object, but then, with a quick frown at Chayton, she shrugged one shoulder, flicked her hair and turned away.

  ‘C’mon,’ Chayton said and pulled Cassandra along with him to his group. His friends had all been silently watching them approach and now moved aside to allow the two of them to join the circle. Chayton slid a proprietary arm around Cassandra’s shoulders and introduced her. He named each of his friends in turn: ‘Safan, Prel, …’ (Cassandra recognised that name as Brack’s apprentice and was ashamed to feel surprise at finding out that it belonged, not to a strapping young man, but to a tall, gorgeous girl with long, blonde ringlets) ‘Koy, Rozad, Vaden, …’ They became a blur to Cassandra after that, though it hardly mattered: there was no way she would remember them all anyway. ‘And this is Cassandra.’ He ducked his head to kiss her noisily on the neck.

  A few girls in the circle sniggered. Prel sneered. Safan looked uncomfortable and stared at his shuffling feet. Koy and Rozad looked at each other and smiled in silent communication. Cassandra felt embarrassed by the kiss and uneasy in the group. Something about this didn’t feel right.

  Rozad, who was older but slightly shorter and definitely not as muscle-bound as Chayton, with spiky black hair, ebony skin and luscious red lips, stepped forward and extended his hand. Cassandra assumed he wanted to shake hands, so she automatically held hers out. He took it in a soft grip and enclosed it with his other hand.

  ‘What are you doing with a pretty boy like him,’ he jerked his head to indicate Chayton, ‘when you can come home with me and experience real magic?’ He squeezed her hand and it felt as if every bone in her body had turned to jelly.

  Cassandra sagged backward, grateful to find Chayton’s arm still around her. Above the ringing in her ears, she heard the group laughing.

  She looked up into Chayton’s face, but he didn’t even glance down at her. He was smiling cockily at his friends. ‘As if she’d be satisfied with a mushy healer like you, Rozad, after me.’

  Rozad put his hands on his hips. Crinkly black and red butterfly wings unfurled lazily behind him and then rolled away again. ‘I wouldn’t be too sure. Last I heard, you still hadn’t even made it out of her room.’

  Before Cassandra could wonder at that, Koy stepped forward and shouldered Rozad out of the way. ‘Come and dance with me, Cassandra.’

  Soft blue eyes beneath shaggy blonde hair made Cassandra want to be liked by him, but she was starting to work out that there was some kind of joke going on here that she wasn’t privy to. She shrank back, wedging herself more tightly into the security of Chayton’s body. ‘No thanks.’

  The group roared with laughter.

  ‘Awww, Koy, is that your first rejection?’

  ‘Looks like she can resist even you.’

  ‘Fail!’

  Koy frowned, stepped forward and took Cassandra’s hand. ‘Come on,’ he murmured in the sexiest voice she’d ever heard, and she found herself stepping towards him. Koy slipped an arm around her waist, pulled her tightly into his body and, a split second later, they were rocketing towards the sky. Cassandra slammed her eyes tightly shut and held on to Koy for dear life. Just when she thought they might actually leave the atmosphere, they slowed, stopped and started falling back to earth. Koy’s wings spread out like a parachute and they began to spin. Cassandra wasn’t sure if she was more frightened of dying or vomiting over the group of beautiful fae below.

  Please don’t vomit. Please don’t vomit.

  But it was coming. Her feet had barely touched the ground when she heaved. She opened her eyes to see that she had just vomited on a large pair of feet … and looked up to find that those feet belonged to Brack, wearing an expression that said he was about to kill someone.

  The group dissolved into the crowd. Cassandra heard one of them call out, ‘She really liked you, Koy.’ She wanted to die of shame as the laughter faded away.

  Cassandra noticed Tani and Oonnora standing a little way behind Brack. Brack was glaring at something just behind Cassandra. She realised that Chayton was there.

  Brack’s low, quiet voice was chilling. ‘Time to go, Chayton.’

  He marched them all home. Tani and Cassandra were sent straight to bed and Chayton was detained with Brack and Oonnora. Cassandra was very glad that her room had not been dismantled yet; she needed some time alone tonight. As she lay in her hammock, she strained to hear the conversation between Chayton and his parents, but, try as she might, she could only make out a faint murmur of voices.

  Until Chayton shouted, ‘Oh, except when it suits you, is that it? It was okay for me to like humans when you insisted I carry her home after she ran away. I was allowed to touch her then!’

  — CHAPTER 17 —

  A New Job

  Cassandra awoke the next morning trying to decide whether she was more nervous about this being the first day of her new job helping Iznaya and Ith or about seeing Chayton at breakfast.

  Oonnora and Tani were talking as she walked down the stairs. When the table came into view, her nerves settled slightly to see that Chayton and Brack had already left. She was still uneasy about what had happened last night.

  After breakfast, Oonnora walked with Cassandra across the agora. It felt ridiculous having Oonnora deliver her to Ith and Iznaya’s place along with all the young children who were being delivered by their parents – except that most of them were dropping in from above, looking like a flock of screeching birds d
escending on an outback waterhole. Ith and Iznaya greeted everyone warmly and took the time to listen to each child’s excited chatter. Cassandra stood to one side feeling like a trespasser, unsure whether it was ruder to listen in to their conversations or pretend not to hear.

  Eventually, the rush subsided, the children dispersed and everyone seemed to have something to do … except Cassandra. A blur sped past Cassandra’s eyes and she followed the movement to watch a group of young girls and boys playing a game that appeared to combine aerial chasey with hide and seek. In the far corner of the yard, another group had set up a rope and were skipping over it. Ith was sitting on the ground near the front door of the house, weaving baskets with five older children. She wandered over and stood watching them work. Ith looked up at Cassandra as he handed the basket he had started to a girl sitting across from him to continue with.

  ‘Hello, Cassie,’ he said, as though they had been friends for ever. ‘These rumbustious young centenarians are my hooligans. Say hello to Cassie, hooligans.’

  The hooligans said hello and Ith grinned at her and said, ‘Watch out for them, they’re almost too old to be here and their tricks are getting a bit too clever.’ He rubbed the head of the boy beside him. ‘They’ll be moving on to apprenticeships soon.’ He seemed a little sad as he said it, but then he brightened and gestured to another boy who possessed all the appearance of a mischievous brownie, right down to his red hair and cheeky face. ‘This is Treus, the ringleader.’

  Treus stood up and gave an exaggerated bow. The other children started to laugh, expecting entertainment. A glint of sunlight drew Cassandra’s attention to Treus’s wings which were covered by a metallic golden-green sheath. Then the sheath divided and papery, beetle-like hind wings exploded out, moving so fast they buzzed. Treus shot into the air, flew a spiral and landed back in front of Cassandra, exactly where he had left off, bowing again. ‘Pleased to meet you.’