“Guardian? What the hell are you talking about?” I was quickly reaching my limit. I didn’t want to get upset with the only other person in the town that spoke to me, but I hated being taken for a fool.
I opened my mouth to chew her out for thinking I would be so gullible as to believe the tall tale she just told but snapped my mouth closed. The energy bubbling through my body told me she was right. It fizzed like antacid tablets in water. That was not normal. And, neither are you. I flinched at the voice inside my head. It sounded an awful lot like Grams.
“Like I said, I’m not the best to explain all this, but you are the Guardian of the portal. Your family has been in charge of ensuring Dark Fae don’t cross to this realm for over a hundred years now. And you have stepped into that role.”
My jaw dropped and my heart skipped a beat. There was a part of me that knew she was right, but my scientific mind refused to believe it. I stood there while my mind battled itself. The part of me that made me an excellent nurse pointed out I likely hit my head and was still unconscious suffering from a brain bleed. That none of this was real.
A hidden part of me rose to the surface. It was something that only came out when I was at Pymm’s Pondside. The part recalled all of the oddities I’d seen from my Grams coupled with the incidents that had occurred since I took over the house.
I pinched my arm to see if I was, in fact, awake. “Ow! Oh my God. That’s why I was hit by the electricity after I informed the house it now belonged to me and it wasn’t going to drive me away. Although, I’m not sure I believe in magic or whatever. This is all too freakin’ much.”
Aislinn grabbed the cookie jar I kept in the middle of the island and lifted the lid. Grabbing an oatmeal raisin cookie, she took a bite. “What do you mean too much? Isidora never told you anything? How could she leave you out of the loop when she knew it would fall to you?”
I shook my head. “So, there’s magic? And Fae? Are those like tiny Tinkerbells?”
Aislinn’s jaw dropped and she shook her head side to side. “Not all of our kind look like Tinkerbell. I’m a Fae. Well, half anyway. And there are all kinds of creatures in our world. Goblins, pixies, nymphs – both wood and water, barghests, grimms, and so much more. By the way it was a pixie that revealed herself to Walt Disney years ago that inspired Tink.”
I pursed my mouth and narrowed my eyes. “You’re one of these Fae? Are your ears pointy?”
Aislinn finished her cookie and brushed her hands off. Standing up, she crossed to the sink. “Indeed, I am. I am not as powerful as a full blood, but I have some abilities. And, no I don’t have pointy ears. My human side diluted that trait.” She reached out and touched the end of the aloe that had been half dead when I arrived. The thing perked up and turned vibrant green instantly. Gone were the drooping, browned stems.
I slumped against the counter and barely kept myself from falling to the wood floor for the second time that day. “What the hell am I supposed to do with all of this? It’s insane. Wait,” I gasped as I was hit with a ton of bricks. “All of my grandmother’s stories are true!” There was no question if what Aislinn was saying was right, then my Grams had been preparing me my entire life without coming out and saying it. “Holy shit.”
“Knowing Isidora, they were indeed experiences she’d had. I used to love hearing all the creatures she had encountered. She was infamous for kicking Fae ass and denying them permission to enter our realm.”
“Is that what a Guardian does? Is that what I’m supposed to do now?” The idea sounded exciting. I was bored out of my mind and considering taking a position working at the wine shop.
Aislinn nodded and picked up her mug. “You will decide which Fae to allow to cross and which to keep out.”
My heart raced at the mere thought of denying some evil asshole the ability to come to Earth. “I don’t know what is more shocking that there are other planets from ours or that it’s up to me to say who can come here. Or that magic exists. I can’t wrap my head around it all.”
Aislinn chuckled. “I wouldn’t want the job, but I know it’s important. King Voron has been trying to get a foothold here for centuries. If he does, he will take over this realm as well.”
I finished my tea and rinsed my cup then glanced back at Aislinn. “I’d ask you how I am supposed to make those decisions, but I’ve hit a wall. You up for that lunch?” I was ravenous. I’d inadvertently skipped breakfast and needed to do something normal for a bit before my mind goes back to the bucket of unreal that had just been dumped on me.
Chapter 3
“Are you sure you want to walk home? It’s at least two miles from here.” Aislinn looked up from her purse with her keys in hand and a skeptical expression.
Yeah, I’d be doubting myself too if I was in my right mind. But I wasn’t. And I hated that her question made me feel like I was old. “I’m positive. I need fresh air. And the exercise will be good for me.” All of that was true, but it wasn’t the real reason.
Once I was home alone, all of the racing thoughts I managed to keep at bay would run rampant and I’m not entirely sure I won’t have a meltdown. My head turned without permission and focused on the dwarf in the café we just exited. Was Bruce, the owner of Mug Shot, a supernatural dwarf? Or another type of Fae? He had some kind of magic to make sandwiches taste so damn good.
“He’s a type of Fae we call dwarves. Very different from little people,” Aislinn said as if she were reading my mind. Wait. Could she do that?
“Can you read my mind?” That would be awful. I’d have to stop spending time with her which would suck because I actually like the feisty woman.
Aislinn chuckled. “Not at all. It’s pretty obvious where your mind was at. I don’t blame you. If I hadn’t grown up being taught about the hidden world that exists in few places outside Cottlehill Wilds, I would have checked into the nuthouse by now.”
A laugh burst from me. “Trust me, I’m close. But my grandmother was always telling me stories about magic and the Fae. I never considered she was telling me the truth. Anyway, thank you for lunch. I’ll see you soon.”
I forced myself to start walking away. The town was bustling as I took my time down Main street and past the square in the middle. On the surface the place was like any other small municipality. However, everything looked different to me today.
There was a glow around some shops and not others. The Sapphire Clam restaurant pulsed with energy as I passed. Teatime was surrounded by plants that gave it a green aura and vibrant feel. By the time I reached the turn off to take me closer to the cliffs and my house, I was convinced when there was some kind of phenomenon present in these locations. It was almost as if it was an indication the place was owned by a supernatural.
I turned right instead of left and stood on the edge of the cliffs looking out over the ocean in the distance. When I was home at Pymm’s Pondside it was impossible to tell the ocean was a mere mile away. Standing there it literally felt like another world to me.
My legs were ready to give out after the mile I’d already walked. It wasn’t that I was necessarily out of shape. It was more than the aches and pains were enough to make me regret not having Aislinn drive me home.