“So, Stryx says we live for a long time, like centuries. How old are you, really?” I asked.
She grimaced. “I am not old, so don’t ever say that again. I’m seventy-one years young.”
“Got it, Satan. What about you and Dad?” I asked Mom when she finally took a seat.
“We’re just over three hundred years young.” She winked at Jordan. “You kind of stop keeping track after a while.” She shrugged while my jaw pretty much hit the floor.
Cheese and rice, my parents were seriously old, but they didn’t look a day over forty. Deciding not to overthink that little fact, I focused on the positive: at least I had good genes.
“So, where do I find Stryx? I’d like to go see him tomorrow,” I said, but Jordan and Mom shared a look I didn’t like. “What? I realize I’ve been here for like five minutes, but I’ve also known about this place for a year. You can take off the kid gloves and tell me whatever it is that has everyone acting so weird.”
I hadn’t meant to snap, but what I was asking didn’t seem like something that should have secrets behind it. It was frustrating to continue being so understanding when it seemed like they were still not telling me everything.
“Honey, we’re not trying to keep anything from you because we don’t think you can handle it. It’s more of a shock to all of us. Nothing about your situation is normal by any means, and while we knew this ahead of time, it doesn’t make it any easier,” Mom answered. I knew she was right. Though, once the floodgates opened, I had a hard time stopping the words.
“I get it, but not telling me things and preparing me for whatever is coming doesn’t help me, either,” I responded.
Mom sighed, seeing my point. “So, we don’t know where Stryx is. None of us have ever met him. We’ve only ever heard about him and his kind.” She seemed concerned with this tidbit, but I wasn’t.
“Well, wherever he is, I’m sure he’ll show up soon. He promised he’d be here. What do you know about him?”
All I really knew about Stryx was that he was a talking animal, crazy old, and didn’t really like people. Oh, and he was like an encyclopedia of information when it came to all things within Arvayta and the Otherworld, which held the rest of the beings I believed at one point to be fictional.
“He’s from a place in the far reaches of the Otherworld called Dásos where other animals like him live. They used to interact more with the fae, given the original leaders created them, but as the pure fae began to die, the bonds broke and were never reformed, because direct heirs started to be diluted of their fae lineage. Until you, that is,” Mom said as she slid a plate of food in front of me.
“So, they abandoned the other fae descendants just because they weren’t fae enough?” The anger at that knowledge was evident in my voice. I thought I knew Stryx well enough, but that wasn’t okay. “Did they even help in the Dark War?”
Dad stood and joined us. “They did, and a lot of them perished because of their selflessness. You see, the creatures from Dásos are powerful beings, but they are nothing without their other halves, meaning if they have no equal to balance their magic with, then they cannot control it. Stryx and his people did not abandon us because they didn’t care, but because they simply weren’t capable without risking their own lives.”
Well, I felt like a jerk for my previous comments.
“I don’t understand why someone has to be predominantly fae to have a bond with the animals. From the sounds of it, the people around here are pretty powerful,” I said.
“Unfortunately, magic is still an unknown, even after centuries of living with it. For every being, it is different, but maybe one day things will change and we can once again come together.” Dad grinned, then leaned over me to steal some of the potatoes on my plate.
Mom took a seat next to Jordan. “Speaking of power, you put off quite the show when you were in transition, but I haven’t felt much coming from you since we arrived. Stryx did an excellent job of teaching you how to control your magic ahead of time. As much as I wished to have been the one to tell you of our world first, this is actually working out better than I predicted.”
“Uhhh, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Stryx didn’t teach me anything about my own magic. He only told me to expect pain during my transition, and he hadn’t been kidding about that.”
Once again, my parents shared a look, but before I could say anything about it, Dad reached out to me and took my hand. “There is definitely heavy power within her. Let’s just be thankful she’s able to control it and figure the rest out together before we make any assumptions. Maybe the necklace did more for her than we thought.”
Searching within myself, I tried to sense whatever my dad had, but I got nothing. Now that it was brought to my attention, I realized the only time I’d experienced anything resembling the feeling of magic was when I touched the water in the fountain.
Maybe I needed Stryx close by for my power to come out in full force. If so, that nocturnal pain in my ass better show his face soon or he was going to be missing a few feathers when I got done with him. He’d shown me this world and promised he’d be here. I’d have a bit of a problem if he broke that.
Jordan nudged me and brought me back to the conversation. “What do you want to do now? I’m sure you’re not tired after the eight-hour nap.”
“I’m actually still kind of sleepy. Plus, it’s dark out, so I’m sure there isn’t much to do. Will I get to see the main parts of town tomorrow, or am I going to need to stay hidden because of the dark fae stuff?” I asked and really hoped the latter wasn’t the case.
Dad nodded. “We can do whatever you’re comfortable with tomorrow. We won’t be keeping you from anyone, and we have a few days before your scheduled training begins, so don’t feel rushed to do anything if you’re still tired. You’ll need all your strength once magic practice starts.”
Ha. It was unlikely I’d be too tired for anything if it meant venturing out. On the way to the house earlier, I’d gotten a small glimpse of the village-style area, but it wasn’t nearly enough to sate my curiosity. Though, his comment at the end did give me pause. Hopefully, I wasn’t about to have my ass beat over and over again by some deranged trainer.
“The council will want to meet you when you’re up for it as well,” Mom added.
“Who is the council exactly? I mean, I know they took over once the hierarchy ended after the Dark Wars, but what do they do?” I asked.
“You mean besides telling people what to do? Not much,” Jordan grumbled, but Mom glared at her. “What? It hasn’t been the same since you and Brooks stepped down. Once I really thought about it, I was actually somewhat relieved when I got assigned to come assist you guys on Earth after I came back from fighting with the dragons.”
Screw learning about the council. That sounded way more interesting. “So, dragons are real, too? Please, tell me they’re friendly nowadays.”
“When we go to the Otherworld, I’ll see if I can track down Yelah. She’s the dragon queen, and I should check in anyway. They were having some issues, but myself, Ryland, and another one of our friends went to help and took care of it. Bastards almost burned my feet off, but I showed them in the end.”