Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Cleverness is over rated....
Why could she not make sense of it? Why had she not known that Tanner was one of them? How had he managed to avoid all her wards and escape unscathed when he came in contact with the others? Was it some kind of glamour? Had she been under a spell this whole time? Deep down had she on some level known and been attracted to the fairy part of him and that’s why she slept with him? Or had she been tricked into that too?
Restless in body as much as in mind Wynter paced her bedroom in quick strides making the wooden floor boards creak with the shifting weight. The same questions over and over ran through her head until she felt most crazy from it but she could do nothing to silence them. The empty bottle of rum on her night stand was proof enough for that. For the booze soaked haze did nothing to dull her senses no matter how much of it she drank; or even send her into dreamless sleep like she had hoped. Instead it made her all the more focused on it...fixated so that everything else fell to the way side.
It was in this drunken state that she came in contact with yet another fey. This one however was not what one would expect a fairy to look like. Ugly and small with leathery wings and beetle coloured skin it watched Wynter as she weaved her little path between bed and dresser. It shook its rather large head in consternation as she stumbled and sighed when she finally landed on her ass.
“There are times to be inebriated but this is not one of them” said the fey as it crouched down in front of Wynter; its movement barely perceptible due to its great speed. Wynter yelped and tried to swing at it but it just flicked her arm away like it was nothing more than an annoying house fly. “You must sober up so that we may talk. I have words of importance for you and not much time.”
Wynter looked at it with blurry eyes and said “Hunh” in puzzlement. Again the fairy gave a great sigh; like the weight of the world had been placed on its bony shoulders. Its amber coloured eyes closed to little slits and it made a kind of humming sound in its throat like a cat purring except that this was more of a sign of annoyance than of pleasure.
It reached into a pocket of skin and pulled out a vial of clear liquid. Pulling out the stopper it glared at her and then thrust it towards her face. Wynter pulled back from it. “Drink” commanded the fairy and thrust it at her again.
“No” said Wynter and tried to push it away but the fey quickly over powered her and forced it down her throat. Coughing and sputtering Wynter gave up trying to fight and concentrated on trying to breathe instead. The fairy let her go and moved back still staring at her and humming. Slowly Wynter felt her head clear and everything came back into focus. “What the hell was that?” she asked her throat still raw from all the coughing.
“Water from the West Lands” it said “Now we can talk Wynter Woods”
“A friend of yours already dropped by earlier so I’ve already got the four- one -one on your precious Prince” said Wynter bitterly as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “No worries now ‘cause I think we broke up. So go on back and tell them that, okay? And leave me the hell alone!”
“You are quite mistaken as to why I am here and in your assumption of who my friends may be” rebuked the fairy as it gave an irritated flick of its wings.
“How am I to assume otherwise? And why the fuck are you guys picking on my family?” demanded Wynter angrily.
“If you would take a moment and shut your mouth perhaps I could talk” said the fey fixing Wynter with another one of its amber glares. “First off I, Rathnait, am not one of them whom you have referred to. They are followers of Her, I refuse to say Her name....My Lady is one of the light and her love for your family is not enough to protect you. I have been sent on her behalf with a message for you and for her son....”
Wynter didn’t miss the wording but her mind had flown in several directions at once so that it took a few moments to ask who exactly Rathnait meant when she had said ‘son’. Heart doing triple time she waited in great anxiety for the answer.
“Her son is the one whom you referred to as our precious Prince...Lorcan... is the name his father bore him but his mother knows him by another as do you” said Rathnait cocking her head to the side. “My Lady is from a family that is not looked upon with respect in our world as they are mortal sympathizers...She choose to leave our world and raise her son amongst your kind....but this is not important. What is important is that you keep your promise...”
“Promise? What promise?” interrupted Wynter.
“The one your grandmother made as her mother had made before her and so on...Surely she spoke to you of this?” said Rathnait in surprise.
“Um, no” said Wynter in bewilderment.
“Pity; it would have made things so much easier....”began Rathnait but she stopped and cocked her head to the side again. Ears twitching her eyes widened slightly and she made her humming/purring sound. Time passed and Wynter was beginning to get annoyed but she held the silence warily. “I must go” announced Rathnait suddenly.
“But...”protested Wynter as the fey headed towards the open window however Rathnait cut her off.
“I will return Wynter Woods...Seek the son of my Lady in the meantime he will give you answers when your cleverness fails” she said before disappearing into the night.
“What the hell...I’ve had enough of the damn fairy world....Seek the son of my lady when your cleverness fails...I’m smarter than him anyways!” said Wynter to no one in particular. “What the hell, man, what the bloody fucking hell?”
“Um, sis? Who’re you talking to?” asked Rayne appearing in the doorway his face full of concern.
Wynter yelped. “Christ on the cross! Must you go round sneaking up on a body” she demanded while clutching her hand over her heart.
“What the hell happened in here?” He asked ignoring her rebuke and jerking his head towards the damaged room. “Are all the upper windows broken?”
“Two guesses for the first and yes to the second question” replied Wynter wrapping her arms across her chest so that she was hugging herself. Rayne raised an eyebrow at her and she relayed the latest encounter with the ‘good neighbours’.
“I want you out of here” he said when she was done, a line of worry forming between his brows as he frowned at her.
“No” said Wynter.
“Why the fuck not?” he demanded angrily.
“Because it doesn’t matter where I go they can find me....And, I refuse to be driven from my home” she said lifting her chin ever so slightly indicating her resolve on the matter.
“But...” began Rayne except Wynter spoke over top of his protest.
“Besides I have to figure out what Rathnait meant about that promise or whatever and the best place is to look here amongst Nan’s things....I’m sure she must have written it down or left some kind of clue for us to find.....”as she spoke she started to pace.
“Curiosity killed the cat” said Rayne ominously.
“Good thing I’m clever as well as curious” she said with a smile.
“Sometimes cleverness is overrated” said Rayne who still wasn’t convinced that it was a good idea for her to stay in the house.
“You’re only saying that because you’ve never been called clever” teased Wynter who felt oddly upbeat all of a sudden.
“Whatever” said Rayne with a jerk of his shoulder “I’m gonna call Shannon and let her know what’s happening and not to expect me back tonight”
“Why?” Wynter stopped moving in order to look at her little brother in puzzlement.
“You didn’t think I’m gonna let you stay here by yourself do you?” asked Rayne with a shake of his head. “You’re not as clever as you thought there missus”
Wynter opted for the mature reply of sticking out her tongue.