Chapter Three
I felt a string pull on my navel and lift me up off of the ground. The entire world swirled in color as my vision blurred. When my feet touched the ground again I was no longer in my apartment. I was standing in the middle of a field. There was only one tree in the distance. The sky was bright blue with large fluffy floating clouds drifting slowly overhead. It reminded me of the farm. If Garrik is to be believed, I have entered another realm, one that the Elf-Man lives in. I see no other signs of life other than the single tall elm tree in the distance and a bird flying over head. A vulture maybe? I mean it looked like a vulture, big black body and naked red head, but it was alone. Didn't vultures fly together? Maybe? Honestly, I don't even know. My mind is reeling and I can't focus on any one thing. Everything from the dirt to the breeze is capturing my attention. I am standing on Earth. Nothing about this place looks any different than any wide open pasture on Earth. The wind caresses my midriff which causes me to look down. Here I am in another realm on the same world and I am still wearing my running gear. I blush as I look up at Garrik, once again he read my thoughts.
“I will get you some new clothing once we get home, we shouldn't run into to many people on our way.”
I should say something, but once again words fail to reach my lips. I had nothing for me back at my apartment, so why not go with some Elf-man that has followed me through my life? What did I have to lose? The moment I nodded I knew there was no going back. I have known for years that my life had been missing some big pieces.
My family thought I was a witch. One side of my family being Southern Baptist and the other side being committed Catholics,they all looked down their nose at me. I don't do well with rules or structure, although my life is dull my nature is still very chaotic. It is why at thirty I still live in a small studio apartment. I had never held any one job for more than a year. I also moved apartments frequently. It is why the only possessions I have are my favorite books. It is also why I have never owned a couch, chair, kitchen table, and coffee table. It would have all been too much to move. So, yeah, leaving everything behind and disappearing to another realm was an easy choice. I would have made that same choice at fourteen or even nineteen as well. Garrik had already started walking through the tall grass in the open field. I picked up my pace to follow silently as my mind went over the day's events.
“We should come to a road shortly, then we need to follow it about a mile on foot to the river. I came to you in the Human Realm from the river. I guess it would have been quicker to move to where we needed to there on a bus or even walking the sidewalks. I only wanted to get you here. I didn't want you have a chance to change your mind.”
“Garrik, I wouldn't have changed my mind. I had nothing for me there. I was nothing, I have been nothing for a very long time. A boring shell of a woman that no one was interested in and that wasn't interested in anyone else either. My entire life focused on stopping the spirits, the voices, and grounding myself to reality. I have known for years that if I didn't get control over it I was going to end up being tossed in the loony bin. I had been there before, you know. Three weeks in at a place called Three Trails. My Mom admitted me when I started pulling out my hair, shortly after I saw you for the last time.”
We walk in silence for a moment as he took in my words.
“I am sorry Vera, I feel like I had failed you. I was following our rules and laws. There is so much more I have to tell you, but I think it will be better to wait until we get to my home and get you settled in.” Pointing a long arm up ahead, “There is the road!” Garrik said as he picked up the pace.
Garrik is well over 6ft tall and I was finding myself jogging through the grass trying to keep pace. It is a good thing that I have taken to running. If this was my nineteen year old body I would have fallen behind more so than I am now. I finally hollered out,“Garrik, you have got to slow down. I can't keep up!”
Jogging through grass that came up to my waist was hard. In fact I am surprised I hadn't fallen on my face which is a habit of mine. I saw Garrik stop ahead and wait for me to catch up. Once I got within arm distance he reached out and grabbed me swooping me into his arms.
“What the hell?!” I ask as electricity jolts through my entire body. The throbbing I feel is more akin to a heartbeat. Garrik's heartbeat.
“You are out of breath and tired. I will carry you to the road, It is no big deal.” He said as he brought his lips down onto my forehead.
Breathe Vera, just breathe. You will survive this. You are a survivor. Stop being such a schoolgirl! I shouted at myself in my head.
There was a rumbling of a chuckle in Garrik's very hard solid chest, “I heard that, and trust me nothing about you is like a schoolgirl anymore.” He adjusted me and tossed me over his shoulder, sack of potato style and then smacked me on my very ample ass.
“Yeah, sorry I grew up and put on a few more pounds. That is kind of how life works as a human. I obviously don't have the ability to stay young and perfect for ever like some Elf-man I know.” I shot back at him.
“I am not complaining.”
I really don't know what to think about Garrik at this point. I am currently flung over his shoulder. He flirts with me, and it’s quite clear I already have it bad for him. At the same time he has followed me for years and I wouldn't be surprised if he sees me as nothing more than a little sister. I could totally get used to traveling like this though. I don't care how I am being carried as long as I am being carried by a tall, teal eyed, and very fit gorgeous Elf-man.
Distance is hard to judge on a prairie because it was at least another five minutes before Garrik set me down. I was expecting an actual road, or maybe something with bricks like in Wizard of Oz. Nope, it was a dirt path. More like a trail or something more suited to horses for travel. The road was only wide enough for one wagon, maybe.
“Do your kind not travel through here often?”
“The main road runs along what is considered the Missouri-Kansas state lines. Not many of my kind dwell in this area of the prairie. Most only come here if we are traveling to the city and then we usually enter near the river.”
` “Are all elves able to travel to the Human Realm with a thought like you? Are there not gates? You say, 'Take me to the Human Realm', and your will is done? I guess it seems so simple. Too simple.”
Garrik chuckles, “It is my gift to travel smoothly through the realms. I am a realm walker. It is most likely the reason I was able to see you in my garden so well. I can only travel the area that overlaps where I am standing in the other realm. It is a gift that is unique to you and I. There is a gate at all major human cities along the waterways. You will see soon enough.”
Garrik is walking slow Vera pace as we talk. I have so many more questions, but I don't want to annoy him. If Garrik speaks the truth about our past conversations then it is likely I had already asked these questions before. It could be the sixth or seventh time he is answering them. The only consolation I have is I know I haven't asked him any questions in over ten years.
“Really, Vera, don't be afraid to ask me anything. I missed your voice and your presence.”
“I am not sure I am comfortable with you knowing what I am thinking constantly.”
“I don't know everything, only bits and pieces. Sometimes I am going off of your facial expressions. Like you, I am good at reading people.”
As we walk the fields are starting to change. Weeds are popping up sporadically in the tall grass with yellow and purple flowers on them.
“How many other mythological people live in this realm with the elves? Or is it just elves?”
“Mostly elvish. There are a few dwarfs, and goblins. Like with fairies we have the Dark Elves and the Light Elves. Like with humans we have many kingdoms. Light Elves and Dark often intermingle, but they can not reproduce. Each kingdom is usually one or the other. The Elven Council makes sure that each kingdom is following the basic rules of all. They police the royal families.”
“Fascinating. So, no democracies in the Elven Realm? King with almost absolute control? I find that terrifying.”
Garrik rolls his eyes, “We call our realm, Elmora. We live long lives, and we get bored. We try very hard to be our best. Even the Dark Elves are as fair and balanced as possible. There are still one or two bad apples. We are mostly immortal, but we also do not reproduce at a high rate. It benefits our kind to not abuse our power and have lasting peace. Wars can easily decimate the elven kind." He pauses for a minute as we walked, “I don't know how long you want to stay here, but royalty does not have ultimate power. The Elven Council does. They are the ones I had to petition to bring you here,” Garrik stops and looks at me with his eyes pleading. I know he is about to say something I am not going to like. I place my hands on my hips and wait as my stomach fills with dread.
“Please please understand, this is the safest place for you, but the council may want to explore your gifts to see if you are useful to them. They wouldn't have authorized you being here without having a purpose.”
I could feel my eyes flashing in anger as I take a deep breath and yell, “ I don't even understand my gifts! AND even if I did I don't want to use them. Hiding out for ten years should be testimony enough to that! I am basically an over powered medium or something, what good is a human NON witch medium good for to a bunch elves with super powers?”
Garrik stares at me for a long moment. “Take me home now. I didn't sign up to be some Elven Council's super human. I would rather continue my safe life than be used.”
Garrik nods. There was no fight in his beautiful teal eyes as he stepped towards me. I assume he is going to transport me home. It was obvious the first time that we had to hold hands and stand close together. So, when he pulled me close to him there was absolutely no fight. I snuggled up to the smell of fresh rain and the tingly feeling of little electric sparks. I felt I was going home, maybe I was delusional because Garrik felt so much like home to me. He bent down his head down and whispered “I will you to remember.” His lips gently brushed my forehead and the world swirled. Instead of feeling the gentle tug at my navel signifying the journey back home, everything went black.