Chapter Thirteen
Faro could get used to this.
Early the next morning, they were lying in Amy’s bed, curled up together beneath a blanket. They’d spent the entire evening in each other’s arms, and lingered in bed, lazing about. He was relieved Amy knew some of his secrets, although Faro wished he could share everything with her.
Amy traced circles on his chest with her fingertips, and he closed his eyes, relishing her touch. He loved having her hands on him, but she had a contemplative expression on her beautiful face.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“You.”
“What about me?”
“I want to know more about you and your people. I’m curious.”
He’d already answered hundreds of questions. She had an incredible mind, and he adored quenching her curiosity, in between satisfying other desires, of course. They’d made love three more times last night, and he still wasn’t satiated. Faro suspected he’d never get his fill of her.
“What would you like to know?”
“Anything. You choose the topic, because I don’t even know what to ask.”
He thought for a moment. Perhaps there was a way he could tell her more about himself, without revealing too much.
“Well, Iradia is hierarchical, a bit more so than Earth. And the mystical and the scientific live side-by-side, and neither is seen as an anathema. We see magic in everything.”
“That’s amazing.” She laid on her side, propping herself up on an elbow. “I love fantasy almost as much as science fiction. I always wanted to go on a quest for some magical whatchamacallit, like Frodo.”
“I’ve been on many quests.” He had no idea who this Frodo was, but Faro was certain his own deeds were more impressive. “Once, I was dispatched by King Leofrick himself to retrieve a powerful amulet.”
“How very knightly of you.” She touched the tattoo of a blade on his forearm. “Did you use your sword?”
“Not on that particular quest, but I’m battle-tested, sweeting.”
“And does anybody carry a wand?”
“The alchemists do.”
Her eyes widened. “A real wand?”
“Not in the sense you mean. It’s merely an instrument used to focus energy, and a spell is a formula, a mixture of chemicals to garner a particular reaction.”
Her eyes danced. “It still sounds like magic to me.”
Faro would love to introduce her to the alchemists. He longed to show her his home world. Best not to think on it. Mydon would never allow her to come with him, but he could share stories about his world.
“My lies hurt you, and I never want to cause you any more pain.”
“I know that.”
“There are a couple of other things you should know about me.”
Amy tensed. “Like what?”
“Well, I have special abilities, all my brothers do. I can sense what others feel.” Faro waited for her reaction.
She gasped. “You’re empathic.”
“Yes.”
“Meaning, you know exactly how I feel.” The corners of her mouth turned down.
“Yes, I suppose it’s something of a curse.” Even his brothers struggled with the invasion of privacy, so he understood her concerns. All he could sense right now was her confusion, which was reasonable, given the circumstances.
“So, that’s how you knew I was attracted to you?”
“Yes, it gave me an unfair advantage, I’m afraid.” Faro couldn’t bring himself to apologize because he’d shamelessly exploited his power. For once, it had been useful. “What do you think?”
She got awfully quiet. “I don’t know, it’s definitely out there, but then again, so is everything else, when it comes to you.”
Amy had taken the news remarkably well. Once, in a bid for understanding, he’d confessed his ability to a former paramour. It had been the last time she’d graced his bed, and she refused to even speak with him afterward.
“There's no point in hiding anything from you, huh?”
“No, but perhaps we can arrive at a compromise. I’ll stay out of your head, and if I accidentally overhear something, I’ll keep it to myself.” He’d made the same deal with his brothers, and for the most part, he’d kept his side of the bargain. Faro longed to be closer to her, but he’d respect her boundaries.
Amy considered it a moment. “Thank you, and I appreciate your honesty, as well.”
His conscience stabbed him in the gut.
“There’s one more thing.”
She sighed. “Seriously? There’s more?”
He chuckled. “I’m afraid so.”
Amy closed her eyes, as though centering herself. “Okay. Lay it on me.”
Faro was afraid to confess his true nature. His people considered the Knights’ blood tainted, so he’d only lay the groundwork for now, and then reveal himself at a later date, assuming she didn’t have a negative reaction.
“I have another form.”
“What does that even mean?”
He struggled to find the correct term. “This isn’t the only state of being I have.”
“So this,” she said, gesturing down the length of his body. “Isn’t real?”
“No, this body’s real, but it can’t encompass all I am.”
Her brow knitted. “Okay, I’m going to need a diagram.”
Faro grinned. “It means I’m a bit more than meets the eye.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “When will I get to see your other side?”
“In time. I’d like to show you one day very soon, but we’ll take it slow since I’ve besieged you with information.”
For a second, he thought she might protest, but Amy nodded, as though coming to a decision.
“You’re probably right. Tell me more about Iradia.”
“Well, we discussed magic earlier, but did I mention the dragons?” He kept his face disinterested, utterly blank.
Her eyes lit up. “Whoa. Really? What are they like?”
“Noble creatures. Unlike humans, dragons—or drakes, as we call them—mate for life, and when they come together, their bodies, hearts, and souls are entwined. If one dies, the other suffers horribly, because they’re literally cut in half.”
“It’s romantic, in a really tragic way.”
“But you like drakes?”
“No, I love them. They’re my favorite mythological creatures, although they aren’t so fictional anymore, I guess.” She bit her lip. “Wow. I wish I could see one.”
He beamed. “Perhaps you will, one day.” Faro relished the thought of revealing himself to her.
“I hope so.”
And now he had some business to take care of.
“Let’s revisit another issue. You won’t be allowed out by yourself.” He couldn’t risk the Venalians grabbing her. Amy was lovely, and she’d fetch a pretty price on the flesh market.
“You’re not the boss of me.”
Faro leered. “I was last night.” Her face flamed red. He rather enjoyed making her blush. Faro had plans to see those cheeks redden again and again.
“In bed is one thing, but the rest is out of bounds. I know you’ve got this whole medieval thing going on, but it’s not the dark ages anymore.”
So she’s going to be difficult. Faro supposed he should’ve seen it coming. Amy could cling to her illusions for now, because he wouldn’t lose this battle. It was far too important.
“Very well, but if you defy me, there’ll be consequences.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to give me the threat lecture again?”
“What if I told you my brothers and I are not the only aliens on this planet?”
She blinked. “There’s more of you?”
“We’re the only Knights, but there are dozens of humanoid species, and not all of them are as benevolent as the Iradians.”
“So they mean us harm?”
Faro didn’t want to alarm her, but Amy had to understand. If she went to the authorities, he wasn’t sure what would happen. If they believed her, his mission would fail. Or, it was possible they’d think Amy was a lunatic, and then lock her up.
Neither scenario appealed.
“Let’s just call them opportunistic. One of them might walk off with you.” He’d let that sink in, then they could discuss her safety again. “Besides, there are other forms of life, besides humanoid.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Like what?”
“I suppose you’d call them cephalopods.”
“Octopus people?”
“They have tentacles.”
“Eww, you had to bring up tentacles.”
“Oh, and I forgot about the arachnoids.”
“Stop it. I can’t hear about sentient spider people. I’ll have nightmares for months.” She smacked him with a pillow, and a skirmish ensued, leaving them both breathless with laughter.
Faro couldn’t remember ever being this happy, but he knew it wouldn’t last.
***
It was another gorgeous morning.
Amy and Faro walked hand-in-hand with cups of hot chocolate, taking in the scenery. It was nearly 11, and the sun had just risen. The light made the snow glitter and glisten, like diamonds. It might be cold, but Amy felt warm inside.
Three weeks had gone by, and she’d spent all her free time with Faro, even though they’d kept their relationship a secret. Amy hadn’t even told Ivy, and it was killing her. Faro had given her some excuse about Amy’s accident, and she’d backed him up, even though she hated lying to Ivy.
Once, she’d asked her dad how he’d known he was in love. He’d given her an enigmatic reply, saying, “I just knew.” Amy didn’t understand what he meant, until now. She’d only known Faro for a few weeks, but she’d already fallen for him, hard.
But there were so many complications.
They hadn’t discussed any sort of future, and he was a tourist, like her mother, albeit from much farther away. Amy wanted to bring it up several times, but always stopped herself.
Since she couldn’t change the situation, Amy decided to just enjoy the feeling, for as long as it lasted. The heartache would come eventually, but she’d make it worth it in the end—at least, that’s what she told herself.
Could he sense how she felt about him? Most likely.
His gaze locked on hers, as though drinking in her reaction. Faro could sense everything she felt. Amy had never felt so exposed, but it didn’t bother her as much as it should. Actually, Amy wanted him to know her better than anyone else ever had, or ever would.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something. My dad’s birthday is coming up, and I’d like to mark the occasion.”
“You don’t commemorate his death?”
“I’d rather celebrate his life.” Reliving the anniversary of a loved one’s passing never made much sense to her. “Would you come with me to the cemetery?” Amy didn’t want to go by herself. It would be an emotionally trying day, and she needed extra support to get through it.
“I’ll be at your side the entire time. Thank you for asking me.” He kissed her forehead, and then tucked her head under his chin. Amy wrapped her arms around Faro, and leaned against him. Paying her respects wouldn’t be easy, but having him with her would make it more bearable.
Just then, a chopper flew over their heads, on the way to Mount Regent. They watched it land high on a cliff in the distance. Faro had spurred her sense of adventure. If she couldn’t travel to another planet, Amy planned on seeing everything this one had to offer.
She gripped his hand. “Looks like fun, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose so. Does that mean you haven’t taken a trip on one of those?”
“No, not yet, but I’m going to.” She’d save up for the trip, even if it took her a year.
His smile was enigmatic. “Perhaps I can arrange an alternate form of transport.”
“On your spaceship? Because that would be awesome.”
“Or something even better.”
“What do you mean?” What could top the shuttle?
“Wait and see.” He wrapped an arm around her, and they continued walking. Sometimes it felt like they were the only two people in the world.
Up ahead, Amy saw a snowy owlet sitting on a branch, which was peculiar, since they were largely nocturnal.
“Hey, look.” And then the bird fell off its perch into the snow. On instinct, she raced toward it. When she got closer, Amy noticed a green glow enveloping the animal.
“What’s the green stuff?”
“It’s in stasis.” Faro knelt on the other side of the bird.
“Stasis? Like a technology-induced hibernation?” At least she had the background for these discussions.
“Yes.”
“Who’d want to put a bird into hibernation?” The poor thing. She picked up the grayish-white ball of fluff, and while Amy could feel a surge of energy crackling around the owlet, it didn’t harm her. Strange, but Amy wasn’t actually holding the animal, the force field kept her from touching its feathers.
“The Trovians might.”
“And who are they?”
“Another group of aliens on Earth. They run an intergalactic menagerie, gathering exotic species from several worlds, and putting them on display.”
“Like a zoo?”
He nodded. “It travels around the universe and the ticket prices are excessive, but people are willing to pay to see the show. There is a breeding program on Trovia as well.”
“And owls are considered exotic?”
He pointed to the sky. “Out there? Yes.”
“Hold up.” Something else fell into place. “Would they take panda bears and wolves, too?”
“It isn’t out of the question.”
“So why are the Trovians only capturing a few animals at a time? Why not grab a whole bunch?”
He thought it over. “Scarcity. A rare creature is valuable, and the more you can charge to see it. The Trovians utilize selective breeding to control the population, too. They’ve most likely dispatched teams all over the globe to select the best specimens.”
It was a diabolical plan, but smart.
“Well, that’s not right. We should tell somebody. The Trovians need to be stopped.”
“I don’t like what they’re doing, either, sweeting, but who would you tell?”
Amy gritted her teeth. “No one would believe me, huh?” She cradled the bird in her hands.
“I’m afraid not.” He stood. “We should be heading back to the inn.”
“We can’t leave it frozen like this.”
“I’ll have Link take a look.” He tucked the owl into his pocket for safekeeping.
“Thank you.” Once the animal was back to normal, Amy would turn it loose. Seeing animals caged at the zoo always made her sad, and she’d give the bird its freedom.