Tangled

Unshift 221

Unshift 221

221 Ava The Fee Ward (1)

221 Ava: The Fae Ward (III)

A giant of a man fills the doorway, his broad shoulders nearly brushing the frame on either side. He's easily twice the size of any man I've ever seen, with pointed ears that stretch back into his salt-and-pepper hair. Despite the gray streaks, his face is unwrinkled, but his eyes-swirling from blue to black and back again-hold a wisdom that speaks of countless years.

"You're late," he bellows, his voice reverberating through the courtyard like a clap of thunder.

His larger-than-life presence fills the courtyard, very different from the Fae guards who led us here.

Marcus and Vanessa move to step between us, their stances protective, but the strange man roars at them. "Stand back, you flea-ridden mutts! Let me see my pupil!"

There's an excitement in his tone that belies the aggressive volume of his words, leaving me more confused than frightened. Selene slinks forward, her ears pressed back against her skull as she sniffs at the air to scent the new arrival.

"Your pupil?" I ask, my voice sounding small and uncertain even to my own ears. "Are you the one Sister Miriam told me about?"

The man throws his head back and laughs, the sound booming like a cannon shot. "Who am I? I'm the one who's graciously allowed you entry into the Fae Ward, girl. The one who's going to teach you to control that wild magic of yours before it consumes you whole."

All the Fae to this point have been elegant, their movements

221 Ave: The Fae Ward (1)

natural and flowing. Even the intimidating guards move with a grace that seems to come from deep within.

This man, this teacher of mine, is like a bear, with wide movements and a lumbering gait. Even so, his excitement shines through, making his sinister-seeming phone calls feel innocuous now in the light of his energy.

"You may call me Magister Orion," he says, his voice dropping to a more conversational volume. "And you, Ava Grey, have a great deal to learn. It took you too long to get here."

"A more friendly phone call might have helped." Trying to keep my words firm and even, I hold out my hand in greeting. "Hello, Magister Orion."

His massive head tilts, his eyes glittering down at me in the

of blue I've ever seen. "Was I not friendly? I warned you about your friend, and you interrogated me as if

your voice

distaste crawling across his face. "I, a respected wizard and Magister, disguise myself? Why would

me back, scowling at the giant Fae standing before us.

I called her. The daft child has no

says from behind him, and we all step back, startled by a new addition to

18:15

Ava The

behind us, sounding amused. "We call her little Tinker, after

knee, her mechanical wings glinting in the light. She's even shorter than Layla, with vibrant pink hair and sparkling lilac eyes

my fascination, the little Fae titters and spins around, revealing a remote control in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, the wings flap open and closed,

high and melodic. "Ever since I saw that fabulous movie about the tiny Fae and the flying children. Of course, you humans

laugh, unsure how to respond. "This place is far more amazing than any movie

Fae Realm, but it helps us feel more

lot of history to dig through, but Magister Orion clears his throat,

have

head barely reaching my hip. "I should explain about the, mm, what's

18:18

3/5

Aw The

conspiratorially. "Magister Orion did it, but we

his words, but Sister

look on her face is almost rabid, her eyes

watching her over-enthusiastic nod with some confusion. It takes a second for

of yours is why

shifters could understand him?"

eyes light up, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Precisely! Isn't it just brilliant? The Fae Ward functions with quite a bit magitech-ah, magical technology-but it doesn't always work the way we intend. Human

something on it.

me, and I curse myself silently for not bringing it here. I'm sure they would have been able to

1. it.