Tangled

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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

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

your voice like

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

the giant Fae standing before us. "Are you not

Ah, yes. Of course I called her. The daft child has no business running

explain," a tiny, tinny voice says from behind him, and we all

18:15

Ava The Fae Ward

us, sounding amused. "We call

hair and sparkling lilac eyes that dance with mischief. As she

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

and melodic. "Ever since I saw that fabulous movie about the tiny

an uncomfortable laugh, unsure how to respond. "This place is far more amazing than

We're just a cheap imitation of the Fae Realm, but it helps us feel more at home

of history to dig through, but Magister Orion clears his throat, drawing our attention back to him.

We have much to

beside me, her head barely reaching my hip. "I should explain about the, mm, what's the word? Oh, ves.

18:18

3/5

Aw The Fae

"Magister Orion did

wolves. It reconstructs his words, but Sister Miriam says it makes him sound sinister. Did it have the same effect

look on her face is almost rabid, her eyes eager

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

"This device of yours is

shifters could understand him?"

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 innovation is fascinating, but doesn't seem to

appears out of thin air, and she scrawls something on it. The

silently for not bringing it here. I'm sure they would have been able to tell me more

1. it.