Tangled

Unshift 221

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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

I warned you about your friend, and you interrogated me as if I

your voice like

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

scowling at the giant Fae standing before us. "Are you

called her. The daft child has no business running amuck

we all step back, startled by a new

18:15

Ava The

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

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

revealing a remote control in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, the wings flap open and

gushes, her voice high and melodic. "Ever since I saw that fabulous movie about the tiny

respond. "This place is

the Fae Ward? Balderdash. We're just a cheap imitation of the Fae Realm, but it helps us feel more at home here." Tinker chuckles. "We have

history to dig through, but Magister Orion clears

have much to

cottage, she falls into step beside me, her head barely reaching my hip. "I should explain about the, mm,

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3/5

Aw The Fae

did it, but we used

device, aimed to muddle our communication against wolves. It reconstructs his words, but Sister Miriam says it makes him sound sinister. Did it have

look on her face is almost

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

of yours is why none of

shifters could understand him?"

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

air, and she scrawls something on it. The letters are similar to the runes I saw

I curse myself silently for not bringing it here.

1. it.