It took me a moment to realize I’d fallen asleep. The mist parted around me, revealing the tall trees and the rock-strewn earth. A carpet of dead pine needles squished under my hands as I pushed to my feet.
I pressed my bare feet into the needles and grumbled, “Not very convenient for hiking.”
The blue silk of the dress I wore swirled around my bare toes and hugged my body, fanning out around the ankles in a mermaid train. The straps dug into my shoulders and I adjusted my breasts into the built-in cups. My hair hung down to the middle of my back in a pin straight blonde sheet. Even the pink tipped ends were a little muted in this landscape of mist. I peered through the trees for a path or some clue on which way to go. Esteban, or Sol, must have a plan here. Dressing me up seemed to be a rich man’s trick, so one point toward Esteban.
If I used her brother as a measure, Sol would be pretty rich as well.
I shuffled through the pine needles, thankful for the soft path under my feet, but I had to lift the bottom of the dress, so I didn’t trip over the hem.
Birds chirped overhead, but the sound echoed eerily through the tree limbs. I hated this whole experience. Another case of being used by other people, of magic used against me, my free will stripped away. Maybe, if I really had powers, I could keep this from happening again.
As I wandered, I steadied my breathing and brought my focus inward, as the last yoga teacher I walked out on, used to say. But I couldn’t feel anything there. Not a flicker or a spark or anything that
might resemble magic.
A rustle started around me and I darted my gaze between the trees. I picked up a stick in my path and held it in both hands like a baseball bat. It may be some kind of dream, but it didn’t mean I wouldn’t defend myself.
The train of my dress twisted around my feet, so I had to slow my steps to account for the hindrance.
If Fin magic-ed something for me out there, I sure didn’t feel it in here. I chuckled; maybe his contribution was the dress.
I walked onward, unsure of my location or direction. But the temperature felt perfect against my skin, not too humid or dry, warm or cold. Like the world built itself around what would make me the most comfortable.
Whispers started around me, and I held the bat up, ready for an attack from any angle.
Nothing jumped out from between the trees. Nothing wiggled the branches.
I reached out to the nearest towering pine and pressed my hand to the bark. The tree let out a groan, and I hopped away, dropping the stick, and stumbled into another tree. It made the same noise, and I stared up through the limbs.
I mean, my favorite part of the Lord of the Rings series was when the Ents destroy Isengard, but I never wanted to meet a creature who could crush me in its rooty feet.
I kept walking, this time faster as I clutched my dress up around my stomach to give me better range of movement.
The forest never seemed to end. It kept going, the soft needles laid out like a carpet leading me along. I hated being on this trail because clearly, I was being led somewhere and yet I had no choice but to go.
A clearing opened a few hundred yards in front of me and I kept walking toward it. The mist parted revealing a woman’s back. She was sitting on a log perfectly situated in the empty space.
I jogged the rest of the path until I circled around to face her. She wore the same purple ball gown as before, her bare toes painted the same shade as her dress. Her honey brown hair had been gathered in elaborate braids at her neck and hung around her shoulders. Her eyes were the same crystal cut shade as her brother’s and the resemblance struck me all over again.
I crouched near her right knee. “Sol, can you hear me?”
She didn’t answer but stared straight ahead through the trees.
“Sol?” I called again, louder this time.
Again, nothing. She sat like a robot waiting to be switched on. I reached out to touch the back of her hand. My fingers passed through her hand and leg. I jerked back so fast I lost my balance and landed on my ass in the pine needles.
“Shit,” I whispered as I tilted over to my knees and then got to my feet. I brushed the needles off my dress and shook out the material.
Sol never stirred. I wandered the perimeter of the clearing. The whispers had stopped, but I couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
When I made it back to Sol, she stared off into the distance, still and silent.
“You know, you bring me here, the least you could do is tell me why. If you’re Sol, or Esteban, or whoever...I don’t want to keep doing this. Some people actually need to get some sleep at night.”
She didn’t twitch, and I took a moment to study her. Her lips were fuller than her brother’s, her cheekbones a bit sharper. But just like him, her beauty stunned me. If she’d become a mage, it didn’t affect her perfect fae appearance.
I sat down in front of Sol, hiked up the dress around my hips, and crossed my legs underneath me. Maybe this was a meditation thing. I sucked so hard at meditation, but I would try anything to get out of this.