The Fairyhunter
Part
16
He'd snapped, but there was no turning back.
He looked at the cage again, staring at her. She was staying quiet, just like
he'd said. The look on her face was killing him. She wasn't exactly frightened,
just stunned. He could feel guilt welling up in him and it made him feel even
worse. Suddenly, she really was just a girl in a cage, a regular girl that he'd
kidnapped and taken prisoner. He turned away, trying to calm down while he
considered his options for a moment. As he did, he was suddenly struck with a
thought. "Alright, so that big guy, what was he, your dad or something?
I'm assuming you're not the sprite he's married to." She looked at him
steadily for a moment without answering, meeting his gaze coolly until he shook
the cage, knocking her over. "Answer me!"
"I live with him and Naomi. He's not my
dad, he just acts like it," she replied, her voice low, but steady.
"And you can't do this."
"Yeah, well, I'm doing it now, mothwing, so looks like you're wrong there." He wanted
to turn away and mentally cut himself loose from her forever, but he couldn't
seem to do it.
"I mean you can't go through with
this," she said, voice still quiet.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. You know too much."
She was trying to get inside his head,
probably to stall for time. He was willing to let that happen...mentally, he
needed some time, along with some insight, anyway. If she had it, fine.
"Alright, I'll bite…too much about what?"
"About sprites and fairies," she
said simply. "You know we're people. You know we're real. You know
we're…"
"What, like
me?"
"I am NOTHING like you," she
replied coldly.
"Yeah, well thank the gods for that,
babe," he muttered, turning away from her.
"You just don't want to admit that I
got to you," she added. "If I hadn't, you wouldn't still be talking
to me."
"I'm not still talking to you, I'm
listening to you," he grimaced. "And I'm about done with THAT,
too!"
"Fine," she said.
"Fine!" he snapped back.
"FINE! Just remember…you can't deny with your mind what you
know in your heart."
He was suddenly reminded of the same
conversation that had sparked his anger in the first place, the one with his
father. It had ended with nearly the same words. "Dad, you're never going
to get this, so I'm not going to bother to explain it again after this…but when
you know in your heart that something's right for you, that you're meant to do
it, you do it, you don't deny it. If you didn't have your head so far up your
silver-plated ass, you'd see know that." Furious, his father had
backhanded him and roared at him to get out. Somehow, blinded with pain and
hurt pride, he'd managed to add, "Just goes to show how much you still
have to learn about me. I'm not as weak as you'd like to think. I don't need
you!"
That moment seemed long ago and far away
right now. He was awash in truth right now and currently drowning.
She wasn't a bug…she WAS real. He'd been
capturing and selling little winged people.
Oh, God, he thought…what have I done?
He reached over to unlatch the door, feeling
numb, avoiding eye contact. He reached in his pocket and dropped the amulet to
the ground. He heard her flutter for it, then felt her presence behind him,
taller now. She started to walk away, then stopped.
They stood in silence for a long time.
"
"Don't," he said, feeling hollow.
"Just leave me alone. Stay away from me. You've ruined my life." He
heard her pause again, then felt her leave. Almost
immediately, he spun around, wanting to take it all back, wanting to cling to
her for a moment and just wait for his world to stop spinning.
But she was already gone. On the ground, the
sapphire she'd stolen lay shining dully in the dirt. He stared at it and felt
himself harden again. He wasn't about to let feelings like that roll out
uninvited again. He looked up and almost thought he could feel the hurt coming
from her retreating form.
That was a problem he wanted remedied.
He grabbed the sapphire and stalked toward
town, leaving the traps lying on the ground and all sentiment with them…
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