Page 8 of Song For His Siren
A smile stretched across her face he couldn't read, but to be fair, he couldn’t read anything about this woman. Then, she outstretched her palm and gave a small nod. Suddenly, the wind blew around them, and there was a crack of lightning and a roll of thunder, and it was raining. But the rain was only on herpalm; everywhere else, it was a pleasant fall evening with the sun just starting to set. She was magic.
"Now," she said as she closed her palm, and the weather went back to normal. "I'll ask ye again: where are ye from?"
"I am not from this realm," he said simply.
"I suspected as much, but I don't sense any Fae magic in you," she said, still trying to figure him out.
"No. You wouldn't. I'm from what is known in this world as the monster realm."
"Are ye now?" Bridget said, her eyes growing big. "I’ve heard of the portal and have met a few who have monster heritage, but I’ve never met one from the realm. And I must say, yer glamor is fantastic. What kind of monster are ye?"
Her excitement was not what he was expecting, but before he was going to answer any questions, he had a few of his own. "How do you know so much about the realms?"
"Of course, ye have some questions of yer own. I’ll just tell ye I was given the power of the Fae many years ago."
He nodded at her. "Given or tricked?"
"Ahhh, I see ye’re familiar with the Fae. Why don't ye come with me and we can have a real chat?"
"Lead the way," he said, stretching a hand before her.
He followed her down the camp until he came to a site with a tent and a purple Volkswagen van.
"This is my site. Why don't ye come in and I'll make ye a nice cuppa tea?"
He nodded and followed her into the tent. If he had not known she had the power of the Fae, he would have known now. Once he walked through the flap, it gave way to a cozy house with a front sitting room, a warm fire blazing and a little table and sitting area. In the back corner was a soft, inviting bed.
"I'll just pop the kettle on. We can sit and chat, or if ye require the bathroom, it is right past that door."
"What is this?" he asked in awe.
"As I said, I was given the gift of the Fae many years ago. I know my way around magic," she said while she put the kettle on. She turned to face him, and her eyes got a bit bigger before a smile found her face. "An orc? An orc in the human realm? Now, this is something I’ve never seen before!"
He looked down at his hand, and sure enough, his glamor was gone.
"All part of the magic," she said as she gestured around her.
"Now, what is it ye are doing here, and what it is ye want with Calli?"
"The magic is fading from my clan. We have not been able to find our true mates. I was sent here because a mystic told me my mate was here."
"And you think Calli is your mate?"
"Yes," he said with a simple nod. "I know that doesn't make sense. She is human. It is unheard of, but here I am."
"How did ye know? How did ye find her?" Bridget asked. There was no malice behind her questions, only curiosity, so Khuldruk reached into his pocket and pulled out the magical brick that had shown him the way, setting it on the table before them. Bridget just looked up at him with an even more confused expression.
"The mystic woman gave me this. It showed me Calli and led me here, but it seems to be out of magic."
Bridget picked it up and looked at it with a smile stretching across her face.
"Do you know how to fix it?"
"Ye got this from your realm, you say?" She picked it up and examined it.
"Yes, but it doesn't seem to be working. It got me here, but now I cannot see it. I can't even check to see if the most beautiful creature I have ever seen is my true mate, but she must be."
"And ye found her with this?" Bridget said with almost a laugh.
