Chapter Five
Beforemuchlongertheyreachedtheshore,andtheblackstonethathadrisenfromthewatertoformtheirpathgavewaytosoft,wetsandundertheirfeet.Thebeachwassmall,andthecliffsideroselessthanfiftyfeetfromthewater'sedge,whereJerahnowpointedtoasetofnarrowstonestepsamidsttheplantsthatgrewonthesteepface.
“Almost there,” he said, though he didn't sound particularly eager to make the ascent. Florian’s eyes followed the narrow stairway up the cliff and noted that while the stairs were not terribly steep, there were more than a few switchbacks.
“More hiking,” he sighed, but followed Jerah across the beach and toward the stairs. Kade was silent behind him, but he could hear the soft thud of his footsteps on the stone steps not too far away.
He kept his focus on his feet as they ascended, but could not ignore the breath burning in his lungs. He wasn't exactly out of shape, but today had been a lot; his muscles quickly began to protest after the first handful of steps. But Florian hadn’t come all this way for nothing, so he kept his head down and focused on one step at a time.
“All right back there?” Jerah called over his shoulder at one point, and Florian nodded without looking up.
“Yeah,” he panted.
“Not much longer,” Jerah said, and he was almost relieved to hear that he, too, sounded winded.
Eventually, he heard Jerah groan in relief ahead of him, and looked up as they reached the top of the stairs. Before them was a gate that led to some sort of garden; it was enclosed by tall trees and dark green hedges that were dotted with pale pink and white flowers. Jerah pushed open the iron gate into the courtyard, revealing a stone path that led in twists and turns toward the castle. Along the path, statues and benches were interspersed with some smaller potted plants, as well as more hedges and trees that trailed with ivy.
“We made it,” Jerah said triumphantly, grinning back at Florian with a relieved smile. He crossed the threshold past the gate into the garden, and Kade's footsteps trailed behind him. "I don't know about you two, but I would love a good meal and a hot shower right about now."
“Yes, please,” Florian laughed. Thatdidsound appealing.
“That can be arranged,” an unfamiliar voice came, and both his and Jerah's heads swiveled back up the path. Standing there was a tall woman with long, jet black hair tied back in a low, loose ponytail and reddish-brown eyes that had the same ethereal glow as the others. The friendly smile on her face only grew wider as they approached her. “Welcome home, Jerah, Kade. And Florian.”
“Ah, Tatiana, I'm glad to see you!” Jerah exclaimed, rushing toward her. Florian followed curiously with Kade still behind him; but he hesitated as Jerah took the woman in his arms, and they embraced. After a moment, he released her and looked back at Florian with a start.
“Ah, my apologies, Florian, this is my sister, your aunt, Tatiana. She's kind enough to keep everything running while I'm away, and when I'm here, perhaps more often than I'd like to admit. And, Tatiana, this is…” He paused, taking in a deep breath as a pleased grin spread across his face. “This is Florian. He's finally come home to us.”
A sense of relief washed over him at the words. The last thing he wanted to deal with was an unexpected fairy stepmother. “Hello,” he said, sounding awkward to his own ears; but he still managed a slight smile and a wave.
“Hello, Florian,” she replied, her gaze softening as she spoke. Her expression was inscrutable: some strange mixture of nostalgic and sad and joyful all at once. “I'm sure you don't remember me, but it's so wonderful to see you again.”
“Oh—I don't, sorry,” he stammered. “But it's, uh, nice to meet you. Nice to see you.”
“That's all right. We have so much to catch up on,” she said, and her gaze flickered behind him. “And it's good to see you, too, Kade. Thank you for keeping Jerah out of trouble.”
“Trouble? Trouble?” Jerah spluttered with an indignant laugh. “Don't go giving Florian the wrong idea, Tatiana. I certainly don't get into trouble Earthside. Or here, for that matter.”
Kade stepped past Florian, finally leaving his spot as the rear guard. He could only catch a flicker before Kade was walking past him, but Florian swore that there was a slight grin on his lips.
“No trouble, Tatiana,” he said. “Any word from my family?”
“No news, which is good news as far as I'm concerned,” she said, and he nodded in agreement. “Now, you said you were hungry?”
“Oh, yes,” Jerah said, nodding quickly and extending a hand to Florian. “Come on, Florian, it's been a long afternoon. Let's have lunch. Or dinner. I think it’s closer to dinnertime here, now.”
He felt inexplicably nervous for a moment despite the friendly faces of his father and Tatiana. Jerah had offered him dinner as casually as if he’d just swung by his house, and the easy familiarity somehow spooked him. He hesitated, standing still for a moment, then Kade paused and glanced back at him. Their eyes met, and Florian's face burned as he all but jumped forward.
“Okay,” he agreed, catching up to them quickly. Kade led the pack now, but Florian had seen a hint of red on the other man’s face when they had locked eyes for a moment. He wasn't sure if it made him feel better or worse.
He followed the group along the winding stone path through what turned out to be a rather large garden. The path split in different directions a few times, but Tatiana and the others seemed to know where they were going. Florian followed without protest, occasionally glancing curiously down the separate paths, but doing his best not to fall too far behind. They kept on the wide main path with its trees and statues, but some of the splintering paths seemed to lead into smaller gardens—one was certainly a rose garden, but he didn't get a good enough look at the others to know for sure. Regardless, the moonlight glinting off the pale marble statues and illuminating the dark green foliage of the garden, made everything look truly enchanted—it very well may have been, Florian thought.
“Is the garden magic at all?” he decided to just ask, and though he was looking toward Jerah when he spoke, it was Kade who glanced back at him. He nearly tripped over himself when their eyes met, but thankfully kept his footing despite his surprise.
“Some of the plants have magical properties,” Kade answered. “I don't think any parts of the garden are inherently magical, though.”
“Not these parts, no,” Jerah agreed. “The section with poisonous plants is warded, and there's an observatory set up further in, which has an enchantment to prevent cloud cover around the area, but otherwise it's just a regular old garden.” He grinned at Florian. “I mean, it's certainly meant to be a nice garden, to preserve as many plants as we can from the Blight, but it's mostly mundane.”
“I understand,” he replied, his gaze flickering nervously between Jerah and Kade, who had turned away once more.
