As I pulled away, something horrible struck me. Could Arthur have CVID, too? “Arthur, this is a weird question, but do you have any diseases?”
Arthur frowned. “No. I’ve never had any kind of medical problem. Fit as a fiddle. Why do you ask?”
I was relieved. “You’re gonna want to brace yourself. It’s a long story.”
I told Arthur about my condition on the walk back to campus. He listened kindly, without intruding too much, and it was nice. My shoulders felt lighter as we walked through the gates of Arcanea University. One less person to hide my disease from.
“I’m sorry you have to go through all that,” Arthur said. “But I’m really proud of you for dealing with it. If you need help I’ll be there for you. I can even research our genetic line— see if someone else in our ancestry had it.”
“Thanks, Arty.” The word came out naturally, like I’d known him all my life.
Arthur shrugged. “It’s no problem. You know, I always wanted a sister. Growing up an only child was really boring, I tell you.”
“Me too.” I linked my arm in his. My mom was being a jerk, but my family was bigger now. Having a brother made me feel like I wasn’t alone in the world anymore.
I hadto part from Arthur a few hours later for my Fae Creatures Class. We’d spent forever talking, until he told me he was late for an exam and we had to go our separate ways.
Despite the argument with my mother earlier, I felt light as a feather, and some of the pain in my body had finally gone away. Perhaps things were turning around for me.
“You look cheery,” Delmare said as I walked into the Conservatory. The smile on my face was so wide, it almost hurt to keep.
“Yeah, did you and Ethan get back together?” Odette asked.
Kiara elbowed her, and the smile slid off my face. Waseverythingabout Ethan these days?
“No,” I started. “I actually found out I have a brother.”
“What?” all the girls said at once. They huddled around me as I told the story. Their eyes grew wider with each detail. Odette gasped dramatically at all the right parts, and it only made telling the whole thing better.
“Wow, that’s crazy,” Delmare said when I’d finished. “Sorry your mom is being a bitch, though.”
“Never mind her. I like Arthur,” Kiara said in a chipper way. “It’s great you finally have someone to relate to; a twin especially.”
“Isn’t it?” I felt my smile return. “I want to get to know him better. Who knows how much we could have in common?”
We had to break off the conversation then, because Lady Iris clapped her hands at the center of the Conservatory, near the large fountain of the shifters to get our attention.
I hadn’t had a class with her yet, as Lady Iris was in the Circle and only taught part-time at the university. As part of the alicorn Faction, she was usually busy with affairs that involved equine shifters and sorceresses. But so far, she’d been a good teacher. This was one of my favorite classes.
“We’ve been studying a variety of fae creatures since we’ve begun this course,” Lady Iris began. “Today, we’ll be looking atmalyludwy, or faerie folk. These miniature creatures live in the forests of Malovia, usually in tight-knight communities. We know that faekin are animals that have faerie blood. They are actually our closer genetic ancestors than humans are. Faerie folk are some of the greatest helpers of fae, and are eager to lend a hand when we are out in the field hunting monsters.”
Lady Iris gestured for us to follow. She led us to a tree beside the fountain, which was surrounded by large ferns and rocks. Built into the side of the tree and hidden in the leaves of the fern were the tiniest little houses. They had thatch roofs and walls made of twigs. Other houses were constructed into mushrooms that circled the base of the tree, or carved into the inside of the rock. A miniature wooden bridge spanned from the tree to the fern, while tiny little lights hovered around the houses, lighting up the space.
A little leaf door opened on one of the houses. Out flew a miniature blue horse, with pink butterfly wings. It was barely the size of my hand, and had curly antennae on the top of its head. Lady Iris held her palm out for the horse to land on.
“This particular faerie folk is a filly faerie,” Iris said. “They are massively intelligent, and are very good observers. The mind of a faerie folk is an incredible thing. They have a photographic memory. Once they see something, they never forget it.”
The filly faerie reared up in her hand. After she was done explaining the filly fairy, dozens moremalyludwycame flooding out of the houses. A bat with butterfly wings swooped around a tiny llama, which galloped upon the air as its tiny bee wings kept it aloft. A faerie fawn danced in the flower petals of the Conservatory, being chased by a fox with big green wings like a moth. Every animal you could imagine was part of the faerie folk, insect wings fluttering and none of them larger than my finger.
A tiger faerie with big antennae and pretty monarch wings fluttered around my face, pawing at my nose. Two kitten faeries with wings like dragonflies nestled in my hair and tugged on the strands like they would a string toy. I laughed. They were so much fun!
“These creatures don’t look very powerful, but they’re actually magnificently magical,” Iris said. “In some cases, they can influence the weather, much like Elementai can— this is why some elementals bond with them. They are also very good illusionists, and like playing tricks on the mind. They don’t harness aggressive magic, but if you have a faerie folk on your side, rest assured they will do everything in their power to keep you safe.”
“How do you keep them?” Delmare had her palms open and was playing with a faerie lizard that was tumbling in her palms.
“Faerie folk are attracted to gems and other rare stones,” Lady Iris said. “The easiest way to catch them is to set out a valuable piece of jewelry, and wait for one to flutter by. They will come eventually, if you are patient. Other ways include a thimble of wine— they love wine— or small candies. Growing bell-shaped flowers in your garden for faerie folk to harvest their nectar from is one way to sustain a population in your garden. If they gift you their honey, the faerie folk consider your propertytheirs, and will protect your homestead with their powerful magic. A sustainable faerie folk community is a must for any sorceress garden. Beware, though— they like to sneak into your home and rearrange your things. It’s a funny game to them.”
As we were studying the faerie folk, the tiger faerie wouldn’t leave me alone. The other faeries fluttered this way and that, but the tiger faerie twirled between my fingers, then flew upward to lay on my head. He twisted down my face, and I felt the soft brush of his wings caress my skin as his antennas felt out my skin.
