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Who are you? What is this? How am I doing this?
You, like your lover, are part Cambyra Fae. You are not just of the magic-born by birth, but half your heritage lies within the demonic Fae. Your father was one of the Uwilahsidhe, the owl people.
Part Fae. I was part Fae? My mind tried to process the concept but I kept coming back to one thought. You knew my father? What was he like? What is his name? Is he still alive?
Yes, I knew your father, and your mother, too. And yes, he still lives. His name is Wrath.
I want to meet him--is that possible?
But the owl fell silent as we twisted another loop around the house and he came lightly to rest in the oak again. He let out a piercing call that sliced through the night and I answered.
Not now. Not here. But he knows of you, girl. He knows of you.
And then he leapt and dove, and we were off once more, winging through the dark as he taught me to spread my wings and fly.
Early toward morning, the owl landed on the eaves next to my room. I landed next to him, exhausted, desperately needing to rest. We'd flown through the night, turning, dipping, but ever-always avoiding Myst's forest.
Time for you to return to your other form.
I blinked. My other form. There had been points through the night when I'd forgotten I had another form.
How do I do that? I can't get the pendant off.
Just focus on letting go. But do so inside or you'll topple off the roof. Ulean's voice was clear, distinct from the owl's.
As I pondered how to get inside so I could try to change back, Kaylin showed up in my room and eased the window open. He gently reached out and I hopped on his arm, and then he lifted me inside and set me on the ground.
I waddled around, my talons uncomfortable on the hardwood floor, as I tried to figure out how to shift back.
Just let go of the form . . .
Ulean's comforting voice filtered through the slipstream again and I hooted softly, grateful she could read me even though I'd shifted form.
Just let go of the form . . .
I calmed my thoughts, reached down deep. Consciously, I let the owl form dissolve, picturing myself as . . . me . . . Blink. A few seconds later, I toppled over on the floor, naked except for the necklace.
I'll give Kaylin this much: Instead of staring at me, he immediately covered me with a blanket from the bottom of the bed. I slowly sat up, rubbing my head, which hurt like a son of a bitch. The necklace throbbed gently against my chest.
"Before we even start to discuss this, please go downstairs and get me a cup of tea." I slipped out of the blanket and into the thick terry robe that Rhiannon had loaned me. This time, Kaylin watched.
"Dude, eyes back in head." I stared at him and he let out a soft laugh.
"Sorry, but you aren't exactly hiding it."
"I just changed into an owl and flew around the yard for an hour or two or three. Why should I be thinking modesty after that? I mean, come on, it was . . ." I softened my voice, the sarcasm drifting away. "It was the most incredible thing that's ever happened to me."
He relented. "Sorry, but as old as I am, I'm still young compared to others like me. And you're . . . you have a magnetism about you that's hard to ignore. Cicely, what happened out there?"
"Tea first."
While I climbed into bed, shivering because now I felt cold all the way through, Kaylin dashed downstairs and returned ten minutes later with a tea tray holding a pot, two cups, and some toast and jam.
As we drank our tea and ate our toast, I told him everything. Told him about always feeling a connection to the owl, about getting the tattoos even though I didn't know why I had to, about the owl feather that I'd found on my pillow one morning, never questioning why it had come into my life, just accepting.
"The owl in the wood, he said I'm part Cambyra Fae, like Grieve. Can this be possible?" I stared at my hands, looking at them in a different way than I ever had before. I'd always known I was one of the magic-born, but having someone tell me I was part Fae was like finding out that I'd never really known who I was. I'd never known myself. Not fully.
"Possible? Yes. Likely? It seems so. What else could explain what happened? I suppose it could be an elaborate trap, but it doesn't feel like it to me." He made sure I was comfortable, then headed downstairs after securing my window and making sure the protection charms were strong over it.
