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RHYS
Everyone except for me is headed to Miri’s today. They’re going to dig through her library and search for clues about why our parents became shitty people. Lena would say they’re trying to understand if forming the Axis, essentially a coven with Fae magic instead of witches, screwed them up. I’m not as forgiving. I’m pretty sure they were always assholes.
Still, I suppose it’s important to learn everything we can about the Axis. What we know so far is that there are four pairs in an Axis, one to represent each of the four seasons. Or I guess, the Four Courts in Fairy. So, Miri and Davis have formed a bond that’s kicked off the start of a brand-new Axis. All under the watchful eye of Anthony Hatcher. A dickhead who’s desperate to open a door back into Fairy.
Once Miri moved to town and everything snowballed, it was clear who the bonded pairs were supposed to be. Davis and Miri, Ruby, and Ezra, and as much as I don’t want to fucking admit it, Lena and Archer. I was the odd man out. We had no idea who the last person to round out the group was supposed to be. Until a few days ago, I didn’t want to learn more about the Axis.
That’s not true any longer.
There’s no rational reason I know Zara is meant to be my partner, but I knew from the moment our eyes connected. Now I can’t stop thinking about her. She was a mess when we brought her back to Ruby’s the other night, but there’s a light that shines from within her that’s impossible to hide.
When Lena asked me to come to Miri’s so they could test my magic and find out what I’m capable of, I declined. I offered to hang out with Zara instead, grabbing hold of the excuse when Ruby said Zara wasn’t up for socializing yet. Partly because I don’t want to sit around and dissect what magic I might be able to do, but more because I’m itching to spend more time with Zara. Not that she needs someone to babysit her; I just assume she won’t want to be alone at Ruby’s.
Ruby’s rushing out the front door just as I step onto her porch.
“I told Zara you were coming. She’s hiding from the world. See if you can get her to go outside or something.” Ruby doesn’t bother stopping to tell me anything else before she hops in her ATV and takes off.
I rap my knuckles against the door before I let myself in, so I don’t startle Zara. She looks up from where she’s sitting on the couch when I walk inside. It’s cool out today but not cold, so I’m not wearing a coat, just a hoodie. I leave it on and join Zara on the opposite end of the couch. The TV is on, but the volume is so low I doubt she can hear it.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” She looks better already, her cheeks full of color and her long golden blonde hair brushed out and shining. It’s obvious she’s wearing Ruby’s clothes because the leggings are plaid, and her shirt has a picture of Tina Turner from Mad Max on the front.
Zara’s eyes drift down, but then she straightens her shoulders and sits up straighter. Lifting her gaze, she keeps eye contact as she answers. “I’m doing better.”
“Good. You look better.”
She presses her lips together, chewing on the bottom one. “Did Ruby send you to watch me?”
“Actually, I used you as an excuse.”
Her brow crinkles, making me want to smooth out the lines.
“For what?”
“Our friends are researching Fae stuff, and they want me to find out what kind of magic I have. I don’t particularly want to do that.”
“You don’t want to learn about your magic?” Zara shifts a little, turning toward me.
I’m sitting with my back against the corner of the couch. My legs are straight out in front of me and propped up on top of the coffee table. I stretch my arms out across the back and arm of the couch. I’m taking up space, but the couch isn’t that big.
“Do you know what an Axis is? Do they have that in Fairy?”
Zara doesn’t move for so long, I wonder if my magic is freezing people or stopping time. Then she swallows before grabbing a glass of water off the table. She drinks half of it before setting it back down.
“I do.” She inhales and then slowly lets her breath out, her body relaxing minutely. “It’s not something that’s discussed much in Fairy. It’s hard to remember that I don’t need to guard my words here. Not like I did back there.”
“You don’t have to tell me if you’re uncomfortable.” Without conscious thought, I reach out and place a hand on her knee, squeezing gently. “Sorry.” I snatch my hand away and try to ignore the furious beating of my heart. Zara looks dazed as she stares at me, the color of her eyes more brown than green at the moment.
“I don’t mind.” She doesn’t elaborate on whether she doesn’t mind the touch or talking about the Axis. “In Fairy, an Axis forms when there is a threat. They are the ultimate defenders, able to bring together the magic of the Four Courts. On their own, the bonded pairs are more powerful than the average Fae, but together as a unit, an Axis has immense power.”
“What kind of threats do they face in Fairy?”
Zara picks up a pillow from between us and hugs it to her, playing with the fringe on the edges.
“I never knew of an Axis being formed in the time I lived here. There are stories from the past that are well known. The kind that are told on wintry nights over a fire. They talk of rebel Fae that formed an Axis in order to keep the Queen and the High Fae from tearing down the veil and swarming into the human world.”
“Here, the story is that a couple of hundred years ago, the veil came down. The Queen sent sentinels through the veil to protect humans and close the veil from this side. Those that came through weren’t able to get back and were stuck in the human world. That’s supposedly where all of us got our magic from.”
Zara listens attentively, considering my words before she responds. “The Queen of hundreds of years ago may have been kind and protective of humans, but that’s not the case any longer. Both the Courts and the Queen are not friendly toward humans. They believe humans are beneath them. I would not put it past the Queen and the High Fae to twist the story to make it appear it was the rebels who helped the humans. None of them would want to admit that the Fae didn’t always believe they were better than us. The rebel Axis is more of a warning. That those who protected the humans became trapped in their world and never saw Fairy again.”
