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She gasped, her tone raising in pitch. “Or so?”
“You stop counting after a while.”
“Humans count every birthday like it’s a countdown.” Yet again, sounds from the forest made her jumpy, claiming her attention.
“So then how old are you?” he asked.
Her head snapped around. “You don’t ask a lady her age.”
“Oh? Well, you couldn’t be more than a hundred and fifty, give or take.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
He glanced down at her horrified expression. “Is that young for a human?”
“No! I’d be ancient! Let’s just say I’m younger than you and leave it at that, Grandpa.”
He waited for her to continue the conversation, but her worried gaze was back to scanning the forest. “Tell me of theStar Trek. You suggested I would enjoy it.”
Between skittish glances through the trees, she looked him up and down, as though by his bearing alone she could assess his character. “You strike me as more of aStar Warsfan.”
“Is that the better of the two?”
She snorted. “Star Warsfans would like to think so.”
“Which do you prefer?”
“I’m partial to both—” She suddenly halted, her mouth parting in a delicate O. He followed her rapt gaze. An edge of the Faieara palace was now visible above the tree line.
“Is that a castle?” she breathed. “Is that where we’re going?”
“It is. You might be surprised to meet another human there.”
“No. Really?”
He nodded. “A girl named Zoey.”
“How on Earth did she get here?”
They resumed walking as he told the story. How Cale was sent to Earth to rescue the now Faieara Queen, Kyra, from the Kayadon hunting her. How Zoey, a friend of Kyra’s, had been swept up in the danger and hitched a ride to Evlon, where she decided to remain indefinitely.
“Miss Edel said Faieara could do magic, like witches or something. Is that true?”
“They are nothing like witches,” he corrected in a not-so-benevolent tone that seemed to pique her curiosity. “Witches are abhorrent creatures from my planet who use magic through unnatural means. Faieara are born with magic in their blood. It is a part of them and their world. It’s within them. Witches crave power and domination. Faieara are peaceful beings, or…they were. Fate is forcing them to stretch.”
“How so?”
“The Kayadon, the ones who built the ship you were on, invaded their planet and enslaved them for a time. We helped the Faieara to overthrow them, at great cost—” He bowed his head at the weight of that statement. “But they are still here. In hiding.”
Once more her eyes darted around the surrounding forest, and he wished he had excluded that last part.
“You’ve no need to worry.” He pointed to the sky. “You see how the sky looks warped?”
She nodded. “Look like we’re in a fishbowl, but it’s almost electrified.”
“We’re in a dome that sizzles with magic. It protects what lies underneath from the Kayadon. None can pass through.”
“The Faieara did that?”
