Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
There’s an excitement in her words that almost buzzes from her, and Vanessa steps between us in a casual motion. “To send and receive calls from outside the city?”
“Of course, of course. We worked that out aeons ago.” Layla scoffs, as though our questions are over the top.
Butaeons?
Marcus frowns, and I grab his arm with a gentle squeeze, shaking my head slightly. From how Layla speaks about phones, calling them telecommunication devices, I don’t think she’s the one to give us the best information.
We’ll have to trust Sister Miriam, who nods when I glance in her direction.
“You’ll be able to contact your family and friends even in the Fae
Ward, child.”
“See? Now, come on, come on.” Impatient now with our hesitance, Layla produces an archaic bronze key that glows with a subtle shimmer and inserts it into the door, which swings open to reveal a shimmering golden portal.
The fact that magic seems so natural around here already has us all feeling out of place and uneasy, and Marcus steps forward without a word to go first.
“Wait when you get there, so I can check us in,” Layla says in a monotone spiel that says she’s said this same line a hundred times before.
“Understood.” He glances toward Vanessa, who gives a quick nod, before passing through. Then it’s my turn.
Like the portal from Blackwood lands to Sister Miriam’s mysterious museumlike mansion, there’s an abrupt change, an walk into a medieval world that belongs in picture books.
It’s green.
I understand, now, the prose in old, rambling stories about knig and maidens. Everything is just so much more, the sky more vas the colors more vibrant, the scents more enticing.
But it’s not just the landscape that’s breathtaking. The Fae themselves are a sight to behold, a mix of modern and fantasy th has me gaping. A group of Fae women stroll by, their hair in shad of lavender, turquoise, and bubblegum pink, wearing sleek bodyc esses that shimmer in the sunlight. And their ears? They’re pointed. Just a little at the tip for some, and long and sloping for others.
There are plenty of Fae in more natural colorsat least to my eyes -but it’s like I’ve walked into another world.
The Fae realm is another world, in a sense. Like a sister world that mirrors our own.
Selene seems distracted by a pair of Fae men standing guard on either side of Marcus. They’re taller than any of us, and dressed in brown leather armor that looks like it’s been plucked straight out of a Robin Hood poster. Their hair is long and braided, and comfortingly brown. One has blue eyes that hold the chill of winter, and another has eyes so silver that a shiver goes down my back at how unnatural his gaze appears. My brain insists that he has to be blind, but it’s very clear he is not.
My brain struggles to process the sheer absurdity of it all, halfexpecting them to vanish in a puff of smoke.
Selene’s tail wags in excitement. This place feels like home. Like my old life.
I can feel her joy through our bond, a warm glow that spreads from my chest to my toes. She takes a deep breath, her nose twitching as she inhales the scents of the Fae realm. Even the air smells the same, she muses, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
I’m about to ask her what she means when I hear the sound of footsteps behind me. I glance over my shoulder to see Vanessa and Layla stepping through the portal, the gnome walking briskly toward the Fae guards despite barely reaching their waists.
“Names and affiliations,” one of the guards says, his voice deep and commanding. He eyes us warily, his hand resting on the hilt of a sword at his hip.
Layla clears her throat, standing as tall as her diminutive stature will allow. “They are under the protection of Sister Miriam,” she says, her voice surprisingly authoritative for someone so small. “I need to bring the to the Wizard’s Tower. Ava Grey, Blackwood Pack, and her guards.”
The disdain when she declares my pack is mirrored by the looks on their faces. Silver Eyes exchanges a glance with his partner, before giving me a nod. “Very well. Follow me.”
He turns on his heel and strides off, leaving us scrambling to keep up. Vanessa falls into step beside me, her eyes wide as she takes in the sights and sounds of the Fae realm. “This is not what I was expecting,” she murmurs, her voice barely above a whisper.
I nod in agreement, my gaze drawn to a group of Fae children plaving some kind of game involving glowing orbs that hover in dat. They’re laughing and shouting, their voices carrying on the breere, and I can’t help but smile at the pure joy on their faces.
As we walk, I notice that the Fae we pass are just as varied in appearance as the ones I saw earlier. Some are dressed in modern clothingjeans, tshirts, even the occasional leather jacket while others look like they’ve stepped out of a Renaissance Faire. There are Bae with skin in every shade of the rainbow, from pale lavender to deep emerald green, and their hair ranges from natural colors to hues that don’t exist in the human world.
I could get used to this Selene says, her voice dreamy as she trots alongside me.
A pang of envy over her easy acceptance of this strange new world shoots right through my heart. For me, it’s all overwhelmingthe sights, the sounds, the sheer impossibility of it all. But there’s a part of me that’s eager to learn more about this place, too.
The guard leads us to a towering gate made of shimmering silver, its surface etched with intricate designs that seem to move and shift before my eyes. He places his hand on the gate, and it swings open with a soft whoosh, revealing a courtyard filled with even more wonders.
There are fountains that spout water in every color of the rainbow, their mist creating a shimmering haze that hangs in the air. Flowers the size of dinner plates bloom in beds along the edges of the courtyard, their petals glowing softly in the sunlight. And in the center of it all stands a massive tree, its trunk wider than a car and its branches stretching up to the sky, laden with fruit that glitters like precious gems.
king for w
***genda wit of badgers at the far end of the ed there and walk and over in a pattern that change with eye we ugh the time the bling is anything but a tower In fact, compered to the wat of the courtyard, E’s little more than a ottage dinge the taney doors
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A giant of a man fills the doorway, his broad shoulders nearly brushing the frame on either side. He’s easily twice the size of any man I’ve ever seen, with pointed ears that stretch back into his saltandpepper hair. Despite the gray streaks, his face is unwrinkled, but his eyesswirling from blue to black and back againhold a wisdom that speaks of countless years.
“You’re late,” he bellows, his voice reverberating through the courtyard like a clap of thunder.
His largerthanlife presence fills the courtyard, very different from the Fae guards who led us here.
Marcus and Vanessa move to step between us, their stances protective, but the strange man roars at them. “Stand back, you flearidden mutts! Let me see my pupil!”
There’s an excitement in his tone that belies the aggressive volume of his words, leaving me more confused than frightened. Selene slinks forward, her ears pressed back against her skull as she sniffs at the air to scent the new arrival.
“Your pupil?” I ask, my voice sounding small and uncertain even to my own ears. “Are you the one Sister Miriam told me about?”
The man throws his head back and laughs, the sound booming like a cannon shot. “Who am I? I’m the one who’s graciously allowed you entry into the Fae Ward, girl. The one who’s going to teach you to control that wild magic of yours before it consumes you whole.”
All the Fae to this point have been elegant, their movements natural and flowing. Even the intimidating guards move with a grace that seems to come from deep within.
This man, this teacher of mine, is like a bear, with wide movements and a lumbering gait. Even so, his excitement shines through, making his sinisterseeming phone calls feel innocuous now in the light of his energy.
“You may call me Magister Orion,” he says, his voice dropping to a more conversational volume. “And you, Ava Grey, have a great deal to learn. It took you too long to get here.”
“A more friendly phone call might have helped.” Trying to keep my words firm and even, I hold out my hand in greeting. “Hello, Magister Orion.”
His massive head tilts, his eyes glittering down at me in the brightest shade of blue I’ve ever seen. “Was I not friendly? I warned you about your friend, and you interrogated me as if I were her captor.”
“When you disguise your voice like that—“
“Disguise?” Magister Orion rears back, distaste crawling across his face. “I, a respected wizard and Magister, disguise myself? Why would I do such a thing?”
Marcus pulls me back, scowling at the giant Fae standing before us. “Are you not the one to call Ava’s phone, then?”
“Call? Ah, yes. Of course I called her. The daft child has no business running amuck without training.”
“I can explain,” a tiny, tinny voice says from behind him, and we all step back, startled by a new addition to our little group.
“Magister Orion’s secretary,” Layla says from behind us, sounding amused. “We call her little Tinker, after one of your human movies.”
A tiny figure emerges from behind Magister Orion’s knee, her mechanical wings glinting in the light. She’s even shorter than Layla, with vibrant pink hair and sparkling lilac eyes that dance with mischief. As she smiles at us, I can’t help but stare at the robotic contraptions protruding from her back.
Noticing my fascination, the little Fae titters and spins around, revealing a remote control in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, the wings flap open and closed, a whirring sound filling the air.
“I just love the idea of wings,” she gushes, her voice high and melodic. “Ever since I saw that fabulous movie about the tiny Fae and the flying children. Of course, you humans butchered our existence, but stillit was inspiring!”
Vanessa and I exchange an uncomfortable laugh, unsure how to respond. “This place is far more amazing than any movie I’ve ever seen,” I admit.
“What, the Fae Ward? Balderdash. We’re just a cheap imitation of the Fae Realm, but it helps us feel more at home here.” Tinker chuckles. “We have more freedom, too.”
That sounds like a lot of history to dig through, but Magister Orion clears his throat, drawing our attention back to him. “Shall we head inside? We have much to discuss.”
Tinker nods enthusiastically, her wings fluttering with excitement. As we follow them into the cottage, she falls into step beside me, her head barely reaching my hip. “I should explain about the, mm, what’s the word? Oh, ves. The phone call” she savs, her voice lowering conspiratorially. “Magister Orion did it, but we used a new device, aimed to muddle our communication against wolves. It reconstructs his words, but Sister Miriam says it makes him sound sinister. Did it have the same effect on you?”
The curious look on her face is almost rabid, her eyes eager and glistening.
“It did,” I confirm, watching her overenthusiastic nod with some confusion. It takes a second for her words to dawn in my overwhelmed mind. “This device of yours is why none of the shifters could understand him?”
Tinker’s eyes light up, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “Precisely! Isn’t it just brilliant? The Fae Ward functions with quite a bit magitechah, magical technologybut it doesn’t always work the way we intend. Human innovation is fascinating, but doesn’t seem to mesh well with magic.”
A small notepad appears out of thin air, and she scrawls something on it. The letters are similar to the runes I saw within the book
Mrs. Elkins brought me, and I curse myself silently for not bringing it here. I’m sure they would have been able to tell me more about it.
“Sinister. Hmm. Indeed. I thought the dhampir was being a bit overblown, but I suppose it can’t be helped. The device was supposed to go for austere and majestic.”