I frowned at him. Then I frowned over my shoulder where the silver streak had disappeared. "That was Breandan then."
He nodded. "You came close to being lost to us." Pausing, his eyes flicked to me then swiveled around the compound as the corners of his mouth pulled down. "You must be careful who you're alone with."
He walked off prompting me to follow.
"Uh, where are we going?"
The fairy strolled along unconcerned but I glanced around, worried. There had been many strange occurrences connected to me, and I was becoming more noticeable. For someone used to living under the radar it was unsettling. I didn't want to draw any more attention to myself, but I couldn't just let him wander around the Temple.
"I really do have something important to do," I added after a beat since he didn't answer. "Breandan said he was going to come back, so I don't think it'd be too big of a deal just waiting until later."
"He's dealing with Devlin," Conall said. "I'm to protect and guide you to the white witch and he'll meet us as soon as he can."
A pickle of fear seized me all over. "Witch?" I said sharply. "Witches are bad, and we are going to go visit one?"
"She is someone who will help you to understand what is happening."
"Huh. Why didn't Breandan send someone else after Devlin?" In my head I appended the sentence with, like you.
He heard the unspoken and slid a sly look my way. "They both want something only you can give, and you can only give it to one of them. Devlin is as cunning as Breandan is frank. He needed to deal with it personally."
"I'm not on the market, nor is anything I own." I pressed a hand over my chest were my pendant lay. Now Conall had given me the heads up I would not be letting it out of my sight. Not that it had ever left my neck in the last eighteen years.
"Being difficult won't help you in the long run. Stop trying to reason as a human would. You are not one and you're not built like one. Your body and mind can handle much more. Soon, you will learn this. You will learn there are rules that must be observed and respected."
I ground my teeth together. "You're making assumptions. I have respect, and I just know, no matter what anybody says I am not giving this necklace up."
I had decided the moment I met him I'd be safe with him, but I was anxious of what was coming next. Feeling foolish, I tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He looked a question at me and I waved him closer. He leaned down from his lofty height to peer into my face quizzically. "I've figured out you guys can jump really high, but I can't. I can't jump over the Temple wall." Stepping away I shrugged to show nonchalance, but reddened. At a moment like this Tomas would have come in handy. He had jumped it in a single bound. "We can't go out the gate either. I don't even want to think how I would explain you."
He gave me a warm smile and I immediately felt at ease, grinning back. "Don't fret," he said. "It'll take time for you to learn what you can and cannot do."
Without breaking stride he took my upper arm and jumped. We passed high over the wall then fell. Conall's feet hit the ground and I was left dangling from the floor at an awkward angle. He carefully set me down and continued walking. To my credit I didn't freak. I'd done the stunt before, and I was practically a veteran.
The sun had begun to set and the sky was sapphire, contrasting beautifully with the green of the treetops. We reached the Wall and Conall stopped, to stare hard at the buzzing wires, red hot with electric current.
"You're doing what Breandan did last time? To the Wall, I mean." Babbling beside him I straightened my clothes. "You somehow stop the current without tripping the klaxon. I think I've done it before, by accident."
"Could you be quiet for a moment?"
Another blush crept up my neck. "Okay, shutting up now."
"It's done. In answer to your question, yes." Conall pointed to a small man sized hole now in the Wall, moved through it and disappeared into the trees.
Biting my lip, I climbed through and stumbled after him. As we moved I entwined my hands in the coarse grass swaying about my waist. Tugging a few clumps free of the earth, I ran my fingertips over the petals of a wild flower that tickled my palm. The thrumming of crickets and rustle of life in the undergrowth made me smile. The air, heavy with the scent of soil, felt alive as we basked.
