Morton’s bushy white eyebrows furrowed. “How do you mean?”
“I had almost finished reciting the spell when he startled me.”
The fae glared like he thought she was trying to put this on him.
“I flung up my hands as I was reciting, and the pink light disappeared into his chest.”
“Oh my,” the wizard mumbled, closing his book.
“What does it mean?” the fae asked.
Morton pulled out his brown spell book from behind the counter. “Well, I’m not sure exactly.”
The fae huffed. “Not sure? What kind of fucking place is this? She didn’t know what she was doing, and apparently, neither did you. Why are you giving out spells you don’t understand?”
A stern look she’d never seen crossed Morton’s face, settling into his wrinkles. “Do not insult me or my customers in my shop, do you understand me?”
The man stepped closer to the counter, towering over the wizard. “If you don’t tell me how to fix what she did, I’ll slit her throat and bleed her dry all over your floors, old man.” Shadows wound around his muscled arms, starting at the elbow, working their way to his hands.
Orelia went still.A Myrker Fae.
She’d read about the three types of fae in one of Morton’s books years ago. Myrkers were said to be able to black out skies with their power, and some terrorized their victims by leaving them in complete darkness for a full tenday so they went insane. She knew their shadows could fluctuate between being tangible and intangible, but she didn’t know the extent of what they were capable of.
Morton didn’t cower from the Myrker’s stare, and after a few more seconds of the two refusing to back down from one another, the wizard flipped to the page with the binding spell she’d used. “I have never seen this spell used on people, so I don’t know how it works. You can make all the threats you want, but it’s the truth. The spell is intended for plants and animals only, so tell me exactly what happened when the light hit you.”
The fae conceded an inch, his jaw clenched tight. “The light absorbed into my chest. When I tried to fly away, I felt a tearing in my body, then a tugging like I was being pulled back to the ground.” Accusatory eyes cut to hers, and Orelia looked away. She could feel his honed anger, making her skin heat uncomfortably.
“How far had you flown?” Morton asked.
“No more than half a mile.”
“Orelia, did you feel the same pain? And did you recite the spell exactly like I said?”
Her hand went to her stomach at the recollection. “I did. It was horrible. And yes, I said exactly what you told me to.”
“And you envisioned the crops growing and the garden being successful?”
“Yes, I did all of that. I swear, I did everything you said.” Her eyes darted between both men—one looking at her with understanding, the other with outrage.
Morton fiddled with the end of his sleeve. “It sounds like the spell is acting like the one I gave to the farmers. The one meant to keep their livestock in a contained space. If the animals strayed too far, they would feel a tugging sensation to go back to the area they’d been bound to. I imagine that’s what you both felt. That need to come back to the place where it happened.”
The fae’s large hands balled into fists. “Are you telling me I cannot leave this village now?” he gritted out.
“Her home is almost a mile from here, so I don’t believe it’s the area you’re contained to, but her. You cannot stray far fromher.”
The suffocating weight of the man’s presence returned with a fury. His shadows started, rippling around his arms as he let out a deep exhale through his nose. “Reverse the spell. Now.”
Morton closed his book. “I’m afraid I cannot. Person-to-person binding spells are different, and since nature was involved, it will require a druid to remove it.”
“So go get the druid,” the fae said through his teeth, growing more agitated by the second.
“The closest druid is in Dorsey,” Morton said far too calmly to someone who had snakes of shadow waiting to strike. Orelia swore she saw the wizard smirk.
She didn’t think it was possible for the Myrker to become any angrier, but his face contorted into a look that promised pain. He leaned over the counter, the wood groaning under his weight, and got directly in Morton’s face. “I’m not traveling all the way to Dorsey to get this fixed. You fix it right the fuck now, or I swear I will make good on my promise and kill her this instant!”
“Ir lejo!”
Silver light coming from Morton’s outstretched arms blasted the fae away.
