Audrey smiled at me and replied, “I am, too.”
“Have you snowboarded down them or anything?” I asked, wondering how far away they truly were.
Audrey shook her head and responded, “No. They’re protected, so there are no resorts or anything there. Think of them as a national park that’s also kind of a universal temple, not many Hyvenmerians have visited, out of respect.” She tilted her head as we studied the mountains, until the path of the train pivoted, and they were out of our sight. “They’re alsohuge. Imagine being able to see a mountain range in San Francisco while standing in LA.”
“Whoa, they’re that far away?” I widened my eyes. “They don’t lookthatfar away.”
Audrey lifted a shoulder, “That’s how large the landscape is here. I think the earth is just…bigger. Making the curve of the planet not as drastic as it is in our realm.”
I stared at her wide-eyed and focused back on the city we were entering. The train was going fast, and suddenly the landscape started to make a subtle shift. There were several landmasses in the distance over the body of water we were crossing, one where the Fjellenheim mountains resided, and another that was very tropical. Reminding me of home.
“It’s all so beautiful,” I breathed.
The air was cleaner here.
I could taste it on my tongue, even on the train.
“It is,” Audrey sighed. “I’m glad I can finally show you.”
I nodded in agreement, then asked my next question, “Why don’t you just…stay here?”
Audrey’s reflection turned to look at me. “…It’s not my home?” She said it like a question, with an insecure little chuckle. “I mean, sure, half of me belongs here. But the other half? The half that was raised near the beach. With my favorite people…” She reached across the table to poke my arm with her finger. “I can’t imagine leaving you behind.”
I bit the inside of my cheek at that. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you didn’t disappear completely.” I inhaled through my nose, admiring the gorgeous deep greens and earth tones of the landscape. “But I’ve only been here for hours, and I can already see that you practically shine here.”
I thought about her interacting with Liam and Ada, and the friendly and familiar waves she gave Hyvenmerians as we made our way to the train station. She was open. The last couple of years, she had only looked guarded in front of me. Sure, she was keeping several secrets that I now had the context for. But seeing her here, not hiding any part of herself, and cautiously studying my reactions to things as they were revealed to me, made me see the Audrey I once knew. The Audrey I wanted to find again.
I doubted anyone would be the same after discovering that they had magical powers and descended from a magical realm, but all things considered, Audrey was handling it well as far as I could see.
Audrey faced the window again, staring at the passing foliage in silence.
“…You could shine here, too,” she murmured.
I snorted, “I don’t know about that.” I lifted an eyebrow at her. “If those two men have any interest in putting their paws on me again, I don’t know if I feel safe wandering around here.”
Audrey nodded in understanding, “The good news is that you’re protected by the fae government now. Hyvenmere knows of your existence. You’re not an unknown, easy target. As long as you have your grant on you, Queen Ada will be able to find you.”
I frowned. “I…I guess I don’t understand why anyone felt the need to attack me in the first place.”
Audrey blew out a heavy breath. “We can discuss theories once we’re back home and you feel safer.”
I smiled at her with relief. “Thanks.”
Then Liam returned with a drink holder with coffee, and the conversation turned more casual after that. Like the weather. Apparently, seasons operated similarly in Hyvenmere as they did in the human realm. They had winter, spring, summer, and fall. Liam started telling me more about his fae territory, specifically, and the holidays they celebrated there. I was only half listening, surrounded by new smells and fragrances as soon as we stepped off the train and into the city of Sammara.
According to Audrey, Sammara was both a city and a small country. It was similar in size to Texas.
“This is…wow…” I struggled to take everything in.
People were laughing and chatting and shouting in a myriad of different languages, shuffling past, going about their day.
Including English.
“Why do Hyvenmerians even speak English in this realm? I mean, you explained why news stations have English subtitles—” I immediately ignored themating bondpart of that conversation. “But why do so many people seem tospeak English amongst themselves?” I asked Audrey while eavesdropping on a young couple chatting about new fabric they wanted to buy. One of them gave me a double-take. Perhaps they felt me staring at their pointed ears, or they didn’t recognize me as one of the humans who apparently frequented this realm.
They eventually hurried along the street with their partner.
Audrey smiled and replied, “Learning languages is significantly easier over here. When the other halflings and I first started visiting a couple of years ago, it became trendy to learn English and Spanish—and Mandarin. Sirens have it easy because they can learn any language that they hear themselves, even if it’s just a few words. But technology is advanced enough that nereids and fae can essentially download languages in their brain.”
