Lyla woke up with a scream clogged in her throat. She quickly surveyed her surroundings. Not in the beast's jaw, but…she cursed in recollection of yesterday's events
"Glad to see you're awake," the man with eyes like the night's sky said, leaning on the doorframe.
Her hands searched
"Looking for this?" he dangled her dagger in his long fingers, "trying to stab me?" his voice was calm and devoid of any humor.
"What's your name?" he asked, moving to the bed. She didn't speak, "Need I remind you I could have killed you if I wished?"
"L…Laura," he sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes searing into her.
The man was gorgeous, so much so that she couldn't help but ogle him; his grey eyes twinkled with stars in them, and now that he was closer, she could see a thin crescent shape at the edges of his pupils. It was like looking at the sky on a bright night. His cupid bow lips lifted into a smirk before turning serious.
"I heard about the attack." his jaw clenched
She held her breath, asking, "Do you know what happened to Luminara?"
"No, but I heard there was a hole in the wall. It's no longer there."
"I know."
He surveyed her again, his long lashes fanning his cheeks as he blinked, "What do you plan to do?"
Her fists under the blanket clenched, "I'll need to find a way back. The only link between the two is the Keeper, so I guess I'll have to find a way to reach her."
He slowly nodded in thought, "Can she confirm you're from there?"
"I hope so," she feigned devastation. "Thank you for hosting me, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'll be out of here by midday."
"And go where?"
"Anywhere?"
"That's not a plan."
"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" she responded with more bite than she intended
He rose, and she hated the bit of fear that set in her; she was at his mercy in a way. She noted the window to her left. Could she break out of that? If he tried something, she was sure she had regained enough strength to put up a fight, although she would risk exposing her gifts, but she would deal with that later.
"Stay," he said, his face stern, "but you'll have to earn your keep."
She pushed down the disgusting thought that surfaced at the declaration, "I'll do the chores, wash, cook, clean. I can even help out in the garden," she quickly offered
"Good," he moved to the door and paused, "I hate untidiness," he warned, and left.
Lyla waited a good ten minutes before moving out of bed. She winced, trying to ignore the stabbing pain. At least it wasn't as bad as yesterday.
She decided to give herself a tour of the cottage. A living space, a kitchen, a common bathroom, and two bedrooms. Not many decorations, but it was nice and cozy.
Locating a small storage room, she decided to start 'earning her keep'. There wasn't much to do; he wasn't kidding when he said he hated untidiness.
Lyla didn't know why he trusted her enough to leave her here, although he did lock what she concluded was his room. Still, was he that confident, or did she not look threatening? Come to think of it, she didn't even know his name.
She had just finished making some stew when the front door opened. She assumed it was the owner, but she was met with the most beautiful brown eyes and red curly hair.
The two stared at each other before a head of blue-green hair popped in behind the female.
"Aah.. you are?" the handsome male behind her asked
"Umm…I'm L…Laura"
He smirked now, fully entering the house, "I never thought I'd see the day Lucien brought a lady here. You must be special." The smirk turned into a full grin
Lucien — that was her host's name.
"You are?" Lyla asked
"Call me Felix, beautiful. This here is Mor."
The woman turned to face him, and that look, heavens. Felix just smiled before settling himself on the couch, "We're Lucien's friends."
"So are you sleeping with him?" Well, that was straight to the point
Lyla turned to the woman, whose hands were folded on her chest. The woman wasn't just beautiful, she was hot. Was she his girlfriend?
"No" was her simple reply
"Then why are you here?"
"He'll tell you when he's back," she said, heading back to the Kitchen. Felix's laughter followed behind.
Lucien returned not long after, and the three huddled on the couch. She excused herself to the garden, understanding that he needed to explain her presence.
"So you're from Luminara," came a soft but assertive voice
"Yes"
"I heard about the attack. Are you okay?"
Lyla turned and looked sidelong at the woman, "I've seen better days," she admitted, making her nod.
"The witch is here," Mor declared
She faced her, "What?"
"Lucien noticed you were in pain so…"
Lyla tried not to think of how the hel the male had noticed when she had tried her best not to show.
A black-haired female awaited her in the guest room, and after examining her, she announced the bone was already healing itself, but she would heal the rest.
*
Lyla was squeezed on the single seat as Lucien's two friends stared at her. Felix's eyes glowed with curiosity while Mor blankly studied her.
"So you're from Luminara," Felix said more to himself, "tell me about it?"
The question took her back, but she indulged him. She told him about the light that never leaves even after the sun sets, told him briefly about the town she lived in, how life was there, and about the different beings whom he already knew about but just wanted to hear from her.
Mor asked about the attack, so she told her, not about how the hole had been made, or how she used her powers, or her affiliation with anyone there. She just said she tried to fight, let them think she was weak.
"So you were running and accidentally ended up here."
"Yep"
"What's your plan?" she told them what she had told Lucien
"After that attack, I don't think the six heads will be inclined to let the Keeper come through; you'll have to wait a while," Mor said. She had guessed as much.
"I guess you have a roommate now," Felix said, smiling brightly at his friend, "perhaps you can help him stop brooding," he said, winking at her.
Lucien smacked his head, and Mor, who had been all serious, smiled.
Perhaps things won't be so bad, she thought.
"What's your gift?" It was Lucien who asked
"Astral projection"
Felix's black eyes widened, "So, like you can become a ghost and move around places."
Lyla huffed a laugh as Mor rolled her eyes, "something like that. It's basically willing your consciousness out of your body and using it to move through spaces."
"I heard you can travel to far-off realms," Mor inquired
"If you're skilled enough"
"So one can go to the heavens, people claim it's a realm of its own," Felix added.
"I'm not sure," she had never heard of that.
"What is it like?"
"Well, it feels like you're floating, like you're nothing and everything at the same time. Your senses are heightened and you're hyperaware of everything."
"So no one can see you when you're projecting."
"Skilled Seers can," Felix cussed under his breath, "it's said that other highly skilled projectors can, although rare."
"So other than that, no one can see you."
"Basically, but you can make people learn of your presence if you wish."
Felix looked at her in awe and wonder like a star fell from the sky, "How?" he breathed.
"A projector could touch you while projecting, it would feel like the caress of the wind, though, so unless you had agreed on a spot, you wouldn't know"
"Can…can you show me?" he asked, as though he had waited a lifetime to know