Lily smoothed out her pastel purple dress as she walked down the path towards the festival. She could hear music, laughter and the grumble of conversation. Lights decorated the trees and spanned between them and the moss surrounding the stepping stones were glowing. The path eventually led to a large open field filled with tents, tables, stalls and in the very centre, a dance floor. Further down was a wooden pavilion where the higher order faeries mingled. Almost instantly, Lily spotted Evrin talking with another man, and not far behind him stood Cyra, watching with eyes of admiration at how Evrin seemed to sway when he spoke passionately.
Lily dodged to the side, hoping Cyra hadn't spotted her and made her way to a nearby tent that was selling beer.
"Beer for the lady?" The bartender asked.
She shook her head, "Just honey water, please,"
"Alright," he reached for a jug and poured the golden liquid into a glass and handed it to her.
"Thank you," she muttered and left the counter to sit at a nearby table. She chose one where she could watch the dance floor and the pavilion while still remaining unseen behind the movement of the crowd.
"Siklet! You back?" She heard someone yell behind her.
"Aye," the man replied, "Darkhaven is at war again. Lady Dana has once again challenged Lord Kô for the Southern territory."
"That woman. Ever since King Tieran died she has done as she pleases, destroying life wherever she goes,"
"Aye, what a shame,"
"Lily!" a hand slammed down on the table in front of her, making her jump. She looked up and winced slightly as Cyra smiled down on her. She knew it wasn't a real smile. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" She asked, sickly sweet.
Lily mustered a smile, "It has," Cyra wouldn't dare do anything in front of everyone, would she? Lily was beginning to have her doubts. No one would spring to her rescue anyway. She was just a lowly flower with no status whatsoever.
"Care for a walk?"
"We-well actually-," before she could finish she was hoisted from behind by one of Cyra's friends.
"A walk would be lovely," Cyra's friend said, from behind her and began shoving her from the tent. Lily recognized Cyra's friend as Raven, a middle-class faerie.
"Cyra," Lily stuttered as Cyra led the way, "I-I don't think I got the chance to-to formally apologise, you see, I thought,"
Cyra stopped abruptly and spun around to face her with her sickly smile, "It water under the bridge, Lily,"
"You forgive me?" she knotted her fingers.
"Of course I forgive you, Lily. It's not like you embarrassed me in front of the entire pavilion or anything,"
But that was exactly what Lily had done. The last festival Lily had brought with her a sealed jar of fireflies, but unbeknownst to her, there was a bee among them. Lily had wanted to show Evrin the jar when she tripped and fell, causing the jar to shatter at Cyra's feet. Cyra, who was allergic to bees. So of course the escaped bee got agitated and stung Cyra in the foot. Her entire body instantly turned a very dark shade of red and her face had begun to swell and her lips doubled in size. Luckily Lord Hollis, Cyra's father, was able to control the situation. Cyra had sworn revenge since then.
"Where are we going then?" Lily asked, "The festival is that way," she pointed behind them.
"Oh, Lily," Raven draped her arm over her shoulder, "Did you not hear about the secret party?"
Lily shook her head and Raven smirked looking back at Cyra who crossed her arms, clearly pleased.
~~~
"I don't think this is the way to the party," Lily said as she shivered. Cyra had teleported them to a mountain side where the wind was cold and harsh.
"We never said we were taking you to the secret party," Raven said.
"What?" Lily said softly.
"Raven,"Cyra clapped her hands together, "how long can a flower last without food and water?"
"A couple of months, maybe," Raven smirked.
"Wonderful. That was how long it took me to recover from that bee attack,"
"But I told you it wasn't intentional," Lily whined.
"I don't care, Lily. You made me look like a fermented tomato in front of Lord Evrin. You should be so lucky that he is so gracious and agreed to still be my friend,"
"But Cyra,"
"Enough!" Cyra raised her hand, "The dancing is soon to begin, and you know how I cannot miss a chance to dance with Evrin. Don't wander too far," she sneered before she and Raven disappeared.
Lily whined. Cyra wouldn't actually leave her here for months, would she? The wind howled and bit into her skin causing her to wrap her arms around herself tightly. Maybe she could find some shelter while she waited.
As she walked, she couldn't tell if the goosebumps that crawled down her back were from the cold or the eerie feeling she was getting from the mountain air. It felt dark. Almost menacing. She continued to follow a rocky path until it ended at a ledge. She sighed. She could go no further. She was about to turn back and venture down the mountain when a white glowing light caught her attention. It came from a rock-like tablet etched into the mountain. The light began to pulse, like a heartbeat. It was mesmerising to watch. Absentmindedly, Lily reached her hand toward the rock and touched its surface. It felt warm, a comforting warmth. Her fingers suddenly started to tingle and sting causing her to pull her hand back, and the moment her hand left the rock, the light disappeared and the mountain side began to rumble. The mountain wall before her crumbled, dropping to the ground and sending dust into the air. She coughed and took a step back. Fanning the air with her hand. Her eyes stung slightly but she managed to keep them open and looked into what appeared to be a cave. Movement inside caused her to freeze and she could make out the slight outline of a silhouette. It was a man. She was about to go in and ask if he needed help, but his eyes flew open revealing two red orbs staring at her. The man took a step toward her but collapsed to the ground.
Lily froze once more. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't exactly call for help.
"Mister? Are you okay?" No reply or movement. What if he was dead? Or in dire need of medical attention. Lily sprang into action and hurried toward him. She dropped beside him and placed her ear close to his face. She could hear his shallow breaths. He was still alive. With much effort she managed to roll him onto his back. It was the first time she saw him properly. He was dressed in military attire with several rips in the fabric revealing dried blood. She looked from his body to his face and her heart skipped a beat. Stands of his long black hair had escaped from his tied hair and looked brittle and dry. His lips were flaked and all colour seemed to be drained from his face. But even so, he looked ethereal. Like Evrin was handsome, but whoever this was, was beyond description.
Lily shook herself out of her daze. Now was not the time to be admiring a sickly man. She opened the pouch that hung from her belt and reached inside, taking out a glass orb. It was a good thing that she always took a travelling orb with her wherever she went. She slid her arm beneath the man's neck and lifted him slightly into her lap, and shook the orb. The orb lit up and shone brightly, enveloping Lily and the man in light before they disappeared from the mountain side.