WendyPan's Wonderland

The More I See You

Chapter 9

“Hey, wake up.” I couldn’t lie around any longer. And I had hoped she was good to go too. She rolled over to see me, the exhaustion gone from her delicate face. “Are you good now or do you need more time?” She stretched in her spot and then sat up on her elbows. She examined her right wrist.

“Yeah, I’m as good as I can be.”

“Ok, let’s get going then.” I was already on my feet, surveying the land around us. I still remembered my path and after she stood up, we headed out.

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I had questions, questions that I wouldn’t allow before but now, for reasons beyond myself, didn’t care that I wasn’t supposed to ask. Things were different. This wasn’t just some Efferion fuck up. She said she’d been captured and now I know she gets tortured just for the sake of not a damn thing. I wanted to know a few more things. I let a good amount of time pass from when we started walking again until I spoke.



“How did he bring you here?”

“I thought we weren’t talking.” Smartass, I thought to myself.

“Yeah, well, I’m making a minor exception. So, how’d he get you here?”

“I was tricked by this bounty hunter who put a collar around my neck, one that wouldn’t let me use my powers and she dragged me here.” So, someone else knows how to get in and out of this wretched world, I surmised.

“He let you out of the collar?”

“I’m too weak now to escape this God forsaken place.”

“Oh. You said he takes your magic, how?”

“He puts his hand on my shoulder and says things in some language that I don’t know. And then I feel tired all over, like I’ve been drained.”

“Let me get this completely straight, he only wants you for your power, right?”

“If you’re trying to even think about anything sexual between him and me, you can forget that. He’s repulsive, besides,” she paused. “I don’t like males, of any kind.” My head shot up and I almost froze in my spot.

“Wait, you don’t like men either?” I didn’t know Efferions could have such an outlook. I was always told, and so was everyone else for that matter, that Efferions don’t care either way, that they’re bi and everyway in between. I had to confess that I was shocked and surprised.

“Never have, never will. They just don’t appeal to me.”

“Hmmp. Well, why didn’t your Efferion family help you, stop him or something?”

“Because I live on my own. They cast me out when I wouldn’t behave as they do. And when I tried sending my echo to them, they all laughed and told me to enjoy or I’m getting what I deserved.”

“What about your king?”

“He was the same as the others.” Well, that sucks, I thought.

“So, then you came after me.”

“No matter how much I didn’t want to cause I do actually know that I’m not supposed to have anything to do with you, I had to. I had no other choice. I know what you did against the Murdos in the past. And I know I’ve gotten you intro trouble, I’m very sorry for that.”

“You haven’t, not just yet.” I said quietly but I knew I was failing Councilwoman Kelo’s instructions considering Annalise. Asking her these questions, getting to know any part of her beyond the basics, letting my thoughts roam, hell, letting her in. I was on the verge of massive trouble. I just didn’t want to stop myself, no matter what defenses I tried to throw up. “I’m confused about something.”

“About what?” She asked, sounding confused herself.

“So, you don’t like men, why would that bother your kind so much that they’d kick you out?”

“It’s not just that. They do think I’m peculiar for being able to have a preference but it’s more of I’m not sleeping with everything there is. I can control my desires, they don’t rule me. I guess it is that I act more human that Efferion and it really bothers them. I was told that they didn’t want me around because they didn’t want me to poison others with my behavior. It’s fine though. I can live just fine on my own. Besides, I’d never find true love living with them anyway.”

I almost laughed. “Well, you don’t seem like you were just fine on your own. Look where you are now. And who says there is such a thing as true love anyway?” Nonsense!

“I know there is.” She protested. “I can feel it, even now. Haven’t you ever dreamed of it? Like when you were a little girl, dreaming of your Prince Charming?” Well, this conversation has gone to shit, I thought.

“No. My thoughts as a child were find food, find shelter, don’t get caught, survive. Didn’t have much room for dreams of love.”

“Oh.” Not that she had any idea of what my mortal life was like. “How about now, now that you’re grown and have all the time in the world?” This time I did stop walking. I turned around to her.

“Look, can we drop this? It’s time we focus back on why we’re here and getting to the castle. Ok?”

“Ok.” The wounded look on her face said all that I needed to know. But just because I hurt her was no reason to break down my entire defense concerning her. We still had one more day of this marching, one more day of being around her, breathing in her heavenly scent, and locking down my emotions. I turned back around and started back on our trek, whacking at the thorny vines in front of us.