Lullaby (The Fable Series, Book 2)

Chapter Thirty Seven

"Ash," Felix says. "Come to me."

He reaches his hand out, beckoning. His hazel eyes are shadowy and distant; the wan moonlight gleams on his dark hair, strands of silver starlight streaked through blackest night.

I stand frozen in place. I can't tear my eyes from the incandescent serpent twisting through the air behind him, slow and rhythmic as the ocean currents.

"What is this?" I manage to choke out, fighting the urge to turn around and sprint in the opposite direction.

Now's not the time to run away. I have to be brave.

"Ash, I– " Felix begins, taking a step towards me.

"No!" I yell sharply, bringing him to a sudden halt. "Don't come near me."

Felix's expression is veiled, inscrutable.

Without warning the giant serpent freezes in the air behind him, coiling in on itself. It seems to fold into space, flickering out in a quick flash of blinding light.

Only a patch of pale moonlight shining through the trees remains.

Felix flickers his eyes over to the spot where it disappeared, and sighs loudly.

"Great," he says. "You scared it away."

For a moment I'm too shocked to speak.

"Wh-WHAT?" I say. "Are you crazy? What... what were you doing with that thing? What was that? And what... are you?"

The last part comes out almost as a squeak, and I feel my heart hammering hard in my chest, urging me to escape, to flee while I still can.

Felix takes another step towards me, and I can see now that his eyes are sad, the gold-flecked greenish-brown darkened with sorrow.

"You're not... human... are you?" I ask, taking a step backwards as he approaches.

Felix halts mid-step, and his face contorts, his eyes glint, and he cracks a massive smile before doubling over in a fit of hysterical laughter.

"What kind of question is that?" He asks breathlessly, fighting back more laughter. "What do I look like, a bloody unicorn? Of course I'm human."

Ok. Not the answer I expected.

"But then... what was that snake thing?" I ask defiantly. "It's the same one we saw a few weeks back, right? The one Elliot thinks is a hologram?"

Felix nods, his face suddenly serious.

"Well?" I ask, frustrated by his silence. "What was that thing? And what were you doing out here with it? And how come you can get through locked doors, and why do I remember you in my dreams? And why did Mia tell me that I'm in danger?"

"Mia?" Felix asks, his face falling into puzzlement. "As in, your friend who died in the bus accident? That Mia?"

"Yes," I answer. "I've... seen her. Or her... spirit or something. She warned me. About you and the others."

Felix nods his head thoughtfully.

"I'm in no position to doubt you," he says. "I've seen my fair share of... that stuff. But I probably know as much as you do about what's going on here. Less, even."

"That stuff?" I ask. "You mean, ghosts?"

Felix just narrows his eyes, as if at some dark memory. His expression says, don't ask.

I can see he's not going to respond, so I try a different tack.

"What is it?" I ask. "The silver snake, I mean. Is it some sort of... ghost pet, or something?"