The Shadow of Beauty

Ch 24- An Old Flame

The day before in the city of Marlayla ...

As Twillow flew through the wide-open skies above Marlayla, seeking out the home of her middle brother, Hugo. Gillam and Elmry flew a distance behind her, knowing their sister wasn't exactly happy with them despite their success in returning her home. They were completely baffled by the revelation that Twillow and the giant were familiar with one another; so much so that Twillow acted incredibly worried about his well-being. When they'd first seen the behemoth stride by them in the oversized orchard they'd been awestruck and terrified at the same time since neither of them had ever seen a giant before. The thought of him holding their sister captive had definitely made the brothers all the more determined to rescue her but also dreading the consequences if they were discovered doing so.

Twillow, meanwhile, was on a mission. She needed to figure out just what kind of talisman had been used on Kendrick. Her heart was frantic with anxiety. Kendrick was indeed tough and not much could hurt him but magic was another matter. A talisman able to kill was strictly prohibited and considered a dark magic by Parliel Law. But a determined, clever individual could meander around the definition of "kill". The talisman could've turned Kendrick into vapor and he'd be floating through the air unheard and unseen, never to coalesce into a solid form. And Hugo was curious and rebellious enough to push the envelope of what was lumped into that category.

Twillow's violet eyes took in the familiar layout of her home realm. Winged fae of all walks of life flew through the skies amid the tall white stone buildings. The wingless denizens of the Parliel Realm traversed the walkways and streets below. The long, sinuous forms of feathered dragons slithered gracefully through the sky amid the buildings. Quetzal Dragons, as they were called, were large serpentine dragons with a veritable rainbow of colored scales and feathers chasing down their twenty-foot bodies. Around their heads they had a "mane" of long festive feathers which would lift and fluff to indicate their mood. The Quetzal Dragons were used to transport the flightless to the floating cities as well as haul market goods from place to place. Much like the horses or elephants of the Lower Realm, they were intelligent and mostly peaceful and a useful staple of the Parliel Realm's residents. She had to smile seeing them again as they were one of her favorite creatures of her home world.

Flying around several buildings and down into the residential area, she finally found the section where her brother Hugo lived and spotted his home with the distinct green door. She lived not too far from him in a larger home that she and her other two brothers shared. Hugo was the most independent and frankly introverted of her siblings so he naturally wanted a home of his own where he could perfect his magics in solitude.

Twillow landed in front of the large green door and waved her hand in front of the talisman mounted there. The stone lit up and projected an image of Hugo's face.

Her brother's visage spoke, "Greetings. I can't come to the door right now. If you are delivering something please use the back entrance and leave the package with the door maid. If you are selling something you can go..."

"Hugo! I know you're in there! Answer the door!" Twillow shouted with a louder, determined knock.

His door message talisman was so annoying.

There was a bit of a pause and then the door creaked open with a slight puff of magic smoke. She rushed inside just as Elmry and Gillam landed behind her on the doorstep.

"Twillow, wait! There's something we forgot to tell you!" Elmry protested.

But she was already marching down the corridor to the entrance to Hugo's "hobby" room where he spent most of his days. The door opened automatically at her approach and she entered the large darkened room filled with a rainbow of glowing potions and crystals, rows of talismans lined up behind a protective magic barrier, and a veritable library of books spiraling the round room. It looked a lot like Sig's wizarding room but much more spacious and organized.