When consciousness returned to me, I was no longer in pain; in fact, I had never felt better in my life, at least physically. I was not so sure about how I felt mentally though. There was the discomfort and itchiness of dried blood on my skin, my body felt strange and unfamiliar, and there was a presence somewhere in the back of my mind that made me feel as though I was being watched.

It took a moment for the fog of my mind to clear enough to recall what had happened before I had passed out. “Torr’s balls!” I cursed, wondering just how long I had been unconscious as I shot up to check on Sharai, trying to ignore the dried blood, the strange sensations in my back, and that presence at the edge of my mind. The Faerie was deathly still though, her chest absent of the rise and fall of breath, her eyes sightless, and her skin reduced to a deathly pallor.

“Shit,” I cursed again. “She was supposed to answer my questions, and how am I supposed to find this Tarin’dol place without her? I don’t even know what she wanted to tell the people there.”

-Fear not, Kaelyn. I will answer your questions as you wash and dress,- Sharai’s voice said, tickling the edges of my mind.

My head snapped around in search of the source of the voice. “What…”

-Look to your sword, Kaelyn,- the familiar voice instructed.

“My sword? But I don’t have a…” I started to argue as I looked around and my eyes settled upon the Faerie blade laying on the floor. Strangely, I could see no traces of blood on the gleaming blade, only those four unusual glyphs along the flat of the blade, alight with azure radiance. For a moment, I just looked at it in confusion. I had been certain that it only had three glyphs before.

-Neva’kul belongs to you now. You made it submit to your will and magic. Its power is now yours, so long as you are willing to see its will done. We are both bound to it now; your oath has bound you as its wielder and the instrument of its will, and mine bound my spirit as its voice and your guide. I replaced my guide and set her spirit free, as you will one day do for me when your life nears its end and you pass Neva’kul on to another.-

“Its will? But it is just a sword, is it not?” Even as I spoke those words, I did not truly believe them. I had felt the will and the magic of the blade resisting me until I had felt that sense of approval from it. I was slightly distracted though by the disturbing news that Sharai’s spirit seemed to be trapped in the sword until I took her place to set her free.

-Neva’kul is one of five Vos’oraik, they would be called “oath bringers” in your language. They were forged by the Elven sage Darion during a time of great evil, when Demons threatened all life on our world,- the spirit explained. -Darion infused each of the Vos’oraik with his magic and a will to protect the weak and innocent, and to see the Demons banished from this world. It is just blind will and raw emotion though; the Vos’oraik cannot truly communicate with their wielders. That is why my predecessors and I have bound ourselves to Neva’kul in death, to teach those who come after us, interpret its will, and infuse it with our gift.-

“Your gift? And there are four other swords like this?” I asked.

There was a short silence before Sharai answered. -Yes, Neva’kul and the four others were made for five of the most powerful Fae warriors and magic users of the time. The Vos’oraik can sense one another’s presence when close. As for the gifts, that is what the glyphs represent, the gifts of those who wielded Neva’kul before you. You may use each glyph once per day by focusing on them. All Fae are attuned to magic, it is a part of who we are. Each of us can sense magic, use the magical abilities unique to our species of Fae, and has a magical ability unique to ourselves. The last are our gifts. It seems that the Touched have inherited that, even though they cannot seem to sense magic or use it in other ways as full-blooded Fae can. Your gift is to manipulate metal.-

“But I can sense magic just fine, it was how I knew that you and the possessed man were approaching before I hid,” I countered with a frown. “I have never heard of another Touched being able to do that though, except for my mother.”

-Some Fae lineages have magic that is more powerful and a stronger connection to magic in general than most, while others have difficulty connecting to and manifesting their magic. The magic catalyst that I had you make and swallow was created for those who have trouble manifesting their full magical potential. I had hoped to draw out enough power for you to gain Neva’kul’s approval, but the catalyst has never been used on a Touched before and I certainly did not expect you to change physically. Perhaps you are descended from one of the stronger lineages and the part of you that was human was holding you back. It would explain a few things.-

I had carefully avoided looking down at myself since waking. I had a feeling that my body had been changed, and it seemed that Sharai had just confirmed that, but I had no idea how I had changed or what I now was. “Sharai… w-what do I look like now?” I asked hesitantly, not certain if I truly wished to know the answer.

-Fear not, child, you are not misshapen. In fact, you are quite striking. I do not know if it is due to the influence of your Fae lineage or some effect from my blood being used in the catalyst but you are a Faerie now, as I… was.- There was an awkward, heavy silence before Sharai continued speaking. -Perhaps it would be better if you look for yourself, you should cleanse yourself anyway. There is a place where you can do both in the cavern beneath us. Keep your sword with you, you must be near Neva’kul if you wish to speak with me.-

I sheathed the blade, removed the sheath from the belt of Sharai’s corpse with shaking hands, and asked uncertainly, “Sh… should I bury you? I do not know what your customs are.”

-No, child. Without my spirit, the Fading will soon take my body. It will vanish as what magic remains in it returns to the Weave. I must thank you for removing the cold iron, it interferes with most types of magic and would have prevented the return of my body to the Weave.- Sharai must have sensed the next question on my mind before I could even summon the words. -The Weave is the flow of the world’s mana, it is everywhere and in everything, though some places and creatures have more than others. We Fae possess a lot of mana while most humans have very little, not even enough to use without draining themselves of it completely, and that would kill them.-

I nodded silently as I made my way to the stairs and then downward with the sheathed sword in hand. The stairs went down a fair distance, lit by faerie fires like those in the room above until I ended up in a small underground cavern. It too was lit by silvery faerie fires, and had a pool of water fed by an underground stream running through the cavern. Cubbies had been formed in the stone walls of the cavern to hold towels and hand cloths, soap, brushes, and a small clay pot. There was also a tall mirror of polished silver metal that immediately caught my attention.

More accurately, it was the reflection in that mirror that held my gaze. A young woman stood there naked, half covered in blood, and staring back at me. Before I would have been looking at a short and wispy girl of seventeen summers with tanned skin, black hair, dull brown eyes, and lacking much in the way of feminine curves. Indeed, with my long hair tied back and my modest breasts bound flat, it had been easy for me to appear as a boy of twelve or thirteen. A very plain boy.

The ethereal creature that I now saw reflected back at me was anything but plain and would never be mistaken for a boy, human or otherwise. I was certain that I had grown quite a bit taller for one thing. Where before I had been dusky, short, and slender, now I was tall and lithe with ivory skin. My feminine curves were more pronounced with somewhat wide hips for my lithe frame, a flat tummy, an apple-shaped bottom, and noticeably larger breasts. I was still nowhere near having the full figure with expansive bust and wide birthing hips of some of the women I had seen in the marketplace though. Compared to them, my charms were modest indeed but there could be no doubt that my reflection was of a young woman, even if I was no longer a human one.

My face was angular, smooth, and beautiful as if it was sculpted from white marble. I could still see some of my old self there, but there were a lot of both subtle and blatant changes that combined to make me look different overall. Longer pointed ears, slightly higher cheekbones, a more delicate nose and chin, fuller pouty rose-pink lips, and large slit-pupiled eyes like shining amethysts beneath thin arched eyebrows. All of this atop a long and slender neck and framed by waist-length ringlets of lavender hair that shone with an almost metallic sheen.

I gasped at my reflection in stunned awe. Was that truly me? Tremors erupted in my back, and that buzzing that I had felt earlier returned, as a slight pale blur could be seen behind my reflected body. I turned around, pulled my long hair over my shoulder, and tilted my head so that I could get a good look at my back and saw a set of four gossamer wings, like those that Sharai had in life. On closer inspection they looked like the wings of a dragonfly, only they had a violet tint to them and were much larger, hanging down to my knees once I managed to keep them still for a moment.

I tore my eyes away from the mirror and went to take care of getting myself clean. I needed time to think about this. My feelings were conflicted on both my new appearance and my apparent change in species. Other than my family, I had been largely mistreated by other humans, and humans working for the Church of One had been the ones to kill my parents, but I had never even seen a Fae before Sharai and had had no desire to be one.

This was going to make dealing with others difficult as well. I knew nothing about the Fae aside from legends and folk tales and I was not truly one of them. As for humans, those in Duke Garen’s territory would likely kill me on sight. At the very least, humans would not trust me. How would the people of Tarin’dol react to me? Would they trust whatever message that Sharai wanted me to give them?

Those thoughts weighed heavily on my mind as I bathed. Eventually, I managed to focus on getting properly cleaned though. The bath was far more comfortable than I was used to, even if the water was cold. The soap and the pot full of herbal mixture that Sharai had had me wash my hair with both smelled wonderful, for one thing. I did not know what material the towels and cloths were made from but they were far softer and less irritating than the coarse scraps of cloth that I was used to drying myself with on those rare occasions where I could bathe properly.

Finally, as I finished drying myself as best I could and headed back up the stairs I asked, “Sharai, you seem to know this place. Have you been here before?”

-I have been here before,- the Faerie spirit admitted. -My troupe inhabited this forest and I was a Woodwarden here until I received Neva’kul from the previous wielder and decided to go explore the world beyond our forest. That was almost seventy summers ago. I came back to see how my troupe was faring and when I arrived I found that darkness covers these lands. The Seeming that had protected my village was gone and my people were massacred. The village was destroyed and I found weapons of cold iron in the corpses, preventing their bodies from rejoining the Weave.-

“I bet it was the Church of One,” I spat bitterly. “That man who was chasing you was one of theirs and they kill the Touched or anyone who follows the old Gods, so it would not surprise me if they were involved. I could feel their sickening magic whenever I was in Greendell.”

-Yes, I went to investigate the source of the darkness and I found the very Demons that the five Vos’oraik were created to fight against. I was outnumbered and the courtyard of their ‘church’ is rife with cold iron that dispelled my glamour and prevented me from using my magic. I was seen as I approached and managed to get away, but not before taking one of their foul arrows,- Sharai replied as a chill ran down my spine.

“So, that black smoke that I saw was a Demon possessing that man?” I asked, swallowing a lump in my throat.

-Indeed They can possess those with little natural magic and take control of them but it is far easier for them to possess those that they have made a pact with, They offer power, and that is something that humans crave far too often. Those foul creatures were banished thousands of years ago, and only servants of one of the Gods could have summoned them to this world, the God who created them. He has no worshippers though. All likenesses of him in the circles of the Gods were destroyed, all artifacts related to him were ruined, his worshippers were wiped out, and his name has been unspoken since. Now that evil is spreading once more, so you must warn Tarin’dol and find the other Vos’oraik bearers.-

The chill that had taken up residence in my spine quickly became a shudder. “The Unspoken One,” I gasped. My parents had warned me that few people even dared speaking that name for fear that it might bring his gaze upon them. A God so terrible that the other Gods had struck his name and likeness from all memory thousands of years ago. It was said that he caused the fall of the Ancient Ones. Moreover, he had had over fifty years to establish a foothold in Caspia, perhaps even the entire kingdom of Evalis. I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists, and grimaced as I asked, “How do we get to Tarin’dol?”

-First, you get properly dressed and gather what supplies we will need for our trip,- Sharai replied carefully.

It took me less time than I had feared to find clothes that fit decently and get myself dressed. My old clothes were far too small, not to mention that they were wet, torn, dirty, and threadbare. Thankfully, there were clothes in one of the shelter’s cupboards that seemed designed with Faerie, and their wings, in mind. It looked like there were clothes for other types of Fae as well, but Sharai suggested that the Faerie clothes would work best for me and would be easier to adjust if needed.

The clothes were meant for Woodwardens who were patrolling the forest so they were lightweight and easy to move in but they were also different from what I was used to. I found a pair of dark brown soft-soled boots, matching bracers, and a belt that fit decently, as well as a thick dark green wool cloak that fell to my calves and would hide my wings if needed. The rest of the clothes were in a similar shade of green but the material was unfamiliar to me.

As Sharai told me how to put on the unfamiliar garments, she also informed me that they were made from the woven silk of star-spiders that some communities of Fae cared for and harvested like humans did sheep. The massive spiders were named for the bright green star-shaped pattern on the back of their otherwise black bodies. They were poisonous, easily as large as a grown man’s hand, and bred quickly but clothing made from their silk was durable, somewhat stretchy, and felt nice on the skin.

I started with the unusual loincloth, placing the patch of cloth between my legs as instructed and then used the attached laces to tie it above my hips on either side to hold the garment in place. The long skirt that I put on after was split along the outer part of my legs from my thighs to where the hem ended just below my knees and met my boots. I knew that it would show an indecent amount of leg whenever I moved and was not certain that I liked the idea. Even the whores in the city only showed little more than their ankles and I would be showing far more than that every time that I took a step.

The blouse, if one could call it that, was even worse. My new wings made blouses difficult and I could not wear a chemise or any sort of breast binder. The blouse was basically just a piece of cloth similar to the loincloth that tied behind my neck and lower back to cover my front and leave my wings free. As a result, it molded itself to my chest and midriff while leaving my shoulders, back, and arms all bare. Even what it did cover left little to the imagination. I frowned at myself in the mirror before adding my new cloak and buckling on my sword belt.

Sensing my discomfort, Sharai tried to reassure me. -You are dressed no less modestly than any other Faerie and you will need to have your wings free if we are going to get to Tarin’dol quickly. We will have to get you some light armor once we get there, the smiths there are amongst the best on the continent.-

“But I do not even know how to use my wings,” I complained.

-As we make our journey I will teach you everything that you need to know. How to fly, and how to use that sword as well,- the spirit promised.

“What about magic?” I pressed eagerly.

-You can already sense magic and use your gift reliably, and you will improve through practice. I will teach you to use your Faerie abilities as well. Any other magic you will have to learn through study and hard work. I was not a mage, I was a swordswoman, but I will teach you the basics of magecraft and what few spells that I do know.-

With that promise made, Sharai had me pull a leather pack from one of the cupboards and fill it with a change of clothes and a pair of wool blankets. I would have to forage for food so I also found a bow more suitable for my new size and a pair of quivers filled with arrows. Once the bow and quivers were lashed securely to the pack, I shouldered it and pressed my hand to where Sharai told me the exit would be.

-Close your eyes, feel for the enchantment, and then push a little bit of your mana into it as you say, “Naevus’ta kosa.” It is not a spell, just a phrase meant to activate the enchantment already in place,- Sharai instructed.

I did as instructed and as the words left my mouth, I felt the enchantment activate and the hidden door was revealed once again. The thought that I had just used magic, even if it was a premade enchantment brought a grin to my face and excitement bubbled in my chest. “I’ve never gotten to do something like that before. I could sense magic but what I could do with metal was never more than a parlor trick.”

-Do not discount your gift, Kaelyn,- Sharai offered sagely. -You are much more powerful now than you were before and you can manipulate metal. You have manipulated cold iron, our greatest weakness. That gives you a defense that no other Fae has. Now hurry, the shadows grow long and tonight you learn to fly.-