He glanced back at me, flashing a smirk and then took two running steps forward and jumped.

Jumped.

Off the edge.

Of the building.

Faster than I thought possible, I darted forward, trying to somehow save the suicidal maniac. I searched over the edge of the very, very, very tall cliff, praying I wouldn't see him falling to his death or already splattered at the bottom. Instead, I found him hovering in midair just below the roof line, a smirk the size of Texas written across his face.

"You— you pard!" I exclaimed, unable to check my language. "Why did you do that?"

Ace chuckled, floating back onto the roof. "I was curious." I watched his feet as they touched down. "I wanted to see if your heroic tendencies would overpower your silly phobia. Congratulations, it turns out you're a good person."

I narrowed my eyes. This boy was toying with me like I was some sort of human experiment. "I could have fallen over and died."

He scoffed. "I would've caught you before you hit the ground. Well, probably."

Something about that didn't seem very comforting.

"How do I get down from here, Ace?"

"I have no idea," he chirped.

"I thought you were helping me," I exclaimed, frustration building in my chest. It had been a long day, and I was just about done with all of this nonsense.

"We made a deal, and you failed to hold up your end of the bargain. That's that," he insisted, shrugging off the ordeal. "Now, tell me, how exactly do you know Upper Realm curse words if you were raised among meres?"

"What is a mere?" I asked, feigning ignorance. It was another word from Autnie's tales, tales that must come from Roanoke somehow.

"Mere—a non-Telvin species, typically used to refer to humans." He glanced back over the horizon. Splashes of rich oranges, pinks, and purples streaked the sky, fading into a deep midnight green. "We need to get off this roof soon."

"Then fly me down," I said, gesturing towards the bottom. If I could get down to the streets, maybe I could find a way to slip out of the city and get home again. It wasn't exactly a plan, but I was willing to risk it.

"I'm going to have to say no to that one. It would require me carrying you, and that's just... too proximal.” He gesturing between us with an uncomfortable look on his face.

I couldn't help but feel somewhat offended. "What's your deal? Are you a germaphobe or something?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Then do you find me so off-putting or repulsive that you can't bare the ninety seconds it would take to help get down off this God-forsaken cliff?" My tolerance had worn away. I was almost itching for a fight.

The smallest smirk returned to his lips. "No, that is definitely not the issue."

"Then what is it?" I asked, ignoring the implications behind his comment. "Why won't you help me get home to my family?"

He watched my face carefully, causing me to shift back and forth on my feet like a fidgety horse. He glanced over his shoulder again, taking stock of the sun's position as it sank lower in the sky. "Do you know anything about the 'magic' of our realm?" He asked, air quoting the word magic.

"What do you think?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Every Telvi is born with the Realm's power coursing through their veins. It's completely messy and directionless like a static signal for the first years of life until we undergo Transformation."

"Do you mean puberty?"

He paused, taking a second to look querulously at me. "No. This has nothing to do with facial blemishes or voice cracks. It is the part of us that diverges from typical humans. Once we undergo Transformation, our bodies can direct the power within towards a single ability. It becomes an intrinsic part of who we are and—"

"So then how do you have more than one?" I asked impulsively.

He smirked. "I'm special."

Perhaps that’s where his ego comes from.

"Why are you telling me all of this. Not to be rude, but I am on the way out, so I really don't need to know any of this."

He looked out at the brilliant sunset on the horizon. It was a beautiful combination of colors that would only be possible with a golden sky. "Well, asking someone to use their gift for you, is not... it is private. At least, that is how we view it in Lakamha. It is not the case in Roanoke where you gift is often your source of income."

He looked back at me, his amber eyes gleaming with mirth. "Also, it's probably for the best that you not mention my aerobatics to anyone. They are supposed to be something of a secret."

"Then you aren't very good at keeping secrets," I mused.

He shrugged. "There's no reason to keep it secret from you."

"Why?" I asked somewhat more hesitantly.

"You are easily one of the only Telvi in this entire realm who would have no idea what my ability means," he explained, kicking his shoe against the ground. "And, besides," he added, catching my eye just to offer his most wolffish grin yet, "it was the best way to test the quality of your character."

My first instinct was to snap a retort, but before I could choose the words, a brilliant idea popped into my head. I stepped away from the dangerous ledge to quickly (and carefully) shoved him forward.

He cursed, trying to right his balanced, but the effort was useless. He tumbled over the cliff's edge, falling several yards before he was able to take control of his descent.

He hovered back up to the edge laughing wildly. "I suppose I deserved that."

I grinned. That was the first time I threw someone off a building. It was actually quite fun. "With justice served, I will be leaving now."

I spun, looking for a way off the balcony. Surely there had to be someway down other than that one door. The door was built into the side of a cliff which rose at least twenty feet above me and was smoother than polished marble.

I peered over the side, my heart in my throat as I did so. Far, far below I could see people milling about beneath the huge emerald trees. I realized, somewhat suddenly, that there was an entire city down there, tucked under the ardent forest.

However, even if I was that confident in my climbing skills (which I am not), I couldn't find any reasonable path down the castle wall. It was a straight plummet to a sure death.

"Do you have any idea how to get off this castle without accidentally killing yourself?" Ace asked nonchalantly. He stood there, hand on his hip like a second grade teacher waiting for his students to realize their own silliness and wise up. It made me want to push him off the roof again.

"It appears not. What the Frigidaire is up with this thing though? I mean this castle is so big it feels like I am standing on top of a small mountain," I complained. I continued to look, but there really was no way down. Not unless I could fly.

"You can thank your ancestor for that one," he explained. "The original Dare had a flair for theatrics. She used her gift to carve the Croatan Castle from a mountain."

He looked back at the sunset. The sun had grown heavy and was steadily sinking behind the trees, leaving the sky a dark-nearing-black emerald green. "Now we should really get inside, or we will regret it intensely."

He pointed towards the door, but I did not budge. He'd finally showed his hand, and I felt like an idiot for playing into it.

"I think that you are just trying to get me to walk back into the castle and give up my escape plan. I think you led me on a wild goose chase to see what my tactics are, perhaps learn something about me that you wouldn't in front of Rosamund. And I think you are an arrogant, manipulative—"

"Easy now," he interjected, flashing a coy grin. "A Dare can't be heard cursing like an Undine sailor. And my impressive skill set is beside the point. We have only a few moments before the first night star appears, and we do not want to be up here when that happens."

"What's with this 'we'?" I asked, fuming with anger. "You can leave anytime you want. I am not going back in there with you lying pard."

This boy had wasted my entire day, and he didn't seem the least bit ashamed about that. As far as I was concerned, everything he said was a carefully worded lie.

He took a step back, crossing his arms in front of him. "I have not lied to you once, if you must know. I believe any intelligent being can get what they want without lying, but rather using careful wording."

"And that is supposed to make me feel better, how?"

"It should allow you to trust me enough to believe me when I say we need to get off this roof now," he reasoned.

Somewhere behind me I heard a faint shriek that sounded like an angry hawk, and I felt the color drain from my face. I dropped my voice, scared to move an extra inch. "Is that—?"

Ace's eyes went wide. "Yes; duck!"

Sorry... another cliffhanger! 🤷🏽‍♀️ Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait until this time tomorrow to see what that noise was... 

As always, please leave comments and tell me what you are feeling or thinking!

Thank you so much for your support,

-MM