She was lost in the wine, the spinning lights above, and the flashing smiles. Someone let go of her hand and she stumbled back and fell into the leaves. It was funny so she smiled up at them and something was held in front of her, a red plastic cup of fruit punch. She carefully wrapped her hand around it before it disappeared. It was a nice and normal plastic cup like the ones boys handed over at the school dances so she took a drink. It felt warm in her stomach. She tried to smile at them again, but they seemed to laugh at her. It wasn’t nice and something in her head was tired. 

***

Back in his human guise Kip sat waiting on the bank. There hadn’t been any guests by in a long time and he wasn’t expecting any more. The party was likely disbanded. He was just biding his time thinking about what had happened to the girl. Dead. Probably long dead and he would never again see her face under the pale moon.

A cold wind picked up and cooled his skin, made him shiver in the night air. At one time, he had loved dark nights like this where everything was so clear. Now he felt like slipping away under the rippling sheets of water, only to gaze up from the lucid depths. Times had really changed. He rested back with his elbows in the soft mud, let his head fall back, and closed his eyes. Just a little longer he thought. He would dream of her a while longer.

Voices roused him and Kip sat up, once more alert. As he peered into the gloom he could make out the shapes of two approaching figures. His hope that they were human teenagers out for some adventure was short lived.

 "Resident kelpie. Are you awake?" one of them called out.

"Don’t wake the neighbourhood Tarin," the other scolded.

"Sorry. I didn’t think we would have to go this way."

It was clear that they wanted to cross the river. Kip pulled himself out of the water and stood on the far bank where he would be safe. Yet in his makeshift body he felt exposed to the elements as his guests now met him from across the river. Despite the blond haired one’s amusement, Kip felt discomforted by the dark haired boy's serious look.

"Identification or proper payment," Kip stated.

He wanted this to be over with. Late night crossings made him nervous. Just as human criminals were known to travel in the dark, fey with late night business were rarely admirable.

The blond haired one turned to his companion.

"Do you—"

"I don’t carry disposable goods," the dark haired one said.

"Do you accept human cash?" the blond asked Kip.

"Just threaten him," his companion said.

Kip changed his mind. They were idiots. Threatening idiots.

"How are you going to threaten me if magical creatures need my permission to cross the river?"

"I’m a warlock," Tarin stated. "I wasn’t born magical. I just have to leave my familiar behind."

"You think I’m stupid. Even I know that a warlock only has power because of his familiar. I’ll drown you if you cross."

"That was poorly done," Naruze commented. "You can’t use violence against a gatekeeper."

"You told me to threaten him," Tarin said.

"Just leave," Kip told them.

It was a bad night already and now the wind was picking up. He wanted to be back in the water.

"You don’t want that," Naruze said. "When I leave I’m going to find another portal to the fey realm and I’m going to report to your elders how you accept bribes and allow dangerous gatherings of fey on human property."

"What? You can't just find another portal," Kip said offended, "Else everyone would be back over there. So you are never going to report me."

"Are you sure," Naruze said. "Think about this then. Even if I didn’t have an expert portal finder, I would still have a lifetime to plan my revenge."

Kip thought about it. He didn’t want to lose his job or anything else, but he deserved something.

“I’ll accept a favor,” Kip replied at last.

“What?”

The dark haired one looked as impatient as Kip felt tired, as though this whole deal was no favour at all, but this too Kip ignored.

“There should be the body of a human girl somewhere in the forest,” Kip explained. “Bring it back to the river.”

“If the body is dead, I will bring it over.”

Kip stared dully. That wasn’t what he wanted, but then it occurred to him that the night was late and that he wasn’t going to get anything from a pair of outcasts. The least he could do was salvage some quiet and so he settled the water for their crossing and watched them go. As Kip settled back against the muddy bank to sleep, he half wished that they would not come back.

*

Tarin and Naruze had not walked far before the clearing showed itself. Squashed fruit, tipped goblets, and small dead rodents littered the leaves. No dead girls though.

"How did you know there was an illegal gathering today?" Tarin asked as he followed his companion. 

"I have good hearing remember. Maybe if your familiar wasn’t so distracting you would notice it too," he said over the crunch of dry leaves.

"You have a point, but what I don’t understand is why you agreed to find the girl."

"Have I ever made a bad bet?"

Tarin knew what that confidence meant. The human was alive.

"Where is she?"

"It’s not our concern Tarin. We’re done here."

"That’s where you’re wrong," Tarin said. "If she’s alive we need to take her back across."

"Why?"

"Because this is the closest portal to your house. You don’t want to be arrested for letting a human wander into our world do you?"

"With everyone trying to break the boundary I'd hardly be in trouble now."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't follow the rules," Tarin insisted. 

Naruze sighed. 

"Alright. She’s over there," Naruze confessed, pointing to a spot between the trees. "Take her back quickly and don’t let the kelpie bother you."

He really hated having to pay attention to the details. Human law had offered so many exceptions that he wasn’t used to taking things seriously anymore.

***

She lay on the hard ground, but she hardly noticed. Above the white leaves shifted calmly and endlessly, and underneath that came soft voices.

"Naruze come over here. This is why I hate city fey."

"I’m looking Tarin, but I can’t reverse this sort of thing."

"Do you think she remembers her name?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well we’re not allowed to mess with people. Maybe we should bring her home."

"Do you think her parents would want her back like that?"

They were there. They were. She couldn’t be dreaming this time, not like when there were so many of them. This time they were really there. And she was really here, but she couldn’t tell them that. She was going to die. 

She was sure they would be disappointed that they hadn’t come in time, but they didn’t have to worry about her anymore. The soft white leaves were whispering her to sleep. That’s all she needed to say.

"Well we should try something," Tarin said lifting her shoulders off the ground. "I’ll see if she knows her name."

"I don’t think she’ll hear you."

"Stop being moody because you think you’re having a bad day."

Naruze stopped speaking. It wasn’t that he hated humans; he just hated feeling that he was somehow in the same hopeless situation as the rest of them. Tarin had placed the girl’s head on his knees. He was trying to do something with magic. Not wanting to stand there all night Naruze closed his eyes to concentrate on the girl’s condition. Any magic that had been in affect had worn off now. Her problem was that she didn’t have any memories of a life. She had a day of abuse and no reason to live so she was going to let go. Except for…

It’s white.

Her thought came to him with a vision of silvery trees around them. Naruze opened his eyes. He looked around at the very ordinary green leaved trees, then back at the girl.

"Let’s bring her with us," he said.

Tarin’s head jerked up in surprise.

"But you wanted to leave her."

"I changed my mind."

"She’s human."

"She could be your apprentice."

"What did you say?"

"You have that other familiar, that fellow Regus, don’t you?" Naruze said.

"Well, he doesn’t talk to me."

"But you could talk to him," Naruze said.

"And what am I supposed to do with an apprentice while I’m busy with your work?"

Tarin could not see how they had transitioned from saving a girl’s life to taking on an apprentice whom he would have to teach.

"Nothing," Naruze said. "I’ll take care of it."

"You’re being serious...aren’t you."

But it didn't make sense. 

"Tarin. She’s not going to last."

Tarin looked down at the girl’s face; she was barely looking at him.

"I don’t know how this is going to work," he said sadly.

He knew that he was making excuses and contradictions now, but saving a life was not the same as raising one. He didn’t know if he could be that responsible.

"It’s alright Tarin. You can save her."

Tarin regarded his friend. He had never known Naruze to act this way, but the man wasn’t a liar. Maybe it wasn’t so bad he thought as he moved lose strands of hair away from the girl’s face. Maybe it was something he could get used to it, just not quite yet.

"Remember," Tarin said. "To look after her for me."

And if this was betrayal, then...he would find a way to bring her home.