Dust (Of Dust and Darkness) - By Devon Ashley Page 0,75
the spriggans’ campsite for a bit before coming in. They’re all knocked out for the night. Course it probably helped that I put a hint of lavender in their communal watering hole yesterday,” he adds with a wickedly cute smile.
“Then I guess they’re the only ones that got decent sleep tonight. Did you even go to bed?”
“No. I just couldn’t keep my mind from going over every little detail.” He releases a long, heavy sigh, but his eyes continue to bore hard into mine. “I hate to lose you, Rosalie, but I have to get you out of here.”
I don’t even fight the tears that drip from my eyes, or the steady stream that follows. Wet and blurry as they are, I can tell his eyes are moist too. If tears are welling up behind his, he’s managing to restrict their flow. My eyes shut tight, and I squeeze the excess moisture out, and take a long, deep breath to calm the desolation within.
“Come on,” he mournfully says, already standing before I even get around to opening my eyes. He extends his hand and I offer mine, letting him pull me to my feet. My eyes close when his thumbs begin sweeping the tears from my face. “Don’t cry, Rosalie. This is hard enough for me.”
I huff. Somehow I doubt that, but it comforts me knowing I may not be alone with these twisted, confusing, heart-wrenching feelings inside.
He kneels and unzips a large bag. His arm disappears inside and eventually pulls out a dress. If it’s cute, I don’t know, because I think I’ve finally reached my breaking point. I think I’m trying to shut down. All emotion seems to be fleeing; my body stands there lifeless, unable to mentally process the soft cotton he’s placing within my grasp. Somehow I manage to clamp my fingers around it, though how my brain actually manages to relay that message to my hand is beyond me. I hear a soft thump on the floor, but my eyes don’t bother to look.
“That dress will fit you in a minute. When the magic wears off, there are smaller clothes in the bag. I did the best I could with Starla’s old wardrobe. I chose tops and skirts that you have to tie, so hopefully they’ll fit you okay.” I nod, but only a centimeter or two in each direction. I feel sleepy, like I’m caught in a daze I don’t want to break free from. Jack pulls out a small pull-string bag made of black velvet and a blue silk cord. I know what’s inside. Something I haven’t seen since before I was stolen: pixie dust. He unties the knot and loosens the cord just enough for his hand to disappear into the black hole. His hand emerges with a pinch of silvery dust between his fingertips. He rubs his fingers together and the flecks float freely in the air, twinkling as they dance and tumble their way back into their protective velvet.
My hand suddenly jerks and grasps his wrist, setting free a few more flecks of the diamond dust. His eyes widen, probably afraid I’m backing out of his carefully thought out plan. There’s fear in my eyes and I’m not afraid to express it. “That wasn’t made with the mushroom powder we make here, is it?” My heart pounds at the fear of having that sprinkled over me, knowing full well it’ll produce repercussions.
He shakes his head. “No. This is from my mother’s stash. Healers are always allotted top grade dust, so this is the best of the best.” I nod and release my grip, my head tipping forward. “Moment of truth. You ready?”
“No,” I blabber, my voice cracking.
“Hey.” He says it with such certainty my head shifts up, but my eyes immediately run away. “Where’s that pixie I first met? That defiant one? The one that refused to be demoted to a number? The one that kept screaming and demanding we call her Rosalie? The one I…” he trails off. I look back and meet his gaze, his mossy green eyes saddened. His eyes are twitching back and forth, like he’s reading something in his mind, deciding how to best proceed.
“The one you what?” I whisper, my tiptoes readying to lift, longing for him to bend down and bring his lips to mine. My heart begs, the one he fell in love with?
His jaw unhinges and his mouth hangs open a bit. After several awkward seconds, his body snaps and his