Page 15 of Mushy Stuff (Guardian Mates #1)

He wasn’t joking when he said it would take us a while to get there. We walk for what feels like a couple of hours. I don’t have a watch, and my phone battery and portable charger finally died this morning. So I don’t know exactly how long it has been, but it feels like hours.

We walk mostly in silence. I think neither one of us knows what to say. I don’t want to leave, and he doesn’t want me to either. But I must leave to stay safe.

But I don’t understand. I really feel like we are supposed to be together. Why would everything have lined up for us to be together if we were just going to be torn apart in the end?

I cry off and on while we are walking. I try to hide it from Wold, but sometimes he sees me, and he holds me at those times. My thoughts are nothing but sadness and despair.

Wold speaks, and it startles me. “Just ahead is the edge of my territory.”

I look where he is pointing, but don’t see anything but more woods. “Where? I can’t see it.”

“No, it’s nothing you can see. I can just feel it.”

We walk up to a large tree with a gnarled trunk, and he says, “Beyond this tree is no longer my territory.”

“Whose territory is it?” I gasp. “Wait. Are they going to try to kill us for being on it?”

“No, that magic is only for the territories on the border of the human world,” he explains. “The land beyond my territory is neutral, so anyone can travel on it.”

We walk past the tree, and I don’t feel any different. I look at Wold. He has a strange look on his face, but I can’t really tell what he is feeling. He must be feeling something. “Are you okay? You have a weird look on your face.”

“Yes, it feels strange leaving my territory. And I have not done it in a long time, so I am not used to this feeling.” He looks a little strained as he says it. “It will be fine though. ”

“Okay.” I’m not convinced though, so I decide to keep an eye on him.

We walk for a little while longer, still in silence. I’m starting to fall back into my sadness, when I hear something that sounds like faint music. I look around, and say, “Wold, is that music? Where is it coming from?”

He smiles and points ahead of us. “It’s from the market. It’s not that far away now. Pretty soon you will be able to see the lights from it.”

This perks me up a bit. I’m still devastated about leaving Wold, but I am excited to see the market. I don’t even know what to imagine it looks like. And now I know there is music!

After we walk a little bit further, I am able to see the glow of lights. And it’s so beautiful.

“How do they have lights? Do they have electricity like in the human world?”

“No, they are magic lights,” he replies. “There are many types of spells for lights.”

I gasp. “Really?! Why do you not have any?”

He shrugs. “I used to get them, but after a while it didn’t seem to matter. I can see in the dark, and I like my mushrooms better. ”

I smile and slip my hand into his. “I like your mushrooms too. They are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

We walk toward the market, hand in hand.

I can see more details as we get closer.

It looks like an old-fashioned carnival!

There are floating lights everywhere. They look like little orbs that just hang in the middle of the air.

Some of them are bright, some of them are soft, and they are in every color I can imagine.

There are also soft glowing lanterns that look like paper lanterns.

Instead of being hung on strings, they just float up and down without being tethered to anything.

They look like the lanterns from those festivals where everyone lights a small candle and their lantern floats away.

The whole carnival just seems to glow. There are tents of all sizes that look almost exactly like the striped tents from human carnivals.

It doesn’t have rides like the human carnivals usually have, though.

There is no Ferris wheel lighting up the center of the carnival, but it doesn’t need one.

You can just feel the magic coming from this place.

And oh my gods, the smells! I can already smell delicious food.

We pause outside the entrance, still holding hands, and Wold watches me as I stare in awe. Finally I say, “Wold, it’s so beautiful. ”

He smiles at me. Then he checks my antlers and ears to make sure they are in place.

To help throw others off the fact that I am human, he asked me to wear my antler headband and my elf ear cuffs.

He explained that it won’t do anything for my scent, but my scent is so mixed with his, that he hopes it will help me to go unnoticed.

“While we are here, do not leave my side. Do not leave me for anything, Lydia. I am serious about this. You must stay with me at all times.”

I nod as I look around in wonder. When he is satisfied that my being human is hidden well enough, he takes my hand again, and we walk through the gate.