What came through

Shayn gripped Simone's hand more firmly, ready to pull her with him any second. 

On the ground nearby, Judah lay on his side, panting. He'd been running flat out with two riders for nearly two days straight, but having to survive scrambling through a rockslide and leaping a gorge before trying to haul them up the ledge? He'd expended monumentous effort, even for such a great creature such as himself. 

Shayn figured Jarnsaxa would need to carry him as well if they needed to flee, leaving only one hand for the humans. He pulled Simone a little closer, and she moved willingly towards his side. 

It was possible the giantess's son would help, but he never had so far, so Shayn didn't want to depend on that. Depending on what came through, if anything, hiding might also be an option. 

He glanced around. They had come to the edge of the forest, and there were no clear places to shelter out of sight here. Some shrubs, which might be enough as the night deepened to shield them from view if whatever it was got distracted by the giants. 

He moved them towards the nearest bush, inching away from the shining portal. The light coming through it created eerie shapes and shadows around them in the sun's absence. No creatures, at least none large enough to clearly see, had come through as of yet. There was always the possibility of something small and dangerous. 

The edges of the nebulous portal began to waver and soften, but Shayn didn't let out the breath he was holding just yet. Just as the opening seemed about to disappear, something came through. 

The flash of light that accompanied the disappearance of the portal kept him from getting a clear picture as he shielded his eyes from the unexpected light. When the darkness returned as the portal vanished, his eyes took several seconds to readjust. 

"Something came through," Simone said from behind him.

"Did you see what it was?" He squinted into the night. 

"It comes," Jarnsaxa whispered above them, and Simone's grip tightened. He squeezed her hand back comfortingly, briefly marveling in the familiarity of her touch. When had she begun to affect him so deeply? 

Judah heaved to his feet and crept forward to stand at the humans' side. His coat shifted tones as Shayn watched from the corner of his eye, taking on the darker hues of nighttime camouflage. 

Would he be up to running if the giants were too distracted to save them? That seemed to be the creature's intent.

The tension in the air deepened as the last of the falling stones settled deep in the chasm. The silence was broken only by… footsteps. 

In the dim light of the moon, a figure stepped forward. It was… a woman? Slight of figure with flowing grey hair, she regarded them seriously. 

"FAE!" Jarnsaxa accused in full volume, causing the humans to wince, "The quest you sent me on has cost me my husband and Fjorna!" 

"I did not cost you anything," The woman spoke in a calm, serious tone. "But your presence there did change what might have been." 

"What might have been? You mean my husband staying with me, as he has done for hundreds of years?" Jarnsaxa continued her rant, albeit at a quieter volume for the humans' comfort.

"Before the end, many more families than yours will be torn apart." 

What did that mean? The end? The end of the world? The end of… everything? 

The woman turned towards Shayn with piercing eyes and smiled softly. "Yes." 

"Yes, what?" Simone asked from behind him. "Oh, that's right, you can answer thoughts, can't you?" 

Shayn looked at her as she stepped forward, towards the Fae, pulling away from him. He reached out, wanting to retake her hand, to keep her closer in case this thing–woman--Fae–turned out to be dangerous somehow. There was no telling what it could actually be. It could be a fake, for all they knew, a trick, a mind game like the Beast played. 

He didn't like having Simone between him and the potential danger, despite her obvious comfort with the strange being's presence. He eyed the edge of the gorge, barely visible now in the night. 

Escape seemed unlikely if it was needed, especially with Jarnsaxa's volatile emotional state and familiarity with this being. She probably could not be depended on to aid them if it was needed. Clearly, she thought this woman was a Fae, but what evidence did they have to support it? Was there proof? 

So few humans had encountered them. If this were truly a Fae, they were very fortunate indeed. 

"Yes," The Fae looked at Simone, and paused, smiling a little wider. "Yes. I am aware. No, not entirely. I will not answer that question right now." 

Shayn was lost. Was the woman mad? Talking to herself? Speaking with something invisible? He turned. Simone appeared to be thinking deeply, and Shayn stepped forward to stare between the two. She glanced at him, startled, and grimaced. 

"I'm sorry, it was far easier than I thought to retreat into my thoughts instead of speaking them out loud so that everyone would know the conversation," Her face colored. She'd been thinking at the Fae and receiving verbal answers? That was strange indeed. 

"You accepted the concept more quickly than most humans," The Fae said, but turned back toward the giantess, who stood with a clouded expression. "Home is not there for you to return to. Your world has shrunk beyond the capability to sustain your life." 

It was fascinating how the Fae, the size of the humans, spoke to the giants without any hint of feeling smaller than they were. It was as if she were equal, or larger than Jarnsaxa though her eyes still had to look up to make eye contact with the giants. 

"Then I'm stuck here," Jarnsaxa's face hardened. "My world is lost to me." 

"Nothing is truly lost. You were warned of the uniting before you came with your kin. There will be no other worlds, only this one, when it is fully complete." 

"And now my kin is halved. My husband, and Fjorna, both abandoned me!" The giantess's jaw worked as she contained her emotion. "I am abandoned and alone, save for my only son. None of my kind…" Her voice faded with despair, her face crumpling. 

The Fae tilted her head. "Something has changed within you." 

Jarnsaxa sat hard on the ground, shaking it. Shayn nearly fell from his feet. Simone did, but scrambled back up before he could reach out to help her. 

"Mama?" The other giant asked. 

"I'm fine, Hugi. Just betrayed. And humiliated. I did not imagine this treachery to be in your father after so many years with him." The giantess's voice broke on a sob. 

"I don't think it was intentional," Simone stepped forward. "Two of the humans also pledged loyalty to Beast, against what we know of their character. I think he must have some magical hold on them?" 

All looked to the Fae, whose face was frozen in an unreadable expression. She looked among them, and then sighed. 

"All have darkness in their hearts. It is the Sorcerer whose light can cast it out. Many beings, especially humans, are terribly, terribly good at masking that darkness, and hiding it from others. Shame, pride, fear… all these things can motivate you to hide the darkest parts of your soul from one another. Only by exposing it to the light can it be eradicated." The Fae glanced at each of them in turn. "This Beast is very good at using that hidden darkness to control and lure others to his service." 

"Have you come to help us?" Shayn asked. "Defeat it, I mean?" 

"By myself, I can do but little. I am not a warrior. I am here as a harbinger, a messenger for the Sorcerer." 

"Why now, Gwen?" Simone asked, and Shayn looked at her oddly. How did she know this strange Fae's name? Was that part of their silent half-thought conversation? 

"Because you have need of the message," Gwen turned back to Jarnsaxa, "and are ready, finally, to hear it." 

"Tell me," The giantess said wearily. "Just tell me what I must do for the Sorcerer. I will serve. I am no queen, I have no people. I am only a woman, fortunate enough to have a son loyal enough to stay alongside me for the time being. I have nothing, and I am nothing else apart from what the Sorcerer has for me. Even if the humans cannot spare a morsel to feed me, I will die in service." 

Gwen did not reply, but smiled brightly. So brightly, it felt like it was daytime again to look at her face. Shayn was momentarily mesmerized by it, until he realized the light wasn't from her, or even shining directly on her. 

It was Jarnsaxa who was the focus of the supernatural light.