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A chance encounter with the charming Nasser grants Lee a chance for freedom—but what felt like mere days in Faerie spanned years in the human world, and Lee no longer has a home to return to.
Nasser is a Seer—a human with magical powers—and Lee is quickly plunged into his world: a sprawling city teeming with magic and mystery, where supernatural creatures walk hidden among humans. With the help of a rag-tag group of teenage Seers, Lee must master her newfound magical talent and outwit a cunning faerie determined to destroy her.
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When Lee followed Filo off the train, still feeling strangely numb, the sun was dipping lower in the sky. She remembered how short the days were this time of year. This time of year. Autumn. Not summer, not anymore. It felt all wrong, but she knew it was true. There could be no more doubt.
They walked in silence. Filo didn’t even look at her. She wondered if he was thinking about what had passed between them after they left her old house. She certainly hadn’t stopped thinking about it. Filo hadn’t hurt her, but she was still shaken by the experience. No one had ever grabbed her that way before. She’d had such a comfortable, easy life.
Had.
“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked him after a while.
“Ladders. I have to make delivery to the owners. It’s a restaurant for the magical community,” he added, in response to her questioning look. “Everyone goes there—faeries, vampires, werecreatures, shape-shifters, Seers. Everybody.”
“Seers?”
“Humans like Nasser and me. We do magic, work with supernatural creatures, help normals with magical problems, stuff like that. It’s our job.”
“Like wizards or something?”
He wrinkled his nose in distaste. “No, like Seers.”
“Okay, okay. Seers. I can go with that.” Still, she had a brief mental image of Filo wearing a wizard’s robes and holding a gnarled staff, and had to pretend to sneeze to cover her snicker. “What’s it like having magic?”
“I don’t know.” He looked almost uncomfortable. “It is what it is.”
“Come on,” she pressed, nudging him with her elbow and hoping for some comforting thought to lessen the blow that magic had already dealt her. Her mind was filled with visions of dishes that washed themselves and books that turned their own pages. “Tell me. I bet it makes things easier.”
“Some things, I guess. Magical folk do live longer than normals. Once we hit adulthood, we age slower. That’s not nothing.”
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Magic comes with all these trappings, things you didn’t ask for and wouldn’t take if you had the choice—like the Sight. Magic complicates things. You wouldn’t understand.”
No, she didn’t. That nagged at her. “What’s the Sight?” she asked.
“Oh, you know,” Filo said, gesturing vaguely with his hands. “True Sight. Second Sight. The ability to see into the Invisible World.”
She stared blankly at him. He sighed.
“The Sight is a physical manifestation of the magic in a person. It lets you see through magical illusions, or ‘glamours,’ and resist enchantment. The Sight usually develops naturally, but there are ways to give yourself artificial Sight. It’s flawed, but it works.”
“And you have the Sight because you have magic?”
“I have the Sight because I have a lot of magic,” Filo corrected her. “So much that it manifested externally. It’s the same with Nasser, but not with everyone. Some people have magic, but not the Sight, like Jason.”
“Nasser’s brother has magic, too?”
Filo nodded. “It must run in their family. Jason doesn’t have enough magic for Sight, but he has enough to work spells, and to have some talent in other areas. Magical humans usually have some sort of talent, even if it’s not Sight. It’s usually something artistic, like music or art.”
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When Lee followed Filo off the train, still feeling strangely numb, the sun was dipping lower in the sky. She remembered how short the days were this time of year. This time of year. Autumn. Not summer, not anymore. It felt all wrong, but she knew it was true. There could be no more doubt.
They walked in silence. Filo didn’t even look at her. She wondered if he was thinking about what had passed between them after they left her old house. She certainly hadn’t stopped thinking about it. Filo hadn’t hurt her, but she was still shaken by the experience. No one had ever grabbed her that way before. She’d had such a comfortable, easy life.
Had.
“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked him after a while.
“Ladders. I have to make delivery to the owners. It’s a restaurant for the magical community,” he added, in response to her questioning look. “Everyone goes there—faeries, vampires, werecreatures, shape-shifters, Seers. Everybody.”
“Seers?”
“Humans like Nasser and me. We do magic, work with supernatural creatures, help normals with magical problems, stuff like that. It’s our job.”
“Like wizards or something?”
He wrinkled his nose in distaste. “No, like Seers.”
“Okay, okay. Seers. I can go with that.” Still, she had a brief mental image of Filo wearing a wizard’s robes and holding a gnarled staff, and had to pretend to sneeze to cover her snicker. “What’s it like having magic?”
“I don’t know.” He looked almost uncomfortable. “It is what it is.”
“Come on,” she pressed, nudging him with her elbow and hoping for some comforting thought to lessen the blow that magic had already dealt her. Her mind was filled with visions of dishes that washed themselves and books that turned their own pages. “Tell me. I bet it makes things easier.”
“Some things, I guess. Magical folk do live longer than normals. Once we hit adulthood, we age slower. That’s not nothing.”
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Magic comes with all these trappings, things you didn’t ask for and wouldn’t take if you had the choice—like the Sight. Magic complicates things. You wouldn’t understand.”
No, she didn’t. That nagged at her. “What’s the Sight?” she asked.
“Oh, you know,” Filo said, gesturing vaguely with his hands. “True Sight. Second Sight. The ability to see into the Invisible World.”
She stared blankly at him. He sighed.
“The Sight is a physical manifestation of the magic in a person. It lets you see through magical illusions, or ‘glamours,’ and resist enchantment. The Sight usually develops naturally, but there are ways to give yourself artificial Sight. It’s flawed, but it works.”
“And you have the Sight because you have magic?”
“I have the Sight because I have a lot of magic,” Filo corrected her. “So much that it manifested externally. It’s the same with Nasser, but not with everyone. Some people have magic, but not the Sight, like Jason.”
“Nasser’s brother has magic, too?”
Filo nodded. “It must run in their family. Jason doesn’t have enough magic for Sight, but he has enough to work spells, and to have some talent in other areas. Magical humans usually have some sort of talent, even if it’s not Sight. It’s usually something artistic, like music or art.”
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As a child, Kaye Thornbrugh wanted to be an Egyptologist--but when her fear of ancient Egyptian curses got the better of her, she turned to storytelling instead. These days, Kaye is an award-winning reporter and the author of the bestselling Flicker series. The first two installments, Flicker and Brightly, are available now.
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I love the Meredith Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton and the Connor Grey series by Mark Del Franco.
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