Back outside, Lucian was surveying the cabin on the other end, squinting at the contrast of the bright sun in the clearing and the cool dark interior of the cabins.
I shouted across the way, "I think I found a good one." He waved his hat back at me, and I giggled at his old-fashioned demeanor. What a strange man he was.
The clearing in the center of the collection of cabins would be perfect for lessons. I was feeling slightly better about everything that had happened yesterday when I saw someone walking towards me. It was Kairn and I felt my heart begin to pound. He was a striking figure. I took in his face as he walked toward the clearing. Though I knew him better now, he had not lost any of the sharpness of his features. His high cheekbones would have looked haughty if I hadn't known any better and his green eyes seemed otherworldly. He was almost less human-looking now than when I first met him. His body was impossibly muscular though still lithe and agile. Even though we had come to know each other in the most intimate ways this summer, I could not hide the way my body reacted to him. He was in his human form, whatever that meant these days because he still looked like a fearsome god.
When he reached the spot where I stood, he gazed at me, then wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Esther," He sighed and I breathed in the smell of him. His scent was woodsy, like moss and soil.
"Kairn," I replied and raised my face to his, meeting his lips. His kiss crushed against me and I relaxed into him until I heard Lucian cough awkwardly.
We broke apart right away. "Sorry, I uh-" I stopped while I was ahead, not wanting to make it more awkward than it already was. "Um, anyway, Lucian this is Kairn. Kairn this is my instructor Lucian."
"Lucian Hargraves," My tutor introduced himself with a formal handshake.
"Kairn Wilderwood," he replied uncertainly. I felt his arm around my waist tighter, as he held me protectively. Surely, he didn't think Lucian was any kind of threat.
They chatted for a few minutes as I awkwardly began moving my backpack into the cabin. The tension was palpable so I asked Kairn, "Do you want to help me unpack?"
He smiled, his teeth sharp and perfect behind his lips. "Of course." It was a chance for us to talk privately.
"Nice cabin," he grinned as he sat down on the bed. A cloud of dust flew up and I could see each individual speck in the golden beam of light pouring through the window. It reflected in his eyes and I was stunned by the beauty of it.
"Thanks, I built it fresh this morning," I joked. I suddenly became aware of how disheveled I looked from hiking all day. I might as well have built a house. I smoothed my hand through my hair, trying to capture the flyaways. It was so strange that I was still nervous around him like this, but something about the physical world was like a barrier between us. We were both not fully human. Something about being in the Liminal World or in the Realm of the Wild Hunt was simpler. It was like we could see each other for who we really were. It was strange, but somehow kind of nice.
I put my bag up on the bed and began to unpack it, very aware of Kairn standing next to me. "I thought you weren't coming until later," I said.
"I know, but I couldn't stand it," He laughed. It was nice to see him smile that way. There was still a ferocity to his features, an animalistic streak, but I could tell he was happy. It made my face and neck grow warm.
"I missed you too," I said, speaking what we both were feeling.
"I asked Alice Mistlethwaite to let you stay on another year," I. added, hoping he would be okay with it.
"If they're not sick of me yet," He joked.
"Alice may or may not have mentioned that you were indispensable," I giggled.
Then out of nowhere, he sighed, "Things are going to be different, I'm afraid." My heart lurched at his words.
"What do you mean," I didn't make eye contact. Was he talking about us?
"You've been to my home now," He explained. "You know what it's like."
Indeed, I had. The Realm of the Wild Hunt was unlike any place I'd ever been before. It was warm and earthy, and yet so full of mystery, not unlike Kairn himself. I could tell that it called to him. The two of us were an interesting pair. He was from a place of woods, flora, and fauna of all kinds, everything alive..... hunters and prey alike. The Liminal on the other hand was cold and dark and filled with dead things. What did that say about me?
"What are you saying?" I asked.
"I don't know," He hedged, "I guess I'm saying that one day soon, I'll be called back and I don't know if I'll be able to return here."
I shuddered involuntarily. "What are we going to do then?" I asked.
"I've been trying to think these last few days, Esther. I'm an Incarnation you know. I'm not human, I never really have been."
"I know that," I said, feeling suddenly hurt.
"This world is
