there were buildings behind the gate , much closer to the road than the ones he had seen before . the enchantress , he learned , wasnt a witch at all , but a spirit guide that had a physical body . earnest and i are lovers , she explained . her brown eyes sparkled , like we had another secret . for some reason i wanted to follow him out of the room . birds chirping , little tiny fat birds . he was saying something to her that i could n't make out . 