The Golden Year and the Sorceress

by Isabella Hardiman

  The heavy footsteps of the Minotaur were getting closer, it was gaining on us. "Hmm...kebabs. So what do you fancy for dinner?" Cam shouted to me. Had he lost it?! Here we are running away from a twelve-foot beast and he is discussing meal plans. "I was thinking of steak at the nearest tavern." He suggested.

  "This isn't the time," I shouted. I heard the heavy growls and snorts of the Minotaur as it got closer. "I will tell you when we are not running for our lives."

  "Turn right!" He shouted as I jumped over a moss-covered log. "Maybe steaks are too heavy." He sighed. He was crazy! "The three of us can just eat something light. I and you can have some light meat and potato dishes. Bayard may want some nuts or something."

  "I think you are forgetting someone," I shouted back at him.

  "Who?" he asked.

  "Him!" I looked back to see the ferocious beast charging towards us. Its razor-sharp horns, muscle structure and speed made it one of the most feared monsters in Rumore. It was a killing machine and we were about to become his next victims. He was going to catch us. We could not run like this for much longer.

  "Oh, him." Cam clicked his fingers, stopped where he was standing and turned to face the beast.

  "What are you doing?!" I screamed at him. He could not take the beast on, it would rip him to shreds. The beast was only meters away from Cam. He was in an easy killing range. I had to do something. Anything.

  Just then Cam waved his hand letting loose a powerful wind forcing everything else back. There was a crash as the Minotaur was sent flying backwards, it crashed through one tree then another and another. Old trunks tumbled down and left swept up like a storm as well. Cam clicked his fingers again and everything went silent. Beams of golden light shone through a gap in the canopy.

  I stood frozen. Did he just do that? Did he have magic? "How did you do that?" I questioned. The Minotaur appeared to be knocked out cold.

  "I know a few tricks." Cam shrugged. A trick, he knocked out a Minotaur with one swish of his hands. "What is that on your face? Are you actually impressed?"

  I came back to reality. "No. To be honest I am annoyed." I glared at him.

  "Annoyed?" He asked.

  "Yes! You let that chase us and you could have just stopped it from the beginning!" I explained. This whole thing could have been avoided.

  He went through my words again and took a moment to respond. "" Cam shrugged.

  "Unbelievable!" I complained. Then Bayard appeared and landed on my shoulder.

  "So nice of you to join us." Cam greeted Bayard. Of course, Cam did not know Bayard could understand him, let alone talk. "Now the sun is setting. We better reach the nearest town before it gets dark." He suggested and began striding on.

  "I don't like him," Bayard whispered to me. "Don't trust him. He is hiding something."

  I nodded in agreement. Whatever Cam was lying about it was something big. He was keeping secrets and normally I would not care but this time was different. I had far too much at risk.

  "We don't have all day!" Cam complained. I sighed and followed him further into the forest. "The next town is an hour's walk." He explained. "We should stay there for the night and continue in the morning."

  "What town is it?" I asked.

  "It's not a town exactly." He admitted. "It's more a city." A city in the hidden forest was he kidding? I grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back.

  For once I was pleased that I had paid attention to my caretaker. I knew perfectly well that near the forest, there were no nearby cities. "I am not stupid. There is not a city near here for days! Where are you taking us?"

  "Calm down. For a girl you have quite a grip!" he remarked. My eyes narrowed. "I just saved you, don't I deserve a little trust?"

  Did he think this was my first time doing anything dangerous? I loosened my grip but did not remove my icy glare. "Not going to happen."

  He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "It's a secret city." He had given in. A secret city?

  "It is hidden under a lake." He explained. In a lake, there was an entire city hidden under a lake. Was he trying to make me feel senseless? I gave him a cynical look. "It's an underwater city."

  "An underwater city?" I raised an eyebrow. "Then why haven't I heard of such a city?" I asked again.

  "Do you ignore me when I talk? I just said: it is a secret city. The Seelie Court doesn't let just anybody walk in." He sighed.

  "THE SEELIE COURT! Have you lost your mind?" I screamed. Faeries, he was taking us to the secret hideout of faeries! "I prefer to take my chances with Minotaur, thanks!"

  "We don't have any other choice." Cam sighed bitterly. "We can't stay out here!" he complained. "The minotaur will not be the only one hunting us down. Other beasts will have found our scent already." He explained. There must be another away. "This is why I didn't want you to know!" he complained, throwing his hands in the air.

  Faeries were not the perfect mythological beings that existed in fables or in children's imagination. Faeries were mischievous, beautiful, cunning, possessive, two-faced, sneaky, deadly, and often malignant. "What makes you sure they will help us anyway?" I asked.

  "Did I forget to mention I am part Fae?" He smiled, impressed that he had managed to surprise me.

  He was part Fae?! He was lying. Where were the pointy ears, wings and colourful skin...? "Don't lie to me," I warned. I was not in the mood for games.

  "I am not. I swear!" He promised. "You see the queen of the Seelie court, she is my grandmother." He had royal Fae blood? I thought my day could not get any weirder. "Look." He showed me his wrists and that is when I realised what the ink was. It was the Seelie's court royal crest. He was telling the truth.

  "You have got to be kidding." I rolled my eyes. I did not know if I could trust Cam. If I trusted him and ended up making a wrong judgement, the price would be my life.

  Here I am on my way to find the tomb of death. I had met some odd man in the woods, been chased by a Minotaur and now I was on my way to some secret underwater city to meet the queen of the Seelie Court. Whoever said my life was not interesting? Who knows? I might live to tell the tale.

  Chapter Thirteen - The secret underwater city

  We walked for around forty-five minutes before reaching the lake. The water was still. There was a long tree avenue that surrounded the lake, casting a silhouette against the deep blue. Berries hid under sheltered domes of leaves along with patches of flowers. I had reached the edge of the lake now and the pebbles crunched beneath my feet. Metallic dragonflies zoomed around the lake, the metallic blue stood out against the orange of the sunset.

  "Here." He handed me a flower that he had just picked out from the moss-covered bank. Its beautiful pink and bright yellow speckled flower stood out against the lake. "It is called lake flower. They allow you to breathe underwater."

  I looked at Bayard. He could not swim and I doubted he could hold a flower to his beak. "What about Bayard?"

  "Once we are down there we will teleport him in," Cam explained. "He will have to wait here though." I nodded.

  "Are you sure about this? I mean the Seelie court. They will not like a mortal in their domain." This was dangerous and every instinct in my body was telling me not to go. I did not have any other choice, so maybe it was time I started making bad ones.

  He gave me a grin, an amused grin. "But you're not a mortal are you." He said whilst walking out into the lake. "I told you, Leila, you can't keep secrets from me." He knew. He knew I had magic. Cam was already diving down before I could ask how he knew. Who is he? How does he know so much about me? So many questions flooded my mind.

  I walked further into the lake, soaking all my clothes as I got deeper. "Be careful!" Bayard shouted to me from the water's edge. "He knows things he shouldn't. Watch him closely." I nodded. Placed the flower to my face which instantly clung on, it felt what you might imagine the tentacles of an octopus to feel like. The petals sucking onto my flesh. I went under.

  I breathed through my mouth and opened my eyes. The
water was transparent now and I could not believe my eyes. It was tens upon tens of gigantic bubbles, each one was big enough to fit a castle. They were all connected by bridges surrounded by the same force field. It was an underwater city, with a fire glow and huge towers, houses and even palaces. The buildings were constructed of wood, leaves, moss, bark, stone, and all-natural elements. It was breathtaking. Cam was watching me closely. It was not like anything I had ever seen before.

  How could this be hidden? It was as big as the capital, surrounded by water and concealed by a forest. Cam began swimming off further and further down. I followed him. The ice-cold water tightens my muscles and the weight of my clothes makes it harder to swim.

  The entrance was guarded by two humongous stone statues of what I imagined faerie guards to look like. The statues were most likely enchanted. Cam swam through the barrier of bubble-like structure and for a second I thought "Am I really going to do this?" I took one last look at the surface before falling through the force field.

  I hit moss-covered earth, stumbled, and felt somebody grab hold of my arm and support me. "Are you okay?" I ripped the flower from my face and gasped for air.

  "Yes." I lied. I felt cold, my clothes were weighing me down and I could already feel a headache coming on. My head was still adapting to the new atmosphere.

  He looked at me closely. "You don't look okay." I looked around us. We were at the end of some sort of Side Street. The wooden, moss houses were covered in moss and flowers and twisting roots. Vines covered the grass and paved the main road. Fireflies light up the streets along with peculiar round, opaque balls held in the grip of twisted tree branches. It was like stepping in the forest a thousand years ago. It was completely untouched and the faeries had made their homes around the environment and had not disturbed a single pebble. The streets were lined with colourful toadstools and the doors were made of vibrant, exotic crystals that light up the night. "Welcome to Fayylin!"

  Then I saw the Faeries, they were not like anything I had ever dreamt of. Their skin was white as clouds, untouched by sunlight. Their hair varied in all types of colours and styles. The faerie’s eyes were shaped like leaves, were bright, and captivating. They wore coloured crystals around their necks and their clothes were fashioned from large leaves and petals. I noticed a guard dressed in armour in the far corner, he was approaching us.

  His eyes were amber like the sun. His hair was green like grass and his cheekbones were strong as if they had been sculpted. The faeries were much taller than mortals and now seeing one up close, made me freeze. He was beautiful. He wore gold-brow armour made of bark. His golden, vibrant, sparkling wings were shaped like dragonflies. Then I noticed the silver arrows and felt cautious. Faeries were like roses, beautiful but if you were not careful you would get pricked.

  "Cameron," The faeries smile was dazzling. "I knew you would be back soon. The queen will be pleased." He patted Cam on the back. The faerie glanced my way curiously.

  "Nice to see you too Orin!" Cam greeted him as if they were old friends. "How's Florence?" Cam asked the faerie.

  "Good. Who's your friend?" Orin raised an eyebrow and I watched as the crystal around his neck changed colour. They must change depending on mood.

  Cam looked back at me. "This is Leila. She's a friend of mine." Cam explained. "That reminds me, is the sparkling wings' tavern portal still open?" He asked.

  twenty

  "Of course." Orin nodded. "I will take you there if you like?"

  Cameron shook his head. "I know the way." We walked down the moss-covered path for about twenty minutes before reaching the tavern. I read the sign that hung on the side of the building. "Sparkling wings." The door of the tavern was made of wood, unlike the other buildings. Inside there was a silver fire burning alongside it was peculiar irregular shaped tables made of elf tree wood. The chairs matched the tables with golden carvings woven in.

  The room was lit up by crystals surrounded by shades of leaves. Faeries were renowned for being the best with artisanship and armoury. Then again, they lived for thousands of years, so they had plenty of time to develop their skills.

  The windows were circular and had twig handles to open them. There was even a window for birds, which flew in dropping scroll and templates. I wondered if that was how mail gets delivered around here.

  "One table for two please." Cam gave the faerie that wore an apron a look. She guided us around the busy room to an empty table. Her hair was an electric shade of pink matching her flower petal dress and purple dragonfly wings.

  The seats were surprisingly comfortable and I could not help but feel relieved to sit down. "Today we are serving: pixie sugar on roasted toadstool or..."

  “Oh, I will have... I will take a centaur hooves platter to hold the pixie dust with a side of hemp. Extra leaves.” I read off the menu.

  “NO.” Cam barks and eyes me disapprovingly. Cam interrupted her before she could finish. "We would like the mortal menu please."

  "Tourists? We don't get many of your kind in here." She waved her long eyelashes at Cam. He did not even seem to notice. "We have a vegetable dish." She shrugged apologetically.

  "Perfect." She smiled at him flirtatiously before walking off. Cam turned his attention to me. "Whatever you do, do not eat faerie food or drink their potions. Never agree to work for one. Do not ever kiss a faerie or sleep with one. " He warned me. Why? I mean I wasn't planning on kissing any faerie, I was just curious. "The food is enhanced. If you eat fairy food you're bound to this place and the only way you can leave is with permission of the queen herself. If you kiss one, then you're really in trouble. A kiss from a faerie makes you their instant slave or you die instantly depends on how generous they are feeling."

  "Oh." I heard countless stories about the Seelie court but I did not know which parts were made up. The faerie came back around the corner with the bland dish in her hand. She was really trying to grab Cams' tension. He completely ignored her.

  "Before I forget, we need somebody teleported in," Cam told the faerie. She nodded. "It's a bird and he goes by the name of Bayard." He explained. She nodded for a second time and her eyes were hopeful for any other acknowledgement. He gave her none. She disappeared without another word.

  "I prefer not to lead them on. I mean, I don't exactly want to be a slave for life or you know, die." He sighed as he picked his food. I was starving and I swallowed most of the food without even tasting it.

  "So, when do you think Bayard will be here?" I asked.

  Cam shrugged. "It depends how quickly they let him in, they always do security checks before letting people or animals through the portal. So all we can do is wait, they will bring him to us." I looked at him suspiciously.

  "How will they find us?" I asked.

  "They are already tracking our every movement." I suddenly felt edgy, very uneasy. I did not like the idea of people, faeries, knowing my whereabouts. It made me feel like a sitting duck in a pond of crocodiles.

  "We might as well go back to my house and get some rest whilst we are waiting." He suggested.

  "You have a house here?" I asked. I thought he moved around a lot.

  "It was a gift from the Seelie queen." He explained. Cam paid the Faerie with some rounded colourful stones before we walked out. It took only five minutes to reach Cam’s house.

  It was large, with beams and a thatched roof. A bright white crystal door, lots of rounded windows and bright, orange toadstools on the front lawn. Cam walked up to the door and placed a silver crystal shaped like a key onto it and the door magically opened.

  "How did you do that?" I asked, looking at him, the door, and the crystal.

  "I didn't. The faeries love crystals, they use them in mood necklaces, doors, lights and even decoration." He said, slipping the key back in his pocket. I followed him inside. The walls were a plain brown and the floor was a green, grass texture. The spiralling staircase was made of vines.

  "You will want to sleep now." He suggested. "We have a long journey ahea
d and frankly you look absolutely shattered. And you smell a little lake water." I sniffed my clothes. He was right. I did smell.

  "Upstairs there's a bathroom and bedroom to the left. Help yourself." He smiled. I nodded and headed upstairs to the bathroom.

  After freshening up, I tried to get to sleep. It was no use, I could not sleep here. Not when at any moment something could go wrong. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and got dressed. Just then as I was putting on my last shoe...

  SMASH. The only window in the room blew through. The glass smashed everywhere bouncing off me and around me. Luckily, I did not get badly cut. The figure landed in front of me with a thud.