The Land of Faes

by D P Rowell

  Ace fell to the seat behind him. The wretched drake stepped on stage, following his introduction. It was the first time Ace had seen him since he’d been deceived into giving him the stone. A swirl of conflict stirred within, so it paralyzed him. He sat there, dazed and incomplete. Had Rio been leading the faes through the city? Was he in Breen the whole time? The frog man’s eyes told of a special kind of evil. He stepped slowly across the platform, smiling wickedly at the flash of each camera. The people beneath marveled at his feet. It was disgusting. Ace hardly noticed his anger stirring within him. The flame of the elyr had woken on both of his hands and swallowed his arm near his elbow. The white fire fled at the touch of Tharuach’s hand on his arm. The male fae shook his head and Ace returned his attention to the screen.

  “Thank you, thank you.” Rio said, waving his hands down. “That was quite an introduction, Mr. Radar. Not sure I can live up to it.”

  Sam Radar smiled and took a seat behind the horrid drake. Rio picked up a sheet of large paper and held it before The Neutrals.

  He spoke after they finished cheering. “Only two signatures remain.” The drake turned behind and held a hand forward. Nahamni, the Drake Elder, stood from his seat and inched his way toward Rio. Eventually the old drake signed the thing and returned to his seat.

  “Now,” Rio said. The crowd silenced, “the faes of Breen have remained a mystery to Yutara until this day. They’ve hidden away in the northeast and kept their distance from us for so long, and until now, no one knew why. Today, the Fae Queen brings her most loyal fae army before us to display her peoples’ reopening of their borders and joining Yutara in a new era of peace and unity.”

  Rio stepped aside and allowed room for the Fae Queen to step forth. She came from the same side as Rio in robes of flickering gold and elegant wool. Crystal-like jewelry shimmered from her neck, ears, and fingers. She wore her hair in a bun, the color of a bright . . . blonde? A fae with blonde hair? Ace slowly stood from his seat and looked closer as the Queen stepped along the platform.

  “No,” Ace whispered, “It can’t be.”

  He'd recognize the make up caked on her face anywhere. She wore golden eye shadow and small gems on her eyelashes. Someone had painted fake tattoos across her face in a deep blue. They swirled around her bone structure and pointed to the edges of her pursed lips. Ace knew they were fake tattoos because he’d seen this Queen before. He’d last seen her in a flashback in the garden. He scratched his eyes and clawed his hair, but nothing could prevent him from facing the truth. Aunt Kaitlyn was the Fae Queen.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Brimming

  "No!" Ace screamed, “How is that possible?” He leapt from his seat, eyes darting back and forth as if he could find a flaw in the truth if he looked hard enough.

  “Rio has deceived the nations,” Tharuach said, “I should have seen this coming.”

  “Not that,” Ace said. He turned to the male fae and shoved his hand at the TV. “The Fae Queen is my Aunt!”

  Tharuach stood from his seat immediately. “What? That’s impossible.”

  “I know, that’s my point!”

  George butted in next. “Ace, how can that be?”

  “Did no one understand me?” Ace said. “I don’t know what’s happening right now!”

  “Alright,” Ihana said, “hold your rattling a moment and listen to what she said this morning.”

  Ace slowed his breathing, folded his arms, and turned back to the hologram TV. Aunt Kaitlyn stood before the crowd, waving her cupped hand like the priss she was. Ace wondered where Julie and Tamara were. Where were they being hidden if both the parents were there in Naraka?

  “Long have the faes hidden away from the nations,” she said.

  Ace tried not to vomit.

  “Today, we offer an explanation. The faes are a spiritual people. We’ve hidden away because we did not believe the rest of Yutara shared in our hope . . . until recently. Long have our traditions foretold of a Chosen who would come with a peace offering and restore our home to its rightful place.”

  Ace swallowed and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a cold, shaky palm.

  “We believe Rio Atarion is such a person. After Rio appeared to us in Breen it soon come to our attention that a rebellion had already begun about the Yutarian nations against this movement of peace and unity. They call themselves the Israh. Today, we reveal three of their leaders.” Aunt Kaitlyn signaled with her hand and two fae guards pushed Kareena, Sebastian, and Father onto the stage. Ace slammed his fist down on the table beside him. “These leaders will be kept in the darkest dungeon on Breen. If anyone is caught aiding the Israh, they will join these. We’ve a special place reserved for such traitors. From now on,” Aunt Kaitlyn picked up the pen from the podium, “The Israh is outlawed in all Yutara!” She leaned over and signed the treaty. The crowd cheered again. Kaitlyn signaled with her hand and the fae guards took the prisoners off the stage. Sam Radar stepped back up to the podium. Aunt Kaitlyn and Rio stood on either side of him, a wicked grin of victory on their faces.

  “And so, it has been agreed among us,” Sam said, “and has been written in the treaty. That Rio Atarion, seeing as he is the Chosen, the Peacemaker who brought this all to fruition, will be named Lord of the Treaty, and lead us into the new, united Yutara.”

  The shot on the screen flipped back to the anchorman. The yellow-eyed jag dressed in a red suit rolled a clip of Ace and Cameron disrupting Uncle Marcus’ basketball game and showed their faces, then warned all the citizens of Yutara to contact local authorities if they were spotted anywhere.

  The TV shut off and Ace turned to Tharuach and the elite. Staring blankly and helpless as the fae lowered the remote to the table.

  “What just happened?” Ace said, unable to process it all.

  Tharuach, George, and Ihana sighed and hung their heads.

  Ace grabbed one of the hover chairs and chucked it at the wall. It fell to the ground and shook the room. “Someone tell me what all this means!”

  “Ace,” Tharuach said, “you need to slow your anger. This is no way for an elyrian—”

  “Don’t preach to me about what I need to do,” Ace said. He stepped closer, “You’re the one who’s wrong. You elyrians never let your emotions speak to you. Elyrians are supposed to control their emotions, not blot them out. You should be furious right now! Your daughter was just taken captive by the warlock who possesses the Emerson Stone, and now all Yutara is cheering him on!”

  Tharuach’s face grew red and his bottom lip quivered, he jumped to his feet and towered over Ace. For a moment he looked as if he were going to hurt Ace, but what he spoke suggested the opposite. “You’re right.”

  Ace stepped back and gathered himself. He expected more of a contest. “I—I am? I mean—of course I am!”

  “You are,” Tharuach said, “but being angry won’t get my daughter or your father back.”

  “Or our friend,” Ihana said. She and George stood and joined the discussion.

  “Well,” Ace replied, “neither will sitting in a room and pretending like we aren’t in a load of trouble right now . . .” everyone remained silent, “how did this happen, Ihana? You were supposed to be with Kareena.”

  Ihana shot Ace a brash glare. “You still know you’re not my leader, right? That I don’t trust you?”

  Ace lit a pale flame in his palms and held them before Ihana. “So, you thought selling my friend out to Rio would be great revenge, right?” The water drake pulled her AMHB out.

  George placed one hand on Ace’s arm, and the other on Ihana’s. “Stop it! This isn’t going to help us.”

  Ace and Ihana listened to George and lowered their weapons.

  “Kareena took off,” Ihana said. “We started recruiting in the mountains and were gaining a lot of momentum. Took me a while for her to convince me, but eventually, I saw how powerful this new movement was. One night she went off to speak with you and she didn’t come back. I went to look for her after a whi
le and I found her about a quarter mile away from camp, taken captive by the Heorg military. It was a massive army. I had no chance of getting her back alone.”

  Ace felt a knot pull tight in his stomach. What had he done to her to make her run away? He felt like a monster. He looked at Tharuach. The tall fae shot him a glance of pain and betrayal. Ace hadn’t kept his promise to protect Kareena.

  “Why would the Heorg military take Kareena?” he asked.

  George said, “Because Dodger signed the treaty this morning, and the Israh is outlawed in Heorg. When Ihana saw Kareena, she called me; so naturally I tried to figure out what was going on. I finally found the news from this morning and saw the treaty.”

  “Dodger is warning us,” Ihana said. “He’s been looking for a way to come after us for a while, and this treaty may give him what he needs. Now that the whole world knows about the Israh, it doesn’t matter if we’re kept a secret, and he has political reasons to invade with his armies.”

  Ace grunted and slammed his fist on the table. He turned away from them and gazed over the pale walls, hand over his head. He had to make this right. How could he have let Tharuach down like he did? Let Kareena down! He turned back around to face them. “We have to go to Breen. Everything the war depends on this now. Rio, my aunt and—my uncle—he’s also there. I have my light back now, I can free him of the witch’s spell controlling him and he can tell us what’s happening.”

  Tharuach stepped forward. “No. Going to Breen is not a good idea.”

  “What other choice do we have?” Ace said.

  “Ace, Tharuach is right,” George said, “Rio’s trying to bait us.”

  “Well, it’s working,” Ace said.

  Tharuach shook his head. “Listen to the wise elite, child. As much as I want to rescue my daughter, I think we need to consider a few things.”

  Ace snarled at the fae. “The people we love are in danger right now, we have to save them. Nothing else matters.”

  “That attitude is what’s led you so far astray since we’ve begun this movement,” Tharuach said.

  “No!” Ace roared with no hesitation. “It’s what's brought us this far! Because I chose to chase after those I loved I was led by Emery to Earth to meet Jakka, one of the former seated on the council. Every step I took turned out to be the right one, even though it wasn’t in line with The Israh’s mission. I’m tired of planning. I’m tired of trying to get everything perfect and not take the necessary risks. We need to save them. It’s the right thing to do.”

  “You met who?” Tharuach said.

  Ace told them about the journey he’d taken. How he was taken to Earth, how Rio was about to make an attempt to open the Emerson Stone and absorb Emery’s soul, and how he had a secret weapon to change everything.

  “Oh boy,” George said as he plopped to a chair. Ihana turned away and leaned against the wall. Tharuach leaned back in his chair, his face twitching as he processed it all.

  “How can you use this gift, Ace?” Tharuach said.

  Ace’s face went limp. “I don’t know. But . . .” he paused and stared at Tharuach in the eye. “Jakka told me the Light will guide me in discovering it. He said I have authority that I will have to learn how to use. I have a pressing feeling that I need to get to Breen to find it. To get back the Emerson Stone. I’m the only one who can take the stone back by force. It rightfully belongs to me and it’s high time I take it back!”

  Tharuach's eyes went soft. “Look, Ace, it’s worse than you think. Rio used the Emerson Stone to deceive the faes into believing he is the Chosen. They think he’s you, understand? The faes have waited ages for the Chosen to arrive on Breen with the Emerson Stone. He’s beat us to the punch. Breen is won to the council now. I say we continue to recruit in secret and—”

  “Until when, Mr. Flare?” Ace said. “We’re hiding is what we’re doing. Only one thing you said is true to me . . .” He paused a moment. Ihana turned back around and joined the others in staring at him quietly. “The faes think Rio is me. They don’t know it. And if I got the stone back—”

  “You’re not ready to face Rio,” George said.

  Tharuach stood from his seat quickly, eyes wide. “He doesn’t have to.”

  “What?” George said.

  “If he’s just wanting to get the stone back, he doesn’t have to face Rio. Fae tradition says the Chosen would return the stone to Breen and gets left there in the Land of Faes. It's part of the prophecy. If Rio deceived them into believing he was the Chosen, he can’t have it anymore.”

  “So then, we have to go to Breen,” Ihana said.

  Tharuach tilted his head in an unsettling manner. “I don’t know about this.”

  “Well I do,” Ace said. He marched close to Tharuach. “I was chosen for this.”

  “Understand,” Tharuach, “if we do this, the outcome of it will determine how the final war begins and ends.”

  “That’s why we have to do it,” Ace responded.

  The elite stood silently among each other. They swapped angry, determined eyes.

  Tharuach sighed. “Well, if we’re gonna travel to Breen, we need to go now. With any luck, Rio and the Fae Queen will not have returned from the Neutrals yet.”

  “There’s no way that’ll happen,” Ihana said, “The Neutrals are way closer to Breen.”

  “Yes, but we can get there quicker,” Tharuach said. “Fae tradition doesn’t approve hovercraft to come ashore. Rio and the Fae Queen will probably travel to Dorneg and take a ship the rest of the way. If they’re in Dorneg right now, it would take them more than a day to get to Breen. We can get from here to there in the same amount of time with the right craft.”

  George chimed in. “Plus, for all we know Rio and the Fae Queen may still be in the Neutrals.”

  “If the faes’ tradition doesn’t like hovercrafts pulling ashore, it’s not gonna help much convincing them if Ace shows up in one.” Ihana said.

  “We’re not trying to convince them,” Ace said, “We’re going to get the stone back and save our friends.” He walked to the conference room door. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get a move on.” When he turned the knob, the door burst open and Cameron and Trilo spilled in, tumbling over each other and falling to the floor.

  “Sorry—uh—we weren’t eavesdropping or anything,” Trilo said as he and Cameron attempted to undo the pretzel they lay in.

  “Get ready to leave,” Ace said, ignoring the lie.

  “Where are we going?” Cameron said.

  “The Land of Faes,” Tharuach replied, “The Final War is brimming.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  The Land of Faes

  Tharuach and Ace gathered everyone in Headquarters and told them of the plan. The mission was to get to Breen and retrieve the Emerson Stone before Rio had returned. For all they knew, he and the Fae Queen would arrive any moment, and anxiously await Ace's arrival. George and Ihana agreed to stay in Gathara and continue the training. Tharuach, Ace, Trilo and Cameron made their way outside the city walls, where a hovercraft previously owned by the Indies lay. Ihana and George gave Cameron and Trilo one of the X torsos with plenty of ammo, an AMHB and an AMR. The long, pointy-nosed tube of a hovercraft had a slick, blue surface. Slits lay just underneath the doors, housing its retractable wings. This was a hybrid craft, made to both hover and fly. Tharuach took the pilot’s seat and Cameron, Ace, and Trilo, sat in the back. It held eight seats after the cockpit and a small lounge area in the back. Resembling a cramped version of Marg’s old plane.

  “It’s gonna be a long flight,” Tharuach said. They hovered their way up the mountain where they had space to take off into the sky. Cameron, who sat next to Ace, twiddled his thumbs and tapped his feat.

  “Still nervous about flying?” Ace said.

  Cameron nodded. “Gotta do what I gotta do though.”

  An hour or so later, they had reached the top of the mountain, extended their wings for take off, and were cruising through the Heorg skies. Thin clouds
stretched below them over the surface of the desert. The craft rocked and rumbled more than Marg’s had because of its small size. They were a pencil soaring through Yutara’s massive canvas of cloud and wind. Cameron twitched and fussed, but soon found the sense to calm himself. Midway through the flight, Trilo and Ace sat in the lounge and the fae gave the boy a funny stare with a wide, expectant smile.

  “What?” Ace said.

  “Now’s as good as time as any,” Trilo said.

  For what? Ace thought but didn’t say. For as soon as he went to speak, he realized what the fae was getting at. “Ah, Ace said. Kinda hard to teach on a bumpy flight.”

  “Oh, c’mon!” Trilo said, “Nothing’s gonna slow down for us, Ace. There’s never gonna be a good time.” The fae wiggled his fingers before the boy. “Teach me how to spark it up!”

  Ace coughed out a laugh. “You don’t seem to have a lot of understanding of how the Light works.”

  “All the more reason I should get learning.”

  Ace rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

  Trilo pumped his fist in the sky and cheered. Ace instructed him to sit on their knees on the white, fluffy rug in front of the tiny couch. Trilo did so and Ace waited for the fae to stop twitching to begin.

  “Close your eyes,” Ace said, and Trilo did. “Hold your hands out in front of you . . . Right, but palms up. There you go! Now, forget all the trouble around you, all the chaos of our days and stress of what needs to be done next. Fill your mind with what matters most to you. Picture it clearly . . . yes . . . there you go. Picture what it is in this world you hold dearest. Whatever prompts you to do good.”

  In a few short minutes, Trilo’s face went still and a tear droplet left from his right eye and moistened his black cargo pants. A timid flicker of white fire came upon the fae’s hand and faded right away.