The Sea of Change

by Tina Engel

  I continued looking, and then again my mom and dad together with mom looking really big. Next to this picture was another with mom holding a baby, me?

  Mom came into the living room and seeing what I was looking at, came to sit next to me.

  “Mom, is this me?” I asked.

  She smiled a large happy smile and told me, yes. We looked at more of the pictures together, lots of them, of me. I turned back then to the older ones before I came along, to the ones where she was pregnant but no baby pictures came after. I said nothing but looked at her with questioning eyes.

  She put her hand on the first picture that I had noticed and told me that this was my big brother who only lived a few days, and then the angels came and took him to heaven.

  She turned the pages until she came to another picture of her and told me that this was my big sister who went to heaven before she was even born. She had tears in her eyes as I looked up into her face, and she put her arm around me, squeezing softly and lovingly.

  “We were so blessed to have you. You are our special miracle.” She said.

  I woke to a noise and rustling in the bushes not far from my bed. I sat up slowly, not wanting to wake the others. I turned, and looking over the warm stone next to me, I saw the female Goblin standing just in front of the bushes, wanting me to see her.

  I got up quietly and walked over to her. She took my hand and we walked through the shrubbery until we came to an opening where a small Goblin house stood.

  It was still night but with the stars out so bright and the little house lit with Christmas tree lights, the surrounding meadow that the house was in, was all lit up. It actually looked like Christmas.

  I remembered then, the one picture that my mom said was my sister, was during Christmas; my mom was sitting next to the Christmas tree.

  The Goblin pulled me gently, wanting me to come to her house. We walked over and went inside. I was overwhelmed at what I saw. There were pictures on the wall of my family, me, mom and dad; all during my childhood, up until my imaginary friends disappeared. I remembered then, that during that time my mom would ask me if I had been looking at the photo albums because some pictures were missing.

  As I turned to look at the Goblin, I said, “It was you who took them.”

  She just smiled a sheepish smile and nodded. When she smiled I could see her large crooked teeth, all yellow and smelly. I tried not to stare or show signs of being repulsed, but it was hard. The smell of that strange mold was everywhere and I remembered then, this smell occasionally from my childhood. It would be in the woods when I played with my friends, but also in the house at times. So she was there all the time, watching and stealing from us.

  “Are you my sister?” I asked, as I knelt down in front of her.

  She came over to me and put her hands on the sides of my face again and nodded her head, as if to say, yes. She smiled again showing all her teeth, but this time I didn’t feel repulsed by the smell. It was familiar and I felt at peace somehow.

  “Is the Goblin leader my brother?” I asked, and she again nodded a yes. Why I knew this, I don’t quite know.

  I stood up and walked over to a little fire that she had going, in a funny little fire place that was made out of broken pieces of clay pots, every color you could imagine. It was quite unique and beautiful. I warmed my hands and just stared into the fire, trying to let this information soak in. So much was starting to make sense now.

  The Goblin, my once human sister, not really my sister at all, tugged at my dress and as I looked down at her, she held a cup of something for me to drink.

  I sat in a chair next to the fire, a child’s chair, but I fit just barely, and took the cup from her hand. Just as I started to take a sip, in came Brett like a hurricane hitting land.

  “Don’t drink that Emilee! What do you think you’re doing?!” He yelled.

  He startled me and I dropped the cup and the liquid spilled all over the floor. The poor Goblin shrieked a god awful sound and cowered in a corner.

  Just then, Ragnar came rushing in with a sort of weapon in hand. It looked like an ice pick on the end of a broom handle. I wanted to laugh at the funny sight it was, but knew better not to. This wasn’t funny to them or Brett.

  I realized that this could be a serious situation and I needed to fix it. I stood and expanded my shield to include Brett, just as Ragnar went to strike Brett and he with his sword in hand, strike the Goblin.

  Their weapons just bounced off of my shield and Brett turned, looking at me in horror. “What are you doing Emilee?”

  He called me Emilee, twice, I thought and smiled faintly.

  “Brett, it’s all right. I’m safe, this is my sister and that’s my brother.” as I pointed in the direction of Ragnar.

  Ragnar put his weapon down and my sister came out of the corner. I shrunk my force field back down to just me, because I felt that the immediate danger was over, but I couldn’t take the pain that I felt, when Brett was close to me. It was back again.

  I told my sister that I was so sorry for spilling the drink, and reaching for a cloth, I bent down to wipe up the spill. The female Goblin came over and removed the cloth from my hands and said, “NO, I will do this. It isn’t a job for our princess.”

  She cleaned up the mess and I stood and walked over to Brett, who was looking angry and frustrated.

  “It’s all right Brett, they won’t hurt me. My human mother and father had two children before me who didn’t survive in the human’s world. These are their children.” And I pointed to both Goblins.

  Brett’s anger subsided and only frustration and exhaustion remained.

  “Princess, please don’t drink anything they give you. Their water changes anything that drinks it, into a Goblin. That’s why we camped away from their village. We don’t want to be contaminated by their wells or food.” Brett said this in a kind manner, trying not to offend these Goblins who would have been my family.

  Ragnar didn’t seem offended at all, and said, “Brett is correct. When I realized you were here, Princess, I came hoping that Eliza hadn’t given you anything. She’s missed you so ever since the great one stopped her visits. Eliza wants you to live with us. She is still young in her mind and doesn’t understand that you have a higher purpose.”

  Brett and I looked at each other with surprise and acceptance and I turned to Eliza and knelt. I took her hands in mine and said, “Eliza I would love to have a cup of your tea please.”

  Well as I figured, Brett and Ragnar let out bellows of negativity and I couldn’t decide who was the loudest.

  Eliza smiled and went over to her stove as I stood and faced the two men who were being overprotective.

  “It’s all right, I can do this. Would you both just sit down and shut up!”

  Well the looks on their faces were priceless, shock and dismay, but they did, however, shut up and sit down. They sat on the floor since there were no more chairs to sit on and they were too big anyway.

  I sat back down in the small chair, and as I started to take a sip, Brett whispered, “Please, Emilee don’t. We don’t know what it will do to you.”

  I took it away from my lips and smiled at Brett saying, “It will be okay.” and I took a sip. It was awful, the worst thing I had ever tasted. I refused to make a face out of respect for this sweet Goblin who wanted me close. I actually finished the entire cup as everyone sat there, still and quiet.

  I could feel the liquid as it entered my body. As it went down my throat and into my stomach, I could feel warmth as it spread into my blood, soaking into my nerves and muscles. My skin started to tingle and I realized that the strange uncomfortable vibration that I was feeling, subsided for a bit. I guess it didn’t like this concoction.

  As I looked out the door, I noticed that it was morning, the sun was shining on a small area just outside the door. How long had we been here, all sitting so quietly, as we wondered what would happen to my body after consuming this Goblin drink?

  I felt odd but still a
ll right and my skin was not green or bumpy as the Goblins were. Eliza took my hand in hers with a very kind smile and kissed it sweetly.

  I stood, and that gave Brett the understanding that we must go. Ragnar stood too with slight sadness, but relief, on his face. I assumed, sad that I would be leaving and relief that I wasn’t turning into a Goblin.

  We left the little house, Eliza still holding my hand. As the sunshine hit my body, I started to feel the strange vibration coming back. It was different somehow though. The vibration was sporadic, coming and going, causing my surroundings to spin, just a bit.

  “Emilee, what’s wrong?!” Brett said, as he started to come towards me.

  Eliza let go of my hand as if I was burning her and as she cowered away to her brother, they both looked concern and uneasy.

  Suddenly my shield started to grow and it pushed Brett away as he was trying to get to me. I felt dizzy and nauseous as the world seem to be spinning around me.

  I looked at Brett when everything stopped spinning, and the look on his face was pure hate and I realized he was looking behind me.

  I turned and there was Stephan DeMill standing there with a smug look on his face. I gasped, and he started to laugh.

  “Well Emilee, it looks like we are together again. This is sooner than I wanted, but this little thief stole the potion that would allow me to show myself and take you home where you belong. No problem though, I’m ready.” Stephan said, and suddenly the trees came alive around us.

  Brett yelled, “Emilee your Barrette.” I assumed he meant for me to activate it, so I did. I held it out in front of me as Stephan came closer. I tried to deactivate my shield so Brett could get in but I couldn’t.

  Then Brett said in a quieter voice but I could hear him, “Throw the Barrette at him. Throw it Emilee.” I looked back at him and he yelled, “NOW!”

  I didn’t understand why, but I did as Brett asked. I deactivated it and threw it at Stephan. He looked surprised as he caught it and my shield disappeared. I mean really disappeared, it wasn’t even around me anymore.

  I could feel Brett and only Brett, no pain or that strange uncomfortable vibration. What was going on I didn’t know, but before I could even try to contemplate this, Brett’s arm went around me and it was like a shock wave of pure love that entered my body. He pulled me to his body and backed away, to get me out of arm’s length from Stephan.

  The tree fey who were working for or being forced to help Stephan, surrounded us. I could hear Jordan yelling something from a distance and saw Eagle up in the sky. Kimberlite appeared out of nowhere to stand next to us. We were surrounded and outnumbered, but then to my left came the Goblin clan.

  Before the fight began I saw movement up in the trees and I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was the spiders, hundreds of them, descending down on their silk webs, landing on the tree fey. There was screaming all around as the Goblins charged.

  Suddenly, to my right came a loud crash and there was Queen Widow in full Spider presence, large and angry with her poisonous venom dripping from her large sharp fangs. If I hadn’t known she was my friend, I would have passed out from fear. Even knowing she was my friend, I felt some fear, but for those who had made her angry.

  Brett tossed me behind him and I landed in Ragnar’s arms. He placed me gently in Eliza’s little home, where she shut the door and locked it.

  I wanted to be out there fighting, but had no weapon at this time. What was going on, how did Stephan appear in my shield and what did my Barrette have to do with all of this? And how did Brett know?” All these questions were swirling around in my mind as the noise of screaming, crashing and even crying went on outside.

  I went over to a small window, and looking out, I was horrified with what I saw. Kimberlite was holding his own, of course, there was really nothing that could hurt a rock. He was destroying any fey that came close, crushing them as their blood splattered the nearby ground, and fey who got to close.

  Brett was standing with Jordan, back to back, fighting fey that I was sure were bears if in the human dimension. One of the fey got to close to Jordan and with one quick swipe, from the fey’s hand, its sharp claw left a large gash in his hip. Jordan let out a shriek and fell to his knees. If Brett hadn’t turned around when he did, and struck the fey with his sword across the throat, half way decapitating him, Jordan would have probably lost his head. Jordan stood then and with incredible strength continued to fight as blood oozed from the gash.

  Brett had scratches on his face and blood oozing slightly from his shoulder, after a cat fey leaped from behind, biting down on Brett’s shoulder before Jordan was able to remove the creature with one swift swing of an axe. Where he got the axe, I wasn’t sure.

  I could see the spiders descending from their webs from the trees above, landing on the fey working for Stephan, screams of pain as the spiders landed on their faces and then the spiders returning, up into the trees, to find another enemy to land on. As the spiders left their victims, I could see their faces swelling and turning a deep purple color as they fell to the ground or ran into the woods screaming with pain.

  Queen Widow was having no problem with the fey who tried to attack her, not that there were many who tried. In her spider form, she could open her mouth as wide as the fey’s head that she was attacking and with razor sharp fangs, she would remove their heads with one bit, then spit it out as if it was not tasty at all. Since not many wanted to take Queen Widow on, she would have to chase her pray down, many running into the woods with her following, and I would hear a shriek of pain, then the Queen coming back into the chaos with a smug look on her face.

  As I looked around at all the chaos and destruction my eyes suddenly fell on a crumpled shape next to a tree. It looked like a pile of feathers but with so many fey running here and there I was having a hard time seeing what it was. Then suddenly, I realized it was Eagle. He wasn’t moving and was covered in blood. I let out a gasp and felt an overwhelming dread.

  Eliza took my hand and led me over to the little fire place. She added more wood causing the fire to blaze, just as a branch from a tree came down the chimney. There was a yell of pain and Eliza looked at me with triumph on her face. We gave each other a loving embrace, feeling proud, that we help in the battle that was going on around us. It wasn’t long before the noise subsided and there were just moans and soft cries.

  Eliza went to the door, unlocking and opening it, and there stood Rose and Lily. Lily said in her usual annoyed manner, “Can you not stay out of trouble for even a little bit?”

  Rose smacked Lily on the arm for saying that, and Lily gave Rose such a look of insult that I had to do something before we had a real cat fight on our hands.

  I rushed to the doorway and as I reached them, I put both my arms around them and squeezed tight. Soon they both had their arms around me and each other. I smiled weakly, knowing that I stopped what could have been ugly, and after what I had just seen, I knew I couldn’t take anymore, even though I knew it would have just been in a joking manner.

  As I let go and backed away, I said, “How did he find us? I don’t understand any of this.”

  We left the little house, entering what was a true battle ground. There were injured fey everywhere but no sign of Stephan. All the fey were helping each other, even the fey who were working for Stephan. I knew that most of them had been fey who lived nearby and had been put under his strange power, but others were being rounded up and taken away. To where I didn’t know, and didn’t think I wanted to.

  I ran over to where Eagle had been just minutes ago. He was no longer there. I felt it, his vibration, soft and warm, sweet and gentle. He was somewhere in the field, I couldn’t see him yet but I felt him and he was safe and unharmed, for the most part. I shut my eyes and let this wonderful feeling take me away. We were connected again. I wasn’t alone any longer. I felt the tears well up in my eyes, and as they ran down my cheeks, there was a hand that caught them. I opened my eyes and he was standing there, in front of me wi
th a look of longing in his eyes.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist, and lifted me up off the ground. I buried my face on his shoulder as his hair gave me covering, from all to see. I let the tears fall as they may and they ran down his chest. The relief I felt having him back both inside and out, was so overwhelming that I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

  I don’t know how long we stood there, but before I knew it he scooped me up in his arms. I said then, quietly, “Eagle?”

  Brett whispered softly, “He is being taken care of. We will know more soon.” I looked up at his face and saw sadness and despair in his eyes.

  Brett carried me through the trees and bushes back to our camp. He set me down on my bedding and knelt down in front of me. He reached out and took my hands in his. I looked up into his face and saw only joy and love.

  “What happened back there and how did you know what to do?” I asked.

  Brett smiled and removing one of his hands from mine, wiped away a tear as it was trying to dry on my cheek, as he said, “I realized early on that there was something surrounding you, causing the pain you were feeling. It wasn’t until last night that I had some idea of what it was. When we were in the field, I could touch you without discomfort. I didn’t want to ask you to drop your shield because I still didn’t know why you felt normal. I had my suspicion that it had something to do with your barrette, but wasn’t going to let on that I was suspecting anything, until I had more information. When I realized you didn’t have the barrette on, during the time that I could touch you without that strange danger and pain, I knew then that something was wrong with your barrette. The minute you put it back in your hair, I could feel the odd distance from you again.”

  “I still don’t understand, how did he get in my shield? In my barrette?”

  Brett reached up, and taking something out of his shirt pocket, I saw it was my barrette laying there on his open hand. I looked at it and then back up into his face with a questioning look.

  He turned it over so the top was up, and with a finger, pointed to a sliver that was wedged in between a space in the pinecone. It was so small that I hadn’t seen it before. He picked it out, and as he put in on the ground, it burrowed itself into the ground.