Each blow, each head I take gets me closer to finding my family. These creepers weren’t turned too long ago. They are still whole, but the black veins and blank eyes are a dead giveaway of what they are. I breathe a little easier that I haven’t seen any of my friends and family among them. We have almost broken through this mini horde, and I am nearly on the porch. Anton is still fighting at my side, I’m glad I have a good eye on all three. A creeper ambles up to me. With a swing of my sword, the head spins off and hits another one, knocking it over, it gets lodged on a t-post that was set up, so the rabbits couldn’t get in the garden.
I hear a laugh from Anton on my right.
“Stop laughing and put it out of its misery.” I scold.
He sticks his tongue out and beheads it with ease, placing a hand on each side of the creepers face and pulls. It detaches from the spine and black goo soaks the ground as he drops it.
“Liauna, there are only a few left, head in and see if you can find your family,” Callum calls from the yard.
I jump off the porch and march to where he is standing. “Last time I left, one of you got bitten. You will not leave my sight with these creepers around, got it buddy?”
“My bad, let’s get them taken care of and head in the house.”
While I have my little chat with Callum, Evans and Anton take out the rest.
“Princess, time to check the house,” Evans says and guides me in.
We pair off as we check the first floor, Evans with Callum and Anton with me. There are only four rooms, so the check goes fast. Nothing is out of place, it looks the same as when I left. Water bottles fill the kitchen floor, cans of food line the cabinets. The first bedroom, Anton and I check, there is a bed in the middle of the room and first aid supplies tower in all the corners. On the bed are a few random open boxes, like someone’s injuries were treated. This worries me even more, still no sign of my family.
Next we head up the stairs, and they groan under our weight. Evans hits the landing first, then Callum, they step into the first room, empty. Anton and I check the next room after we get the all clear from them, and I find them. I find them all! The whole faction is there, all in one room, not much room to move around. Kyle is the first to greet me.
He pulls me into an awkward hug, he is really glad I’m back. I pull back and the look on his face confirms my fears. Someone is hurt.
“Thank goodness you’re home. It’s Rae,” he says.
At that most of the faction exits the room. As they do, I see her laying on the bed. My mother is holding her hand with a tear-stained face. Rae is sleeping, but her breathing is labored, I can see her chest struggle to rise, and it falls too fast.
My mother looks up, and a smile graces her lips for a second. I rush to her side, hugging her.
Sighing, her expression is dire as she gently removes the blanket from Rae’s body. As the blanket trails down, I can see that my cousin had fought for her life, her shirt is smeared with black creeper goo. I see her jeans are torn up high, all the way up to her thigh and there on her calf, it is. An angry looking bite with black veins extending out, all the way down her legs into her toes and then up half of her thigh.
By this time, tears are streaming down my face, I will them towards the bite. Praying that the cure will work on her bite, just as it did Anton’s. As each tear hits the bite, I see a black vein retract back, until all that’s left is a scar where she was bitten.
Her breathing is starting to return to normal, and she is starting to stir. My mother looks at Rae’s leg, at the bite, then back to me.
“How?” is all she asks, surprise written all over her face.
“I don’t really know. It worked on Anton’s bite, so it was worth a try. The Fae alchemist, Jaime, thinks it’s because I’m still a virgin. She made an antidote, and I have enough for everyone here.” I smile weakly.
I remove one necklace from my pocket and put it around my mother’s neck.
“Where’s dad and Uncle Wes?” I ask, just realizing they aren’t anywhere to be seen.
“They went on a run, hoping to find something to help. They should be back soon.”
“You let them go out, by themselves? They aren’t trained enough for that mom.” I say, almost yelling.
“The Fae guards are with them,” she retorts.
Anton comes over, wrapping his arms around me, “Calm down, Liauna, this isn’t the place for this,” he whispers in my ear and gestures toward Rae.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I hate that everyone I love is getting hurt.”
I gently cover Rae back up, she looks like she is sleeping comfortably. I nod to my guys, and they start handing out necklaces, as I do.
Presley and Baylor tackle me when I get close, God, how I’ve missed them. I hug them and then drape a necklace on each of them.
“Girls, I have missed you so much, but we have so much work to do. I will come visit before I leave. Can you two take care of Rae, while we make the faction safe again?”
The both nod eagerly. I’m so glad that they are willing to help.
“Mom, can I talk with you for a minute?”
She relinquishes her spot to one of the twins, each on either side of the bed, they take Rae’s hands.
Mom leads me into the first bedroom that Evans and Callum cleared. Before she closes the door, my guys slip in.
Evans speaks up, “What happened here?”
Mom launches into a story.
Yesterday, all was normal. The Fae guard, Rae, and Kyle were out on a run for personal female items. Then all hell broke loose. A massive number of creepers approached, their combined weight strained the panels until they gave way. Before the panels fell, the faction all gathered in the supply house. With everyone safe, they decided that waiting for the guard to return was the safest plan. When they returned they parked as close to the supply house as they could, they fought hard and were almost in the house when one grabbed Rae’s leg and bit down.
“I will never forget her scream, it will forever haunt my dreams.” my mother finished the story with tears streaming down her cheeks.
I hug her tightly, “Mom, we are going to clear the creepers and repair the panels. Please keep the twins safe.”
She starts to argue, then she sees my face and knows there is no use.
“Fine, just stay safe.”
Callum leads us down the stairs and outside. The four of us walk around the faction and take out the stray creepers we find. We also check each house to ensure there aren’t any creepers hiding in any of them. Once we deem it safe, the guys set to work stabilizing the panels once again. The weight of the horde was so great that almost every panel was compromised. After an hour or so, the faction is safe for another day.
I head back to the supply house, and much to my surprise, I’m greeted by Rae. She has a huge smile on her face, and I know the one on my face matches hers. She steps out on the porch as I climb it. We hug each other tightly, the tightest I can ever remember. I can feel tears hit my cheeks. They aren’t tears of sadness but of happiness. I am holding my cousin in my arms, and she is alive.
I escort her back to her house, and tuck her in her bed, telling her to rest.
“I will be back before I leave. I promise. We have a lot to talk about.”
Once her eyes are closed and I see her body relax, I leave. I’m just in time to see the Fae guards, my father, and uncle return home. I run to the supply house, not stopping until I have tackled my father in a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost any of you.”
“Liauna, it’s Rae–” my father starts.
“Dad, she is fine and resting at home, I tucked her in myself.”
“How?” My uncle stammers.
“It’s a long story, Uncle Wes. Go be with Rae, I will come visit after everyone is settled back in their homes and I talk with my parents.”
With a grateful smile, Uncle Wes heads in the direction of his house. I loop my arm with m
y father’s, and I take him home.
Once we walk through the door, I see the tension in my mother’s face disappear, and it’s replaced with a smile.
“Oh, my two favorite people are here,” she jokes.
I guide my dad to the couch, then mom retells how Rae was healed. The look on my father’s face is priceless, it’s a mix of shock and awe. He looks from me to my mom and back several times.
“How Liauna? It is truly amazing, I always knew you were special, but I didn’t realize how much,” my dad says, stunned.
“Honestly, I don’t know if the cure works because I’m half Fae and a virgin, or what? We just knew it would work because it cured Anton. We have an alchemist at the palace, and she worked to perfect the cure. She was able to get the right dose in these necklaces, so it’s portable.”
“What does the King think of all of this?” my dad questions.
“Well, I wouldn’t know, he was taken by the hag that cursed the Fae King that started all this. We only just got a lead a few days ago, and we will head to find him after we leave here. I didn’t want to venture off too far when I knew a cure was so close. I want to tell Rae good-bye, and then we need to head back to the Fae Realm and get ready to find my father. I’m sorry that I can’t stay longer, but I will sleep a little easier knowing that you all have the cure and are safe once more.”
“I’m glad you were here to help Rae, I wish you didn’t have to go. But it’s not the time to be selfish.” My father hugs me. “Be safe, I know you will save the King and end this war. You are still my little girl, and I worry about you.”
I hug him back and try not to tear up. I have missed this home, and being here reminds me of why. I’ve been so busy training and looking for clues to find my father, I didn’t dwell too much on missing home. Guilt racks my body as I stand. I wish I could stay longer, but I need to find my father, return him to our kingdom then go after Deezy and stop this once and for all.
Sadness fills my parents’ eyes when they see me stand.
I hate this part, it’s almost as if I’m breaking their hearts that I’m leaving.
“Don’t be sad, as soon as this is over, I will be back.”
I hug them both tightly, then I walk out my parents’ front door, not looking back. I knew if I did, I would cry.
Not even one step, and I’m tackled by black and pink blurs. I hear their giggles as I fall hard on my butt.
“Girls, I have missed you two. I need to check on Rae, and we have to go back to the Fae Realm. I promise when this is all over, I will come back and spend so many days with you, you’ll beg your mom to take you home.”
This gets more giggles from them, but they detach themselves and run towards their home.
I dust the grass off my butt as I stand and head back to Rae’s. The door swings open, and my uncle hugs me for the first time I can remember.
Then he lets go and leads me to Rae. She is still sleeping peacefully. I hate to wake her, but I have to, so I’m not nice about it. I jump right in the middle of her bed, right on top of her.
“Five more minutes, dad,” She mumbles.
“Rae, it’s Liauna. I have to go, but I wanted to say goodbye before I left.”
Her eyes start to flutter open, and I can see her body moving under her neon pink comforter.
“L, you can’t go, you just got here,” she mumbles.
As I stroke her hair, her eyes close. “I will be back as soon as I can. No more bites, please. I love you cousin.”
She’s lightly snoring. I kiss her forehead and let myself out just like I have so many times before. I gently close the front door as I exit. I look up to see my men waiting for me in the middle of the street. A smile tips my lips as I head to them. They simply wrap their arms around me, they know it is time to head home to the Fae Realm. I enjoy their embrace for a moment, then I close my eyes and concentrate on home.
I smell cinnamon even before I open my eyes. Damn, you bakers, you’re going to make me fat.
Ignoring the smell, I proceed to find Kalli, though my first stop is my room. This dress rule is silly but I will follow it because my father asked me to. My three men trail me as I push open the door. Kalli is asleep in the chair by my bed. I see my pack is sitting next to her on the floor. I’ve been so concerned with training, my father and the witch, Deezy as well as my men, I never stopped to think how Kalli is handling running the kingdom.
I’m the worst princess in the history of princesses.
Evans takes pity on his sister, picking her up and carries her to her chambers.
“I’m so selfish, I haven’t stopped for a moment to think or ask how Kalli is handing her new role.” I throw myself face down on the silver and blue comforter.
I feel the bed sink a little on each side of me. Callum flips me over, laying beside me.
“You are not selfish. This is new to us all, and we are doing the best we can. Kalli knows you mean well and you care for her. We have bigger fish to fry at the moment. I’m going to get my bag packed. You relax, don’t worry so much,” he says and kisses my cheek, before hopping off the bed.
Anton takes me in his arms and just holds me. He doesn’t say a word. I’m grateful for the silence. We have been through so much go, go, go that I don’t get much time to just be.
Chapter Eight
The next morning I’m done with my pity party, I remove myself from Anton’s embrace. Sadness fills me, I would much rather stay in his arms, but that will not bring my father back. I walk into the bathroom and look at my reflection. Geez, I let the guys see me like this?
After I try taming my hair with water and failing miserably, I decide it’s time for a change. I march back into my room, grab my sword and give it a thorough cleaning. I then take a quick shower to remove whatever creeper goo I may still have on my skin. I call on my air magic to dry me while I step out. I smooth and pull my hair into a ponytail, and I go back to where I left my sword.
Standing in front of the mirror I raise the sword and pull it through my hair, just under the rubber band. I release it from my grip, and all the hair flutters to the floor. I remove the rubber band and shake loose my hair. A wide smile fills my face, I love how freeing just the simple change is.
Why’d I wait so long to do this?
For a moment, I forget that Anton is still sitting in my room. I run into the closet and pull out clean clothes. Nervously, I return to my room. I am unsure how my men will like the change. I bite my lips as I wait for Anton to notice or say something.
Anton looks up as I approach him, and I see a smirk on his face. He stands and walks over to me, not saying a word he merely runs his hands through my hair.
I look up at him with a curious face, “So, do you hate it?”
“You are beautiful, the length of your hair doesn’t change that or how I feel about you,” he reassures me, cupping my face and kissing my lips.
“Dude, who are you kissing?” I hear come from Callum.
Laughing ends our kiss, and I look at him. His jaw drops as he realizes it’s me.
“No, what did you do? I loved your long hair,” Callum says sadly, a frown gracing his lips.
“If you love it that much, I haven’t cleaned it up off the floor in the bathroom,” I tease.
Callum has a look of indecision on his face, come to me or go get the hair.
“I thought it was time for a change, next time I will consult you first,” I promise him.
“No need, Princess, if you like it, it will grow on me. You are beautiful, either way,” Callum reassures me.
“Aww, sweet Callum. You sound just like Anton here,” I joke.
With that statement, Callum wrinkles his nose and sticks his tongue out at me.
The door creaks this time as it opens, Evans entering the room.
“Are we ready to head out?” Evans asks plainly.
“Two minutes, I need to clean up my mess in the bathroom and pull my hair up,” I reply.
“What hair?” Callum teases
, a sparkle in his eye.
“I like this shorter look. I will worry less about it getting caught on a creeper or a tree now,” Evans states.
“Always the optimist, aren’t we, Evans?” I tease as I smile at him.
Once I’ve cleaned up, I put up my newly shortened hair and grab my shoes on the way to my bed.
Standing once I’ve got my shoes on, I sling my pack on my back.
“I would like to see Kalli and Zach before we head out, just to check on them and say goodbye.” I inform them.
“Let us hurry, I want to make camp before nightfall,” Evans says. “I will take you to Kalli and Zach.”
“Aye, Aye Captain,” I reply as I push by him.
Evans grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I look up at him, a smile on his face as he kisses me lightly on the lips. “You are always beautiful, never doubt that.”
“That was unexpected, but thank you Evans,” I say, returning the smile. “Now, let’s go save my father.”
With determination in my step I follow Evans. I will save my father, then the Fae Realm and the human realm. I never thought that I would have the weight of the world on my shoulders, but I will buck up and save them all.
As we arrive in the courtyard, we see Zach and Kalli are busy sparring with swords. Kalli is fluid in her movements as if they are natural. Zach, on the other hand, is a little awkward. A sense of pride swells in my chest. They aren’t warriors, but here they are working hard to be ready for the battle to come.
Not wanting to stop their training for more than just a moment, I hug them both and say goodbye.
“Be safe, Princess. We will keep the kingdom safe and await your return,” Kalli states.
“You be safe as well,” I say then turn to Zach. “Take care of our Kalli here.”
I see him gulp and nod his head.
Chapter Nine
“Anton, Evans, and Callum if you please,” is all I have to say.
They surround me and hold tight. I concentrate on the spot on the map, some place called Dove Creek. I say a silent prayer then in a flash we are in the mountains.
Redemption of the Fae Page 6