Fae Eyes
By
Michelle R Reid
Fae Eyes
By Michelle R Reid
Published by Heart Dreams Press
Copyright © 2018 Michelle R Reid
Cover Designer: by Fantasy Book Design
All rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format of in any medium without written permission. [email protected]
The views expressed within this work are the sole responsibility of the author and do not represent Heart Dreams Press or any of its affiliates.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are product of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments or events are purely coincidental.
ISBN: 1-942000-32-4
ISBN: 978-1-942000-32-7
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
For You
Chapter One
My people say the Fae are evil—fiends of nature and a lesser race. And Fae say humans are so cut off from the planet that we are a scourge.
But the Sun Fae right in front of me didn’t look like a fiend. Fae come in all sizes but he was as tall and slender as a human. Even kneeling in the dirt, clothed in gray rags and weighed down by iron chains that blistered his skin, he still held his chin high and glared at the slavers with regal malice. His amber eyes blazed, screaming the words he couldn’t say. He was almost breathtaking.
I shouldn’t have even looked him. After walking the whole morning to get to town, then navigating the busy streets alone for the first time and getting lost a couple times, there wasn’t a lot of time for distractions.
One of the Slavers with a thick, bristly beard shoved the Fae forward and stood on the shackles around the Fae’s wrists, forcing him to stay bent, while two more slaver gripped his wings with thick leather gloves. Against the harsh texture, the Fae’s luminescent wings gleamed like sunbeams through the leaves of a tree. I could almost smell the fresh breeze just by looking at them. Such a smell wouldn’t be possible in the middle of this dirty, musty part of the city.
People bustled past me on their way to different stands of merchants howling about their wares. The smell of city dirt, dry and lifeless, kicked up in the air from all the shoes pounding the road. There was so much noise and motion going on around me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the scene just ten feet away beside a brick building. How did a warrior Sun Fae even become a slave?
I glanced down to the packed dirt street, not really sure why the sight bothered me. Really, it had nothing to do with me. If a group of Slavers thought their property was too hard to handle, that’s what it was. There were more important things I needed to do.
My fingers gripped the straps of my satchel tighter as I took a step away and focused on my goal. Mr. O’Brien’s shabby stand covered in vials was so close. Which one was Fae nectar? One of those tiny bottles would solve all of my family’s problems—for the cost of a small fortune.
My mistake was looking back.
Even with the protection, the wings must have been hot. “Hop on it, Graft,” the man holding the wings hissed as his gloves started to smoke. He winced. “Damn Fae.”
A fourth slaver pulled out a long iron knife and moved behind the Fae. “It’s time you felt your place,” the thin ruffian snarled, blade flashing in the hot sun. He positioned the knife over the right wing, just at the base.
The Fae’s eyes widened with alarm and murder as he tried to look over his shoulder.
My mouth dropped open. “Wait!” I stumbled forward without thinking and right into the path of a huge man holding a burlap bag of potatoes.
“Watch it, girl,” he growled and shoved me out of the way with his shoulder.
My feeble legs gave out, pitching me forward. I landed on the thin slaver with the knife, catching him off guard, and we fell forward.
He landed on the other Slavers, and they lost their balance too. Two howled as their bare skin brushed the Fae’s wings, leaving red, bubbling welts on their hairy arms.
“What the ‘ell?” The man under me yelled and shoved me off him. He shoved at the dirt that stuck to the stubbled around his chin.
The dirt bit into my hands and arms as I slid. “I-I’m sorry,” I stammered, horrified, and scrambled to my feet. It took two tries to stand up. I had to grit my teeth to hide the pain, both from the aching in my hands and the stabbing throb in my legs.
All four men stood up and loomed over me, so close I could see the black pores on their noses and smell their stench of sweat and alcohol.
“What the ‘ell’s this about’?” the man with a big beard demanded, thrusting out his even bigger belly.
My hands grasped at the satchel as I steeled my nerves. “I—” The satchel wasn’t on my shoulder. Desperate, my eyes scoured the ground—where is it?
It was lying on the ground, right next to the Sun Fae.
He stared up at me from his hands and knees, the look he gave me was barely better than the ones he’d given the men. Human scum.
I flinched. Just looking at him made every scar on my legs sting like they were burning. I reached for my satchel, hands shaking more than I wanted them to.
The thin slaver stooped and grabbed the handle at the same time I did. “What’s this?”
I tried to pull it out of his iron grip. “It’s nothing. Please let go.”
“I ain’t think so, missy,” another man sneered. “Whatcha doin’, gettin’ in our way?”
I swallowed. I didn’t even know. I took a breath, trying to calm my frantic heart. “You shouldn’t cut off his wings. It’ll kill him.” I glanced behind at the people walking past. Didn’t anyone care that three men were ganging up on a young woman? But they just walked past, like this wasn’t their problem. It shouldn’t have been mine either.
The men laughed.
“Like that matters,” the one holding my satchel grunted. “He’s a right pain in the ass.”
My cheeks colored a little bit. I wasn’t ignorant of their crude language, but my kin and hired farm hands didn’t use it around me. “But if you kill him, then you won’t get any money off him.”
Really, why should I care? The world would be a better place with one less Fae. Especially one as dangerous as a Sun Fae.
They laughed again. The bearded man folded his arms over the girth of his messy tunic. “Ain’t no one gonna buy that fiend. He don’t listen right. He’s better off dead.”
The wiry man holding my satchel jerked it again. This time it slipped out of my hands.
“Hey!” I lunged forward.
The man’s hand shot out and hit me on the shoulder.
I stumbled back and almost fell again. Cursed legs, why did they always fail me when I needed them? I glared at the men. “Give it back.”
He flipped open the flap and gaped. Slowly he pulled out the large money pouch. “Wha’ have we ‘ere? What’s a gimpy girl like you doin’ with this much money?” He opened it and grinned down at the wealth of copper inside.
The other men leaned over his shoulder, pushing and shoving to get a better look inside. Open greed played over the men’s faces.
Dread sank in my stomach, heavy as a stone. I needed that money. My uncle’s very life depended on that money. “That’s mine, give it back!” I reached for it, but he slapped my hands away.
“Hold up, missy. If ya wan’ that Fae to keep his wings that bad, ya gotta buy him.” The thin man held the money pouch over his head. Coins jingled in it. “This should be ‘nough.”
I gasped. “No! Stop
it! Even if I wanted to buy him, that’s still double his cost!” I reached for it, stumbling up onto my toes.
The bearded man laughed and pushed me to the dirt. “Jus’ the right price.”
I winced as pain vibrated from my toes to my hips. Down here, I was eye level with the Sun Fae. I flinched away from his penetrating stare.
From the chilling fires of his gaze, it was obvious he not only thought I was a maggot, but a stupid one.
One of the men, still holding his smoking gloves, grabbed a leather cord out of the pocket of his rough-looking brown pants. From the loop dangled a yellow Pearl the size of my thumb nail. He tossed it onto my lap, followed by an iron key. “Too bad I ain’t gonna be around long enough to see how fast that damn Fae kills ya.”
“Wait! Stop!” I tried to scramble to my feet but my legs wouldn’t work properly.
The men took turns kicking the Fae in the stomach as they passed.
The Fae grunted and grabbed at them, but the chain that connected his ankle shackles to his wrist stopped him short.
The men hurried away, laughing. Soon they were lost in the crowd.
“Stop!” I pushed to my hands and knees. My shoulder bumped into the Fae’s hard, warm one. I stilled in shock, heart skittering, and looked right into his handsome face.
Seven years had passed since I was this close to a Fae. Memories of pain, the smell of burning flesh and evil, high-pitched laughter threatened to swamp my thoughts. I flinched back from him.
He snorted and looked down. His eyes widened.
I followed his gaze and gasped. The yellow Pearl—his will and life force—had fallen off my lap in my haste and lay on the ground within his reach.
We reached for it at the same time. The iron around his wrist deterred his movements enough that I grabbed it first. I clutched the warm Pearl to my chest and scooted back away from the Fae. I just lost all Papa’s money, I couldn’t lose this Fae too. I might still be able to salvage this.
He rose to his knees until his chains restricted his movements. He looked down at me, his mouth creased in disdain. “Return it, human.” His voice was low and demanding.
I flinched again, insides melting under his hot gaze. “No.” My voice shook more than I wanted it to.
If I gave it back, he’d obviously kill me. He’d probably turn the entire street into a bloodbath before someone got him under control. If four Slavers couldn’t handle him, how could I? My papa didn’t keep slaves—with reason. How was I supposed to talk to one?
The Fae reached for the key to his chains on the ground next to his knees.
“Don’t touch that!” I gasped.
His hand stopped just a breath away from the key. He made an annoyed sound and glared at me.
I flinched, a little surprised it worked. So, holding the Pearl made him obey me? It still wasn’t comforting. “S-Stay there. Don’t move.” I needed to figure out what to do now.
His hand was so close to the key, I’d have to touch him to get it. It could stay there for now. I tugged at my skirt, making sure it covered my legs. Even though I always wore leggings, I felt more in control knowing that my legs were covered all the way.
But I wasn’t in control. I had one job. Take the money and buy a vial of Fae nectar. Papa sold a third of our farm to get that money. Now I lost it for a Fae I didn’t want.
I gripped my skirt in frustration and moisture pooled in my eyes, but I refused to let the tears go farther. Just when I finally talked Papa into believing that I could do something helpful by myself. Uncle Albus was going to die, and it was my fault.
“How long am I to stay here, human?” the Fae demanded.
I blinked out of my thoughts and accidently looked into his blazing eyes. The intensity of his stare made me jump. I thought he wasn’t moving so I couldn’t touch the key. But I did tell him ‘don’t move,’ so he couldn’t move at all. This was going to be complicated.
I glanced at the people still bustling around behind me, determined to oblivious of what had just happened right next to them despite the random curious glances. Maybe one of them wanted a slave.
I turned back to the Sun Fae. “Sit down. And try to look nice.”
He sat down against the low brick wall and glared at me.
* * * * *
Any hopes I had of selling the Fae waned, the longer it took. Any slight interest I could muster in potential buyers vanished at the sight of him. It was obvious people didn’t want a Fae who looked like he’d kill you the instant his hands were free. All too soon, venders started to pack up their wares and walked past me, some casting pitied glances as they went. Apparently, everyone else knew not to interact with a warrior Sun Fae.
The sun was already low on the horizon, threatening to turn red, and half the booths were empty. I had to do something. Now. Desperate, I turned to look at the Fae nectar merchant sitting at his table, drumming his fingers and staring moodily at the thickening shadows that grew across the ground. My hands clutched my skirt, but I forced them to let go and smooth out the material. I took a breath to try and calm my nerves, but my heart was jumping so much that my breath was haggard. Trying to keep my steps as even as I could, I walked up to him. “Mr. O'Brien?” I asked and stopped in front of him. “My name is Maira Moraine.”
He blinked out of a stupor and looked up at me with dark eyes too close together. “Ah, Miss Moraine. I was starting to think you weren’t coming after all.” He leveled me with a stare that spoke volumes about his feelings about the wait.
I swallowed hard and put on the best smile I could muster. “Sorry about that. There were ... complications.” Big ones.
He sighed and waved a hand in dismissal. “Whatever the reason, let’s get this over with.” He reached out and picked up a green vial from the collection on his table. “One vial of Fae nectar, as requested.” He dangled it with his left fingers while his right hand opened palm up towards me. “Now the money.”
My heart skittered again and a dull ache started at my right knee and spread down to my toes. I bit my lips to keep from wincing. I was already worried about this part, the physical pain wasn’t helping.
“Ah, actually,” I had to stop and clear my throat to take the squeak out of my voice. “I was hoping to trade this Fae instead.” I motioned with my hand behind me to the wall where the Sun Fae glared at us.
Mr. O'Brien's eyes narrowed and he scowled. He pulled a crumpled paper from his breast pocket and waved it below my nose. “Now see here. The agreement I made with your pa was money for the nectar. What am I going to do with a Sun Fae? I handle nectar, not slaves. Especially not ones as strong willed as him.” He sniffed in the direction of the Sun Fae. “Even without their Pearl, they can’t be controlled properly.”
“But—”
“Come back when you have the money we agreed on. Tell your pa that even sending a pretty lass won’t make the difference.” He paused. “I ought to charge you more for trying to shortchange me.” He sniffed and gave a justified nod.
I bit my lips. “I’m sorry for wasting your time, Mr. O'Brien.” Slowly I turned and limped back to where I left the—my—Fae. Feeling like a hundred bricks were yoked to my shoulders and an axe was hacking at my insides, I stood in front of him, clutching the key to his chains.
His mouth twisted in anger as he stared at me.
I swallowed. “I’m going to untie you now. You are not allowed to hurt me or anyone else.” My hands shook as I reached out and unlocked the chains as fast as I could.
As soon as the chains were off, he leapt to his feet as agile as, well, a Fae.
I stumbled back, wobbled, but managed not to fall over.
He stretched his arms and legs, flexing the brilliant wings on his back. He was unusually tall for a Fae, at least six inches taller than me. When he was done, he laid his wings flat against his back like a glowing cape and stared at me.
I nodded, trying to convince myself I was in control. “Come on. I need to go home now. I was supposed to be back hours ago.
” I was also supposed to return home with a vial of Fae nectar, not an actual Fae.
Chapter Two
The sky was dark blue, the last rays of light streaking through the trees on the horizon, by the time we made it the several miles to my extended family’s cluster of houses. The Fae could have gotten there in half the time, but I couldn’t move that fast. It made the silent walk more awkward. The Fae spent the whole time walking three steps behind me, eyes penetrating my back.
Outside my farmhouse, I paused with my hand on the smooth, familiar wood. I couldn’t remember a time I’d felt more ashamed to walk through this door. I couldn’t put this off forever. My uncle didn’t have that long to live. Slowly I pushed it open.
Mama stood at the kitchen counter that ran the far wall, keeping her hands busy scrubbing an already-shining pot. Other spotless pots hung on the wood wall above the hearth. Papa sat at the large table in the middle of the common room, staring at his hands. The tired lines on his weathered face were deeper than ever. Aunt Nia sat in a wooden chair in front of the fire mantle, face blank as if in a trance. After the second full day of harvesting, they all should be getting ready to sleep—my brothers and cousins probably already were.
When I stepped in, all three jumped to their feet and turned to me with hopeful faces.
I ducked my head and moved to the side so the Fae could come in too.
The silence that followed hurt more than the day my legs were ruined.
The tension radiating from the Fae next to me mirrored my own.
“What is that doing here?” Papa was the first to regain his voice. It was as rough as lava stone. “Where is the Fae nectar, Maira?”
Tears pooled in my eyes.
The Fae sucked in a sharp breath and looked down at me. It wasn’t hard to tell that he was suddenly angry. Well, angrier.
I understood why. The Fae don’t eat normal food. They gain nutrients from nature—in the Sun Fae’s case, the sun—and Fae nectar. I don’t know how it’s made but I know it’s rare, even for Fae, and the medicinal purposes are miraculous. In some cases, like my uncle who was hit by a poisoned Fae dart, it’s the only cure. The theft of Fae nectar is the original reason why the humans and Fae began to hate each other.
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