The Twisted Tale of Faerywood Falls

by Blythe Baker

“No, you didn’t…but you were chosen nonetheless,” Bliss said. “That means that you can do this. And only you are going to be able to. Anyone else would’ve fallen short.”

  “Look, I get that you’re trying to make me feel better,” I said. “But – ”

  “That’s not what I’m trying to do,” Bliss said. “I’m just letting you know that I believe in you.”

  That warmed my heart slightly, and a small, dim light seemed to pierce through the shadows that had shrouded me.

  “But what does that mean now?” Aunt Candace asked.

  “Well, both of you are going to need to be careful,” I said. “Especially you, Aunt Candace. If the monster is targeting people I know, it might come after you.”

  “Don’t worry, she’ll be safe,” Bliss said. “And so will I.”

  “Okay, how can you be so sure of that?” I asked.

  I could almost see Bliss shrug in my head. “Let’s just say that I left some precautions behind to watch over things in my absence.”

  Aunt Candace’s eyes darted down to the phone. “What do you mean by that, dear?”

  “Don’t worry, Mom. Everything’s going to be okay. But Marianne…you need to be careful about what you do next, because things are going to get dicey.”

  “Yes, I know…” I said.

  “Do you have any idea what you want to do now?” she asked.

  I reached up and grabbed a thin, leather cord I’d hung around my neck that morning. Tugging on it, I lifted it out of my shirt, along with the small, velvet pouch I’d attached to the end of it. “Bliss, have you ever seen a crystal ball made of a pearly crystal?”

  “No, can’t say that I – ” a snapping sound passed over the phone line. “Wait a second. I haven’t seen one, but I’ve heard of one. Zara mentioned something about an orb of the ages, something that was so powerful that spell weavers a thousand or something years ago broke it so it couldn’t get into the wrong hands. Why?”

  I opened the mouth of the pouch and showed it to Aunt Candace.

  Her eyes widened. “You don’t think…”

  “What is it?” Bliss asked.

  “I found a shard of crystal that sounds just like that,” I said. “And when I touch it, it acts like a crystal ball. Images appear in my mind, but it works every time, and every time, I see the same images.”

  “So it’s not at all like the other crystal balls you found at Adam Bailey’s house, I take it?” Aunt Candace asked.

  “No,” I said. “This one is definitely different.”

  “Wow…” Bliss said, and then she laughed with disbelief. “Only you, Marianne. Of course you’d find that. The magic of the forest really is on your side. Where’d you find it?”

  “In a clock that I kept seeing pop up in the images I saw when I touched the other crystal balls, weirdly enough,” I said. “It was Adam Bailey’s wife’s most prized possession, and also the cause for Adam’s murder. His neighbor wanted it, and….never mind, that’s not important. What is important, though, is that I found it, and it worked for me.”

  “So what’d you see?” Bliss asked.

  I looked up at Aunt Candace, but reached down and took the shard of the orb of ages in my hand.

  Once again, my mind was filled with an image so strong it was as if I was standing there.

  The monster was there in front of us, enormous in size, towering over us all. Lucan was there beside me, Alessa beside him…

  I blinked my eyes. “The fight with the monster,” I said. “And I’m not there alone. A lot of people are with me, ready to take on the fight.”

  “Like who?” Aunt Candace asked.

  “Well, for one thing, I don’t see either of the two of you there,” I said.

  “Who do you see, though?” Bliss asked.

  I touched the shard again, and blinked my eyes a few moments later.

  “I see some I don’t recognize. Their faces are too blurry. But some, I do. I see Lucan, Alessa…” I checked again, and my heart skipped. “And Cain Blackburn.”

  “Cain?” Aunt Candace said. “Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it?”

  “Interesting indeed,” Bliss said. “Especially since the two of you aren’t speaking anymore.”

  “How in the world is that going to happen?” I asked. “I don’t even understand. He practically hates me.”

  “Well, I think you know the answer to that question,” Bliss said. “You’re going to have to set things right with him.”

  A lump formed in my throat, and I looked away from Aunt Candace. How was I going to do that? He wouldn’t even speak to me.

  “But just think…” Bliss said. “Whatever you’re going to say obviously works, because he’s there with you at the fight, isn’t he?”

  I looked down at the phone. “…I guess he is, isn’t he?”

  Bliss chuckled on the other end of the phone. “I love it when I’m right.”

  8

  “Are you certain this is what you have to do?” Lucan asked me over the phone.

  I closed my eyes briefly as I sat at the stop light in the middle of town, letting out a heavy sigh. “Yes, Lucan,” I said. “I think this is the only way.”

  It was snowing. It was light and silent, gently falling on top of the hood of my SUV, glittering like diamonds in the street lights on either side of the road.

  I could hear Lucan’s mental gears turning, even over the phone like he was.

  I’d been open with him about how Cain and I’d felt about each other. It only seemed right, especially since I knew Alessa must have said something to him after that day I’d run into her at the flower shop. It was obvious he was uncomfortable about the whole thing, but he said he’d known something had happened between Cain and me when we’d seen him together at his Halloween party.

  “Look, I’m as excited about this idea as you are,” I said. “But in that image, Cain was there. He’s going to help us fight the monster.”

  “Cain doesn’t care about anyone except himself,” Lucan said bitterly. “He never has. That’s why he’s become even more of a recluse since his sister died.”

  A twinge of guilt made my stomach churn. “Yes, well…even still, we need his help. He’s Gifted, and my cousin is right. If he’s in the vision I keep seeing, he will agree to help.”

  “And that’s not going to make you uncomfortable?” Lucan asked.

  The truth was, yes, it was going to make me uncomfortable. But I thought the reality was that it was going to make him even more uncomfortable than me.

  “If it helps you feel any better, I know for certain that I do not have feelings for him any longer,” I said. “Talking with Alessa really helped me to figure that out. His position helped me to gather information I needed for some of these cases, and his flirtations confused me…but the truth is that he’s a vampire, and he’s so much older than I am. How could I ever be sure that he wouldn’t turn on me, or that he even really saw me as anything other than a child?”

  Lucan cleared his throat nervously on the other end. “I see.”

  “There are other reasons, too,” I said quickly. “But the biggest reason is you, Lucan. I always kept coming back to you, sought you for comfort, and leaned on you when I needed support. You were the one I would have chosen, every day, no questions asked.”

  I heard a small, low chuckle on the other end of the phone. “Well…thank you for that, Marianne,” he said. He seemed to have regained his composure. “So…you’re certain you don’t want me to go with you?” he asked.

  “I don’t think it would go over very well if you came along,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, you’re probably right,” he said. “I do trust you. Without a doubt.”

  “Thank you, Lucan,” I said. “That will make this so much easier for me.”

  “Call me when you leave, alright?” Lucan asked. “Just so I’m certain you’re okay.”

  I smiled. “I will.”

  We hung up a few moments later, just as I was on the ou
tskirts of town, the last of the lights lining the street fading into the distance behind me.

  I knew this was something that had to be done, and I had to do it alone. Cain and I had too much of a history, and more than anything, I just wanted closure. Things never felt right after he’d chased me from the castle that night. And it was clear to me when I’d run into him at the flower shop that he didn’t like how things ended, either.

  If Lucan came with me, Cain never would speak to me. He’d never feel comfortable enough to be open with me. And I wasn’t sure I’d be able to be open either.

  I was grateful for Lucan’s trust, though. I knew that I wouldn’t betray it, but it gave me confidence to be able to go in there and leave without having compromised myself or his feelings.

  The castle appeared on the side of the mountain, and my heart skipped. The last time I’d come, I’d been turned away at the gate.

  I just kept thinking about Bliss’s words. Whatever I was going to say to him would work, because he ended up there with me in the end.

  I pulled up onto the driveway, barred by the gate, and rolled down my window as I reached the box with the camera and microphone in it.

  “Marianne Huffler.”

  It was Alfred’s voice that answered, just like he did every other time I’d come to the castle. Though this time, he seemed less tense than he had the time I’d visited before.

  “Hi, Alfred,” I said, trying not to let my teeth chatter in the cold wind seeping into my warm SUV. “Look, I know that I’ve been forbidden from coming here, but I’m sorry, I’m going to have to refuse Cain’s wishes and insist that you let me come in and speak with him.”

  There was a rustling sound on the other end of the line. “I am sorry, Miss Huffler, but he has explicitly said that we are not to let you – ”

  “Alfred, I know,” I said. “But you don’t understand. This is something that is bigger than what happened between Cain and me. It’s something that is going to affect all of Faerywood Falls. And I need Cain’s help. Now…can you please, please let me come in and see him?”

  Alfred didn’t speak for a long, frustrating moment. I was just about to reach into my purse on the passenger seat and whip out my wand in desperation when the crackling on the other end of the speaker signaled his return. “Alright,” he said. “But if I’m fired, may it be on your head.”

  “I’m happy to accept such responsibility,” I said.

  The gate in front of me slowly opened, the screech of cold metal filling the night.

  “Thank you,” I said to the speaker, and slowly rolled my window up as I made my way up to the castle.

  A layer of snow had settled over every surface of the grounds; every tree, every fence…even the pool, which had been covered for the season.

  The lights from the castle windows were warm and inviting, and part of me was pleased to be back here.

  The other part of me, however, was terrified to see Cain again…and it didn’t help that I knew I was walking into a castle full of vampires.

  I parked my SUV outside and grabbed my wand, sliding it into my sleeve…just in case. I didn’t know much, but maybe I’d be able to figure out something to use so I could get away safely.

  I didn’t like thinking like that, going into the home of an old friend, but I had to take every precaution I could.

  I knocked on the large front doors, and before I’d finished, they swung inward.

  Alfred was standing there on the other side.

  “Marianne,” he said, bowing his head, standing aside to let me in.

  “Thank you,” I said, hugging my jacket more tightly around my shoulders.

  The castle wasn’t much warmer inside than it was outside. Living in a place made of stone, I guessed that wasn’t all that surprising.

  “Come, Lord Cain is in the dining room right now,” he said.

  The thought of all the things Cain could be…enjoying at that moment made my stomach churn. “Is there somewhere I could wait for him until he’s finished?” I asked.

  “He already knows you’re here,” Alfred said, his brow furrowing. “Please, come this way.”

  I blinked at him. Cain…knew? And he hadn’t thrown me out yet?

  This was already going better than I expected.

  I followed Alfred down a long, vaulted hall to the dining room. I’d only been down here once before, and it had been in the cover of the night, like it was now.

  Alfred offered to take my coat for me, which I gave to him. I kept my wand hidden in the sleeve of my sweater, though. Its presence was enough to make me feel safer.

  Alfred pushed the door open for me, and I strode in as confidently as if I were wearing a ballgown worthy of such an extravagant room.

  Cain sat at a seat at the head of the table, right in front of an enormous, marble fireplace, amber flames flickering behind, casting him in a golden halo.

  “Good evening, Marianne…” he said, the tips of his fingers pressed together. His tone was flat, and I couldn’t tell if he was pleased to see me or disgusted.

  “Cain,” I said.

  Alfred closed the door behind me, leaving the two of us alone in the room big enough for thirty people.

  For a long, uncomfortable moment, neither of us moved or spoke. All I could hear was the sound of the clock on the mantle ticking away the seconds, making it harder and harder as the moments whittled away to even look at him.

  “Why don’t you sit with me?” Cain asked, fluidly gesturing to a chair beside him.

  I swallowed hard. “Alright,” I said.

  I took the seat beside his, and realized I’d never shared a meal with Cain before. How could I have? He didn’t eat in the first place, did he?

  “Well…here we are,” Cain said, somewhat half-heartedly.

  Now that I was here, I found I was tongue tied. How many times had I imagined this moment? How many nights had I lain awake, wondering what I’d say to him, if only I had the chance?

  Well, here was my chance, and I was no better than a mute.

  “It must have been something awfully important for you to come all this way, and berate my butler into letting you in,” Cain said, arching an eyebrow.

  “I didn’t berate anyone,” I said, my eyes narrowing. “I told him it was important.”

  “Yes,” Cain said, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “It’s bigger than whatever happened between you and me, apparently?”

  My cheeks flooded with color.

  “It is,” I said.

  “How do you expect me to trust anything you say?” Cain asked, leaning back in his chair. The fire behind him made him look more villainous that I’d ever seen him before, and if I didn’t know him, I would have been a lot more frightened than I was now.

  “I’ve heard that a lot lately,” I said, standing my ground. “Especially from the council of eleven.”

  Cain’s eyes widened. “I knew they despised faeries…but hadn’t they accepted you as one of their own?”

  “They did, until they realized that I was, in fact, a faery. They hadn’t known. No one did until a few months ago,” I said.

  Cain folded his arms. “So did they exile you?”

  “You got it,” I said. “Which is unfortunate…because all I was doing was telling them the truth.”

  “About what?” Cain asked.

  “The monster,” I said. “The one that’s been roaming the forest.”

  If Cain’s face could’ve paled, I thought it would have in that moment.

  “Is that what this is all about?” he asked.

  “Partially,” I said.

  I let out a deep breath, and looked him in the eye.

  “Cain…I’m sorry about what happened with your sister. I am not foolish enough to – ”

  “Stop right there,” Cain said in a firm tone. He rose from his seat and turned to stare into the fire. “No…” he said. “You should not have to apologize to me, and especially not before I apologize to you.”

  I blinked at hi
s silhouette. Had I…heard him right?

  I watched the light from the fire throw his face into deep relief; his cheekbones were prominent, his brow sharper, his eyes more deeply sunken in.

  “The longer I live, the more detached from my emotions I’ve become,” he said. “Mortal people walk in and out of my life all the time, but my sister and those in my clan have been a constant presence. Seeing the world shift and change so often, I’ve become desensitized to it all. So when my sister passed away…it startled me just how strongly I felt it. Things I hadn’t felt in hundreds of years suddenly came rushing back to the surface, and because I’d been so long without them, I felt it so much stronger. The anger was murderous. The sorrow was enough to make me want to rip my own dead heart from my chest. The fear was crippling. Everything else was washed away…including all the feelings I had for you.”

  He turned and looked at me, and I felt something stir within me. Something familiar, something warm.

  But I kept my distance.

  “My sister was the only family I had left,” Cain said. “After my parents disappeared and perished – I assume my mother is dead, perhaps even took her own life in her grief – my sister was all I had. And if I didn’t keep an eye on her, then she would have run amuck, and killed more people the same way she killed your mother…”

  He shook his head, running his fingers through his dark hair.

  “I feel terrible about how your mother is gone because of Rebecca,” Cain said. “I imagine how I feel about losing her is similar to how you feel about your mother,” he said.

  I shook my head. “No,” I said. “I didn’t ever know my mother. You had been with your sister for many years. Losing her must have been like losing half of yourself…”

  He nodded. “It truly was. I’d grown accustomed to caring for her, and I thought that was how it would always be. I pitied her existence for a long time…what sort of life was she really living, as deranged as she was? But when she was gone, I realized I needed her as much as she needed me…perhaps even more.”

  He returned to his seat at the table, his gaze fixed on me.

  “I know you didn’t mean for what occurred with Rebecca to happen,” he said. “I know that you didn’t mean for her to fall to her death like that. She attacked you, and you were defending yourself…but even still…”