"Well, how about someone like Will?" she suggested as she glanced over at him and smiled. He looked confused, but smiled back at her.
"Yeah right Jules. First of all, he's more like a brother to me. And second, he's absolutely crazy about you!" I told her. She just looked at me in surprise.
"Really, do you think so?" she asked as color ran to her cheeks. "I kind of have a thing for him too."
"Then why did you suggest that I go for him?" I asked her, totally confused.
"Oh, I never meant to actually go for Will, I said someone like Will,” she replied with a laugh. “Will is an amazing guy, and you deserve someone just as great.”
"No one is as lucky as I am to have a friend like you Jules," I said. She always made me feel better, no matter the situation.
"Only one other person," she replied. "Me."
Just then Will came over with two pieces of pie for us.
"What’s with the pie?" I asked. "We didn't order any."
He shrugged. "I see girls talking, looking like they’re having a moment; I figure it's time for pie or cake of some sort." And he laid them down on the table in front of us. We just looked at him in awe.
"Oh. I have sisters," he quickly said, as if it would explain it. We all laughed and hung out for a few minutes until the shop was ready to close. We both helped Will clean up and when everyone was gone he locked up.
"See you guys at school tomorrow!" he called as he shut the door behind him. We both gave him a wave and headed up stairs.
I was so wired up from the earlier events with Jack. I couldn't stop thinking about him. Obviously he likes me, I think. And I know that I like him. But why can't we get along? I just wish he was somewhat easy to talk to. It feels like I’m constantly defending myself or like he’s secretly making fun of me. I lay in bed for hours thinking about it, staring blankly at my ceiling.
Lattie was gone for the night, out doing fairy things I suppose. She sometimes did that, even though I warned her not too, but I always found her nestled up in my hair on the pillow next to me in the morning. I tried so hard to fall asleep but just couldn't.
Just then, Lattie flew in through my window with no warning. It didn't startle me the way it used to. She clearly had a good time because she was dancing and twirling around on my bed, singing something I couldn't understand.
"Hey! What are you up to tonight?" I asked, excited for any distraction from my thoughts.
"I attended a wonderful party, in the park across the way," she replied. The tiny sprite was now sitting on my knee with her long and dainty blue legs swinging back and forth.
"What kind of party?" I asked. This perked my interest. I always wondered what she did outside my room.
"The fey truly love to celebrate," she started. "Tonight was because it is the seventh day of sun in a row. So, the summer fey felt like dancing, seeing as it may be the last warm spell before autumn." She flew over to my dresser where she kept her stash of cookies and started nibbling on one, leaving crumbs everywhere.
“You said it was in the park? Won’t people see them?” I asked.
“Yes, I suppose people of Iron World could if they had an open mind and knowledge of what was there. But people from your world don’t care for fairy tales anymore; they tend to only believe what they can see. It makes it quite easy for us to be hidden,” Lattie explained. “Of course, there are always magic wards in place to protect both fey and humans. Any fey could potentially be dangerous if they wanted to be, and I would imagine that humans would stick us in Petri dishes, as you have mentioned before. I’m not quite sure what that means, but it sounds unpleasant.”
"Can I come sometime?" I asked, hopeful.
"Sure! I'm attending another tomorrow night; it would be fun to have you there! But you have to abide by some rules in order for it to be safe for you," Lattie warned.
"Like, what kind of rules?" I asked. It seemed a little ridiculous to have rules at a party.
"Well, the fey are a fickle people Avery; you can never really be sure of what one will do. You must stay where I can see you at all times. Most likely, no one there will hurt you but the pixies can be a pain sometimes, much like children, and watch out for the trolls," she explained.
"Trolls? What will they do to me?" I asked startlingly.
"Oh, nothing, they are just very dimwitted and don't always look where they sit." She looked personally offended by this. Poor Lattie, she was so tiny. I don’t think I had much to worry about in regards to the trolls, but I nodded in agreement anyways.
"And whatever you do, do not ever eat the food or drink the wine. It won’t kill you, but I’ve seen terrible things happen. I once saw the flesh melt from a mans body because he licked an apple. Another time, I watched a small girl drink the wine of the High Seelie Court, she spilled it down her arm and, in the end, chewed threw her own skin to get every last drop,” Lattie stopped then as she realized, from the horrified look on my face, that these were things I did not want to hear. “But it can affect every human differently I suppose, I’ve heard of stories where nothing happened at all, that the Iron World people ate, drank and were merry, they appeared to enjoy it almost too much,” she added to maybe help ease my mind.
I swallowed hard. “Okay, note to self: eat before I leave the apartment. Are there any other rules I should know about?”
“Well, you may want to stay clear of the kelpie.”
"What's a kelpie?" I asked. It sounded cute.
"A kelpie is fairy that is half horse and half sea creature. It lures people in with its song and once you are in the water it drowns you and sucks the marrow from your bones," Lattie described. "The gathering is in the park near the lake, this is where the kelpie lives. Sometimes, if you are lucky, the creature will be willing to trade its victim for an item of interest like a shiny object or a joke."
I shivered as I thought about how not cute a kelpie sounded. How could Lattie come from a place like that? The fairy tales that I was familiar with mentioned nothing about marrow sucking sea horse things or apples that could melt your skin off.
"Hey, you do not have to go if you are scared," Lattie comforted me. She flew over to my face and laid a tiny little hand on my cheek. "The fey are like anything else in this world, for everything horrible there is something wonderful to balance it. Avery, there are creatures far worse than the ones I’ve mentioned, but there are also ones so lovely and marvellous that they have had stories written of them by humans, comparing them to deities and angels. As long as you stay with me, you will be fine. You will have a splendid night of dancing and singing!"
"Okay,” I said through a yawn. “I’m in.” I finally felt tired enough to sleep. I pulled the duvet up around my chin and Lattie snuggled up on the pillow next to me. I was sound asleep in minutes.
Chapter Fifteen-Party Hard
The next day at school was going by nauseously slow, mostly due to the fact that I couldn't wait for tonight. What should I wear to a fairy party? Should I bring something? Will Lattie get in trouble for bringing me? Will I really be at risk of any danger?
I stared out the new set of French doors beside me, lost in thought. I hadn't spent a minute in reality all day until something hit me in the arm. I snapped back into reality fast and almost fell off of my stool. I didn't need to look to see who threw something at me.
"Max, what the hell is your problem?" I snapped.
She just gave an evil smirk. "I was just checking to see if you're alive." She got up from her stool then. "Class is over by the way," she added.
I looked around in alarm. Did I actually daydream the whole day away? Again? Crap. I scrambled my stuff together and ran out the door.
I headed over to the gallery. It was Tuesday and the freight shipment was coming in. I spent a few hours there receiving everything and putting it away like I usually did. By now, I had it down to a science; I could probabl
y do that part of my job with my eyes closed. Celadine hadn't shown up tonight to sign off on it so I left it on her desk. She was probably still spending time with her brother. I forgot to ask how long he was in town for; I bet he would be interesting to meet if he was anything like Celadine.
I got my jacket and said goodbye to Mona on the way out. She just gave me a slight nod, as she usually did, which was a step up from the usual nothing that I used to get from her. I rushed home on my bike to get ready for the party. I was hoping Lattie would be there so I could ask her what I should wear or what to bring. She was there, waiting anxiously for me. After twenty minutes of me trying to conclude what I was going to wear, Lattie became quite impatient.
"Avery, you look fine! Let’s go!" she persisted as she yanked on my sleeve. She had watched me change my outfit about five times until I decided on jeans and yellow top.
"Wait, I have to leave a note for Julie," I claimed. Julie was working at the library tonight and then hanging out with Will after, so she might not be home before me. But just in case, I wanted to leave her a note. But what do I write? ‘Hey Jules, out with my fairy friends in the woods, but don't try to come find me; it's enchanted so you won't find it’? I settled for letting her know that I was just out and will be back later.
Soon, I was tramping through the trees with Lattie, feeling like a fool as I tripped over every second stump or root. We were somewhere close to the park across from the apartment, but I literally had no idea how to get back.
"Lattie, are you sure you know where you are going?" I asked as I stumbled over a bunch of tree roots for the hundredth time.
"Avery, please, I'm a sprite, of course I know where it is," she replied as she danced around the air in front of my face. "You just have to be patient, you don't find the party, it finds you."
"Whatever that means," I mumbled. My knees were grass stained from falling and my hair was a mess. I sat down on a large rock and crossed my arms.
She flew over to me and laid her two tiny hands on my cheeks.
"Let's dance," she insisted as she yanked on my chin. I knew that I didn't want to dance but, for some reason, I began to. It was like my body begun to melt into a relaxed state and spiralled around with my hands in the air while Lattie flew around me doing little pirouettes. When I closed my eyes, I swear that I could hear music playing in the near distance, I laughed involuntarily while we danced around in the woods like a couple of crazies.
When I opened my eyes, we were surrounded by a magical party, as if we had suddenly been teleported there. Surprised, I stopped in my tracks while I looked around and took it all in. It wasn't anything like I had imagined. It was better! Fairies of all sorts gathered and were revelling in the night. Some played the lovely music I heard with instruments that I had never seen before; goblin-like fey hung from the branches above me while a bunch of others danced around and enjoyed the music. There were tables of fruit and cake everywhere, and it was as if the stars had come down and illuminated the wooded scene around me.
"Come, let’s go dance!" Lattie squealed. I followed her towards the center of the party where the dancing seemed to originate come from. On the way, we passed one of the tables of fruit. With a closer look, I realized that, just like the instruments, I didn't recognize anything. The apples weren’t quite apples, they were skinless and almost see through, like onions. But they looked so juicy and sweet, I was tempted to take one but then I remembered the rules that Lattie had given me. Plus, I valued my skin far too much. I shook my head and continued to follow her to the gathering of fairies.
We spent hours just dancing around and singing, drunk on music and laughter. As we danced, luminous colors flowed in the air around me, making it near impossible to stop moving. The colors were like light waves splashing everywhere, filling the air with sweet sounds and wonderful scents.
I met a trio of lovely fairies who sang enchanting songs. They all wore long white dresses that were draped over their shoulders and held together with braids and beads.
"We could weave many beautiful things into your hair, little one," said the fairy with cotton candy colored hair that hung almost to the ground. Her voice sounded like a harp plucking each word like a beautiful tune. "You have beautiful hair, for someone from Iron World," she added.
"Um, thank you," I replied, drunk on music and laughter. "Maybe another time though?" I was hoping that I would get an invite back here sometime, it was beyond magnificent.
"Yes, another time. You know where to find me," she agreed as she took my hand and spun me around. I spun in circles until my vision was so blurred that I had to close my eyes to keep from getting dizzy. When I finally stopped, she was holding a piece of fruit, the one that resembled apples.
"Would you like one?" the magnificent fairy asked. "They are delicious; it is the last crop of the summer apples."
So they were apples. I wanted to say no because of what Lattie had warned me, I really didn't want to end up chewing threw one of my limbs. But I accepted it, I couldn't resist. I took the apple from her hand and bit into it. It had the texture of an onion but the sweetness of an apple and the juiciness of a watermelon. The smell intoxicated me as I scrambled to lick every drop from my hands, fighting the urge to suck it from my pores. But, I stopped myself when I almost instantly began to see things…differently.
As I glanced around, I saw some of the fairies change as if they were losing their grandeur, appearing to not be as lovely as I thought they were. Some were still magnificent and beautiful like the fairy I danced with, but others appeared to be more like trolls, goblins and other monsters, and I no longer saw the colors in the air. What was happening to me? Scared, I began to panic, but continued to dance; it was like I had no control over my legs or arms. And where did Lattie go? She told me not to leave her; she said that things could happen to me if I wasn't with her.
Over by a picnic table, carved from what looked like bone, I saw a few pixies hanging a young human boy from a tree by his shorts and stuffing things down them. One of the pixies was perched on the boys back and pulling his hair from the roots. Blood dripped down the boys face, but he seemed to enjoy it.
I had to use all of my concentration to break free of the dance and wandered around to find Lattie. I was beginning to get really scared now. Lattie told me that if I ate the fruit disturbing things could happen or possibly nothing at all. But it’s almost as if something else entirely has happened to me. I was alert and terrified, seeing things for what they really were.
As I looked around for Lattie, I passed some really creepy creatures along the way. I met, what I assume was, a troll. He was big and stumpy looking, with sandy colored skin that was shaped with layers of wrinkles.
"Excuse me? Have you seen a little blue sprite?" I asked, hopeful that he would help. He just stared at me angrily, eyeing me up and down.
"Who are you!" the troll bellowed at me. "Did the Queen send you?" When he spoke of the Queen, the fey around us stopped dancing and fell silent to stare at us.
"What? The Queen, no, I think you have me mistaken," I informed him with a shaky reply. "My name is Avery, I’m from Iron World. I came here with my friend Lattie."
"Lattie, the sprite who belongs to the Seelie Court?" he asked bluntly. I had no idea where Lattie really came from. She did say that she was running away from some fairies, but didn't say who. Truthfully, I never bothered to ask her.
"Um, I’m not sure sir," I trembled. "I just want to find her so I can go home."
He kept eyeing me suspiciously. "Can you see me?" he asked, off topic. What was he talking about? Of course I could see him, we were having a conversation.
"Yes," I slowly said.
"What do I look like to you?"
"Um, like a troll?" I replied, choosing my words carefully. I didn't want to say he looked like a scary, wrinkly ogre that could sit on me or eat me.
"And you swear that the Queen
did not send you?"
I was beginning to understand what Lattie meant about them being stupid. "No sir,” I answered.
"Humph. Interesting," he muttered to himself. "An Iron Worlder who can see through my glamour," then he pointed to the left, towards the deeper woods. "I saw your friend go towards the water."
I was too scared to move. "T-thank you," I replied meekly. I waited for him to leave. Once he was gone, I headed towards the pond. Why would Lattie leave me and the party to go to the pond? I stumbled through the thick woods, nearly falling on my face every second step. I may have been hallucinating from fear, but it seemed like the trees were…alive. The ones closest to me discretely hovered over, extending their branches towards me and letting their silky green leaves lightly touch my skin as I passed. When I finally came through an opening to the beach, I ran as far from the forest as I could, but as I approached the water’s edge, I remembered what my friend had warned me about kelpies. I was on alert as a looked for Lattie, keeping a good distance from the water but also from the tree line.
"Lattie!" I shouted, hoping she would hear me. I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. "Lattie!"
"I know where your friend is," spoke a deep, but musical, voice. I turned to find a horse sticking its head out of the water; only it seemed a little strange looking. It didn’t have beautiful hair like a horse; instead, it was coated in shimmery black scales and wiry strands for its mane that had trinkets woven into it. The creatures huge, diamond shaped eyes were tar black, blacker than its scales.
"Really, where is she?"
"In here, in the water with me," the creature cooed. I almost ran towards the water but then realized what this creature was.
"Well tell her to come out here, please," I ordered. "You won't be drowning me tonight, kelpie."
The kelpie smiled and slowly floated closer to me. "You are wise to not come in here, little one," it informed me. "But I do know where your friend is. I will make a trade with you."
Iron & Wine (The Iron World Series) Page 9