Enchanting the Fey- The Complete Series

by Rebecca Bosevski

  “You fainted again,” he said as he came around to sit on the chair beside my bed.

  “This is not news to me, you know. And this time I think I did simply faint, not like the unexplainable passing out I have been doing.”

  He looks disappointed, I realized. With a shove, I knocked him sailing off the chair and onto the floor, resulting in both of us erupting in laughter.

  After a few moments, Jax composed himself and sat on the chair once again, but he shifted it slightly out of my reach. He would not meet my eyes; instead, he examined his fingers, fidgeting in his lap.

  I sat up in my royal-like bed, clearing my throat. “Jax, what’s up?”

  “So, I guess you met your father?” he said cautiously.

  I sighed. “If you wanted to discuss something new, like the weather, or the chance of me getting a coffee any time soon, I would be more than happy to oblige.”

  Jax bowed his head, obviously struggling with what he wanted to say. “I don’t want to upset you, Des, but he left… after you…” He stopped, I presumed to find a nice way of saying after you verbally slaughtered your father.

  “And?” I questioned, trying to speed up the inevitable discussion.

  “He left for Baldea, his—I mean our home. He knows how much he upset you and said if you wish to know about what you truly are, he will return at your request, or you can come see him at Landown, his property in Baldea. He wants me to tell you he will do as you wish. If you don’t want to have any contact with him, he will respect your wishes and never see you again, but…”

  Jax twisted his fingers together tightly, turning the tips to white.

  “But what?”

  Jax stood and paced. “He has been so sad, since your mother. You need to know what he did to keep himself from going after her.” He stopped pacing and gripped the bar across the foot of the bed; his eyes lifted, finally meeting mine. “Des, he locked himself away for years. He named a proxy ruler and imprisoned himself. He had his alchemist brew sedatives, forcing him to forget. She asked him to forget and so he did. He forgot it all and he did it for her, for you.”

  He came to sit beside me again and took my hand. My heart galloped at his touch and I couldn’t tell for sure which one of us was trembling.

  Jax leaned in closer and I could smell his sweet breath, like candied apples. “You have to listen to me. Your father is the greatest man I have ever known, and the stupidest as well. He was so stupidly in love with your mother, he would have jumped willingly into the mouth of the Dazerarthro to spare her even the slightest pain. He was devoted to her. But even if you ignore all of what I have told you, he knows things Des. Information you need to know. Until you showed up here in our world, he himself had forgotten everything he now knows. You need to know it too. Des, please let me take you to him, let me take you home to Baldea.”

  My heart ached while Jax spoke so passionately about the man I hated—and I did hate him. I tried to pull my hand away, but he clutched onto it tightly, as if his grasp would aid in persuading me. I didn’t blink. I didn’t move. I looked straight into Jax’s eyes, the ones that had once held me captive, and waited for him to cave. I would not. It didn’t take long before Jax reluctantly dropped both my hand and the subject.

  After a long silence, Jax cleared his throat. “So have you seen much of Sayeesies?”

  We both laughed, and he relaxed back into the chair, throwing his legs up onto my blanket. “Well, when you are no longer fainting every five minutes, I will give you a tour.” Jax smiled and his eyes lit up.

  “My great grandmother was human,” Jax explained, “and my great grandfather was a Stalisies. When they fell pregnant, they were one of the first families to be banished.” Balancing on the back legs of the chair, Jax gazed at the ceiling. “The Stalisies call us outcasts, labelled us impure because we couldn’t fly. The children of half-breeds, they called us.”

  If I weren’t foretold to kill the Dazerarthro, I thought, would I be outcast too?

  In The Book of L, it said there was a lot of tension between the Stalisies who had brought humans into Sayeesies and those who lived a more traditional way. War was brewing, and a separation was apparently necessary for both species.

  I didn’t need Jax to tell me Traflier had been the one to instigate the separation—a part of my family tree I was not entirely impressed with. But he always protected the Fey, even when they were attacked by Mantorians, imps that drained the blood of their victims like vampires. The blood of the Fey is said to be richest kind of blood, and the Mantorians killed thirty or more Stalisies before they were eradicated.

  The Outbreak of a Fey plague took more lives than any creature. It swept across the land, mostly affecting Stalisies Fey. Traflier lost his wife, two daughters, and a grandson over only three months. He’d apparently worked day and night to find a cure, searched to the ends of both our worlds. By the time he found it, the Fey species was but a quarter of what it had once been. The Stalisies hated that the Tanzieth were less affected by the plague, their mix of human genes offering a slight immunity to the symptoms that tormented those affected, Traflier couldn’t tap into to the genetic abnormality to help the others. Finally, it was a combination of castings and a rare berry—written about in only the most ancient of texts—that saved them. Berries that were found growing along the base of fallen trees in the darkest corner of the Black forest in Baldea.

  “Baldea, even with its impure inhabitants, became a beautiful place; those banished spent their time creating a magical home for themselves.” He continued stretching his arms to rest behind his head.

  I had seen drawings of the spoiled lands of Baldea, artists captured how the lands were when the first were banished. Few trees littered the vast landscape of darkened grass, and large stones covered most of the more habitable areas. The Tanzieth worked hard, though, and after many years. they managed to bring back its beauty.

  No one knew why exactly Baldea had become a desolate place, but apparently both Sayeesies and Baldea were equally exquisite at one time.

  “Many Tanzieth believed a Stalisies Fey is responsible for turning Baldea sour in the first place,” said Jax. “But no one has any proof.”

  “Why are you welcome in Sayeesies and other Tanzieth aren’t?” I asked.

  “Traflier granted me a sort of duel residency. I can go back and forth whenever I like. Coming to live in Sayeesies to help Traflier was a hard decision to make. I said no initially, not wanting to leave my family behind. And I guess I worried about what sort of treatment I would receive from the Stalisies Fey, too. But helping Traflier has its benefits. I get to use magic.”

  “What can you do?”

  “I brought you flowers.”

  “Not exactly what I had in mind when you said magic. They are beautiful, don’t get me wrong.”

  “They can awaken the Fey. When blessed, they emit a fragrance that opens the depths of a Fey mind. I can do that blessing—Traflier taught it to me, and I have full authorization to do it and several other castings.”

  “What do you mean authorization?”

  “Traflier has final say if a spell is authorized, and who can perform it. Sort of like how you need a license to drive a car. Here, you need one to for magic.” He pulled a card from his back pocket.

  “But isn’t magic like a part of you, something you are born with?”

  “We all have power, to some extent. Some of us struggle more than others and we don’t all learn how to use what we do have.” He passed me the card. Jax Arthur Payton was scrawled on the top line, followed by several codes written underneath. On the reverse, there was an embellishment of an embossed gold wing. It shimmered in the light.

  “But how would Traflier even know? I mean, couldn’t you all practice without him finding out?”

  “The Tanzieth don’t have the same strength of power as the others, so it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t listen to Traflier. But for the Stalisies, he has ruled a long time, he is trusted.”

 
; “But the Tanzieth do have power?”

  “We do, but not heaps. It is fine; we probably wouldn’t use it much anyway. We like using our hands and our minds.”

  I looked down at Jax’s hands. The edges of his fingers showed the stains of hard labor still resting in the fine cracks and crevices.

  “Someone will have to show me how to use whatever power I have.”

  “I’m sure Traflier will show you himself. After all, you are family and the prophesized one.” Jax seemed so sure.

  If Traflier didn’t teach me magic, would I stand any chance against the Dazerarthro? “I’m feeling pretty good now. I might get dressed and go see Traflier,” I said, nudging his feet with my leg so they fell to the floor.

  I wanted to speak to Traflier about all the information not in the books, like the scroll foretelling I would defeat the Dazerarthro, and hopefully he would be able to show me how to do any kind of magic that would give me a fighting chance.

  “I can take you,” Jax said, jumping up and heading to the doorway. “I’ll wait for you outside. On the way, I can show you some of Sayeesies.” He skipped from the room and I heard the front door close behind him.

  I wanted to go alone to see Traflier, but the idea of a walk with Jax made my heart skip a little.

  The Ninth Nazieth still hadn’t brought my belongings from home, so I threw on a fresh pair of black pants and a white shirt before slipping into some silver flats Grace had dropped off during my reading spree. I think she was trying to tempt me away from reading and into shopping. It didn’t work, reading about the world my mother grew up in was far more tempting than shopping-anything to be closer to her.

  Jax was waiting outside the door; he had his hands in the pockets of his tan cargos and he teetered back and forth on his heels the way my mother used to do. He turned when he heard the door click, revealing his Cheshire smile and those iridescent eyes. My heart quickened, drumming against the wall of my chest.

  We walked slowly as Jax told me about the buildings and plant life we passed, but when we got into the bustle of the Stalisies Fey, something wasn’t right. Several fey avoided making eye contact, whereas others glanced at us but spoke only to each other in hushed whispers.

  I almost tripped over a little girl, Jax grabbing my arm to halt me before I could trample her. “I’m sorry, are you okay?” I crouched down in front of her. Her innocent eyes, big and blue glistened in the light from Shulun.

  “My mum says you are going to save me,” she said sharply as her eyes narrowed.

  “Well, I—” I began but she cut me off.

  “I don’t need you to save me. I am better than you; I can fly.” And then she took off, hovering about a foot from the ground. It was not flying, but it was something, and something was better than the nothing I could achieve, so I let it go.

  “Come on,” I said, grabbing Jax’s arm, pulling him along for a moment before he took step beside me.

  “Look, over there,” he said, pointing to a narrow corridor.

  “What about it?”

  “It’s the entry to one of the schools. Do you want to see?”

  “Sure,” I said, walking with him towards the stone archway at its opening. “Is there more than one school?”

  “We have several in Baldea. In Sayeesies, there are four. This is the junior class; able to fly, but not yet able to cast.”

  “And the others?” I asked, as we walked a few steps into the corridor and stopped in front of a large window to our left.

  Peeking in, I could see kids of a few ages, most around ten. They all sat in a circle and a yellow ball hovered above them.

  “There is the Freshling class, which is where you learn the basics like flying,” Jax said pulling me to the next window to get a better look at the juniors.

  There was one adult in the room. She stood by the door at the side of the room, watching the children but not saying anything. The children all raised their arms towards the yellow ball and it doubled in size.

  “What are the other classes?”

  “After Junior there is the Practiced class, they can recreate magic authorized to them and can easily fly the training course in under thirty seconds. After that, there is the Master class. Only a few even enter that class. Traflier teaches it, and he only selects a few each year to attend.”

  “So I guess I will be in the Freshling class with a bunch of toddlers,” I said as we watched the children in the circle all stand at once, their arms still raised in the air towards the yellow ball.

  “Not necessarily. Traflier will probably teach you himself.”

  The yellow ball doubled in size again. It shimmered like the sky, but yellow lightning streaks snaked inside it. I didn’t notice that the teacher had moved over to where we stood, looking in.

  “What do you think you are doing?” she roared.

  As we jumped back, all of the children looked towards us. The yellow ball exploded into a thousand glittery specks and dissolved before reaching the ground.

  “We were just watching,” Jax said. His hands rose apologetically.

  “I wanted to see the class, it’s not his fault.”

  “Tanzieth are not permitted to attend or observe the training in any class. Traflier will hear about this.”

  “Would you like me to mention it? I am on my way to see my great-grandfather now.”

  The teacher froze. I smiled.

  “Umm, no, that’s okay. I will, um, overlook it this time. Be sure to get his permission next time so you don’t startle my young class.”

  “Fair enough, but I might mention it anyway.”

  She clenched down on the windowsill and glared at Jax. I shot a wink at the children before turning and walking back out from the corridor.

  Jax followed. “That was awesome!” he said, nudging my shoulder with his.

  “Thanks I guess.”

  “Seriously, you had her totally spooked; she knows she will get blasted for treating you that way. Traflier will see it as an offence to his family, to him.”

  “Surely it won’t be that bad. She barely yelled at us.”

  “She assumed you were a Tanzieth, which for most here is the biggest insult they can give.”

  “But my father is Tanzieth, so that would make me one, yes?”

  “Traflier had your blood analyzed. He decreed you to be as pure as he in breed.”

  “Where did he get my blood?”

  Jax shrugged. “Don’t know, but he decreed it and now that she called you one of us, she could lose her status. She could be banished.”

  “Okay, maybe I won’t tell Traflier about it. You seem a little too giddy at the thought of her getting banished. What’s up with that?”

  He looked at his feet as we continued to walk along the pebbled street towards Traflier's tree.

  “Jax?”

  “It’s nice to have one of them on the other end of it for once, that’s all.”

  I had assumed because Traflier had welcomed Jax here, others would too, but I was wrong.

  “Look Jax, I’m sorry they are like that, but I still don’t think I should mention it to Traflier, and you shouldn’t either.”

  A smile crept from his lips. “We don’t have to say anything. I told you before, Traflier has his ways of knowing things. He found you, and he had never even met you.”

  “The seers found me, not Traflier.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Well I guess I can add it to the list of questions I have for him, can’t I?”

  Jax smiled, his green eyes gleaming in the light. “Come on, this way. I want you to meet Marcus, he’s one of the few here I can actually stand being around.”

  He led me down another narrow corridor that ended and became a sandy path leading behind the main square buildings.

  “Jax, are you sure this is the way?”

  “He lives in a croaker by the river Dias.”

  “Croaker?”

  “It’s kind of like what you would call a cabin.”


  Sand filled my shoes with each step and rubbed at the sides of my feet. “Is there anything that can hurt me in the sand?” I asked.

  “What?”

  “Can I take off my shoes?”

  “Oh, sure, here, lean on me.” Jax held out his arm and I grabbed it, feeling his warmth radiate through the palm of my hand and tingle all the way up my arm. I removed both shoes and held them in my left hand. As I released Jax’s arm, his hand brushed against mine and sent shivers up my spine.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” I said and we continued along the sandy path.

  We reached the edge of a hill and it dropped away in front of us to a wide river running through the gap. Beside the river’s edge stood a dome, shimmering steel blue, like an igloo made of slate slabs.

  “How do we get down there?” I asked

  “With this,” Jax said as he dug his hands into the sand. He began pulling something free, the sand falling around it to fill in the space it had occupied.

  “It’s a sleigh.”

  “It’s a mort,” Jax corrected.

  “Whatever, you guys have weird names for everything. Where I come from, it’s a sleigh.”

  Jax laughed. “A sleigh relies on gravity to speed you up and slow you down. Your sleigh can’t do what a mort can.”

  “Okay, so what does a mort do then?”

  “Just watch,” Jax said, lowering the mort to the grass beside the sand path. The mort didn’t sit on the grass, but rather hovered above it.

  “Cool,” I said crouching to look at the air between the mort and the grass.

  “Hop on and hold onto the rope. I’ll sit behind you.”

  I slipped on my shoes then did as Jax asked. He climbed on and wrapped his arms around me. Everywhere he touched, heat spread through my body. My heart pounded in anticipation of the ride down.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  I turned my head to answer and felt his breath hot on my ear. “Ready,” I managed to get out. He hissed something under his breath too fast for me to make out, and we were off, flying down the side of the hill.