I closed my eyes and hummed a tune, putting all my desire to speak with her into the melody. The latch moved before the gate swung open. With a gasp, I stood on the threshold, shocked and a little nervous about what I’d just done.
What if Godmother hid her for a reason? Steeling my nerves, I lifted my chin and entered, my fists clenched at my sides.
When I reached the front stoop, I knocked on the weathered wooden door.
Nobody answered for several minutes, despite how hard I banged. “I know you’re here, Miss Wrenn. Please? I must speak to you.”
Under no circumstances could I let her know that Liam had opened my eyes to the truth about what I was. And what she was, as well. Pulling the faerie book from the pocket of my skirt, I held it up as I looked around. Maybe she was hiding in the garden somewhere.
“This isn’t a fictional book, is it? Are these…creatures, or rather, beings real?” I stomped my foot in annoyance. “Please. I need to know the truth once and for all! I must.”
Disappointed, I slumped onto the bench beside the front stoop. Should I wait? Was she hiding inside? I closed my eyes, wondering if maybe I could try coaxing her with my music the next time she came to the manor for my tutoring session. She did enjoy hearing me play. It was the few times I’d actually seen her offer a genuine smile, instead of the fake ones she normally pasted to her pretty face.
A fat bee buzzed around the yellow flowers growing along the path leading around toward the back of her house. I stood and followed it. This was Miss Wrenn’s sanctuary. Godmother said instructors needed time to themselves. I think she simply never wanted me to grow too close to the staff out of fear they’d let something slip and I’d learn the truth sooner.
Godmother must know the truth about Liam. She’d heard him play and had eyed him greedily. Marcus had limited Liam’s visits with Madam Estelle after that. But Liam had come along anyway, hiding in the garden and coming in to practice when Godmother was away.
They were a cunning pair. Marcus continued to try to coax his employer into allowing the two of us to perform before a human audience. I wasn’t sure why this was important to him. Honestly, I wanted it as much as he did. To be allowed out into World, at least, would be something.
As I reached the side of the cottage, I heard the sound of a shovel hitting the dirt. Continuing down the stone path, I finally spotted someone bent beside a bed of velvety black rosebushes. She wore casual denim pants and a billowy yellow shirt. Her dark hair was tucked beneath a wide-brimmed hat.
“Did you not hear me pounding on your door, Miss Wrenn?” I asked, standing beside her.
“How could I not hear you practically yelling like a banshee?” She yanked her hat off and stared up at me, eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here, child? You know the rules.”
I plastered on my most endearing smile. “I missed you. And I found this book that I wished to speak to you about.” I held up the little field guide.
Miss Wrenn stood, brushing the dirt from her clothing, a look of indignation on her face. I liked it. Seldom did I get the privilege of seeing her show any kind of emotions, aside from her normal aloofness. “You could have waited…” she paused, her gaze raking over me. “What’s happened?”
So perceptive.
“Nothing, Miss Wrenn. I just felt like stopping in for a visit. We don’t have time to sit and talk like we used to.”
Miss Wrenn folded her arms over her chest. Her hawk-like eyes zeroed in on the title of the book I held and she looked once again at me with suspicion. “How did you break through the enchantments hiding my house? Is Estelle here?”
I shook my head. “The wind helped. And I don’t expect her today. I can usually feel when she is on her way for a visit.” I tugged at my braid. “Not sure why, but I can feel it all the way down to my scalp.”
“Marcus. He’s been talking to you, hasn’t he? You know, if Estelle finds out he’s teaching you things that are not on her curriculum, she’ll kill him.”
That punctured a hole in my bravado. “No, I was reading this book and realized—”
“Pixie fluff. Do not try to evade the truth with me, I’ve always spotted a falsehood the moment it touched your pretty little lips, Rachel. Besides, we’ve read that book many times. Why are you only now,” she hooked her fingers in quotation marks, “realizing it?”
One thing Miss Wrenn was and that was factual. There was never any deceit in her words. If she couldn’t or wouldn’t answer a question, she changed the topic.
“Uh—,” I floundered, not wanting to reveal Liam’s part in his. “I’ve been afraid. I know I’m different from the staff. I’m more like you. And a couple of others. I was hoping that, being my instructor, that you’d be the one person who would truthfully answer my questions.”
“That…scout. I knew he was going to be trouble, but she wouldn’t listen.” For a long moment, Miss Wrenn stared hard at me. I didn’t allow myself to look away under her scrutinizing glare. Eventually, her rigid stance relaxed. She walked over to the shade of a small gazebo covered in vines and morning glories. “I have some iced tea, would you like some?”
I nodded and joined her, taking a seat on the swinging bench suspended from the rafters. She poured a glass for both of us, then sat beside me. “So long as your questions apply to the book in your hands, I’m able to instruct you on a few things. If I cannot answer a question, you’ll simply have to accept it. I’m not in a position to take the risk Marcus seems to enjoy taking. I need these boundaries. I’m safe here.”
“Safe from what?” I asked.
She sipped her tea. Reaching for the book, she opened it on her lap. “What did you wish to know about?”
Okay, so we needed to treat this as any other lesson. No personal questions. Fine. I motioned toward the book, “You gave me this to read years ago. Along with books on geography and space. Is this a fictional book? Or is it…real?”
Miss Wrenn signed. “My dear girl, I think you’ve already figured that out for yourself. I mean, you can understand the wind. You play impossible pieces of compositions after merely skimming the music sheets. You must know that you are not like mere humans.”
I nodded. At least she was talking openly with me. “There are several types of faeries listed, along with other types of creatures. Which one am—”
“I do not know your past history outside of this fold. And my past memories were taken from me when I came to live with Estelle. I only know that I’m safe here. From what, I’m not exactly sure. Lately, I’ve been having more vivid dreams, but I don’t understand what they mean. I do not recall making any bargains with a goblin who could spin gold,” she mused, staring across the yard in a daze. “I do not remember having a daugh—,” she shook her head, then blinked. “Do not ask me about your past. And do not ask personal questions. I’m not allowed….”
“Can you tell me about the human world? Marcus wants me to perform in World. Godmother won’t allow it. Why?”
I reached over and touched her cool hand. She didn’t look at me as she answered, “We are not meant to dwell in the human world, Rachel. You are lucky to be here, even if you might feel like a caged bird at times. At least here, I can feel a little of my homeland. The small bits I do remember.”
“We’re in some kind of hidden place between worlds?”
Her thin brows rose. “You have been speaking to Marcus. Shame on him for breaching his contract.”
“Will you report to Godmother what I say here?” Why hadn’t I thought to ask that before? Coming here was probably a big mistake. I started to stand when she grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down beside her.
“No, I have nothing to report. I promise that whatever we speak about here will remain between you and I. Considering you are not supposed to be here, and that I should have turned you away the moment I realized you crossed into my yard, I also risk punishment, perhaps even more so than you. So, I would very much like to keep this between ourselves.” She held out her hand. “Do we
have an agreement?”
I nodded and we shook on it. “It wasn’t Marcus who told me about the fold.”
She stared at me for a moment, her long graceful legs crossed and the sweaty glass perched on her knee. The droplets ran down the sides and dampened her pants. She strangely ignored it. “If not him, then who?”
It was my turn to be evasive. “Why does Godmother want to keep me hidden so badly?”
Miss Wrenn’s face darkened with her scowl. She glanced around once more, then blurted, “Because, she is a leech. A scavenger. She feeds off the…emotions and powers of others. When you play, she grows stronger.”
My mouth gaped open. “Does she…feed…off of you, as well?”
Miss Wrenn shook her head. “No, she allows me to stay here because I keep an eye on you when she is not here. She holds a great threat over my head. I don’t know why, but I do know it would be very dangerous for me to return to wherever my home in the Realm is.”
“The cook? And Mr. Tunis?”
Miss Wrenn smiled. “My, you’ve been paying more attention than I gave you credit for. Mrs. Westin is an old friend of Estelle’s. She and her husband were hunters. They sought out children like yourself, who possessed special talents or powers. Estelle collects them, as does Marcus. He is much more than a jovial musical instructor, Rachel. He has his own ambitions and you need to keep this in mind. He’s not a leech, like your Godmother, but—” She shrugged and left it at that.
This troubled me. Was Liam in on some scheme with his uncle? I didn’t want to believe that, but I couldn’t be stupid about this. He snuck into the fold and had been hiding for a couple of years now, listening and waiting. “Are you telling me that he’s…as bad as Godmother?”
She shook her head. “I do not think so. From what I’ve witnessed, he simply wants to show off his treasures. You and that boy he’s keeping, both of you are very strong and very talented Fae. I am not sure what your history is, sweetheart. I do know you were left with a human family, but I do not know why. Or who might have left you.”
“Is there any way I can return to…to…the Faerie world and—”
“The Realm, my dear. Call it what it is. I’m sure you came from someone belonging to the Seelie Court.” She flipped through a few pages and set the book in my lap. “You remember us discussing who the Seelie are?”
I nodded. “Light Faeries. Don’t they have wings and—”
“Some do, some don’t. You would not have them here, Rachel. Nor in the human world. They wouldn’t manifest until you returned to your people and became part of them.”
“Is that possible, Miss Wrenn? Do you think I can ever return home?”
A sad expression clouded her face as she started to shake her head, then stopped herself. “I suppose, Rachel, that anything is possible. But you can never speak of this to your Godmother. So long as you are compliant and do what she expects, she will continue treating you as the treasure you are to her. If you go against her—” Miss Wrenn squeezed my hand. “Promise you’ll never think of going against her.”
“What if I have someone who is willing to help me? What if I can somehow manage to get Godmother to let me perform in World. And…what if, I…what if?”
She set her glass on the round table beside the swing, then turned to fully face me. Taking both of my hands, she looked directly into my eyes. “Rachel, tell me the truth, has Marcus made any promises to you? Or shared any plan to help you escape from here?”
She wanted me to be completely honest with her. But she needed to be completely honest with me. “Tell me first, what is Godmother keeping you safe from?”
“I cannot give it a name, but I have a feeling that it is the same thing she is keeping you safe from. There are those in the Realm who seek power and wish to destroy anything that might get in their way. You were not left with a human family for no reason, Rachel. I might not know why your fae parents left you with that family, but I know it must have been for a good reason.”
An odd expression claimed Miss Wrenn’s face and she was lost in her thoughts once again. I tried to tug on her hands that still clasped mine, but she didn’t respond. There were so many more questions. Questions that I might never find answers to. “I hate how she keeps me in the dark. Why won’t she at least let—”
Miss Wrenn shook her head again, blinking away her dark thoughts. “We question when we are unsatisfied. When we are unsatisfied, we begin to move in a direction to rectify that. As I said earlier, Estelle gets something from you. Something she needs. Why would she open a door for you to start questioning her?”
“Then she never should have brought Marcus here.”
“She had no choice. He was the only one in the human world that knew how to draw out your abilities. Don’t get me wrong, Rachel. Estelle is very fond of you. However, you are an investment that she’s put a lot of her attention and efforts into. She’ll expect a return.” Miss Wrenn patted my hands. “Now, tell me what Marcus has said to you. I swear, I will not go running to your Godmother. However, I need to know. I want to make sure he is not leading you astray, my dear. I care about you, as well.”
Did she? I considered this and thought that maybe, in her own way, she did care. Still, she most likely cared more about her own well-being. Did I need to remain cautious with her, too? Was there anyone here I could honestly trust?”
Chapter 6
Present day.
Liam closes his own eyes behind the mask he must wear. A canine’s snout trimmed with glimmering black fur. Different from mine, but also meant to hide his true identity. Nobody in my ensemble appears on stage uncovered. It is forbidden.
The bow slides across the violin’s strings, creating a hauntingly beautiful melody that I join in with. My fingers fly over the keys of their own accord. As we move into the next song, my voice flows like honey off buttered toast.
It isn’t a song that I have created, but one Godmother has given me. She has her own ways of weaving enchantments to enthrall the spectators. That is the only reason she finally allowed my talents to be revealed to the human world. She receives her own compensation that is much more valuable than any money we earn for each performance.
My eyes scan the faces in the front row, illuminated by the ghostly lights shining behind and above me. There she sits, in the third seat of the front section. Her snowy white hair pulled back in a flowing updo, her lined face and thin, frowning lips. She wears a lavender silk evening gown and a creamy lacy shawl over her thin shoulders. If I didn’t know better, I’d think a stiff wind would blow her away in a puff of smoke.
Godmother Estelle also has her eyes closed as I sing her words. She takes in the effects of the enchantment like a vampire sucking blood from its victim. Even from my place beneath the bright lights, I notice the lines slowly start to fade from her severe face, one by one. The transformation won’t be too drastic. Not enough that anyone will take real notice, except to say that she wears her age well. Or to ask what kind of beauty regime she uses to keep her skin so flawless. When the flaws begin to show, I am allowed another performance.
Two Years Past…
Godmother attended my next practice session with Marcus. He sat in a corner of the music room, talking quietly with her. Neither of them truly listened to me.
I was so tired of playing. The summer heat poured in through the tall windows, baking my back. I’m not sure where Wind had gone, but it had abandoned me today.
When I stopped playing, she turned to me and barked, “Your practice time is not over yet, Rachel. Play it again.”
“But—?”
Her eyes darkened, then narrowed. “Excuse me, young lady?”
My breath caught. My hands ached. I hated when she was here because that meant Liam wouldn’t show up to practice. I was sure he was out in the garden, enjoying the shade of the trees and freely playing his violin.
Godmother wasn’t paying attention to what I played. Why did she care if I kept practicing or not? It wasn’t like I’d ever g
et to perform for anyone but her and the manor’s staff. “Please, may I stop for today? I’m tired and my fingers—”
She was out of her seat and standing beside the piano like an eagle swooping in for the kill. She grabbed my chin in her vice-like claws. “You’ll stop when I say. What’s gotten into you, Rachel? You are not normally such a whiner. Now, keep playing!” Her nails dug into my flesh painfully.
“Yes, ma’am.” I sat back on the bench and started the song that Marcus had left on the stand for me to practice.
Godmother returned to her seat, falling into the wing backed chair wearily. “This better not be your influence, Marcus Shields. So help me…”
He held up his hands defensively. “No, Mistress Estelle. It is warm in here. And the girl has been playing non-stop for hours. She must be—”
“My stars!” Godmother exclaimed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “She loves to play. We’ve been too easy on her. She’ll only grow in skill by perseverance.”
Marcus patted Godmother’s hand, his simpering smile making my stomach turn. “Has it been a difficult week, my lady?”
They fell into a quiet discussion again. I wanted to bang out my irritation on the keys! Pour my rage into the music, despite knowing it would only make things worse.
Miss Wrenn had seemed to have kept her word about not telling Godmother about my visit. During our next day of lessons, she showed up with a few old hand-drawn maps and books that didn’t belong in the library. Each one was about the Realm. Miss Wrenn thought it would be safe for me to learn about various faerie cities and cultures, as well.
Except that she’d taken her lesson materials back home with her, leaving me with even more mind-numbing questions.
When I came to the end of the piece, an idea formed and I had to try. I couldn’t stand another moment in this stifling room.
I played a new, made-up tune and wished really hard to be dismissed early. It was a simple wish. My fingers danced over the keys with more energy as I put all my desire into the song. The melody reminded me of the bubbly streams that filled the ponds around the garden. I added a few high notes that resembled the bird’s merry morning songs.
Promise Forever: Fairy Tales with a Modern Twist Page 19