Nita reached up and gently grabbed a handful of fringe from the back of his jacket. Rolling her eyes, voice completely monotone, she said, “No ... don’t ... stop.”
“Ewww. You are so lucky she’s holding me, cabron. I’d mess you up bad,” Butchy declared.
The man growled, throwing his restrained body forward. “Give me back my daughter!”
Nita shook her head. “Wait ... what?”
“The little girl is my daughter. That old hag stole her from me after her mother died. I’ve been looking for her ever since. If you’re helping her hide my child, you are aiding a kidnapper.”
Katya immediately moved toward him and began pulling at the ropes.
“What the hell are you doing?” Leilanni yelled. “Get away from him!”
Katya’s emerald eyes filled with unshed tears as she stared at the group. “We have to help him. Don’t you see? He’s why we’re here. Now help me get these ropes off him.”
“He’s dangerous,” Leilanni replied.
Nita looked from Katya, to Leilanni, and finally to Butchy. “Uncle Butchy, could he be why we’re here?”
Butchy thrust his chest out and answered without hesitation. “No!”
“Butchy?” Nita queried again.
Harumphf. Butchy snorted. Crossing his arms over his chest, he cocked his head to the right and stared at the man. Sighing, he answered, “Okay, maybe. It’s possible he’s the one who needs our help.”
“Uncle Butchy, please,” Katya pleaded as her fingers clawed at the ropes binding the man.
“Fine. Well, step back then,” he answered.
The ropes came loose and fell to the ground as the man scrambled to his feet covering his boy parts.
Clearing his throat, Paul said, “You want to give him some trousers or something?”
An evil grin slid across Butchy’s face and quick as a wink, he swished his wand in an arc. The still unnamed man was suddenly completely clothed from his head to his feet in the most luxurious, frothy, pink ball gown. He even had a diamond tiara and matching dangling earrings.
“What the hell?” the man exclaimed as he looked down at his chiffon covered body.
“Would you grow up?” Nita cast Butchy a sideways glance. “Fix it. Now.”
Laughing uncontrollably, Butchy flicked his wand again and this time the man was fully encased in a space suit complete with helmet.
Unable to keep his mirth in check any longer, Paul snickered and placed his hand over his mouth.
Leilanni shoved her elbow into Paul’s side, saying, “Don’t encourage him.” Then glaring at Butchy, ordered, “Enough. Stop being an asshole.”
Seemingly over his fit of laughter, Butchy pursed his lips. “Fine.” And before they could blink, the man was wearing standard blue jeans with a black tee shirt.
Nita took a step forward. “Please don’t mind him. He gets this way when his feathers are ruffled. Now, if you could tell us who you are and how we can help...”
After several minutes of conversation, they discovered the young man’s name was Daren Royal, a shifter from the Onatonka clan. Daren, like many of his counterparts, had suffered the misfortune of imprinting on a subject outside his own species. This young woman happened to be the daughter of an incredibly powerful witch named Brunhilda. Now, as it so often happens when dealing with affairs of the heart, beautiful Anastasia was no match for the love Daren cast her way.
Her mother, of course, had a strong opinion about the relationship, but in the end the couple ran off and got married without her blessing. Soon after, Anastasia discovered she was going to have a baby. Many weeks passed before they finally decided to return home. You see, one couldn’t always tell the outcome when a magical race mixed with another. For the sake of Anastasia and their unborn child, Daren agreed they’d be safest under the watchful eye of Brunhilda.
Alas, their love story had a horrid ending as poor Anastasia daily grew more and more frail. When the baby finally came, the poor girl hadn’t enough energy left to keep going. Sick with grief and filled with rage and blame, Brunhilda whisked the baby girl away before Daren could even kiss her cheek. Eight years later, the wolf shifter still searched for his beloved child while mourning the loss of his one true love.
Unashamed, Butchy choked back a sob while his chubby little hand swept the tears from his cheek. “That has to be one of the saddest stories I’ve ever heard. You poor, dear man.”
Daren blinked back the moisture in his eyes and stared at the grass under his feet. “It is all I know now. I must find our child. I owe my wife that much.”
Leilanni ran her fingers through her platinum hair. “Do you think she’s in danger? Will the witch hurt her?”
The dark-haired man looked off into the trees and shook his head. “It’s not a matter of Brunhilda causing her pain or putting her in danger. I’m sure she loves the child. But it is my child and she belongs with me.”
Katya’s graceful fingers curled as she absently stroked his arm. “You never say her name. Why is that?”
“I don’t know her name. Brunhilda took her before I could name her. I don’t know what the witch calls her. I don’t really know if she’s still alive. Sometimes, I think I’ll call her Ruby when we’re reunited. Ruby, like her mother’s perfect lips. Anastasia had a smile matched by no other.”
“So what now?” Paul asked.
Butchy shrugged and shook his head. “You got me.”
Nita rubbed her chin and thought for a moment. “Uncle Butchy, isn’t there someone you can ask? We’re flying blind here. Surely someone could give us a little guidance.”
“I suppose I could try to get an audience with the Queen, but if she won’t see me...” Butchy voice trailed off.
Leilanni nodded. “You do that. For now, the rest of us should get back to the cabin. Now that we actually know what we’re looking for, we might find a clue as to where they’ve gone.”
Chapter Eleven
While the girls, Paul, and Daren gave the cabin another once over, Butchy nervously paced the reception area of the great hall. What was taking her so long? He’d been announced ages ago. The longer he was there, the larger the chance he’d run into someone he didn’t want to see.
Moving to one of the many open windows, he peeked from the side into the open courtyard below. A myriad of fairies dressed in brightly colored clothes joyfully flitted and floated through the passageway going about their duties. Of course none of them rivaled Butchy with his keen fashion sense, however to be honest, most didn’t wear human style clothing to begin with. Butchy seemed to be one of the few who had embraced the clutches of humanity.
The large double doors to the great hall finally opened. A young blonde with spiky hair, dressed in green from her neck to her toes, cautiously greeted him. “Her Majesty will see you now. I’m to tell you on my way out.”
Butchy tipped his head. “Thank you very much. How did you find Her Majesty then?”
The girl cocked her head to the side and eyed him as if sizing him up. “Quite well, I imagine. I wish she’d be more open and less of a riddler.”
Nodding, Butchy flashed the nymph a smile. “Ah, yes. But then she wouldn’t be our Queen now, would she?”
The girl dropped her gaze to the ground and dipped into a curtsy before darting through the main doors.
Still grinning, Butchy made his way into the expansive room. If that little interaction had been a test of some sort, he’d nailed it. And if it wasn’t ... well the girl needed to keep her thoughts to herself before she got into real trouble.
As he approached the throne, the Queen nodded. “Bartholomew, one would have thought you too busy to come to court.”
Butchy quickly bowed on one knee. “Your Excellence, I am in dire need of your wisdom. My charges and I are jostling about in a veritable tidal wave of chaos and misinformation. We don’t know where we are supposed to turn, or what we are to do. I know you’ve stated the girls must meet their soul mates, but what of this man and his c
hild? Are we seriously supposed to help every Tom, Dick, and Harry we meet along the way?”
Her head tilted back as throaty laughter filled the room. “Oh, come now. My dear boy, you have to be the worst excuse for a Fairy Godfather we’ve ever had. This isn’t just about your charges. This is about you and your ridiculous notions about life in general and your intense self-absorption. It’s no wonder your parents are so mortified. Not to mention poor Julio. Heaven forbid he move on and find real happiness.”
Butchy’s eyebrows shot up. “Julio? What about Julio? And what does any of this have to do with my parents?”
The Queen shook her head and pulled her lips to the side. “Although I’m not supposed to be telling you this, it might interest you to know that Julio and your parents have asked me to intercede and teach you a lesson. They love you very much, Bartholomew. Very much indeed. And although you don’t deserve it, I am giving you the opportunity right now to become a better fairy. A fairy deserving of the love of others.”
“But I...”
“But nothing. Now you get back to your charges and figure out how to help them and those you meet along the way. Take a good look around while you’re there. Those girls are very important to the balance between good and evil. Right now, even more so than you. If you can’t figure out the job, then I will set the task to someone who will. That little tinker you met in the foyer is more suited and capable than you are at this very moment. Now go!”
Butchy shook his head trying to orient himself. He was used to traveling through his own magic, but being sent off so suddenly was quite different. The humongous shocked faces of Nita, Leilanni, Katya, and Paul staring back at him were even more disconcerting.
Not only had she sent him away, she’d resized him. Pursing his lips, he pulled his wand from his waistband and in an instant he was human sized again. “Well that was a waste of time. We’re totally on our own.”
“What happened?” Nita asked.
“Nothing. She seriously told me nothing of any value other than we need to help those we run into as well as figure out what’s going on.”
“That’s absurd,” Nita replied.
“Yes, well that’s what you have when dealing with fairies. Lots of riddles and BS. What about you guys? Did you find anything?”
Katya shook her head. “I wish. Poor Daren is out by the pond taking some time to think. He’s heartbroken.”
Leilanni sighed and leaning against the plank wall, slid to the floor with her knees bent. “I’m beat and starving. We need rest and food. Nothing’s going to be accomplished today.”
Wide eyed, Katya spun in her seat. “We can’t give up already! We just can’t! He needs us. So does that little girl.”
Leilanni forcefully smacked her head into the wall behind her.
“Do that again,” Paul said as he moved closer.
“It didn’t hurt, cock face,” she answered.
Butchy snorted nearly spewing sweet tea across the room. “I believe the term you are meaning to use is dickhead.”
Kneeling beside her now, Paul said softly, “Something’s not right here. Can you move your head to the left?
Using Paul’s request to ignore Butchy’s comment, Leilanni curled her legs to the side and rolled to her hip, spinning to face the wall. “What do you mean?”
“Listen,” Paul answered as he knocked on the plank wall. The first wide plank gave a loud thunk. But the piece right next to it, the one Leilanni had smacked with her head, gave a hollow thwack. Paul looked into her eyes, saying, “You heard that, right?”
Curious now, Leilanni repeated the process. “You’re right. It sounds empty behind there.”
“It’s just the void between the beams. Every house has that issue.” Butchy interjected.
Paul placed his massive hand on the board and tried to wiggle it. Although he pushed sideways, the momentum moved the piece ever so slightly upwards. Just enough to leave a tiny gap.
“Let me,” Leilanni said. “You’ll never get your big ole paws in there anyhow.” Shoving her index finger into the gap she pushed upwards moving the plank another eight inches before it finally stopped.
“What is it? What’s inside?” Nita asked.
Leilanni leaned forward to peer into the opening. “Looks like it goes all the way down to the floor. I can see something, but it’s too dark to make out what it is.”
“Well, pull it out! For Pete’s Sake!” Butchy ordered.
“I’m not sticking my hand in a dark hole when I have no idea what’s in there. Could be snakes.”
Katya wrinkled her nose. “Or bugs.”
“Step back,” Paul said. “I’ll do it.” Grinning, he winked at Leilanni. “This be man’s work anyhow.”
Butchy rolled his eyes. “Somebody call the grammar police and a doctor. This fool thinks he’s Jamaican.”
Paul’s arm was so large and his hand so big, the only way he could reach the bottom was by leaning against the wall half bent over. By the time he’d pulled a small wooden box from the bottom of the hole, his entire face was dripping with sweat.
Once again standing straight and tall, he handed the box to Leilanni.
She looked it over, and still wary of the contents, handed it to Nita.
Nita sighed and after glancing at Butchy and Katya, said, “Well, I guess we’d better take a look inside.”
“Nita,” Katya breathed softly.
“Yes?”
“Be careful. It belonged to a witch. There’s no telling what’s in there.”
Nodding, Nita carefully pulled on the tiny latch at the front of the box. Without realizing she was doing so, she held her breath as she slowly lifted the lid. After seeing the contents, she let out a deep sigh and held the box out for the others to see. “It’s nothing. Just jewelry. It’s pretty, but nothing that will help us.”
“What?” Leilanni’s stride brought her to Nita’s side in three steps. “How can this be? Why would she hide something of no value whatsoever? It doesn’t make sense!”
Butchy took the box and dumped the pink heart shaped pendant into his hand. The long gold chain trailed over the side of his hand almost an entire foot. Rubbing the cool stone between his thumb and forefinger, he closed his eyes. “If there’s any magic here, I can’t feel it. Not even anything residual. It’s simply someone’s prized necklace.”
Sighing, Butchy dropped the piece back in the box and sat it on the end table. “Well that’s that then. We’re right back where we started.”
Katya’s head moved side to side. “We can’t be. It has to be something. What’s the point of us finding it if it’s nothing at all?” Grabbing the box from the table, she dumped the necklace into her hand and immediately gasped. All around her the room went dark, then after a moment everything came back into view. Well almost everything. Her friends were no longer with her. Instead of sitting on the sofa, she was standing in the corner of the room watching a darling little girl with perfectly formed blonde curls play with the necklace in front of the fire. As the stone turned, it caught the light from the flames and cast it out across the room in rays.
Katya jumped as a voice came from the kitchen.
“Ruby, it’s time to go dear. Are you ready?”
The little girl hurriedly shoved the necklace into a small box and placed it inside the wall beside the fireplace. “I’m ready, Granny. I still don’t understand why we have to go. When are we coming back?”
A gentle looking old woman entered the room carrying a magnificent red satin cloak. “Because my love, the bad man is coming for you. The only way I can keep you safe is to take you far away from here. You’ll love our new home. It looks very much like this one, but it’s in a land filled with magical creatures. You will be very happy there.”
“But, Granny, why can’t we take any of our things? I want to take my necklace.”
Tendrils of white hair snuck free around the woman’s ears as she sternly shook her head. “Now, Ruby. You must do as you’re told. Granny does
n’t ask for much, does she?”
“No, Ma’am.”
“Right then. Off we go.”
Katya’s body jolted violently as if someone was shaking her. Once again the room went dark and when she opened her eyes, Leilanni had hold of her arms and was shaking her so hard her teeth rattled.
“Katya, talk to me! What’s wrong? Katya, wake up!” Leilanni yelled.
All at once, Katya’s body moved to protect herself. Her hands flew up to push Leilanni away. “Stop! I’m fine. Leave me alone, you’re hurting me.”
Breathless and visibly shaken, Leilanni stepped back from the girl.
Nita, sat down beside her and placed a cool hand on her forehead. “What happened? Are you okay? You scared us to death!”
“Nothing happened. Well, something happened, but I was right here.”
Leilanni pointed at her. “Your eyes rolled back in your head. You weren’t breathing. We thought you were dying.”
Wasn’t breathing? The entire vision only lasted a few seconds. Hadn’t it? “How long was I like that?” Katya asked.
“At least five minutes,” Nita answered.
Before Katya could relay her story, Daren stepped through the front door. Upon seeing the horrified looks on Butchy and the girl’s faces, he looked at Katya. “What happ--” His gaze immediately fell to the stone she still held in her hand. Anger flashed in his eyes as he barked, “Where did you get that? How did you find it?”
His lithe body moved with animal quick speed as he leapt over the sofa and snatched the necklace from Katya’s hand. “I asked you where you got this?”
Katya began to answer, when Daren suddenly lifted from the floor and shot across the room, out the open front door.
“And don’t you dare put your filthy paws on her again!” Leilanni yelled as she swiped her hands against each other.
Completely amazed, the room went silent as all eyes fell on Leilanni.
“What?” she asked. Then shrugging, she continued. “He shouldn’t have pissed me off.”
Butchy’s chest puffed with pride. “You girls are really getting the hang of this. Now, Paul. If you would kindly see whether or not our girl has killed the man we are trying to help...”
Beary Tales Page 11