Unseelie Queen

by J. C. Diem

  Putting her hand on the trunk, she thanked the tree for its help. A branch came down and lightly touched her on the head in response. They seemed different from when she’d first visited the Unseelie realm with Jake and Rudy. Something had changed and it was probably to do with the chaos and imbalance. They were less hostile to her even when she was in her dryad form now. Maybe they knew she was fated to save them.

  She had no idea where she was, or which direction to take to reach the Unseelie palace. Without Hexam, she had no one to guide her. Responding to her need again, the branch pointed off to the east. The plants had decided to show her the way and she bowed her head in gratitude, then began to walk.

  It wasn’t easy making her way across the mountain range, but the plants helped her when she needed it. Vines would descend to carry her across dangerous territory or to lift her over obstacles and swollen creeks. It occurred to her that she could travel by one of the larger trees back to the palace now that she was alone, but her instincts told her not to. She had a feeling she was being led where she needed to go and she wasn’t about to attempt to alter her fate.

  Darkness had fallen before she heard the thunder of gigantic feet approaching. The ground shook and terror froze her in place for a few moments. She fled towards the nearest tree, but it didn’t respond to her plea to save her. Spinning around when she heard hoarse panting, she drew a breath to scream when a massive head swooped down. Then a wet, warm tongue licked her from her feet to her face and she realized who the beast was. “You scared the life out of me!” she scolded Hexam as he shrank down to his normal size.

  Too happy that he’d found her to be ashamed that he’d frightened her, the hound raced around in a circle a few times before galloping back over to her. He butted one of his heads against her and she hugged him hard. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, nearly in tears that her guardian had managed to find her. He must have run in his gigantic form like the devil was after him to have caught up to her.

  Grinning with all three heads, he licked her again, but only slobbered on her face this time. She used her cloak to wipe away his drool that had probably already been washed away by the rain. “We should probably avoid crossing open fields in the future,” she warned him and received a woof of agreement.

  Hexam had learned his lesson that sometimes the fastest way wasn’t always the safest way to travel. He’d lost Asha for an entire day and he wasn’t going to let that happen again. It was his duty to make sure she was safe and he wasn’t about to let his guard down.

  After another night spent sheltered by the trees, they resumed their journey at first light. Not that they could see the sun through the dense clouds. Asha’s stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before. Hexam trotted over to the base of a tree and sniffed something, then one of his heads swiveled to her.

  She dutifully crossed to him and crouched down to see a cluster of mushrooms. “Are you sure these are edible?” she asked doubtfully. Shaped like a bell, the tops were purple and the stems were black. They practically screamed that they were poisonous.

  Hexam bent one of his heads and delicately used his tongue to pluck up one of the mushrooms. He chewed, swallowed, then grinned to show her it was harmless.

  Figuring she probably wouldn’t die from eating the fungus, Asha broke off a small portion and gingerly tasted it. She waited for a couple of minutes for searing pain to cripple her, but nothing happened. The mushrooms would probably have tasted a lot better roasted and covered in melted cheese or something, but they were edible. Between the two of them, they ate all the purple mushrooms they could find nearby, then resumed their trek.

  It quickly became apparent that the trees were leading her away from the Unseelie palace. Hexam began to walk to the south, but the trees pointed them to the north east. “I think we’d better go where they’re leading us,” Asha decided. They wouldn’t tell her why they were guiding her away from where she was supposed to go, but she would have to trust them.

  Hexam looked at her skeptically, then gave the canine version of a shrug and trotted beside her down the path the trees pointed them towards.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  AFTER TWO MORE DAYS of slogging through the forest, Dacrith and his unlikely companions rested inside the tent once more. It was unsettling having so few fae creatures around them. Once upon a time, the forests would have been teeming with all sorts of beings. Now there was just normal wildlife. Maybe the creatures who had been evicted were the lucky ones, Dacrith mused. They were relatively safe on Earth and were avoiding the chaos that was tearing the realm apart.

  “We’re nearing the troll mound,” Olsa said in a subdued tone.

  “How can you tell?” Kurtus asked. He lounged on his cot, gnawing on a hunk of meat one of the brownies had provided. Dacrith had to hide a grin that the guard reminded him of Hexam.

  “We can feel our kin,” Unwin replied and rubbed his arms as if he was cold. “They’re somewhere close. We’ll reach them tomorrow.”

  “I’m surprised we haven’t found a single troll mound yet,” Dacrith said. They were scattered all throughout the forests to his knowledge.

  “We’ve passed a few of them,” Olsa admitted. “The trees seem to be guiding us to a specific one.”

  “How much magic do you still have if you can sense what we cannot?” Kurtus asked her suspiciously.

  “Just be grateful they have any magic at all,” Dacrith suggested and gestured at his food. “Without them, we would have been reduced to hunting for ourselves.” Kurtus grimaced and nodded reluctantly.

  Dacrith had some experience at living in a cave and fending for himself, but he’d been able to access his magic back then. Now their power had waned and all he had were his wings. They’d shown no signs of vanishing yet. He had a feeling that if they did, the last of fairy magic would disappear from their realm.

  When they turned in, he found his thoughts dwelling on Asha. If the brownies knew where she was, they weren’t saying. He knew they could sense her, but they were loyal to her, not to him. He’d respected their wishes and hadn’t pried for information. He had a quest to complete and he would have to focus on that first.

  Come morning, they went on the move after a hasty breakfast. The trees unerringly led them along a path before suddenly guiding them into the dense underbrush. Dacrith dutifully followed their lead until they came to a mound of dirt. “Here we are at last,” he said, eyeing the troll-made hill while absently bowing at the trees in thanks for their help. The mound was devoid of vegetation and rose about thirty feet high. An eerie stillness surrounded it. Animals, birds and insects all gave it a wide berth.

  They circled around the knoll, but couldn’t see an entrance. “How do we get in?” Kurtus asked.

  “We can feel an illusion spell,” Olsa said, pointing off to the left. “It’s probably hiding the door.”

  Dacrith led the way and came to a stop when the brownie tugged on his ear. He couldn’t feel any magic, but when he reached out, his fingertips encountered smooth wood rather than grass and dirt. He found the doorknob, but it refused to turn. “A spell is keeping the door locked,” he said in frustration.

  Olsa and Unwin shared a look and reached a mutual decision. “We’ll take you inside, but our magic could be nullified once we enter the mound,” Olsa said.

  “I thought troll magic only nullified leprechaun magic,” Kurtus said in surprise.

  “They must have some way to suppress our power,” Unwin pointed out. “Or our kin would have found a way to escape long ago.”

  “That’s a good point,” the guard admitted, then gestured at the door they couldn’t see. “We might as well get on with it. The realm isn’t going to heal itself, after all.”

  At Dacrith’s nod, the brownies used their teleporting powers and shifted them all inside. They found themselves in a narrow tunnel that led sharply downwards. “Can you still use your magic?” the prince asked.

  Olsa conjured up a
small ball of light in response. “Aye,” she said and sent the globe ahead of them.

  “That’s a relief,” Kurtus said, still dripping water. “Can you dry us before we begin to mildew?”

  Unwin gave him a sour look, but they dutifully dried them all. Then they changed the warriors back to their armor and made their cloaks disappear. “Will there be anything else?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Not just now,” the guard replied with a cheeky grin.

  Dacrith had to fold his wings in tightly so they didn’t scrape on the walls of the tunnel. Trolls would have to walk sideways to be able to fit inside it. He wondered why they’d made them so narrow. The answer came when he heard the scrape of metal, then a blade whizzed through the air towards him. With a curse, he dropped to the ground. Kurtus copied him just in time to avoid having his head chopped off. This entrance was clearly trapped. The trolls would have other means to get in and out of their underground network of passageways.

  They encountered several more traps on their way down the slope. A pit opened up beneath Dacrith suddenly. He had to spread his wings as far as he was able to so he could soar across the gap. The brownies clung to his shoulders so they wouldn’t fall off. Kurtus leaped over the trap, then sprinted forward when sharp spears shot up out of the ground after he landed. “The trolls really don’t like intruders,” he said in a dour tone.

  The ground finally levelled out, but the floors, walls and ceiling were still riddled with deadly snares. Dacrith stepped on a hidden trigger that caused fire to shoot down from above. Kurtus yanked him back before he could become immolated. “That was close,” the prince said calmly. He and the brownies would have healed from the burns, but the pain would have been excruciating.

  They eventually came to a series of tunnels that branched off in different directions and examined them uncertainly. “Our kin are in that direction,” Olsa said, pointing dead ahead. Dacrith led the way into the tunnel, but walked cautiously. On his fourth step, another pit opened up. This time, it stretched for twenty feet. He was pretty sure he could fly across it, but had to dismiss the idea when spears began to randomly shoot out of the ceiling and walls.

  “Maybe we should try another way,” Kurtus suggested.

  They tried some of the other tunnels and finally found one that didn’t have a huge pit barring their way. Unfortunately, it took them in the wrong direction. After an entire day spent uselessly trying to locate the brownies, they took a break for dinner.

  “We’re never going to be able to find the brownies,” Kurtus complained when he finished eating his meal. He sulkily leaned against the wall, then let out a startled noise when a door opened up. He tumbled backwards and became stuck when the door tried to swing shut again. “A little help?” he said when Dacrith and the brownies broke into snickers.

  Dacrith leaned down and offered the guard his hand. He hauled Kurtus to his feet, then leaned through the doorway to peer into a much smaller tunnel. “I think you may have just solved this labyrinth,” he said and clapped the auburn haired man on the shoulder.

  “Really?” Kurtus asked skeptically as they stepped through. The door swung shut behind him and wouldn’t open from this side. “I think we just became trapped,” he said.

  “We’ll be fine,” Dacrith said as he made his way along the straight, narrow passageway. Trailing his hand along the wall, he found another hidden doorway and pushed it open. He squeezed through into another section of the labyrinth. The passageways were larger and they didn’t stumble into any traps as they walked side-by-side towards a pale light that glowed in the distance.

  The light grew brighter until they no longer needed Olsa’s globe. She extinguished it and they quietly approached a thick wooden door. It was made for creatures who were twice the height of the fairies. A window had been set too high for any of them to look through. Bright yellow light spilled through the glass, washing over the foursome.

  Dacrith fluttered his wings and flew high enough to peer through the window. Clinging to his ears so they weren’t swept off with each beat of his wings, Olsa and Unwin made sounds of distress at what they saw. A gigantic room lay beyond. Ten trolls sat at a huge table on bench seats near the far wall. Their voices were muffled as they had an intense discussion.

  Hundreds of lanterns hung over head, illuminating the room that held dozens of beds and other furniture. Once upon a time, the mound would have been full of trolls, now only these ten remained.

  “What have they done to our kin?” Olsa asked mournfully.

  Dacrith focused on the lanterns and realized they were cages. Yellow light glowed from within, coming from the spells that encased the brownies that were trapped inside. The trolls had managed to adjust their enchantment that nullified leprechaun magic to subdue the brownies. He had no idea why they’d agreed to imprison the tiny beings, but it had to be because of a deal they’d made with his father.

  “We have to free them,” Unwin said. They were both close to tears at the fate that had befallen their kin.

  “We will,” Dacrith vowed, then landed lightly on the ground. Dealing with trolls wasn’t going to be easy, especially when it seemed they could still utilize their magic.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  AGAIN, THE DOOR WAS locked with a spell. Kurtus put his hand on the pommel of his sword, but he didn’t draw his weapon. Dacrith had told him what they would be facing when they entered the chamber. Even one troll would have been dangerous. Ten would be beyond their capabilities to subdue. “What’s your plan?” he asked, tone reflecting his nerves.

  “I don’t really have one,” Dacrith confessed. “I wasn’t expecting there to be any trolls left.”

  “You’re going to have to think of something,” Olsa said shrilly. “We need to force them to free our kin.”

  “I don’t think any of us are going to have the power to force ten trolls to do anything,” Kurtus pointed out. “We’re outnumbered and they’ll defeat us easily.”

  “It’s our destiny to free the brownies,” Dacrith said with a slight grimace, almost unable to believe what he was about to say. “We have to trust that we’ll be able to bargain with the creatures.”

  “I’m sure nothing can go wrong with that plan,” Unwin said and rolled his eyes.

  “We’ll need you to teleport us inside,” the warrior said.

  “Of course you do,” Olsa replied in resignation. “Then we can become imprisoned right along with our kin.”

  Despite her fear, she assisted Unwin to shift them all to the other side of the door. The trolls instantly sensed them and surged to their feet. Ten feet tall and far more muscular than fairies, they resembled gorillas slightly. They were covered in dense green-grey fur from head to toe. Their heads were like a cross between a bear and a dog, with long fangs that were designed to tear flesh open. Their fingers were tipped with long claws that they could use to rend and tear. The tallest and biggest troll roared in challenge and prepared to charge at them.

  “We come in peace,” Dacrith said, holding up his hands to show he was unarmed.

  “Peace?” the troll repeated, then let out a harsh laugh. “No Unseelie fairy even knows the meaning of the word.” He gestured at the wings that were folded behind the intruder’s back. Only the edges were peeking out and he could see the black border that ringed them.

  “They have brownies,” one of the other trolls murmured, squinting at them. Their eyesight was poor at a distance.

  “Let our kin go!” Olsa shouted, standing up on Dacrith’s shoulder. The trolls gave guttural laughs at her shrill demand.

  “We have an agreement with the Dark Prince,” the lead troll said as they shuffled closer. Their arms were so long that they could use their knuckles to help them move.

  “What was your agreement, exactly?” Dacrith asked as they came to a stop roughly fifty feet away.

  “Sindarian used his foul goblin allies to evict most of us from this world,” he replied. “He allowed a few of us to remain in return for imprison
ing thousands of brownies. If we release them and break the covenant, he will use the goblins and their dire magic to expel the rest of us.”

  “I am Prince Sindarian’s son,” Dacrith declared. “I wish to make a new bargain with you.”

  “What proof do you have that you are Sindarian’s kin?” the lead troll sneered.

  In response, Dacrith removed his helmet to reveal his silver-gold hair and made his wings flare out to show the six inches of blackness that signified his rank. “Will that be proof enough?” he asked with exaggerated politeness. One of the brownies made his helmet vanish to free his hands.

  “The Dark Prince will banish you if you attempt to thwart his will,” the lead troll said, but his expression was speculative.

  “I seriously doubt that,” Kurtus said dryly. “On account of a dragon ate him and he’s now dead.”

  That pronouncement was met with an astonished silence before the troll leader spoke. “A fairy has died?”

  “Two of them have, actually,” Dacrith drawled. “If you’d been to the surface lately, you would have noticed that the land is being torn by chaos.”

  “So, we weren’t imagining things,” another troll murmured. “Our magic is fading. It must be because of the imbalance.”

  “We mean to repair the damage, but we need your help,” Dacrith said, galled that he had to stoop so low.

  “A fairy Prince needs our help?” the troll leader asked, then laughed nastily. “This should be good. What is it that you require of us?”

  “We need you to let the brownies go. It will help us reduce the chaos.”

  Eyeing the man who was nearly half his size, the troll began to advance on the intruders with his kin backing him up. “What makes you think we want the chaos to end?” he asked. “Once the magic fades, the Unseelie fairies will be powerless. You’ll be no match for our kind then. We will finally be able to be the supreme species in this realm.”