Brigid helped her down the last few steps as the stairs evaporated. Together they watched as fairy lights grew and danced about in the fog. Victoria gasped as several floated beyond the fog to reveal fist sized lights bobbing around. Within could be seen the silhouette of people with butterfly or dragonfly wings.
The first lights to descend were blue, and they came by the hundreds. Where they descended fully armoured people erupted in blue flames. What they were Victoria had no idea, they looked humanoid, but any other details were hidden beneath their armour. It was made from some blue metal she had never seen before, trimmed with gold and silver. Their armour was very angular and reminiscent of birds. Their variety of weapons were strapped to their backs. They ringed a wide area that she and Brigid stood in, their ranks disappearing back into the fog. Their presence seemed foreboding.
“The Atlantean Guard” Brigid whispered in her ear.
“Atlantean Guard, but Atlantis is just a story?”
“It was real, but that’s a story for another time.” She pointed.
Several lighter blue lights landed revealing strange insect-like people. They were blue skinned with four transparent blue wings. Their limbs and bodies were very thin and long, their limbs ending in four digits. Their large indigo eyes lacked any whites or pupils. Their gaze on her was most unnerving.
“Sprites”
There were brown lights with flickers of blue that landed within the fog. From the afterglow and fog walked several black horses, their manes running with water. Riding bareback were several brown-skinned women with short brown hair. Their lower arms, hands, calves and feet were covered in short brown fur, they also had several whiskers. Their lips were dark brown as were their nails. Both types of creatures had liquid brown eyes sparkling with swirls of blue.
“Kelpies and Selkies”
There were more blue lights, this time, tinged with grey, floating around the edge of the clearing. Closer inspection revealed people within though they had no wings. Their forms also appeared fluid though it resembled Human form. “Nixies” They were joined by pink lights that joined them in intricate dances around the edge of the clearing. Within these lights were petite little beings with antennas, butterfly wings, and stingers. “Pixies”
Four other large lights joined the rest, but they had no corporeal bodies, remaining instead as floating and writing flames, water, earth or wind. “Elementals, very powerful, very dangerous.”
More shapes were walking out of the fog “Korrigans, Leprechauns and Clurichauns” The Korrigans had long flowing hair that floated around them, red eyes, long red fingernails and what appeared to be red tattoos all over their bodies. They seemed to hold a very seductive nature to them, and several of them even had feathery wings.
The Leprechauns surprisingly conformed to common beliefs she had read. They were little men wearing red or green older style clothes decorated with gold and completed with their little black shoes with big golden buckles. They might only be knee height, but they were full of life and spunk, smiling at her knowingly.
The Clurichauns were the same height but completely different. They appeared very animalistic, covered in their thick fur of black, brown, grey or forest green. They had paws instead of feet, and their hands were remarkably paw like. They even had snouts with moist black noses. Their eyes were bright green fires. Some of them wore blue or purple waistcoats while other wore nothing.
The last of the nobles to arrive, that’s what Brigid had whispered they all were, were the Banshees. They were spectral women with no corporeal form. They varied in blue-white to grey transparency. They were clearly defined from the shoulders up, from their shoulders down were ill-defined dresses that were severely ripped along the bottoms. Each of their eyes held cold calculation.
The very last lights to appear were three green lights that landed together in a smaller ring of the Atlantean Guard. The first one landed, and as the light faded it revealed a Human sized woman of extraordinary beauty. She had snow white skin, green curls that fell to her breasts which were all that held up her green dress. Silver and gold bracelets adorned her arms and a garland of flowers crowned her head. Her green eyes twitched into a smile as she looked at Brigid.
Two other green lights landed next to her, the people who grew from them could only be her children. Their resemblance to her was completely obvious, though they had brown hair as well as the green and their skin was not so strikingly white. The son was also a little bit taller than his sister and mother, but all three were beautiful creatures.
“You brought the nobles to greet me, I am most honoured Sorcha.”
The Fairy Queen nodded deeply “And I am even more honoured you remember who I am Brigid.”
She laughed a little “But of course, you were Mὸr’s long awaited daughter. Your conception was a miracle of my own creation to repay your grandmother Dáirine’s loyalty. Though the last time I saw you, you were but a child.”
“Before the War destroyed the world. We had feared you killed, but are most relieved to find you alive.”
“I am still surprised I am alive and even more so that I am free after all these years. How I wish I could be a fly on the wall when the Arch Angels discover it was one of their own that set me free.”
There was a collective gasp from all the gathered Fae before Sorcha asked, “An Arch Angel set you free?”
“Indeed. She was the youngest of them all, cut off from her powers so that her family could use them. We helped each other escape, then we freed Hera to escape Heaven. We were lucky to have escaped at all.” She shuddered “The power of the Angels is truly terrifying.” They nodded in agreement, the Fae long knew the powerful reach of the Angels. “How has the Seelie Court fared since the War? How many have been slaughtered by the Angels?”
At this Sorcha smiled “Not as many as you would fear or expect. The Otherworld has proved invaluable in hiding our numbers. Our protection spells have only gotten stronger and more subtle, remaining undetected by the Angels. Our blood and theirs have gone into those spells, but the price was worth it. The Seelie Court has continued to grow as our powers have diversified. Among our numbers we have the descendants of Nymphs and Satyrs, still breeding true. They would be here but as yet none of the others have agreed on their nobles.
Within our numbers, we have the bloodlines of Gods and Angels. Our powers cover the whole British Isles and not a single one of our number has been persecuted for over 500 years. Our powers and spells allow us to completely avoid Angel detection. With your awakening Goddess, we have the power to completely prevent them entering the British Isles entirely. Avalon will be beyond the Angels.”
Brigid was surprised, the combined powers of the Fae was enough to rival a God or powerful Angel. With her addition, they could have a completely Angel free homeland. “I am impressed, you have the largest concentration of Daemons in the world. Naturally I will grant my patronage, protection and power. It is long time we wrested control back from the Angels. And to that effect I have our Human Key.” She placed an arm around Victoria’s shoulder as she pulled her forward.
“We were wondering why you had brought a Human with no magical powers.”
“Not powerless for much longer. I present to the Seelie Court the Princess of Wales Victoria Windsor, Heir of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island and soon to be Queen and Empress of the British Empire.”
That clearly surprised the Queen, but a gleam filled her eyes “You’re planning on resurrecting the Empire?”
“Indeed and expanding on it too. This time, the magical will walk openly in the streets, our enemies will fear our military and magical might. Our lands will flourish like never before.”
“You wish us to pledge our allegiance to a powerless Human?”
“This Human, the Key and heir apparent. And she will not be powerless for long, as the Key she will be imbued with the powers of the land.”
“I have a condition.”
Victoria was surprised
, for a race so enamoured with the Gods to make demands of one seemed sacrilegious.
Brigid nodded for her to continue.
“We demand an assurance in our allegiance to this Human, an agreement bonded in blood. She will marry my son.”
Victoria gasped, the son whipped around to glare at his mother. Brigid, on the other hand, clapped her hands together “What an excellent idea. A union to truly herald a new beginning.”
Sorcha motioned her two children “Princess Victoria I present my daughter and heir to the Seelie Court Princess Aisling and my son Prince Cathair.”
He was still spluttering “Mother I must protest, she has no ethereal sense whatsoever.”
“Well I hardly want to marry you either,” Victoria retorted.
Brigid and Sorcha continued on as though neither of them had spoken. “They will not be wed before she is crowned in her own right.”
“She will also spend time in the Seelie Court, my people will need to adjust to the idea of her having power over us. She must also learn our ways. But in the meantime Aisling and Cathair will both attend her, they are ignorant of Human ways, and it is better they learn it now before the world becomes aware of them.”
“That is an excellent idea. I believe Victoria has many country estates where they can reside and learn from each other.”
Sorcha smiled “Then we are agreed, this calls for a drink” with a wave of her hand a crystal decanter appeared filled with emerald green liquid that shone brightly as it swirled around. It poured itself out into five crystal chalices that floated their way to the four royals and the Goddess.
“Is this Earthlaughter?” Brigid asked in amazement. It had been millennia since she had drunk it.
Sorcha could only laugh “It certainly is, the best in the land. Though I presume it has been forever since you last tasted it.”
“Aye but you never forget it. Victoria, you are in for a rare treat, few Humans have ever tasted Earthlaughter.”
Victoria took the chalice that hovered before her. As flustered and annoyed as she was with Brigid and the Fae she had to admit she was curious about the strange liquid, especially if it could delight Brigid so much. “What is in it?”
“A secret the Fae will not disclose. The only others that come close are Lightningsun of the Satyrs and Paradox of the Naga. Drink it, believe me, you will enjoy it.”
“We have Lightningsun, but the secret of Paradox is forever lost with the Naga and Unicorns being extinct.” She smiled at Brigid’s raised eyebrow “The Nymphs and Satyrs that joined our numbers kept the secret to themselves, but they share the drink.”
“You have done well.”
Sorcha smiled “A toast to a brighter future” They raised their glasses and drank.
For Victoria, it was unlike anything she had ever drunk before. It smelled strongly of mint and lavender, but the taste was something different. It was as though they had captured the essence of the forest, meadows, rivers and earth then distilled them down to capture their strongest essences. She gasped after she swallowed, it was very potent, she felt empowerment after one sip.
“This is amazing” she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
“She is coping far better than most for her first taste.” Aisling deigned to speak for the first time.
“She will do well, I have never seen a Human handle it so well. There is hope for you yet. Welcome to the Seelie Court Victoria Windsor. It has been a long time since a Human has seen the Court, what a stir it will cause when you come to greet us all.” She turned back to Brigid “I like her, I can see why you have chosen her as your future empress.” She stepped closer to Victoria turning her unnerving green eyes over her.
Victoria was surprised, she was a full head shorter than herself, but Sorcha’s presence more than made up for it. There was a regal air and poise to her that Victoria could only envy. Adding her beauty, grace, and presumed powers, she was the image of a fantasy queen.
Sorcha looked over the young Human “Well I guess by Human standards she isn’t unattractive, but Cathair is right she lacks any of the ethereal to attract the magical. I doubt the Elementals will even acknowledge her. They have always been against the Human stain. Will she be able to handle the responsibility, she looks like she would be crushed beneath the weight of responsibility, and the Human monarchy certainly isn’t what we are. I’m beginning to feel sorry for my son, he is marrying far beneath his position.”
He perked up hoping for his new betrothal to be broken.
Victoria spluttered in rage “There is nothing wrong with the way I look, just because I don’t look like I’ve rolled around in pearls. I couldn’t give a damn about some pretentious elementals if they’re so close minded I couldn’t care less. Human stain! Well sorry if we don’t dance around the forest naked bathing in moonbeams while we’re busy discovering space travel. My family may have made mistakes, but I am far better suited to ruling Britain than they are, my people love and adore me, I will make a fantastic queen. They love me because I’m not a pretentious bitch as your son’s Fairy wife would be. I’ve lived with responsibility all my life, I know my country, I own over half of it, I have regrown forests all over the country just so you can have your toadstool parties.
Your son is marrying up, I am the best he will ever get. Don’t look down your nose at me, you’re looking up it shorty.”
There were many gasps from the Fairies. The Elementals all pulsed with their powers, and there were hisses from behind her. Sorcha, on the other hand, surprised everyone by laughing, she clapped Victoria on the shoulder “Oh yes Brigid, I like this one. Welcome to the family Victoria, I like a daughter-in-law who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. And with my son you’ll have too, I’m sorry to tell you both my children are spoilt and arrogant. He is certainly lucky to have you, and you’ll be lucky to have him, once you’ve whipped him into shape of course.”
Both her children glowered at her. Victoria burst out laughing, she wasn’t happy that she was somehow suddenly betrothed, but she could work on changing that, but she had to say she liked and respected Sorcha.
Sorcha nodded to Brigid as the colourful symbols on the floor started changing. All the Fairies stepped back while Brigid steered her into the middle of the symbols. They changed green as Brigid channelled her powers through Victoria. The three Fae Royals stood in the next ring out, the symbols swirling about them turning blue. The other Fairies all assumed various positions, the symbols swirling between them turning into a kaleidoscope of colours.
To Victoria, it all seemed so surreal, other than that night in the Atlantic Ocean she hadn’t seen magic. If it weren't for Brigid being a fixture of her life, she would have thought she had hallucinated it.
Everyone had their eyes closed, slight smiles on their faces. This was their lifelong dreams, what they had striven for, for so long. She felt like an interloper, she didn’t understand their need or desire, it was still all so new to her. She had never been persecuted by the Angels. She had lived a fairly normal life, well as normal as could be for a princess.
But it was more than that. They all seemed to be enjoying sensations she wasn’t aware of, their eyes fluttering away behind their lids. It had to be magical, and she couldn’t feel it. Cathair was right she had no sense of the ethereal. She felt like she was in a room where everyone was speaking another language. She didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on. She had a brief moment of paranoia when she thought they could be sacrificing her for all she knew.
Brigid’s hands on her shoulder started to glow, the light was also spreading into her own skin. Everyone around her was a blazing beacon of magic while she was the shadow on the glass. She knew that the world around her was changing, she knew it, but she couldn’t feel it.
Suddenly Sorcha plunged her hands into her chest, Victoria stared down in horror and the glowing arms sticking out her chest. This really was a sacrifice! She felt the hands clasp her heart, felt its racing beat within its new cage.
&nbs
p; Then she heard the voices in her head, the hundreds, no thousands, no the millions of voices all calling out to her. Was this magic? Where were these voices coming from and who did they belong to?
All the voices of the Fae. Every living and Spectral Fae within the British Isles and Otherworld. Within every facet of Avalon. We are many voices, but we speak as one, our unity binds us together and makes us stronger.
Her vision darkened, she couldn’t see the airport or the thick swirling fog. She couldn’t see the Fairies anymore or Sorcha with her hands in her chest. She was surrounded by darkness, everyone else had disappeared. She could still feel Brigid’s hands on her shoulder and Sorcha’s around her heart, but she couldn’t see them.
Tonight the Fae make our stand. We shall no longer hide in the shadow of Heaven. Tonight Brigid lends her strength to us, and we will be completed. Our fates forever intertwined. But fate is at the crossroads. Tonight a Human dares enter our world.
“I was brought here by Brigid.” Her voice sounded weak, even to herself. What the Hell was going on?”
The Goddess brought you here? Why would the Goddess bring a Human to the Sacred Isles, their infestation is bad enough?
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Human infestation? We were once the greatest empire the world has ever known, and we are still one of the richest countries in the world. We have millenniums of history, culture and conquest. Who are you to question my worth on this earth?”
The voices roared at her. If she had been standing in the physical world, she would have collapsed to her knees clutching her ears.
Who are we? We are the voice of the Land. We are the Fae, the Fair Folk, the Old Ones. We were here before Humans came from across the sea. This land is ours, you are but trespassers who rape our land. Our history is far longer than yours, our culture more diverse, our power greater.
The Angels' Pride Page 46