by Bella Falls
Ignoring the discomfort of my feet, I followed the tumult of voices down the alley until I reached the sidewalk. With careful steps, I crept around the perimeter of the crowd engrossed in watching the two very clueless intruders and found a position close enough to hear the mortals talking to each other.
The guy held up his phone like a shield to protect him. “I don’t understand. Are you celebrating Halloween early? What’s with all the costumes?”
The young woman with him tugged his sleeve. “Brad, I don’t think this is fake. Look over there at those flying things.” She pointed at a group of pixies zipping over the heads of the crowd.
“It’s gotta be, Elise. I mean, we’re in the middle of Nowheresville.” He brushed off her grip and continued to pan his phone. “This looks like a town straight out of the past, so it’s not like they’ve got high-tech anything here. Those funny-looking bats are probably hooked onto some wire strung up between the buildings. Why isn’t my cell working?”
My brother pushed his way through the crowd, bringing Zeke and a couple of other wardens with him. After giving some quick instructions to his colleagues, he got them to corral the onlookers and push them back to give the man and woman some space.
Plastering a stressed smile on his face, he addressed the strangers. “Hey there. My name’s Matt, and I’m a warden…I mean, I’m a police officer here. Are the two of you lost? Maybe I can help.”
“We lost cell service when we drove past the gatehouse on the road.” The girl looked past my brother, and I followed her gaze to find Horatio looming within her line of sight.
“Is this some sort of private community?” Brad asked. “Or maybe it’s a movie set or something. Because I’ve gotta say, those costumes are really amazing. I mean, look at that guy. He actually looks like Bigfoot dressed like a cowboy.”
Big Willie stood off to the side at the ready but allowing Matt to take the lead. He narrowed his eyes at the man but said nothing.
My brother continued to try and keep the situation contained. “If you need directions back to wherever you’re staying, I’m sure I can help you with that. Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll get y’all sorted.”
“Just cast a sleeping spell on them and be done with it,” Aunt Nora screeched, elbowing her way to the front of the crowd.
“Let my warden do his job,” Willie insisted.
My aunt took in the full scene, her expression souring with discontent. “Then he should do it and get them out of here. Those two will put us all at risk.”
Her comments drew more outbursts of criticism and agreement from those standing around her, and she reveled in the attention.
“We’ve kept our community safe for hundreds of years, and yet I find it interesting that on the same night my nephew callously betrays his own grandmother, these two mortals breach our safety,” she yelled loud enough for everyone to hear her.
“Hear, hear!” someone from the back responded, not brave enough to let their identity be known.
“Maybe I should take charge and help make sure Honeysuckle remains the safe haven we want it to be,” Aunt Nora proposed, riling up her supporters.
Brad pulled Elise closer to him. “I think you were right. Something’s off about this place.”
Matt kept one hand out in front of him in the direction of the strangers but spoke to our aunt. “If you really want to help, you’ll get everyone back inside and let us handle this.”
“Spellcast those mortals!” another anonymous voice cried out.
“Keep us safe!” someone else added.
My stomach clenched at the rising tension. Distrust and discontent spread like a virus, and the wardens fought to keep everyone at bay as the crowd surged forward. Too distracted by the situation, I jumped when someone bumped my elbow.
“This town is changing too much,” the woman said.
She wore a T-shirt that didn’t fit and baggy shorts held up by a drawstring. Out of two holes cut through the back of the fabric fluttered a pair of smaller wings.
“Sassy?” I asked in awe.
The fairy’s sadness almost drowned out the chaos. “Hey, Charli.”
“What happened to you?”
She sniffled. “I found out what happens when you get what you always wanted. I’ve always dreamed of being big like you so people would take me seriously. So, now I am.” Her wings stirred the air around her but couldn’t lift her new body off the ground.
I wanted to offer her my sympathy and support, but a new commotion grabbed my attention. The three pixies from my house darted over the heads of the strangers. Bug dive-bombed the couple over and over again, getting closer with each pass.
Elise squealed. “What are they?” She waved her hands above her head and hit the little pixie by accident.
Bug stopped midair and shook her head. Yelling at the young woman, she hovered just out of reach, her wings beating fast. Mug and Nug pulled on her arms to get her to stop, but the little fae refused to give in. Power crackled over Bug’s diminutive frame.
“Oh, no,” I exhaled, frozen in place from indecision on what to do.
“That’s not good,” Sassy agreed. “None of you witches have any idea how strong the smallest of our kind really are.”
Aunt Nora took a few steps forward. “Enough of this. I’m taking control.” She spellcast over my brother’s shoulder, barely missing him.
At the same time, Bug released her power. The spell collided with the tiny pixie’s magic and exploded in a ball of bright energy strong enough to push us back. When my eyes adjusted, I gasped at the aftermath.
The body of the two mortals lay on the ground at the epicenter of the blast. The three pixies no longer floated in the air above.
I rushed forward, searching for them. “Where are they?”
Matt crouched over the contorted bodies while Big Willie stood behind him. He held his hand by Brad’s mouth. “He’s still breathing,” he called out in relief.
“We’ll need to get the doc,” the sheriff instructed.
“You’ll find him at Nana’s house,” Matt instructed, assessing the girl. “She’s breathing, too.”
Sassy joined me in my search for the pixies. “I found one of them,” she cried, picking up the small body and cradling it to her.
“Me, too.” Nug looked so tiny and frail laying on the pavement. “Is it safe to move him?”
The once small fairy shrugged her shoulders, so I scooped the pixie into my arms and held him against my chest. He stirred once and opened his eyes.
“Stay still,” I said in a gentle voice. “You might be hurt.”
David rushed to my side. “How can I help?”
I leaned over and held out the injured pixie. “Here, take Nug. I have to find one more.”
Lucky joined me in searching for the third small being while Aunt Nora droned on and on about how poorly my brother had handled the situation. Fighting her took a back seat to making sure we didn’t have a major casualty.
A dark form rested against the curb up ahead, so small it could have been mistaken for trash. My heart rate sped up, and I hurried to check. Bug’s unconscious form was curled up in a ball. If I hadn’t witnessed the magical catastrophe, I might have thought she was sleeping.
“I found her,” I shouted to Lucky.
The leprechaun raced to join me. “She’s in worse condition than the other two.” With great care, he turned Bug over so he could lift her into his arms. “If she doesn’t get care now, we could lose her.”
“I think someone went to fetch Doc already.” Wringing my hands, I glanced over at Matt and the two humans.
Lucky cradled Bug close to him. “I think she’ll be needin’ more than his help. The fae don’t exactly die when they get injured. They fade away, which is a worse fate. It’s why we’ve been frantically searching for wee Fenny.”
At the mention of Fenwen’s name, something nagged at me, and I struggled to remember why. “I know I saw her somewhere recently.”
&nbs
p; “Do ye remember where?” Lucky asked, bouncing Bug as if she were a baby while we walked towards David and Sassy.
I struggled to access my memory, but all I could remember was a hot, white light. “I don’t know. I wish I did.”
Juniper and Gossamer hovered close by along with Flint and Horatio. Other pixies invaded the space while some of the newcomers crowded around David, Sassy, and Lucky, holding the three injured figures.
“We’ll be needin’ your help, especially with this one,” the leprechaun called out.
Gossamer flitted to his side and landed on the ground. “Here, give her to me.”
Lucky lay Bug’s body in the fairy’s arms. “We need grass under our feet.” He led the menagerie of fae towards the park.
“Stop right there,” Aunt Nora squawked. “Where do you think you’re taking those miscreants? They should be going to jail.”
“They’re injured,” I defended. “And it was your actions that caused all this. You barely missed your own nephew when you cast that spell.”
My aunt narrowed a heated glare at me. “I was trying to keep everyone safe by doing the job myself.”
“A job that wasn’t yours to perform. Matt had everything under control, and then you seized the moment for your own purposes. All of this,” I gestured around us, “is your fault.”
If I stayed arguing with my aunt, I wouldn’t be able to help with Mug, Nug, and Bug. I turned to catch up with Lucky.
“Don’t you turn your back on me, missy,” Aunt Nora hissed. “You show me some respect. I’ll be the head of this town by the end of tonight.”
Fed up with her shenanigans, I spun around. “Respect is earned, which is something you’ll never understand.”
She snorted. “I guess I shouldn’t expect loyalty from you, even though you claim to be part of the family.”
My aunt’s insult hit a little too close to the mark, and she sneered at my cringe. Too many times in my life, she’d gone out of her way to hurt me. Too many times, I’d clung to the idea that my mother’s sister deserved forgiveness. Sometimes, the monster shouldn’t be ignored. They should be confronted.
“My mother was your sister. She always told me stories about the two of you growing up together. I think she wanted me to see the good in you that she’d experienced. But all I’ve ever witnessed is the ugliness of your ambition and pride.” I opened my mouth to spew more insults, but realized that if I did, I’d be the monster.
Once the anger deflated, pity replaced it. With a shake of my head, I walked away again.
Aunt Nora stomped her foot like a petulant child. “You know, I told Rayline that adopting you would be the worst decision of her life. But no, she was too headstrong to listen to reason. She should have told you how much you don’t matter and that you’d never be a part of our family.”
I stopped in my tracks, holding my hand over my heart to keep the rage and hurt contained. “You know what she told me?” I asked over my shoulder.
“What?”
With one glance back, I leveled my aunt with my gaze. “That she was ashamed of the person you’d become.”
“And so am I, Mother,” Clementine said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
In all my frustration, I hadn’t seen my cousin approach. She closed the distance between us and took my hand in hers.
The color in Aunt Nora’s cheeks drained. “Clementine. I…I…”
“Let’s go check on the pixies,” my cousin said, pulling me away.
My aunt’s mouth dropped open to say something else, but I didn’t stay to listen to any more of her vile hatred of me. No more words needed to pass between us to know that whatever thin bond used to exist had been obliterated.
By the time we reached the park, we found a group of fae spread out in a circle. Lucky stood at the center with David, Sassy, and Gossamer still holding onto the pixies.
“You two, stay back,” Lucky warned. “Ye can watch, but I would nae have harm come to either one of ya by what we do.”
“Maybe you should go,” I suggested to Clementine. “You’ve got more lives to protect than just your own.”
My cousin squeezed my hand in hers. “I’m much stronger than I ever thought I could be. I can take whatever’s about to happen and protect the new life growing inside me just fine.” She patted her tummy.
“You’re gonna make a great mama,” I bragged.
Clementine sniffled with a giggle. “And you’ll be an awesome auntie who will teach my little nugget all about love and family.”
My regret for the state of my cousin’s relationship with her mother dissipated. Still, we didn’t need to take chances. Hugging one arm around her shoulders, I shuffled us a little to place myself in front of her. Just in case.
Lucky took charge, holding up his hands wide and bowing his head. Without instructions, the rest of the circle followed his lead. The leprechaun spoke low in a different language. He paced around those holding the still figures in their arms, each time getting louder.
The hair on the back of my arms and neck stood up as a wind kicked up. Energy hummed underneath my bare feet and crawled up my legs like growing tendrils. A soft green glow shimmered over every participant in the circle, and the scent of fresh-cut grass and flowers blooming filled the air.
Lucky touched the foreheads of the pixies and spoke to each one. “Come now, Mug. ’Tis not your time to leave. You, too, Nug. Open those eyes of yours.”
The two little guys stirred and squirmed in David and Sassy’s hold. Their wings flitted as they became more aware. Lucky didn’t stay long by their sides as he approached the small bundle in Gossamer’s hands.
“Now, now, Bug. Your mischief has gotten you into some trouble, has it? That’s no reason for you to fade away.” The leprechaun laid his hands on the pixie’s head and leaned close to whisper something into her ear.
Bug drew in a loud gasp, and her wings fluttered a few times. She coughed a bit before sitting up and gaping at all the attention on her. As if her life hadn’t been on the edge, she sprung out of Gossamer’s hold and into the air. Her other two companions followed suit until all three hovered above the circle.
Lucky chuckled. “I guess that be all, good folks.”
Another gust of wind caressed my hair, and the scent of lilacs and lemons surrounded Clementine and me. The glow of magic faded, and I scrunched my toes into the grass to ground me again.
“Whoa.” My cousin took a step back with her hands on her hips. “I’m gonna have to tell Tucker that everyone in Honeysuckle has no clue about how powerful the fae are. Maybe that will convince him to vote his own conscience rather than support my mother.”
Biting my lip, I debated telling her about what Matt and I overheard backstage before the meeting, but a figure on the far side of the park caught my eye.
I tilted my head to get a better look over Clementine’s shoulders and glimpsed the back of a man hurrying away. No matter how fast he scurried, I recognized his tattooed arms. In a flash, my memories flooded my head, and I held onto my cousin for balance.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.
I took some deep breaths to regain control. Without answering her questions, I broke through the remnants of the circle to find Lucky.
The leprechaun held court with Gossamer and David while keeping a watchful eye on my three guests. With the ritual over, Sassy had disappeared.
“Ah, Charli,” Lucky crowed as I approached. “I hope you’ll help me try to convince your brother that everything was just a huge mistake and that Bug didn’t mean anything by her actions.”
Perhaps Clementine could help out with that request, but I needed the leprechaun for a more pressing matter. “That’ll have to wait, I’m afraid.”
“What has put you in an urgent mood?” he asked with concern.
My news would no doubt stir up already unstable emotions and risk a worse reaction from those around us. Pulling Lucky aside, I spoke low and with absolute confidence.
“
I think I know what happened to Fenwen.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Are ye sure?” the leprechaun asked as he hustled beside me to the other side of the park.
I tapped the side of my head. “It’s all coming back. Nick Draven did something to Fenwen and to me.”
We made it to the sidewalk, running into the chaos from before. Matt and the other wardens were further down the street dealing with the unconscious humans. The mob had dispersed, but many still stood around in clumps, the gossip flowing like honey.
“I think we need to find more help than just the two of us.” My fingers found the pendant resting against my skin.
I’d have given anything to have Mason with me. According to Matt, he’d be back sometime tonight, and we couldn’t wait that long to confront the spa owner. Better to gather up the trusted few who’d already been standing up to all the change in town.
I spotted Lady Eveline and Beau talking to other vampires. Catching her eye, I tilted my head to call her over to us.
“You will never believe what has happened. Your crazy aunt has declared a state of emergency and that she is now the official high seat on the council,” the vampire informed us. “My friends and I are debating if Honeysuckle Hollow is still the safest place for us.”
My regret returned to haunt me. Maybe if I hadn’t challenged my aunt, she wouldn’t have made such a bold claim. “Well, she finally got what she wanted, but we’re going to have to deal with that later.”
“What could possibly be more pressing at this critical moment?” Lady Eveline’s fangs jutted past her lips in her annoyance.
I revealed my suspicions about Nick to her. “I’m sure he was trying to do something to me, but whatever he tried didn’t work. And then Fenwen interrupted, threatening him, and he blasted her with some strange power I’ve never witnessed or felt before.”
“Do you remember anything else?” Lucky asked, stroking his short beard.
The longer I thought about it, the more disgusted I grew. “Just that he used magic to keep me from helping her. After that, I woke up at Nana’s house. Well, she slapped me, and then I woke up. It’s complicated.” It would take too much time to explain since I didn’t fully understand how my grandmother had communicated with me in the first place.