Of The Faye Box Set

by Mary Duke

  I pulled off the hood, and for a moment I didn’t believe my eyes. “Talin?” I asked, taking a step back.

  “Impossible,” Kegan muttered.

  “I thought he was killed.”

  “As did I.”

  “If you make even a step in my direction, I will pull your beating heart from your chest,” I said looking Talin in the eye.

  The first words that escaped his mouth were not what I expected. “Sno, how did you escape?”

  “Escape?” I questioned.

  “From Jadea. Does she know you are here? Is she coming for you?” he said looking up the trail that had led us here.

  “What I’ve done, or what Jadea is doing, is none of your concern, Talin.” I said. “Explain to me how you are still standing, and why can I hear your heart beating?”

  His eyes narrowed in confusion. “I don’t know what to explain… Why do you believe I am dead?"

  “What game is he playing?” I asked Kegan.

  “I don’t believe he is lying,” he responded, as he shifted back into his mortal form.

  “This time last year, you attempted to take my life,” I reminded him. “We were told Jadea had you killed.”

  Talin’s eyes grew with surprise. “Madam Sno, I have never in my 300 years of life ever done anything to impede the longevity your life.”

  “Why then, did you break into my tent, and why would Jadea and Rowan lie to me?”

  “Jadea is not who you believe her to be. She is a vile woman, who is trying to live out her own sick and twisted fantasies,” he said as he ran his hand over the knotted beard that hung from his chin. “There is so much to tell you now, so much I wanted to tell you then, as I tried to that night… But here is not the place, and this moment is not the time.”

  “This moment is the time. I deserve to know.”

  “You do, and you will,” Talin reassured me. “However Katar is now home to several packs of hellhounds that guard Mahkana. Unless we leave now, when the sun falls behind those trees we will all be dead.”

  As if on cue, a howl bellowed from the woods, sending chills down my spine.

  “Do we trust him?” I asked Kegan.“I don’t believe we have a choice,” he responded.

  “Where is your camp?” I asked, not taking my eyes off Talin.

  “There is no camp,” he responded, headed farther into Katar.

  “Then where are you going?”

  “To the dragons,” one of the men with Talin said as their pace quickened.

  The howls from the hounds grew louder, and a glance back at the tree line made the five of us quicken our pace.

  Talin grabbed a hallowed bone from his chest and placed it on his lips. A whistle pierced the air, and in seconds I could hear the thunderous flaps of the dragons.

  The first to land was the smallest. His deep blue scales matching his underbelly, plated with thick black metal armor and his wings laced with scars from piercing arrows.

  Filling the opening before the blue dragon had left was a white dragon. The second man with Talin climbed aboard and looked down to Kegan. “Do you need a ride?”

  Kegan shook his head and shifted into a hawk, before he perched himself on my shoulder.

  “Works for me,” the man mumbled rubbing the side of the white dragon’s head, signaling that he was ready to go.

  The last dragon to land was black and nearly double the size of the first. Everything about this dragon screamed savage, and I instantly took a step back.

  The voice that reached out did not match what stood before me. Her voice was soft and sweet, her laugh pure. “You need not fear me, Sno. You’re no enemy to the dragons.”

  I nodded, surprised that she reached out to me. From what I had read, dragons are very particular creatures and only reached out to a handful of people in their lifetime.

  Talin climbed onto her back and reached his hand out for me to grab.

  I took a deep breath and looked back towards the hellhounds that now barreled down the hill.

  “You can trust me,” Talin said, his voice sincere.

  I joined my hand with his and pulled myself up behind him.

  “Let’s go home, Kadance,” Talin commanded.

  “They are too close,” she said turning.

  “Shield yourself,” he said, turning back and covering me with his cloak.

  Kadance’s stomach grew, as she inhaled deeply, and the scales beneath us grew warm as she expelled a line of fire, torching the hellhounds who blocked her exit.

  “Well, that was easy,” I joked as Talin turned back around and Kadance jumped into the air.

  For a moment, my grip on his cloak tightened. Though I had ridden upon Kegan countless times, I had never ridden atop a dragon.

  “Pesky little fleas,” Kadance said. “I’d torch them all if I could.”

  “I don’t see a problem with that,” I replied, a smile spreading across my face, as I too hated hellhounds.

  “Ah, but you see, if we were to get rid of the hounds, the Demons would simply find another species to replace them. The cycle would be never ending,” she explained.

  “Which is why we need to take care of them at the root of the problem,” Talin said. “We need to get rid of the Royal family.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  After at least an hour with no signs of landing, I was starting to get anxious.

  “You would think we would have landed by now,” I said to Kegan, who was now flying beside us.

  “Agreed,” he replied. “Though we’ve been over water for some time now.”

  I nudged Talin’s leg with my foot to get his attention. “Where’s your camp?”

  Looking back at me he replied, “There is no camp.”

  “Then where are we going?”

  “I do not know,” he replied, raising one of his eyebrows, waiting for my reaction.

  Kegan once again landed on my shoulder, his eyes meeting with Talin’s.

  “We are joining the others, on the Island,” he said before turning back around.

  “Who? What others?” I demanded to raise my voice, worried we were headed for a trap.

  “Calm yourself, Sno,” Kadance said, reaching out to me. “I give you my word that no harm will come to you.”

  “How do I know the worth of your word?”

  “Come now, you are no fool, my child. You know the worth of a dragon’s word.”

  The truth in her words set my mind at ease, but my stomach remained uneasy. I despised the unknown, I despised surprises, and I despised them, even more, when people used this to their advantage.

  “Here we are,” Talin said looking back at me. “Dragon Island.”

  “Is this where your camp is?” I asked.

  “No. This is where home is.”

  “Don’t let your imagination run wild.” Kadance’s voice came to me. “At the moment there are dozens of Ayana’s children; more Faye and Halflings residing on the island than there are dragons.”

  “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” I questioned, though in truth it did.

  “All those who are currently residing on the island are pure of heart and intention.”

  “All of them?”

  Kadance’s voice stiffened, it was obvious she wasn’t used to being questioned. “I do not know how much you know about dragons, and we have not the time to fully uncover our history. However, a few things you may wish to keep in mind in the future are: All dragons are connected, the good, the bad, and those off on their own. Though as we age, we do learn how to focus in on the thoughts we wish to hear and ignore those we do not care to listen to.

  “As I have mentioned, and you seem to know, all dragons are bound by their word. If a dragon gives their word, it becomes a bond they will not break. The reason behind the bond is not magic, as some say. Dragons are creatures of pride and integrity. To them, as to anyone, lies tarnish pride and lessen the integrity of their word. So if a dragon will not give you their word, you can be assured things will end poorly
for you.

  “For the last piece of information I will give to you on this night, I’m going to yet again set the record straight on behalf of all my kind. Dragons do not answer to anyone; however as we are creatures of this realm, we do have an interest in the big picture. This realm is our home, as it has been for thousands of years, years before any other creatures inhabited it, claiming it as their own. We’ve made it our duty to preserve it and embrace the changes that happen as the creatures within grow. This does not mean that we’ve all chosen a side. While I and those on the island stand with those who seek freedom for all, the same cannot be said for all dragons in this realm, just as it cannot be said for all Faye.

  “As for Dragon Island, it is named so because the only way to reach it is by a dragon. Now that you know the basics of how we work, you know that all the dragons here know each other’s thoughts and intentions, and they know the thoughts and intentions of those who have ridden here on their backs.

  “In this time of war, chaos, and devastation, there is no room for an error in judgment. I have given you my word, no harm will come to you here.”

  My nerves were at ease, and it felt as though a weight was lifted from my shoulders. I may have just been lectured, but that was a lecture I was glad to hear. “Thank you, Kadance. Thank you for understanding I have a lot on my mind, and I apologize for my ignorance; I never meant to question your or any dragon’s integrity.”

  “Your apology is accepted. In times like this is it not unheard of for ground dwellers’ judgment to be clouded in fear.”

  Fear. Was I in fear? Did she know something I didn’t? Was I curious, yes. Concerned, of course. Cautious, absolutely… But I didn’t believe I was afraid.

  “Here we go,” Talin said as Kadance began to descend.

  When my feet landed on the ground, I realized just how long we had been in the air. My muscles were both sore and stiff, and every bone in my body cracked as I stretched.

  “You’ll get used to it in time,” Kadance chuckled as Talin removed all the saddle and plates that covered her vast body.

  “Does that mean a dragon is in my future?” I replied, sarcastically.

  “The possibilities in your future are endless,” Kadance said before her body shook free what Talin had not yet removed. “As long as you make the right choices.”

  Before I could ask her what she meant by that, she was gone.

  “I don’t know about you,” Talin said tossing the saddle over his shoulder, “But I’m starving.”

  Kegan shifted back into a man. “I’m always ready to eat.”

  “You Guardians always are,” Talin said as he led us through woods along a torch-lit path behind the other two that had arrived here with us.

  “What do you know of other Guardians?” Kegan questioned.

  “I’ve met a few in my day,” he replied running his free hand through his beard. “Hell, I don’t think I’ve seen Tork without food in his hand since he got here.”

  “Tork?!?” Kegan exclaimed. “Does he have black hair, a scar on his cheek? Favor a bear when he shifts?”

  “Yeah, that sounds like him. Why, you know him?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Who is he?” I asked. Not having seen him so excited in years.

  “Tork is my brother.”

  “Your brother? Since when do you have a brother?”

  “It’s complicated,” he said, the excitement fading from his voice.

  “Looks like we’re just in time,” Talin said handing his saddle over to a group of young boys. “The food will be around the fire; there is always more than enough, so don’t be afraid to help yourself and fill your plate.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked as he wandered down a path on the right following the other two men.

  “I’ll be there in a moment; I have a few things that need my attention.”

  I turned back to Kegan, who was scanning the growing crowd no doubt looking for his brother.

  I walked up beside him, looking over the crowd myself. “Are these all children of Ayana?”

  “Mostly,” Kegan answered, pulling his gaze away from the crowd to look at me. “There are some Halfling, and family of as well, but there are many.”

  “I didn’t know there were so many. I knew I wasn’t the only, but in the fourteen years we’ve traveled, I never came across a gathering like this.”

  “It is incredible,” Kegan agreed wrapping his arm around mine and escorting me closer to the crowd.

  “There are at least fifty, if not a hundred.”

  Kegan nodded and continued to search the faces in the crowd. “Looks like something is about to start,” he said pointing to the crowd of people facing a small wooden stage, which was more or less just a few trees piled atop one another.

  We made our way into the opening, unnoticed, and stood along the back of the crowd. The idle chitter chatter died away, as an old man took the stage and walked to its center

  “Children and family of the great Goddess of Ayana, today, just like every day, I welcome you. However, tonight I sense that there are new faces among us,” he said waving his hand out in front of him.

  “So, I shall introduce myself. I am Itheus, hidden son of Ayana. As a child I was unwanted; some even cast me as a burden. Born to a woodsmith’s family, and being their only son, you could understand the disappointment they shared when their only child could not see,” he paused and rubbed his hand across his eyes. “At that time, my gift was not known. At that time, my power was undiscovered. At that time, I, and those around me, had no faith in what my future held. However, though my past is not important, what is important is how my life has turned out.

  “When I was eleven, I became lost. Though I had traveled the simple path from my home to the village countless times, I somehow managed to lose all sense of direction.

  “A voice came to me, as the moon rose in the sky. It was a woman calling my name. She asked for me to trust her, she asked for me to believe in her. It was then she told me her name. It was then she called me her child.

  “I was beside myself, and as much as I wanted to believe her, as much as I wanted to believe I was something special, the people in my life had always told me otherwise.

  “Ayana placed her hands over my eyes, and when she lifted them the black void that had surrounded me my entire life was gone.

  “To most, the scenery that surrounded us that night was nothing spectacular, merely moss covered trees and wildflowers. To me, to someone whose eyes have never had the chance to fall on things of such simple beauty, it was everything.

  “That night, Ayana and I sat on a bench, and we talked through the night and into the early morning hours of the next day.

  “As the birds flew through the trees, and the small animals raced across the dirt, Ayana told me that she had chosen me to be her eyes. ‘Itheus,’ she said to me. ‘I have chosen you to be my eyes. I have chosen you to see what I cannot. I have chosen you to see the future. I have chosen you to prevent the future from reliving the past.’

  “From that night on in the woods, I have been a different man. The darkness that had surrounded me has been replaced with light, and though I cannot see, I do not fear where I am going, because I know the Goddess leads me.” Itheus stood motionless for a moment, before he began to walk towards the edge of the stage and the crowd of people.

  Those who did not know him, rushed to the front to keep the old man from falling to the ground. However, Itheus did not fall; he stopped with just his toes hanging off the edge.

  “There are some of you in this crowd I have told my story to when you came to me without a path. As I stand here now, I can feel that there are more lost souls before me. This is why I’ve chosen to open tonight’s ceremony with an introduction. We are all children of Ayana, we’ve all been graced by her power, and though we are all different and have different paths that lie ahead of us, inside we are all one.”

  The crowd erupted in applause, some people choosing
to hug whoever stood beside them. I turned to Kegan. “Is this the Itheus you’ve told me about?”

  “Indeed it is,” he replied with a smile spread across his face. “You do listen to me.”

  I returned his smile and chuckled. “There are times when you lecture me on things that catch my attention.”

  “Well, I am pleased that with everything I’ve told you, all the names I’ve mentioned, you remembered his. Itheus is a wise, wise man.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Itheus cleared his throat. “What I am going to tell you was for many years unspoken of. For many years, this prophecy was forbidden.” Itheus’ gaze lowered to the ground, and he shook his head. “At that point in my life, everything was different. I was no longer seen as a thorn to those around me, instead I became the center of attention, a rose if you will. I was connected to the Goddess, unlike anyone else; I was her eyes.

  “The more my predictions came true, and the more my instincts proved themselves, the higher I moved in life. I found myself at the center of… well, the center of everything. I was not only seen as a man of wisdom with the Faye but many others within our realm.

  “It was then, I reached the peak of my career. Ayana yet again visited me; though she had come to me many times over the years, this was only the second time she had come here to our realm to visit me.

  “This meeting was unlike any other. This meeting served as a warning. She warned me that not everyone around me was who they appeared to be. Behind their mask of innocence, behind their beauty and grace, they were vile creatures filled with greed and a thirst for power. She told me that we were being played.

  “The next several hours were crucial. The sights that flashed before my eyes, the screams…” Itheus trailed off. “They are something I will never be able to forget. I took my predictions to our most sacred temple, I sat with the Greatest Fayen ancestors, and though the Goddess’ words rang in my ears pleading with me not to trust them… I did, and it is something I wish I could undo every single day.

  “I confided in those I thought I could trust. I went to those I thought could help not only me but every soul in this realm.” Itheus paused and yet again walked to the edge of the stage.