The Real Folktale Blues (Beyond Ever After #1)

by Random Jordan

  “Okay, okay. Enough about Gnidori. Move along people.” I said, throwing my hands up and pushing lightly on Ashe to push her backwards with me so I could possibly get away from everyone to talk with her.

  I had no such luck though, when a tiny fox, looking exactly like Reynard, popped up from the pocket in Ashe’s overalls and made me jump back.

  “Reynard?”

  “Of course it is.” Ashe replied, scooping the fox from her pocket and holding him up to her face, where he licked at her nose and she giggled lightly.

  “But…” I tried to comprehend what was going on, turning around to see Reynard also sitting on Ettie’s broad shoulders. I looked back to see the same fox still in Ashe’s hands. “How?”

  “It has something to do with Kitsune being able to split themselves or something like that, I’m not entirely sure. All I know is this little fox is adorable.” Ashe explained. She glanced back at Goldie for a moment and nodded before turning back to look at me. Her brilliant eyes were dull for a moment as she continued. “That’s not the important thing. We came over here because we lost your cloak. It was taken by a faerie. I’m not sure why.”

  My hands instantly seized onto Ashe’s shoulders, “Which faerie? Think carefully about what they wore, what colors?”

  She wiggled from my hands and pulled from me, before looking back at Goldie once more. Then down at the fox in her hands that made a large yawn. Her glassy eyes finally returned to me with such an innocent expression on her face.

  “I’m not sure, Gnidori. We were all popped with some kind of sleeping dust or something and I really can’t remember seeing anything about them. We didn’t have the cloak when we woke though, I’m sure it was the faerie.”

  “Faerie Fudge.” I cursed and turned around. Ettie and Han were talking with Roberts, while the Pirate King was ordering pirates around and getting their equipment down and seeing what can be repaired.

  “I- I’m sorry, Gnidori.” Ashe added.

  “Don’t be. I just wish I knew which faerie it was. I’d have some idea of how to handle this. Any faerie isn’t good news. Not when out of everyone here, only one person can use magic.”

  Ettie must have caught onto my cursing as she turned a glance up to me and proceeded over with her brother. Figuring I was done with my alone time with my roommate.

  “Whoa, is that… Reynard?” Ettie asked almost immediately, before looking cross-eyed at her shoulder and picking the Reynard she had into her hands. She looked between both of them.

  “Two foxes… exactly the same. This is… strange.” Ettie commented.

  Ashe smiled more brightly before replying, “Not as strange as some things.”

  “Wait, how did you know we were going to crash, Ashe?” I interrupted.

  The tiny brunette in overalls lifted her Reynard up and smiled. “This little fox has some talents. Reynard kept leading us over here while we were trying to chase after the faerie.”

  “So you know where the faerie went, too? Cause I’m not leaving without my hood.” I asked, looking between the foxes, before focusing on Ashe.

  “Yes, I managed to track them with the help of Reynard.” Goldie finally butted in, as she stepped even closer to the group and right next to Ashe. She was still adorned in her all black outfit, with her vibrant fiery-blonde hair in contrast.

  “Bluebeard’s tower?” Ettie added.

  “Yes, Bluebeard’s tower. I only reached the entrance, north of here, but it was clear that was where they had gone. How’d you know?” Goldie explained further, her eyes glossing over the twins and all the pirates behind us.

  “Witch’s intuition.” Ettie smiled.

  “Then we are going to Bluebeard’s Tower.” I intruded again, “I don’t understand why someone would go there though.”

  “You can’t feel it, can you, Riri?” Ettie asked, still coddling one of the foxes in her arms now.

  “Or smell it. It reeks from here.” Han elaborated.

  “What?” Goldie and I both asked.

  “The magic.” Ettie continued. “Riri, Bluebeard’s Tower is definitely the source of the Sleeping Curse that makes this land the current Sleeping Kingdom.”

  I sighed…

  Something told me this wasn’t going to be simple, retrieving my cloak; especially with a faerie and a sleeping curse in my way.

  Just one day, one day, I would like things to be simple and easy.

  But they never are. Because nothing is ever simple when magic is involved.

  Fifteen

  Locke and Key

  The thicket around where the airship had crashed couldn’t really be called a forest. It was more like an oasis of trees and prickly bushes set in the direct path of where we needed to travel to get to Bluebeard’s Tower. It was almost as if it were intentionally done.

  Maybe it had been. That wouldn’t have been the first time shrubberies had magically grown in my path to keep me away. But these ones were more of an annoyance than something that prevented us from getting to the tower.

  “You really didn’t need to come with us.” I groaned while breaking off a small branch poking into my side.

  “Thanks to you, it will be a while before my poor Siren’s Song is functioning again anyway, so I have seemed to come into an incredible amount of free time. And why would I pass up the chance to see you storm a castle for a raggedy old cloak?” Captain Bonny explained, while chopping through a couple branches in front of her with a scimitar. She glanced back at me with a grin.

  “Thanks to me?! I saved your stupid ship and everyone on it from being devoured by brimstone. And you think you can just blame me for your terrible airship landing?” I roared back to her. Her grin soured pretty quickly as I whispered under my breath, “And it’s not a raggedy old cloak.”

  “Will you two quit it already?” Ettie sighed.

  Goldie leaned in next to Ashe and added, “Is she like this with every woman she meets?”

  “Definitely.” Both Ettie and Ashe spoke in unison while nodding in agreement.

  I turned to look back, glaring over both of them. Everyone fell silent and Ettie gave me a big shoulder shrug. It stayed that way while I glanced around; at least until a tree branch smacked the side of my face.

  I snatched the branch up and snapped it off, while most everyone around me held back a laugh or two. All except for Bonny. She was roaring with laughter.

  I stomped down on the prickly branch while gritting my teeth. “We better get there soon.”

  “We are already here.” Han said from far ahead. I kicked and pushed my way along until I was standing next to him just outside the brush, looking up at a massive stone cobbled tower.

  It always had to be a stone tower, didn’t it?

  The bland stone was hardly ominous or dangerous looking though, considering how many people feared Bluebeard’s tower. There were all kinds of rumors about seeing the chamber of blood that rested in there. And that your blood would be added to the collection. But from out here, the place honestly just looked rather…

  “…dreary…” Came Goldie’s voice followed by an oomph as she crashed into my back then sidled to the side.

  “I do admit. I was kind of expecting something more menacing.” Ashe included.

  I shook my head while stepping forward. “Yeah, real scary. I’m shaking.” I mused, before Ettie stepped up and elbowed me in the side.

  “Don’t judge a book by the cover, Riri.” She added while I rubbed my ribs and rolled my eyes.

  “That is one big book cover.” I grinned and started to cross the dead grass to the dilapidated building.

  As we all grew closer, the only thing the tower became was tall. Even the cracked wooden door in front of us was beating Ettie by a good four feet at least. It was almost as if the place was built for incredibly large people.

  “Should we knock?” Ettie asked as her face screwed up when I looked to her. I replied with a shrug and decided to push on the door.

  It wouldn’t budge. I glanced b
ack to everyone behind me and gave them a raised eyebrow. “Help?”

  “I’m sorry; did I just hear Gnidori ask for help?” Han mused and I started to grind my teeth as a few of my former friends chuckled.

  “I ask for help all the time, now get up here and help me push it.” I demanded, before Han, Ettie, Goldie, and Roberts started to lean against the door with me. It made more creaking sounds but it still didn’t seem to budge.

  Everyone else pulled away from the door while I kept pushing. I grunted a few more times while I heard them chatting about how else they could get into the tower. I was just about to give up when the door popped open and I tumbled inside with a roll.

  “Gnidori?!” I heard everyone yell as I righted myself in the darkness of the tower. The doors were still creaking as the others slipped inside. My eyes scanned the room that smelled so dreadful I could taste it.

  The stream of light from the door I came through lit up just how much dust was streaming through the air. I almost choked at the thought of it. Other than darkness and Filth, the entrance room for the tower was completely drab.

  It was almost disappointing.

  Ettie and Ashe appeared next to me and each offered a hand to help me up. I took both and hoisted myself to stand.

  “Are you okay?” Ettie asked.

  “Yes, are you okay, Miss Red?” A deep voice interrupted before I could respond. My eyes traced through the faint light cast from the open door. In the far corner of the dusty and dilapidated tower, walking down spiral stairs was a large man with a lot of facial hair. Nothing else could be discerned from him due to the distance.

  “Who are you?” I growled while pushing Ettie and Ashe behind me. I knew I didn’t need to protect them, but for some reason it was just instinctive. Both Reynards were rumbling with a nasty sound somewhere between a hiss and a growl.

  “You don’t know? You come busting into my home and have the nerve to ask who I am, when I have been such a gracious host to know who you are, even without your ridiculous cloak?” The man glared as he stopped at the bottom of the spiral steps, the brilliant blue cape on his back fluttered one last time before settling.

  “You’re Bluebeard?” Han wheezed as he took a few steps ahead of me.

  The strange man stepped closer, just far enough for a shard of light from the open door to pour over his features. The most obvious thing that made everyone in the room gasp was the literal blue beard, long and matted on his face.

  “The name is Fioravante Locke.”

  I turned to look at Goldie, who was near the door. There was no way this was possible. But I glanced back at Fioravante and the brilliant golden hair that sat upon his head reminded me of only one person.

  “You are related to Bluebeard, Gertrude?” Ettie asked completely bewildered as she turned to look at the black-attire thief. Everyone else followed suit, except for Bonny who just looked amused standing near Goldie.

  Goldie tossed her hands up and let them drop as she let out a large grunt. “Okay, fine. I’m related. I didn’t even know until a year ago. When Kurt told me he found my uncle. What does it matter?”

  I stepped toward her. “Kurt? As in Charming? He knew Bluebeard and that you were related, even though you didn’t? What? Did he do research on you?”

  “No, no. I asked him to look for some of my family because well I only knew Grandma before she passed away. He found Fioravante but I never met him until now.” Goldie continued, seeming a little flustered. I backed up to give her some space since I was feeling bad about pushing questions on her.

  “And that brings us to now. I must say, the Prince was quite right that you were the best one for the job. Although I wasn’t quite expecting this many people.” Fioravante continued, as my eyes fell back to him. He was smiling as he stepped closer.

  Han grabbed at his nose and Reynard started to resort to barking at the man. I was missing something.

  “Gnidori…” Han started to say through his fingers as he curled away from the man with the blue beard. “He’s the magic.”

  I pulled a hatchet into my fingers as Fioravante flicked his hands through the air and took some more princely steps forward. The stone ground at our feet rolled and melted upward to wrap like clay around each person separately.

  My axe tore through the ground that took hold of me, before it had even finished being malleable.

  I tossed the axe in my hand straight at the blue-bearded man while dashing toward him. I knew everyone else could manage themselves. I could already hear Han shifting into a dog to break the ground holding him.

  The hatchet went straight through Fioravante and the image laughed. Three more images of the bearded man appeared right around each other. My hand was already gripping on the beautiful axe Ettie and Han had crafted for me that was just for a situation like this.

  I heard an explosion from Ettie’s firearm and she cried out. That drew my attention as I swung my double-headed axe through the first image and it evaporated into shimmers.

  I halted to a stop and stared at Ettie.

  The witch was grabbing her side as she pulled away from the debris and smoke, which was left from the shot she probably made to get out of the clutches of the ground. She had a gritty smile on her face as she winked at me. I nodded for her to check on the others while my attention turned to the remaining images of Goldie’s uncle.

  “Charming wanted me to bring you your own niece, but why?” I asked while swiping my long axe through the next illusion. I couldn’t even be sure he was in the room anymore.

  “That would not interest you at all. The more interesting part is the job I have to carry out.” Fioravante’s voice filled the room. I couldn’t pinpoint him by sound, only that he definitely was still near the room.

  “Job?” I grunted as my feet shifted and I slashed through the next image.

  Nothing still.

  “Everyone’s fine Gnidori. Be careful, I don’t know how but he is definitely the source of the-“ Ettie’s voice was cut off by a deeper one.

  “Now, now. No giving away my secret, darling. I have a much better tale to tell.” Fioravante spoke, as I turned around to face him. His hand was grasped tightly around Ettie’s throat before he tossed his other palm on Roberts and Bonny and unleashed a cone of fire toward them.

  Bonny jumped out of the way while aiming her one gunpowder pistol toward the blue-bearded man. Roberts rolled right underneath the fire and popped back up with his rapier in hand as he took a slash at the man.

  “He’s using the Sleeping Curse to fuel himself and his magic, Gnidori! You need to-” Ashe screamed, while I was already charging toward the half-baked wizard.

  He glanced to me with a smile before his body evaporated from the bullet shot and I had to parry away Roberts’ sword slash. Ettie dropped to the floor next to me, gasping for air.

  My eyes fell to the witch to make sure she was okay, but she was pointing in a different direction while still breathing heavy.

  I turned to see Fioravante’s lavish blue sleeve wrapped around Ashe while his other hand waved casually through the air and a fire erupted around him, burning high like a wall.

  His voice could be heard through the crackling of the magical heat. “Well it seems this little one has let my secret out. She must not have been aware, revealing such a thing is dangerous to her health.”

  Fioravante’s laugh echoed along the halls, while the flames rose around them even higher. “Now, where was I? Yes, yes. My tale. You see, I’ve been hired to kill you, Miss Red. Hired to kill a bounty hunter, quite amusing. There was no mention of the others, except little Gertrude. So I guess I get to kill them as well. Unless you are going to stop me?”

  “No.” I said firmly.

  Fioravante looked at me funny then just laughed. “Giving up already?”

  “No, I just know she can handle it.” I nodded toward Ashe and met her gaze through a flicker of the bizarre purple flames. She was perfectly content, even smiling. Fear had never really been a part of the
brunette. But that didn’t explain enough. I would have been terrified in her position, with nothing that I could do.

  Her smile was explained though, as Fioravante was screaming out in pain and a fox came hurling through the indigo fire and slammed into the far stone wall with a shake of the foundation.

  “That little vermin!” Fioravante cursed as he grasped his hand in pain, while Ashe was at the edge of the fire circle, away from the blue-bearded man, holding what looked to be one of my hatchets.

  I smiled. I’d have to remember to give both Reynards a treat after this. My eyes glanced to the poor fox, but Han was already nosing that Reynard to check on him.

  “I knew I should have just killed the lot of you with her. I’d bring this whole place down if it wasn’t needed.” Fioravante was roaring now, as he took a step toward Ashe, but then backed away. I could hear the growling, the other Reynard was poised between the tiny brunette and the tall blue bearded man. Ashe even held the hatchet in the correct way, ready to strike. Where did she even get my axe?

  “Needed? Is that why you took my cloak? What do you plan to use the sleeping curse magic for?” I hollered through the fire as I stepped closer to it, but it was still scorching hot. If it had been a normal fire I would have just jumped through it, but magical walls of flame were meant to keep people out.

  “He doesn’t have it, Gnidori.” Ashe’s voice caught my ears just barely over the crinkling flames. “Remember, a faerie took it.”

  She was right. But that meant the faerie was using the tower then? And why wasn’t Fioravente sleeping if he had the sleeping curse in him? Did the faerie have something to do with that?

  Of course it did. Only a high powered faerie could have altered something as strong as the sleeping curse.

  I could make out Ashe’s figure on the other side of the flames as she bent down to Reynard. She hugged him tightly while holding her axe out to strike with the other hand. She didn’t want the other fox getting hurt too. It was just like her to be so concerned with an animal when she was so close to having her insides roasted.