The Fairy's Tale

by F. D. Lee

  There was something about the customer’s smile, something the Raconteur wasn’t used to seeing in the faces of the inhabitants by the wall: friendliness.

  “Well, I mean… there are a few stories going ’round, but they’re nothing worth four tokens. They’re rumours, really,” he admitted. “Gossip.” Later, when the customer was nothing more than a memory, he would wonder why he’d said such a thing.

  “I tell you what,” the customer said. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”

  “Ahhh, well, yes, alright. That sounds fair. I like to be fair, you know,” he found himself adding.

  “I don’t doubt it.” There was that smile again.

  The Raconteur cleared his throat and began again.

  “Once upon a time-”

  “You really needn’t worry about all that,” the customer said. “Honestly. I’d much prefer to just hear the stories as they are.”

  “Oh – er. Right. Yes. Well, you’re the boss. So… well, one thing they’re saying is that she had some help from someone in the GenAm.”

  “Do they know who?”

  “I don’t think so. But it seems a bit far-fetched, doesn’t it? A fairy doing all that, finishing a Rags To Riches all on her own. Between you and me, it’s caused quite a stir round these parts. Shaken things up, you know?”

  “Assume I know nothing,” the customer said.

  “Well, you know what fairies are like-”

  “Ahhh?”

  “Sorry, yes. So, the fairies are making a fuss. Agitating, you know – ahem, that is, they reckon if a cabbage fairy can do it, why not them, too. And, of course, this is making all the other tribes unhappy. No one likes it when the doormat gets tangled under your feet.”

  “Ha, yes. You have a way with words.”

  For a moment, professional pride overcame him. The Raconteur preened. “Thanks. I’ve always thought so. My mum wanted me to do something else, right? Something more stable, and there’s this troll down our street who runs a stonemasons, offered me a job. But I said no, coz you gotta follow your dream, haven’t you?”

  “I couldn’t agree more – I’m something of a follower myself. What else are they saying about the cabbage fairy?”

  “Well… They do say that the GenAm arrested her. There were brown suits outside her building for two days, apparently. Though I don’t much hold with that. Whoever heard of the GenAm letting someone off? Plus, even if they had decided not to arrest her, they’d hardly let her join the Academy, would they? But either way, it’s caused a lot of chatter out here.”

  “I can imagine. Is there anything else?”

  “Not really.”

  The customer stood to leave.

  “I tell you what, though,” the Raconteur said, “She’ll be better off at that Academy than round here. Trouble’s brewing.”

  The customer paused. “But the Mirrors are working,” he said.

  “Well, yes,” the Raconteur conceded. “There’s some as say we’re gonna be entering a Golden Age. And they might be right, of course – the Teller, whocaresaboutus, knows what he’s doing, don’t get me wrong. But things are changing, and my guess is there’s gonna be a lot of shifting around, a lot of seats being swapped.”

  “New masters, you mean?”

  “I s’pose so,” the Raconteur said. Funny choice of words, he thought. But tokens talk, and four tokens can talk however weirdly they like. “Still, not much we can do about it, is there? Them up top make the choices, and we have to live with them. S’way of the world, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” said the customer. “Yes, it is.”

  A new day grumbled into wakefulness. It was not the only thing in a bad mood.

  “Oi! Not so fast!” Ivor shouted.

  Bea stopped in her tracks, caught red-footed trying to race across the grotty reception area of the block of flats where she lived.

  “Where do you think you’re running off to? Just you march yourself over here, Miss.”

  Bea glanced longingly at the exit. It wasn’t often that one thought of Ænathlin fondly. As the last surviving city of the fae, Ænathlin had much in common with the sole toilet at a campsite - everyone used it, though none but the most masochistic of souls could be said to enjoy the experience.

  But sometimes the only way to escape a bad situation is to face it head on and try to stare it out, or at least make it so embarrassed it leaves of its own accord.

  Bea walked over to Ivor, who was hunched over the reception desk. Two large sacks were propped up against it, which she very deliberately did not acknowledge.

  “Hello, Ivor,” she said, her voice sugar sweet. “I’m so glad I caught you – I was worried I wouldn’t get to see you before I left for the Academy.”

  She was gratified when the gnome’s mouth twitched in a semi-smile at the outrageousness of her lie.

  Technically Ivor was the building manager, though in all the time Bea had lived there she had never actually seen him anywhere else except swaddled up in his oversized woollen coat, sitting behind the reception desk playing solitary games to pass the time.

  No, she corrected, that isn’t fair.

  Sometimes he sits in the back office, drinking.

  Still, despite Ivor’s lacklustre approach to his job, Bea liked him. After all, he had taken her in when no one else would: a cabbage fairy from the Sheltering Forest with nothing to her name except a dream of becoming a Fiction Management Executive, and a godmother at that, hadn’t been a bet any of the other landlords had been willing to take. For whatever reason Ivor had, and Bea was grateful.

  That didn’t change the fact, however, that sometimes they did not see eye to eye.

  Bea pulled herself up onto one of the stools that fringed the desk, turning slightly so she couldn’t see the two sacks. Ivor had a deck of cards strewn out on the rough desktop. She smiled, recognising the deck. Idly she picked up one of the cards, turning it over.

  “What’re you playing?” she asked.

  Ivor’s bony hand snatched the card from her. “Never mind that, what’cha gonna do about all this? More of ’em arrived this morning.”

  Bea admitted defeat, and finally looked at the sacks of letters. “I can’t believe they’re still arriving. You’d think no one had anything better to do,” she said, trying and failing to defuse the situation.

  Ivor snorted. “It’s me that’s got better things to do. S’not up to me to clean up after you.”

  “I thought collecting our post was one of your jobs?”

  “Don’t go getting smart with me, fairy. It don’t suit you.”

  Bea grinned at him, stood up from her chair and walked over to the sacks, reaching her hand in to pull out a large package.

  “I wouldn’t open that one,” Ivor said.

  “Why not?”

  It was Ivor’s turn to smile. “It’s squidgy.”

  Bea dropped it. “You can’t be…? That’s disgusting.” Now she thought about it, she could detect a certain ‘midden-esque’ smell in the air.

  “Hah,” the gnome laughed, showing off his brown and black teeth. “That’s just the voice of the people, that is. Well, I say voice…”

  Bea stepped away from the sack. “Mortal gods. This is ridiculous. You’d think I’d murdered a character, not completed a Plot.”

  Ivor rolled his eyes. “Come off it. Years you been living here, banging on about how much everyone hates you fairies. You can’t pretend you’re surprised this is the reaction you’re getting. You’ve broken in, ain’t ya? No one likes a burglar.”

  “It’s not my fault I’m a fairy,” she muttered. Other things were her fault, she knew. But not that, at least.

  “All I’m sayin’ is, you wanted to get yourself noticed and now you have. Take these letters. Some of ’em will be full of hugs and kisses, no doubt. Some of ’em ain’t. That’s what being noticed means. Take it from me, nothing ever ends, happily or otherwise.”

  Bea sighed. “You’re right.”

  “Too ri
ght I’m right,” Ivor agreed, looking smug at winning the conversation. “You wanna play a game?” he added, changing topic with the speed of a weathercock in a hurricane.

  “I can’t right now,” Bea said, feeling a pang of unexpected regret. “I’m on my way to see my friends.”

  Ivor shrugged. “Suit yourself. Don’t forget to take that package with you – don’t see why I should have to put up with the stink, thank you very much.”

  Bea managed a weak smile and grabbed the soft package between pinched fingers. Success definitely wasn’t what she’d hoped it would be.

  The Academy

  ‘A story about ghosts’

  Available now!

  It should be a dream come true. Instead, everything is turning into a nightmare.

  Bea is the talk of the town. She is the first fairy ever to be accepted to train at the prestigious Academy. With the help of new friends Chokey and Hemmings, Bea tries to settle into her life at school. After all, if she graduates as a Godmother, she'll have power, status, and direct access to the General Administration - all the things she needs to take the GenAm down. Or so she thinks...

  Being the only fairy at the Academy sets Bea at odds with her teachers and the rest of her classmates, all of whom resent her being there. Her standing is not improved when Mistasinon turns up, begging a favour. And then the ghost appears, and things start to go really wrong.

  Exactly how far will Bea go to overthrow a totalitarian regime - and is she prepared to finally meet the fearsome, three-headed Beast to do it?

  "I literally couldn’t put it down, fantastic!"

  "This sequel is beautifully written, witty, dark, funny and remarkably complex ... Just read it - you won’t be disappointed.”

  The Academy is the second novel in the ongoing fantasy series The Pathways Tree. Heartfelt, spooky and with more than a little mystery, The Academy will have you turning the pages to find out what happens next! It sees the return of fan favourites Bea, Melly, and Joan, and introduces you to a host of new characters you'll fall in love with!

  The Academy was rated 'Outstanding' in the 5th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards (2017) for Plot and Story Appeal; Character Development; and Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar.

  Get your copy now and begin your adventure!

  Glossary: The Fae

  Adhene

  Small and slight boned, adhenes are traditionally extremely beautiful, mischievous fae. Before the Great Redaction, they made their stories through misleading women, stealing babies or seducing wives away from their husbands. Why they only focus on women is not known. According to the rules of their tribe, if you ask an adhene for help on a mission of mercy, they will offer you genuine advice and aid.

  Boggart

  Part of the trio of hobgoblins, brownies and boggarts. Boggarts are usually quite malevolent, causing milk to sour, dogs to lame and crops to fail, if not appeased. They were extremely good at curating belief, before the Mirrors first began to break. Since the Redaction they have worked mainly in trade and building.

  Brownie

  Part of the trio of hobgoblins, brownies and boggarts. Brownies are household fae, usually coming out at night. Unlike their cousins the boggarts, brownies are helpful creatures, usually performing small acts in exchange for food. Before The Great Redaction their status was low, as good works do little for belief. However, since the Redaction, the brownies’ status has risen significantly, mostly due to how quickly they adapted to the Teller’ rules and regulations.

  The Cerberus (The Beast)

  The Cerberus is a large creature with three canine heads, strong jaws and an extremely adept ability to hunt. Not really a tribe, as there has only ever been one Cerberus. The creature then is truly unique, and as such has always held a position of distrust amongst the fae, even before it joined forces with the Teller. No one knows how the Cerberus came to be in the Land. It is rumoured to have appeared not long after the Rhyme War.

  Dwarf

  Generally stocky, dwarves are a robust tribe that have always found a place in the stories. Usually perceived as heavy drinkers (strong in the arm and thick in the head), dwarves are in fact very thoughtful and meditative.

  Elf

  Elves are usually of average human height, though more slender and graceful than the characters. They have pointed ears, and pale skin. Before the Redaction the elves lived in forests, spoke with the animals, and played games with the lives of the characters. Elves particularly loved a love story, and would often interfere with human events for their own amusement and gratification. Now the elves enjoy an uneasy alliance with the GenAm – they generate a lot of belief, but they greatly resent the limits placed on them by the Teller.

  Fairies

  The fairy tribe is divided into three clans: the flower fairies, the garden fairies, and the house fairies. Only flower fairies have wings. In general, the flower fairies are the most successful of the tribe as, due to their beauty and the fact they can fly, the characters believe in them for longer than house or garden fairies. Many house fairies are employed as tooth fairies, as a result of their small size and practical nature. Garden fairies are the lowest of the three clans due to the minimal belief they generate.

  With the exception of the house fairies, fairies are rarely employed by the General Administration, a fact that only adds to the stereotype of them as useless. This prejudice is based mainly on the notion that the characters quickly grow out of believing in fairies.

  Genie

  It is believed no genies survived the Redaction, as a result of the weaknesses in their stories.

  Gnarl

  Little is known about the gnarls. It is understood that, along with the orcs, and ogres, gnarls now live in the wastelands beyond the Sheltering Forest and that they fought for Yarnis in the Rhyme War. They are said to eat other fae.

  Gnome

  A cousin to the imp, gnomes are small, bony creatures with questionable hygiene. Before the Great Redaction they tended to spend their time in Thaiana, living in caves or other dark places, frightening humans. They liked to ask riddles, especially on their birthdays. Now they mostly stay in Ænathlin.

  Goblin

  Technically, a goblin is a type of fairy. However, this is not a connection either tribe likes to acknowledge. Goblins are mean spirited, and do not like to deal outside their own tribe. They did well before the Redaction, but since then they have, unsurprisingly, fared less well. A large number of goblins have left the Land completely and have spread over Thaiana. They remain mostly undisturbed by the Cerberus and the GenAm because they tend not to interfere with the stories or the characters.

  Hobgobin

  Part of the trio of hobgoblins, brownies and boggarts. A small, knavish fae, hobgoblins tend to be very changeable in attitude and easily offended. There are many attributes associated with hobgoblins, such as their speed and quick wit.

  Imp

  Green-skinned and pretty, imps are followers rather than leaders, and will change allegiance at the drop of a hat (or crown). As a result, the tribe survived the Redaction without any real change in their lifestyles. They are popular with the characters, and so are generally employed by the GenAm as FMEs, though few become godmothers or witches.

  Kelpie

  A water horse. The kelpie are the same size as regular horses, but cannot be tamed. Before the Redaction the kelpie made their stories by luring mortals, especially children, into the water and then drowning and eating them. Since the Redaction they have been mainly employed as work horses, an insult it is said they feel very keenly. The kelpie can be any colour, though they tend towards black, and can be distinguished from regular horses by their dripping manes and smooth, seal-like hides.

  Ogre

  Ogres are very a rare fae, possibly belonging to the same tribe as trolls. Ogres, however, are much larger than trolls, and more prone to violence. Incredibly honourable in their own way, ogres believe in the beauty of a clean death, and respect strength. They come
from a tradition of warfare, and fought with Yarnis during the Rhyme War.

  Orc

  The orcs, along with the gnarls, sided with Yarnis during the Rhyme War. They are ugly, ill-tempered creatures.

  Tompte

  Tomptes are a very small, winged tribe, with cherubic faces. Before the Redaction, they cleaned houses for characters in return for food and shelter. However, the tompte are vengeful, and when they felt that a character had not kept up their end of the bargain, they would blind babies, sour milk or free herds in revenge.

  Troll

  A large fae, trolls are often assumed because of their size to be cruel or stupid, though there is no real evidence for this. Before the Redaction they lived quietly, usually isolated from the other fae, who have a tendency to bully them. They have never been known to live under bridges, nor are they made of stone.

  Witchlein

  Given their yellow, scaled skin and hissing voices, it is surprising that the Witchlein did not join Yarnis during the Rhyme War. Perhaps even more surprising is how well they have done under the Teller. The Redaction Department is always able to find a use for these frightening, sharp-scaled fae. They are small, light and fast.

  Fiction Management Executives