The Emerald Staff

by Alison Pensy

  The shaken Custodian shuddered. She felt physically exhausted from her ordeal. Every muscle in her body ached, even though she had not, in reality, used them. But in her mind she had fought with every fiber of her being to get away from the situation; to try and move from the spot she had been rooted to. All to no avail, until she saw a halo of light that had appeared in her peripheral vision. As the halo had grown in size, the vision of her mother and the redcaps diminished, until she could follow the velvet voice she would recognize anywhere. She had turned towards the halo, her muscles suddenly able to move, although, they had still felt gummy and sluggish. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the floor with her head on Faen’s lap, looking up at her friends and Todmus. Relieved beyond belief to be away from the gravel path behind the church and all the connotations it held.

  When Faedra had fully regained the use of her brain, Todmus explained to the trio that the candle would take about an hour to burn down and that they all had to stay within the protective halo his spell had created. Faedra, for one, was not going to move an inch if it meant she never had to suffer that torment again.

  Todmus and Jocelyn joined the other two on the floor and settled themselves down. Faedra was sitting upright now with her legs crossed, resting her head on Faen’s shoulder, she was so weary.

  Up until this point, Faedra had not spoken, other than the ‘thank God’ she whispered when she first realized she’d been released and was being held by her Guardian in relative safety. The young redhead had nodded several times when Faen kept asking her if she was all right. She just hadn’t yet been able to find her voice.

  Faedra listened to the others making conversation, passing the time by catching up on recent events. Todmus was happy to relay recent Azranian gossip, and that had kept Jocelyn enthralled. She missed out on a lot of the goings on in her home, and being a young fairy, she lapped up the gossip like a cat given a saucer of cream.

  “She called me that strange name again,” Faedra blurted, interrupting the idle chatter.

  Todmus and Jocelyn fell silent and looked at her in surprise; she had been so quiet until this point.

  “Samtero kruwos, she called me that again. Will someone please tell me what the heck it means?” Faedra continued, impatience leaking into her voice.

  Todmus’ eyes grew wide when he heard the words, and the younger sibling avoided Faedra’s piercing gaze by looking down at the floor. Faen held his gaze steady with Faedra’s when she turned her searching look towards him, although, she saw his brow furrow for a split second before his features returned to their usual calm expression.

  “It’s obvious you all know what it means. Tell me!”

  No one spoke. Todmus and Jocelyn were still averting their gazes, as the atmosphere grew awkward.

  Faedra’s eyes pleaded with Faen’s. “Why won’t you tell me? Why does Vivianna keep calling me that, and she does so with such hatred.”

  “Vivianna did this to you?” Todmus asked, surprised. “Princess Vivianna?”

  “Yes, you didn’t know?”

  “No, Miss. But where would Princess Vivianna have learned such powerful dark magic and for what purpose?”

  “That’s exactly what I want to find out, but everyone clams up when those two words are mentioned.” Faedra explained, exasperated.

  A moment more passed in silence, so much so, you could hear a pin drop. It was as though no one even dared breathe.

  “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Faedra asked the party at large.

  Silence followed.

  “I will find out, you mark my words. I will find out what it means if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Faen let out a resigned sigh at his charge’s declaration but said nothing at her outburst.

  “If you know it is Princess Vivianna who is attacking you, why do you not explain to the king and have her stopped?” Todmus asked, as if it were only that simple.

  “The king knows,” Faedra retorted.

  Faen broke his silence upon seeing Todmus’ confused expression. “It is not that simple, my friend. Vivianna has acquired the ruby staff.”

  Todmus sucked in breath.

  “Precisely,” Faen continued, “no one knows where she is. She could be anywhere at any time.”

  “Where…” Todmus began to say.

  “We do not know where she got it. To everyone’s knowledge it had been destroyed thousands of years ago,” Faen interrupted him.

  Todmus’ brows pinched together, then his eyes grew wide with fear as he remembered something he had long since pushed to the back of his mind. “No, it cannot be.”

  “What can’t?” Faedra asked her small statured friend. She didn’t like his expression one bit, and an icy tickle ran down her spine in anticipation of his answer.

  There was a moment of silence again.

  “Todmus?” Faen encouraged. “What do you know?”

  Todmus raised his eyes to meet Faen’s. “The ruby staff belongs to Savu,” Todmus declared with a shudder.

  Jocelyn gasped.

  “Who?” Faedra asked at the same time Faen responded.

  “Belonged, my friend, past tense. Savu was destroyed along with it.”

  “Who’s Savu?” Faedra asked again.

  “No, Sir. Savu was not destroyed. Legend says that he was to appease everyone’s fears, but I read some ancient texts many years ago,” Todmus lowered his gaze, “texts that I had no business in reading, I admit. But they stated that Savu was too powerful to destroy, no one back in those days had greater power than him and only someone with more power could destroy him. So the leaders of the seven realms gathered, and together they were strong enough to find a way to incarcerate him for all eternity.”

  “Excuse me, will someone please tell me who Savu is?” Faedra pleaded, as Faen’s expression grew dark.

  “Believe me, Faedra. You would rather not know.” Faen replied.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The candle had burned itself out and the four cohorts moved themselves to sit around Todmus’ diminutive table. Although, Faedra had to admit it was no more comfortable than sitting on the floor. The only consolation was that they looked comical with their knees almost to their chests as they sat on the compact chairs that surrounded it. Faedra had to stifle a giggle as she looked at her Guardian trying his hardest to look dignified but failing miserably. He would not be amused if he thought she was laughing at him. Todmus insisted that he make them all a cup of tea, and none of them were willing to offend him, especially after what he had just done for Faedra.

  Faedra brought the subject back to the person called Savu. “If he’s connected with Vivianna, and she seems intent on making my life a living hell, I think I have every right to know who this Savu character is,” Faedra insisted, not willing to let the matter drop.

  “Was,” Faen corrected. “He has long since been wiped from our memories. Two millennia have passed since he walked the seven realms. For most, he is nothing more than a legend, a ghost of the past. In fact, I know very little about him other than he spread terror wherever he roamed.”

  “So how would Vivianna have gotten her hands on the ruby staff if she’s not colluding with this, this… legend?” Faedra’s hands motioned along with her words in their own expressive dance.

  “Maybe she stumbled upon it by accident,” Faen said in a half-hearted attempt at an explanation.

  “Yeah, and maybe I’m the next queen of Azran,” Faedra retorted, sarcastically.

  All three looked at her, their expressions unreadable.

  “What? That was a joke.”

  An air of relief surrounded her three friends; it was subtle, but Faedra could sense it. She was particularly sensitive to energy, especially after gaining her power. Now, even a subtle shift in the emotions of those around her felt like they were being slammed into her. As with everything, she was learning to control that, too. She found that it did come in handy sometimes, though. Faedra’s brow creased at her friends’ odd reaction. Maybe
fairies just didn’t have a sense of humor. She shrugged it off and opened her mouth to speak but Faen cut her off.

  “Come, we should be getting you home. I believe you are assisting your father this evening,” Faen said changing the subject.

  “Oh, of course.” Faedra remembered. “I offered to help him shop for Halloween decorations for the party next week. Thanks for reminding me.”

  “Ooh, can I come?” Jocelyn asked. “That sounds like fun.”

  “Sure, I don’t see why not. The more the merrier.”

  They all stood up and one by one thanked Todmus for his help and the cup of tea. He walked with them until they got to the ornate archway that led to Faedra’s homeland. Once there, Faedra turned and crouched down so she was the same height as Todmus and wrapped her arms around him in an appreciative hug.

  “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear.

  Todmus blushed at the show of affection and awkwardly patted her on the shoulder.

  “It was nothing, Miss. You are very welcome.”

  Faedra straightened and turned toward her friends.

  “Come back and visit me whenever you want,” Todmus said as they walked through the portal. Faen clasped Faedra’s hand as they took the first step. She looked at their hands and then to his face. He gave her a warm smile, which she reciprocated. She knew he had to hold her hand or she would be appearing out of thin air on the other side. This way, she was covered by his glamour. She enjoyed the feeling of his fingers entwined with hers and secretly wished she could find more excuses to hold his hand.

  With the next step she felt the crunch of gravel under her feet and they were standing once more on the pathway behind the church. Faedra flinched and closed her eyes, it was a sudden unconscious reaction that took her quite by surprise. She froze on the spot unable to move, terror flooding her veins like ice water. Her hand had tightened to a vice-like grip around Faen’s to the extent that her knuckles were white. After a moment, she felt a warm hand caress her cheek. It only took her Guardian a few heartbeats to realize what was happening.

  “Faedra, there is nothing here. You are quite safe.”

  Faedra held her breath and opened one eye by a slit just big enough to see through. Faen was standing in front of her blocking her view. She opened her eyes a little wider but all she could see were the contours of his chiseled muscles hidden beneath his t-shirt. She leaned to one side to peek around his arm and puffed out a breath, closing her eyes in relief. Faedra then opened them to look up at Faen as she relaxed her iron grip on his hand.

  “You can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like having to watch someone you love beaten to within an inch of their life, and being powerless to stop it.”

  “You are right, I have been lucky that no one I love has ever had that fate bestowed upon them. I came close once, but that person fought back and won,” Faen confessed.

  “Who?” Faedra asked, intrigued. Faen never mentioned loving anyone before but he was about two hundred years old, so it was inevitable that he had probably loved someone in his past. She wondered what happened to that person or fairy and if he’d been taken away from them to look after her. An odd twinge twisted in her gut, a mixture of guilt and envy.

  Faen’s eyes shuttered. “Maybe one day I will tell you.”

  He turned away and led her down the gravel path back to her car, and Faedra sensed that was as much as he was going to say on the subject. Jocelyn trotted along behind them, excitement bubbling from every pore over their imminent shopping trip.

  “Hey Dad,” Faedra called down the aisle in the Halloween store they were rummaging through. “How about these?” She held up a pack of Jack O’Lantern cutouts for his approval.

  “Oh, yes, we should definitely get some of those,” her father replied.

  “Ooh, these are cute, too,” Jocelyn, stated, holding up a pack of cutouts of a black cat with its hackles raised.

  “Yes, we’ll have a pack of those, too,” Henry agreed.

  “This is so much fun,” Jocelyn squealed with excitement as she trawled through all the Halloween decorations and accessories. “We don’t ‘celebrate’ evil beings in Azran.” She clapped her hand over her mouth at her faux pas, her eyes startled by the mistake.

  Faedra’s eyes widened at her friend’s slip up and she looked over to where her father was, to see if he noticed. His attention was focused on some ugly looking masks oblivious to the fact that Jocelyn just said something that would have sounded strange to most humans. She continued her gaze around the store. No one seemed to have paid any attention, so Faedra puffed out a breath in relief and eyed her fairy friend again. “You need to be more careful what you say around us,” she whispered, a slight smile curving her lips so that she didn’t look like she was reprimanding the young fairy too harshly.

  “Sorry,” Jocelyn said, a blush creeping across her cheeks. “I forget where I am sometimes.”

  Spooky music was playing in the background, which added instant atmosphere to the decked out temporary shop that was only there for about six weeks before Halloween.

  “I love this music, Dad. It really adds a great creepy feel.”

  “We sell that, too,” a Goth-dressed sales assistant interrupted. “Over there on that shelf there’s a whole load of them. Although, if you ask me, if you’ve heard one, you’ve heard ‘em all.” The nonchalance in his voice was undeniable, but Faedra had to admit he looked like he belonged there. He was wearing black from his head to his toes. His hair was dyed jet black, thick kohl eyeliner encircled his eyes, black lipstick covered his lips, and even his fingernails were painted black.

  “Thanks,” she responded. “Hey, Dad, how about some of this creepy music?”

  The Goth rolled his eyes as he slouched his way back to the counter. Faedra ignored him. It was quite obvious this wasn’t his dream job, but she was not about to let some insipid guy dull her good mood this evening.

  After about an hour of looking through all the fun Halloween treasures, the trio’s baskets were filled with decorations and other goodies, and they were rendezvousing at the cash register.

  “You guys having a party or something?” the Goth drawled, as he scanned each of the items and put them into bags.

  “Yes we are,” Henry replied, a hint of excitement evident in his voice, which made Faedra warm to her toes. She was over the moon to see her dad so happy.

  Ever since he mentioned his new girlfriend, Anna, Faedra was convinced he was almost floating around the house on a cloud. She had not seen him act this way since her mother was alive and that memory was very faded now. She was only six when her mother died, but she knew her parents had loved each other very much. It had been a tangible presence in the house that she could sense, even at her young age. She often missed that feeling. The house still held a lot of love, her father loved her beyond measure but it wasn’t the same. She hoped with all her heart that this new woman in his life would cherish him the way her mother had. Anything less would not be worthy of him.

  “Come on then, let’s get these bags back to the car and I’ll take you both out to dinner.” Henry held his bag-laden hands up and pointed them in the direction of the exit. Faedra and Jocelyn grabbed the rest of the bags and followed out behind him.

  With bags safely locked in the trunk of the car, the three of them wandered toward one of the city’s many restaurants. Shopping could work up an appetite and Faedra, for one, was now ravenous.

  As they were entering the restaurant, she heard a familiar voice calling her name and all three turned in its direction.

  “Hey, Frederick,” she responded with what she hoped sounded like pleasant surprise. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  Of course, she had planned this spot for him to meet up with them, and then she would persuade her father to let him join them for dinner.

  “Dad, you don’t mind if Frederick joins us for dinner, do you?”

  Her father narrowed his eyes for just a second. He knew when he was being set up. He hesitate
d for just a heartbeat, and then conceded defeat, knowing it would be futile. The glimmer in his daughter’s eyes told him that much. “Of course, not, darling.”

  It wasn’t as though he didn’t like Frederick. In fact, he couldn’t fault the young man at all, even though he had tried on more than one occasion to find something, anything, he could hold against him. No, it wasn’t Frederick who was the problem. It was that Henry was unwilling to admit his little girl had, almost overnight it seemed, turned into a young lady. And the fact she was now interested in young men was par for the course. Henry was just having a hard time dealing with it, that was all.

  “Would you like to join us for dinner?” she asked the already redundant question.

  “Thank you, that would be most kind,” Faen replied in his usual courteous manner.

  Her father sighed inwardly. Even the young man’s manners were impeccable.

  They entered the restaurant and Faedra was relieved when they were seated without delay, as was her grumbling stomach. The hostess led them to a booth and they settled in to wait for their waitress.

  “I’m so glad you don’t mind me not having the party at the house,” Henry said after the waitress had taken their order.

  “Mind, Dad? Why would I mind?” Faedra asked.

  “Well, I thought it would be fun to have it there. The place is so old with lots of character, but I thought Anna had a very good point when she suggested we hold it in the city. I mean, most of the people coming live around here, and we do live somewhat out in the sticks. At least this way they can get taxis home without it costing them an arm and a leg.”

  “And we won’t have to clean up afterwards, either,” Faedra admitted. “I think the place you have booked has loads of character, too. It will be perfect, especially after we’ve trimmed it up with all those decorations.”

  “Actually, Anna picked the place.”