It missed.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Continuous laughter came from Rolun before I once more nocked the arrow, spinning to the right as I became flustered and sent it flying. The arrow flew true enough as it let out a thunk while sinking deep into the bale of hay, right between the fawn's legs. He jumped up, eyes wide as his tail puffed up. Ke yelling in glee as she fought to stay on his head. "Hey! What was that for!" he shouted at me as I grinned, Calidi clapping her hands in approval. "That is what I've been waiting for. Now," she gently tapped the inside of my left elbow to gain my attention before swinging her stick to the true target at hand, "apply that toward the rightful target."
I nodded, happy with the aim I just displayed. Never in my life had I thought I could shoot arrows. It wasn't allowed within my station, but this felt freeing. Once I returned home I hoped my father would allow me to continue, though it was doubtful.
Once more, I followed Calidi’s quick directions of nocking, aiming, and releasing. No more teasing from Rolun and Ke as instead they watched in silence. I forced all thoughts and feelings from myself, taking a sharp breath. My eyes focused solely on the target as everything outside it almost seemed to blur. On the exhale and the nymph's command, I let the arrow fly free.
I was surprised to see it hit near the center of the target, maybe a few inches away from the desired spot, which was closer than anything else I had done that day. No smack of the stick this time. Calidi instead continuing to shout her three commands, and I followed. Again, and again. This time, with the fourth arrow I had in my hand, and only two left in my quiver now that Ke wasn't retrieving them, I relaxed all the tension in my legs. Tightening the muscles on my forearms so the bow shook minimally.
"Fire!" And it flew.
Aim was true enough as it sunk just within the red circle of the target. Not dead eye in the center, but true enough that it was indeed within the red. There wasn't much strength behind it, as the arrow wavered for a few moments before falling to the ground, but it had hit its mark.
"Woo!" I shrieked, jumping up and down for a moment in excitement. I turned toward Rolun and stuck my tongue out at him childishly as his mouth was agape. "No way! No way! She's just a human and she's been learning for less than a month!"
Calidi tilted her chin up proudly at my accomplishment, "Such a child, satyr. Humans are more capable than you realize." I smiled toward her at the compliment, only to receive a sound whack to the top of my head. I winced, rubbing the top of my head in pain, "What in the hells?"
Her lips pursed for a moment, taking in my sudden giddiness. "You're too full of pride. You hit the center once. Only once, and yet you dare be boastful. Calidi will train you to keep focus, but for now," she motioned toward her workshop to the side, "I believe you have earned a bit of a break, and a faerie never lies." She shook her index finger to the left and right, "So I owe you some information." Quickly she pointed toward the fawn who still looked on in disbelief. "And you! You owe Calidi a day's worth of arrows!" Rolun grunted as he got himself off his seat and began to clip-clop his way toward her home with us following suit. His hands were in little fists. It was adorable.
Once inside her home, Rolun headed straight over toward the anvil. Gathering pieces of stone and beginning to set to work. Something about his movements led me to believe this wasn't the first time he lost a bet with the fiery fae and had to work for her.
Calidi pointed to a stool next to one of the many workbenches, pulling up a chair of her own close to the one I sat on. She crossed her legs pointedly and smoothed out the greenish fabric of her trousers as she looked at me. Hands clasped together upon her knee. I merely looked at her, waiting for her to start.
"Well. What is it you'd like to know?"
"You said that the Unseelie were unscrupulous. What do you mean?"
She was no longer watching me, instead paying close attention to the fawn and pixie that were carving stone on the metal of the anvil. "I mean they are manipulators." She spoke pointedly before shouting at the two working, "Be careful with that stone you buffoons!"
"Care to elaborate?" I inquired further. She sighed, still watching them as she continued, "There are some things that one should know about the High Fae, from both courts."
"High Fae? I've heard that before."
Her head snapped toward me, a serious look on her face with a touch of confusion, "There are many a type of fae. As you see," she indicated herself and the others within the workshop, "High Fae are the ones that look most like you humans. Except for their unusual beauty."
I nodded, interrupting briefly. "Like Vethari's pointed teeth and ears?"
She smiled, "And Faariin's eyes." She cleared her throat, "Unseelie Fae are more dangerous. They are not all inherently evil, it is just in their nature to be manipulative, and that makes them much more dangerous than the Seelie. However, the Seelie are also not to be trusted outright. They love to play games with mortals. It is in their nature. While all fae possess some type of magic, the High Fae have more unique powers than the rest of us." I simply stared at her, trying to process the information. She smirked. "They have an aura about them. Faariin and Vethari are the only High Fae here, so they are the only ones I can speak of, however."
My head tilted to the side, the continuous cursing and smacking of stone blocked out. "But what about those guards? Batik and Ley?"
Calidi shook her head, "No, they are only half, which makes them no more High Fae than the rest of us."
"I see."
"Back to my point. Faariin, he is from the Seelie Court. And as such, being from the lighter of the courts, he has a calming and surreal aura. He can cause unexplained joyful feelings or put you at ease and calm your fears." Her left hand was out, a small flame appearing above her hand, dancing in the brightest of yellow lights. "On the other hand." Her right palm opened up, releasing a dark flame of deep reds, "Vethari, being from the Unseelie Court, has an aura of… other feelings. Fear, unease, and lust." Her hands closed, both flames disappearing into a puff of smoke. "And that makes them far more dangerous to humans."
I blinked, considering carefully. "Do you think the feelings I felt during The Passage were just his aura?" I blushed. She shrugged, apparently incapable of caring about the situation. "I do not know. But I have come to have a semblance of trust for Vethari. He did leave his court after all and has protected our village from humans since we arrived. And Faariin, I respect him for leading us and yet allowing us to be free. We pay no tithes, we sacrifice none. It is good here."
I looked outside the small hut to glance through the parted roots that covered Calidi's home and workshop, out toward the open mass of trees, to the few fae that passed by on their day to day errands. They all seemed completely happy and in no hurry to join any courts. And yet despite me, a human, the one thing they feared and probably hated more than anything, being among them, they had not even made an attempt to hurt me.
Apart from the kelpie, but I didn't think that one counted.
"Do you think any feelings I have for Vethari, hypothetically speaking of course," I began, glancing back toward her and that knowing look on her face.
"Hypothetically?" she replied.
"Yes, do you think that it is only because he made me feel that way about him this entire time?"
I noticed a pause on the hammering off to the side before it picked back up. No doubt Rolun eavesdropping on the conversation. But it wasn't really anything to keep hidden. Calidi shrugged, stretching her arms far over her head and back behind her head. "That, Calidi does not know. But even if it were true, he is a handsome creature, no? What's the harm in partaking?" She grinned wide and coyly, making me blush. There was truth in that. What was the harm?
Thinking of partners, I couldn't stop myself from turning back to my once partner-to-be.
Alphonse.
I could feel my heart sink at the thought of him. What would he think of me now even after all our years of friendship? Fraternizing with the faeries that he has made his life’s
mission to destroy. I sighed. Maybe he could come to learn they're nothing to be feared. I couldn't wait to see him again. Maybe I could change his mind on the fae.
And Vethari. I hadn't seen him since The Passage. It seemed he was on a mission with only a couple of the other few guardsmen within the little village. I couldn't trust Vethari because he was Unseelie, I could see that now. But whatever semblance of honor he had, at least to the people he wanted to protect, told volumes more. And especially when it came to humankind, he didn't threaten ransom or death, just that if I was to be returned my people, they had to stop harming theirs.
Vethari was a good man. But Faariin, I was a little skeptical about. Even if he was of Seelie origins.
Calidi rose from her chair, arms remaining behind her head in a relaxed stance, speaking and bringing me from my thoughts I became lost within. "Well then, Penelope. How about we continue to prepare you for the Great Hunt, hmm?"
15
My days were beginning to blur together. It had now been a full week since the ceremony for the dead dryad to be returned to the earth, and I had yet to see Vethari. It was starting to bother me immensely, and while I continued my days training in marksmanship with Calidi and company, I spent evenings delving headfirst into books with the help of Hob. Anything I had questions about, he was right there to help me find the appropriate book.
The hag stone he had lent me was now tied around my neck by twine. I was currently going through a book I'd figured would be helpful to learn about the Taela that Rolun was supposedly going to participate in. From what I had learned thus far, it was another similar ritual to that of The Passage. A host of rhymes were to be memorized, then he was to show his skill with his flute and participate in some sort of dance with nymphs. It was highly confusing.
I supposed that little jerk was right, in that it was too complex for humans to understand. I smiled at the thought.
More than that, however, he would be judged by one of the outlying Elder Trees who guarded the land the free faeries lived on. And with some ancient magic within them, they could graduate the participating fawn out of their childlike form into one that fit their current age.
Hob was snoring as his finger remained on one of the few pages on the end of a book about humans, wanting to learn more about them now with me in his proximity. I allowed it if it wasn't anything too personal and he didn't go beyond the barriers I'd lain down. Like testing our reactions to certain elements.
I closed the book of fawn and opened the large marbled tome to the side. This one was hefty, nearly too wide to carry in just one hand. It slammed on the table in front of me as I allowed it to drop. Dust billowed outward from underneath and I fanned it out of my face with a cough. This is the one I really wanted to learn about.
The Courts of Fae
I flipped it open with my right hand, left holding the hag stone up to my eye as I began to search the codex for the Unseelie Fae. It took a good thirty minutes before I could finally find the page I figured would be the most helpful. Many of them talking about the distinct types of fae within the courts. This section discussed the rules of courts.
Scanning each sentence quickly until I came upon what I wanted was simple enough. There was only one word I was looking for. One name. This book had to be at least a century old if not longer. I flipped the page, scanned through, flipped and scanned. Certain names were bolded, drawing my eyes toward them until I found what my search was looking for only a few pages in.
Vethari.
I took in a breath, eyes closing for a moment. I wasn't entirely sure exactly what it was I'd hoped to learn about him, but maybe it would give me some inkling into his nature. So, with open eyes and hag stone up, I began to read
Member of the royal court and close advisor to the High Lord of Twilight. Most notable conquests were participating in the expansion of the Court of the Unseelie. Increasing the realm near one hundred miles. High Lord of Twilight had this fae placed close at his side due to this, and other various victories in battle as a member of the Unholiest Guard. Besides knowledge in diplomacy and war tactics, he is capable of casting almost impenetrable glamors, and has a vast knowledge of spells.
Frightening in battle, he has created many of the cleverer tortures against human and fae alike that is now an integral part to any dungeon within the Unseelie boundaries.
A bit of what had been written seemed to be almost lifted from the page. Small lines of where a quill had once stroked the paper with indentions, the ink had long since disappeared. Opposing writing was written atop where the previous words had been.
Vethari of the Unholiest Guard is now a traitor amongst all the Unseelie Lands. Having betrayed our most revered and admired High Lord of Twilight by fleeing to the Lands of Eternal Brightness. Now residing with the Court of the Seelie. Any sight of him is to take the High Fae by capture; wanted dead or alive. To not do so is treason and punishable by death.
I exhaled, reading the passage over and over. That wasn't anywhere near the information I'd thought I'd learn, but it was indeed something interesting. High Lord of Twilight, hmm? I flipped forward in the page and continued to scan briefly about the court.
Only the High Fae may be a member of the inner court houses. High Fae rule is respected above all others. High Lord of Twilight is above all High Fae.
The awakening snort from Hob and the click of the door had me looking from my current studies on the fae. Hob stammered a bit as he rose to his feet, dusting away bits of cobweb that seemed to forever be clinging to his clothing. "F-Faariin! What a pleasant surprise!" Hob cooed. His hands clasped together as spindly fingers intertwined. Faariin strode through the door with his hands behind his back. Batik and Ley on either side, standing slightly behind him. His eyes darted immediately from Hob after nodding in acknowledgement and down toward the book I had been perusing.
His brows pulled together in question as he eyed the material I was reading. "The Unseelie Court?" he said coldly before looking at my face. I narrowed my eyes as well and returned his gaze. He seemed to be calculating, more so than usual. "You must be enjoying this privilege immensely to learn about the fae."
"Yes, I am. I think I earned that right at least," I responded.
He allowed a small smirk to find a way to his lips as he stepped forward, watching me. I held my ground, standing straight to show my confidence. "Have you learned anything interesting?" he inquired.
I shrugged, looking back down to the page I was on. "It's all interesting," I muttered, trying to ignore the chills running down my back. And they weren’t the good ones.
I didn't know what more he wanted from the conversation, as he seemed to just stand there, watching me to see what exactly I was learning about. Hob cleared his throat to break the silence, "Good leader Faariin, would you care to join us for a bit of reading of history? It would be the first time in a while we had a human learn about us within our own walls. Ever since the mess at the Seelie court if I recall correctly?" He tapped his bony finger against the tufts of hair on his chin, tilting his head upward in thought. "Wasn't her name Cel—"
"I was there to write most of these books, Hob. And if you also recall, I never want to hear that human's name. Ever. Again," he said.
I allowed myself to glance up. I could make out no emotion on Faariin’s face. Not anger, not even a wince of sadness. I prided myself on how well I could read people's feelings, even with the slightest of gestures, but not this man. Just like the empty void of blackness in his eyes, there had to be one as well in his heart.
Hob eased his way back down onto his rear, his legs hanging off the edge of the table and nodded. "You know, you're rude to people who are your equals" I mumbled, mostly to myself. I didn't know if I wanted the High Fae to hear my mutterings or if I just wanted to say it to feel better. Though it caught his attention as his eyes slowly turned back toward me. I kept my head down.
"Pardon?"
I swallowed, "You're a part of a free faerie society. Not bound to a court.
Yet you waltz around here like you're building a court of your own—which I heard is a big faux pas to the other courts." There was a quiet rattle of armour from the two other fae behind him in the silence. Their bodies shifting in either discomfort or excitement to see a human get torn asunder. But he wouldn't do that. No, I was far too valuable to them.
Faariin dipped his head in a mocking bow. "How queer that a human believes they know the ins and outs of many a millennia of faerie society." He took a step back, something of a cocked grin on his face. One that almost seemed forced. "Then you know every century we select a champion, to lead the Solitary. I am no king. I am merely only chosen to lead. Time will come when someone else will give guidance as well."
I slapped the book shut, looking at him under furrowed brows. "Then where do you get off being so… so cross! These people love you enough to want you to lead them, and you act so rude!" I gestured toward Hob who obviously did not want to be mentioned, as he jumped slightly at me highlighting him.
"I protect them. Even from themselves when they get too close and too familiar with the beings who would slit their throats and dance in their blood." He glowered, though his face remained relatively still and calm. "Very few fae here have lived longer than I besides Hob. Beside from Vethari and my guards. They trust that we are experienced with our previous courtly dealings that we know more than they. With this knowledge we know when to be wary. I would like to make myself perfectly clear that I intend to do anything to protect my brothers and sisters."
He turned on his heel the moment I opened my mouth to respond. "Batik. Ley. Watch over the human from now on. Watch her daily doings until we can finally be rid of her." He waved over his shoulder, though Batik and Ley did not appear to be phased whatsoever. Remaining in their guarding stance with spears in opposing hands.
They threw a quick glance to one another before nodding and standing impossibly still, staring straight ahead. I glared back down at Hob who was running his fingers over his face. "What in the world was that?" I whispered.
Solitary Fae (Humans vs Fae Book 2) Page 10