FayeLynn rested for a few minutes, her ears sharply attuned to any movement from the three unconscious men. So far, they were still out but it wouldn’t last forever.
I should’ve hit them harder.
And then it occurred to her: she could fly. Why couldn’t she airlift Alvin to a safe spot?
When she’d rested long enough to get her heartrate back to normal, she uncovered Foster and nursed him. She’d get him to safety first and then come back for Alvin. Flying was still very new to her, and she wasn’t at all confident that she could carry both of them at the same time. She tied the baby in his sling and took off, this time enjoying the scenery below her as she went. She flew east, following Alvin’s instructions until she was miles from the clearing.
After a short rest, she returned for Alvin.
He was much heavier than Foster and it wasn’t easy to take off with that much dead weight, but she didn’t have a choice. He was badly hurt, and it might be hours, or even days before he was able to walk on his own. Her wings seemed to have come with some additional strength. Without the boost, she would’ve been unable to move him away from the danger. By the time she placed him on the ground beside Foster, her muscles felt like worn-out elastic. She slumped beside them and slept.
***
Alvin was pretty sure that dead hurt way less than this.
The last thing he remembered was Drake’s black cape closing around him and four large arms dragging him across the forest floor and tying him to a tree.
“Alvin?” FayeLynn’s voice was as soft as a whisper. She was alive. He was afraid to open his eyes, afraid she’d be hurt or worse, Foster was hurt. He didn’t know what he’d do if something had happened to the baby on his watch.
“Are you both okay?” His voice was raspy and his throat was so dry.
“We’re fine. Open your eyes. I need to make sure you’re okay.”
He opened one and then the other. Aside from a small cut just above FayeLynn’s right eye, she looked unharmed. She held Foster on her hip.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Drake and his men tried to kill you.”
“I figured out that part. How come they didn’t succeed?”
“The strangest thing happened.” Her eyes lit with wonder, and she turned so that her back was to him. “I got my wings.”
“Holy smokes,” he said. He’d never seen a fairy with wings. The rumor among The Folk was that it only happened once every couple of generations and it only happened when good was threatened by pure evil. Drake would surely qualify for the pure evil part.
Once a member of The Folk grew wings, she was honored with a lavish ceremony and given a key to the palace. Then, the wings shrank again after a few days, when the danger had passed.
Now, if only they could get to the palace.
“Drake and his henchmen?”
FayeLynn bent to offer him a sip of water. “Not sure. They were in pretty bad shape when I got finished with them.” There was pride in her smile.
“Yeah?” He took a deep sip of the water she offered and it was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted. “I told you that you were stronger than you realized.”
“They’ll probably have big bumps on their heads for a while.”
“How long have I been out?” He inspected the cuts and bruises on his arms. One gash was pretty deep, but at some point, FayeLynn had cleaned it up and dressed it with Sphagnum moss just like he’d taught her.
“Nearly two days,” she said. “I was starting to get really worried about you.”
He bolted upright and every muscle and bone in his body screamed with pain. His head pounded like ten thousand hammers were driving stakes into his brain all at once. “We have to get going.” He blinked trying to eliminate the double vision, but it didn’t work.
“Tomorrow,” she said. “Today, you rest.”
FayeLynn was different. Before the beating he’d taken, she was still scared, unsure of herself and her power but now, her shoulders were relaxed and she oozed self-confidence. He was so proud of her. “You’re amazing.”
“Thanks. You are, too.”
He’d never felt so at home with a woman. The ones he’d dated in The Realm weren’t like her at all. They were followers. FayeLynn was a leader, the kind of woman he’d be proud to introduce to his parents, the kind of woman he wanted to spend his life with. “When I said I loved you—”
“I meant it, too.”
***
Flying had its privileges. Not only did it dramatically shorten the trip to the palace, it made it easy to find the best spots to rest and sleep. Finding water was also a cinch. FayeLynn wished she’d earned her wings earlier. If she had, she and Foster would already be back in Asheville, safe and sound, removed from the danger and toil of The Realm.
But wings, like all good things, weren’t forever, as Alvin warned. With every passing hour, they retracted deeper and deeper into her Wing Ridge.
“Once they’ve grown, they’re more likely to appear again but there are no guarantees,” he said. “They’re only there when you need them.”
In one way, it was disappointing, but in another, it was a relief. It wasn’t going to be easy to find clothes that accommodated them.
She wasn’t as excited as she thought she’d be at the prospect of leaving The Realm. FayeLynn had no idea what the future held for her and Alvin, but she couldn’t imagine her life without him. Over the course of the journey, they’d become so close, she wasn’t sure where she ended and he began.
In two days, they made it to the outskirts of the city. They’d decided to leave early in the morning and head straight to the palace.
After building a fire and getting Foster fed and settled, FayeLynn and Alvin sat side by side by the fire and watched the flames hop into the autumn air. “This will be our last night,” he said.
There was a sadness in his voice that broke her heart. “It doesn’t have to end, does it?”
He looked up from the fire and his eyes met hers. “I wish it didn’t.” He laced his fingers with hers. “I’ve grown pretty attached to you.”
She smiled. “Same here.”
“But,” he paused and took a deep breath. “I’m not sure how we’ll continue.”
Her heart fell. “What do you mean?”
“If my father forgives me and lets me back into The Realm for good, it’s my duty to stay here. You’re part of the human world, and you have your father to think about.”
Foster made a small sound in his sleep and FayeLynn placed his hand on his back to sooth him. “Can’t we visit each other?”
There was a deep sadness in his smile. “Sure but it won’t be the same.”
“Why not?”
“FayeLynn,” he said. He chewed on his bottom lip. “If I ascend to my father’s throne, I’ll need a mate. A man can’t rule in The Realm unless he has a mate.”
She was beginning to understand. They’d come from different worlds, totally different worlds, and now it was time to choose. She didn’t want to leave the human world behind and she’d never ask him to leave The Realm when he’d fought so hard to get back home. “I understand.”
“I wish it were different,” he said.
“Me, too,” she agreed.
The next morning, they walked into town. It was much more sophisticated than she’d imagined. There were fancy dress shops and restaurants. People jostled in the streets on their way to work. While it was more primitive than the human world, with horses taking the place of cars and candlelight taking the place of the electrical grid, it was a bustling city that reminded her of a movie she’d seen set in London in the late nineteenth century.
It was so different from her world in Asheville, but it was charming and she understood why Alvin wanted to come home so desperately.
“It’s just around the corner,” he said. He stopped on the sidewalk and turned to her. “Are you ready?”
She nodded. “It’s the whole reason we came.”
“It’s exactly as I imagined,” FayeLynn said. “Only bigger.”
***
When Alvin had last seen the palace, it had looked like something ripped from the pages of a magazine but now, like everything else in The Realm, it looked faded and washed-out. Three large columns lined the portico on the front of the house and the white paint was chipped, revealing the weathered wood underneath.
The once pristine lawn was covered in weeds and vines climbed in the flowering trees making the place look like it was abandoned. The gates, though chained and closed tightly with a large padlock, were no longer polished brass and shiny black. Instead, they were rusty and warped.
“What happened to this place?” FayeLynn asked. She stood behind him, Foster in a sling tied under her arm and over her shoulder. She’d been carrying him that way since they left the cave, even when she was flying. The child rarely cried, woke only to nurse and gurgle. She was an excellent mother, so in tune with the baby from the moment he was born.
“Who. Drake. He’s what happened.”
“Are you sure your parents still live here?”
He shook his head. “The only thing I can hope it that we made it on time.” He took hold of the lock and pulled on it but it didn’t budge. “We’re going to have to call the guards.”
“Shouldn’t you hide?” FayeLynn asked.
“Probably but I’m not going to let you and Foster stay here alone.” He looked up and down the street. “From the looks of things, it’s not as safe as it used to be.”
“How do we do call the guards?”
The call box, the one that used to be just to the right of the gate, was missing. “I’m not sure but we can’t stand here on the street. We’re only inviting trouble.” The memory of Drake and his henchmen was still fresh and Alvin wasn’t taking that chance again. “We have to get in there.”
“Didn’t you say that the prince offered blessings to new babies with the Wing Ridge, regardless of the circumstance?”
He nodded.
“See that window?” She pointed to a mullioned window, high on the second floor of the stone building. “What room is that?”
“My mother’s day room.” It was her favorite room in the palace. Decorated in sunny yellows and bright greens, it had always reminded him of lemonade. “What does it matter?”
“I’d never normally do this but desperate times call for desperate measures.” She pulled Foster from his sling and pinched him on the thigh. His wail was ear-splitting. High-pitched, it was loud enough to draw plenty of attention.
Within seconds, his mother came to the window. She’d aged while he’d been gone. Her long blond hair was streaked with silver. Her shoulders were more rounded and she looked tired. “Is there a baby who needs The Blessing?” She looked out across the small courtyard toward the gate.
“Mother,” Alvin called out. “It’s me.”
Her mouth moved into an “O” and she focused her eyes on him. “Alvin?”
“My friend’s baby needs The Blessing.”
“I’ll send the guards out.” She ducked back inside the room but immediately came back to the window. “Alvin,” she called. “I’m really glad you’re home.”
FayeLynn had never felt as safe as she did when she heard the gates click behind her.
CHAPTER 9
“Call me Lily,” Alvin’s mother said to her.
FayeLynn, unsure whether to curtsey or offer her hand, said, “Thank you, ma’am. I’m FayeLynn and this is Foster.” She eased him from the sling and balanced him against her chest. “He’s only a few days old.”
Lily bent and rubbed his plump cheek with her finger. “He’s so handsome. So perfect.” She ran her palm along his back and smiled when she felt the beginnings of his Wing Ridge. “He’s a miracle baby who needs his blessing. Follow me,” she said.
On the inside, the palace was faded but beautiful. It was enormous with high ceilings and rooms for every imaginable purpose. “You grew up here?” she whispered to Alvin as the follow his mother down a long hallway.
“I did. My room was on the third floor on the backside of the house. I had a view of the lake.”
FayeLynn couldn’t imagine living in a place like this. It made the house she shared with her dad look like a storage building. The closet Alvin’s family used to store silverware was probably bigger than her whole house. She hugged Foster to her, allowing the warmth of his tiny little body to ground her and remind her why they’d come.
Lily was just as she’d imagined a fairy princess, tall and graceful, and she moved effortlessly, as if she were floating above the slate floors. She wore a loose purple caftan in a silk brocade worked with silver thread the same color as her hair.
The hallway terminated at a large oak door. Carved with mythological creatures, FayeLynn smiled. Her father would love it. He’d probably spend hours tracing his fingers over each carving, relating the rich stories as he went.
“Your father isn’t the man he was when you left The Realm.” Alvin’s mother turned to face them, her back to the door. “He’s not well.”
“Is it serious?” Alvin asked.
His mother’s face fell. “I’m afraid so. The truth is, you couldn’t have picked a better time to return to The Realm.”
Alvin’s face paled. “Let’s have him bless Foster and then we’ll have a long talk.”
Lily nodded and opened the door.
***
His father was half the size he’d been when he’d tossed Alvin out of The Realm. Instead of sitting on his throne chair, he was lying on a cot covered with blankets and quilts. His face was so thin and his skin looked like paper.
“Papa,” Alvin whispered. He stood beside the bed and placed his hand on his father’s forearm. “I’ve brought you a baby to bless.”
The older man’s eyes fluttered open. “Your child?”
Alvin smiled. “Not by biology but he’s the child of my heart.”
“He?” A tiny spark flared in the older man’s eyes.
“Yes, sir, and it wasn’t easy to get him here.”
“There were rumors.”
“Drake tricked the child’s mother and then attempted to kidnap the child.”
“Bring him to me.”
Alvin nodded to FayeLynn and she stepped forward and handed Foster to Alvin. He placed the boy beside his father on the cot.
After checking for the beginnings of his Wing Ridge, the prince smiled. “He’s one of us, and it’s my great privilege to welcome him to The Realm. His name?”
“Foster,” FayeLynn offered.
“A good name to be sure. It means ‘guardian of the forest’. He will be loved by The Folk.” He pushed himself upright, his wife placing pillows behind his back so that he could sit. “I, Prince Avery, ruler of The Folk and protector of The Realm, hereby bless this child, Foster, and dedicate his life to the betterment of The Folk, the protection of The Realm, and the triumph of good over evil. May his life be long and full. May he be a friend to the good and an enemy to the evil. May his mind remain clear and his principles strong. We welcome Foster to The Folk.” His voice cracked at the end, and he fell back onto his bed, exhausted.
Alvin took Foster and handed him to FayeLynn. “Thank you, Papa.”
His eyes closed, the prince smiled. “I’m glad I got to do that once more. I am happy that The Realm brims with the promise of new life and new leadership as I leave.”
Alvin bit back tears. “We’ll go now, Papa. You need to rest.”
“I’ve done nothing but rest these past few days, and it’s not helping. My time is near, son, and your time is just beginning.”
“But father—”
Papa opened his eyes. “There is no time for ‘buts’. There is only time for me to tell you this: You are a man now. You’ve learned many lessons since I sent you away. I leave you my throne with
only one request: strengthen The Realm so that men like Drake may never rule.”
“I give you my word.”
“Welcome home, son. Welcome home.”
***
After a hot bath, Lily made sure FayeLynn had a gown made of the finest cotton lawn to sleep in. She ordered a crib be brought to FayeLynn’s room and then had the maids dress Foster in a smocked gown of his own.
The next morning, FayeLynn woke to sun streaming through her window. The bed she’d slept in must have been made of clouds. She’d never slept so soundly. Even Foster, who was in a mahogany crib beside her bed, had slept all night.
While Alvin spent time with his parents, FayeLynn and Foster explored the palace and the grounds.
Just after lunch, Alvin found them in the remains of the rose garden. “We need to talk.”
She placed Foster on the grass, on his back, so that he could look up at the passing birds and the brilliantly blue sky. “Okay,” she said.
“My father is dying, and he’s asked me to take his place.”
FayeLynn already knew that. “Are you going to do as he asks?”
“I don’t really have a choice. Without me, Drake will rush into the power vacuum and with him as the ruling prince, The Realm will die.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “You have to stay and I have to go.”
He was crying, too.
***
It would have been fine with Alvin if Drake had stayed where they’d left him but he knew that wouldn’t be the case. Drake wouldn’t give up without a fight and Alvin was prepared to give him what he wanted.
He was in his father’s study, a pile of newspapers on the desk in front of him when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He looked up from an article on the unrest in the eastern part of the kingdom to see Drake standing in the doorway.
“We meet again,” he said, a grim smile on his face.
Alvin was glad to see a gash just above Drake’s right eye. “How did you get into the palace?” He rose and walked around the side of the desk.
“Does it matter?”
“Probably not.”
“You’re not going to order me to leave?”
Paranormal Magic (Shades of Prey Book 1) Page 67