FIVE
BUBBLES
Justice waited for me at the top of the steps. Wagging his tale, he whined once I stepped out of the opening and into the sunlight. I took a deep breath of the fresh air I’d missed so much in the cave. Justice was happy too and jumped on me to put his paws on my shoulders. “Told you I’d be right back,” I said between the licks he covered my face with.
The air felt warmer than it had been this morning but still cooler than inside the cave. Sara followed me out and turned, placing her hand on the opening. It disappeared.
“Always important to leave things the way you find them,” She said.
She walked with me back to the bluff. I tugged on the ladder, but it held fast.
“I wedged it in between some rocks. I’ll go down,” I said as I turned to Sara.
“Just a moment,” she said.
She walked behind the big pine and disappeared. Several seconds later, I felt the rope ladder go slack and immediately Sara reappeared next to the pine, smiling.
“Thought you might not want to climb back over the bluff,” she said with a wink.
I gathered my things and we headed back down the path to the cottage. As we walked, I studied her features and imagined how easy it was for her to appear so graceful. How her first steps in physical form must’ve been more graceful than a dancer’s.
“Actually, Maggie, if I’m reading the images correctly, my first steps were probably as awkward as your first steps. Remember, I don’t actually have legs. I spent a long time studying what I saw humans doing. Not only did I have to create legs, but I had to learn all of the nuances of human movement to make my legs, and my body, do exactly what I wanted them to do. I had to concentrate on keeping my feet on the ground at all times.”
I considered her explanation and thought about the images in the cave. “Can all Fae project images?”
“No, not all of us can. It’s learned—part of many years of study and devotion. Many of my kind have no desire to learn. They have long since removed themselves from the physical world.”
“What about taking solid form—can all of you do that?”
“No. It takes devotion to learn, and it’s generally discouraged. Taking physical form is dangerous for us.”
“Dangerous? But aren’t Fae immortal?
“Yes, we are immortal in that we have the potential to live forever, but that doesn’t mean that we are impervious to wounds or immune to death.”
She stepped down over a stone and stopped. Turning to me, she smiled and stared into my eyes. “There are many who won’t like what I’ve just told you. Those same Fae would be openly hostile should I continue, so I won’t.”
I knew better than to ask more, but I also had the feeling that Sara told me that Fae could be hurt, and even killed, for a reason.
“Sara, where do Fae come from?”
“That is a philosophical question no Fae can honestly answer. My kind have debated the subject for millennia, but I fear we are no closer to resolution now than we were during the last ice age. When you and I have more time, I’ll share the leading theories, but you can rest assured that we didn’t spring forth from a baby’s laugh. We are neither fallen angels nor gods as some humans have claimed.”
“Sara, are each of the remaining trials going to be similar to this one?”
Sara strolled ahead of me and did not turn as she spoke.
“No, and I cannot say what each of the different trials will involve—even if I wanted to tell you. Each trial combines the attributes of the elements and something unique to the Steward. That means no trial is ever the same. But do not worry about that. The trials will come in time and we will learn whether you have any additional inclinations.”
She told me the next trial would be Air and would occur in late March. That would be followed by the Fire trial in June and the Water trial in October.
I considered the Water trial for a moment and hoped it would involve swimming. Since I spent nearly all of my free time in water, I just knew I’d be Water inclined. The lake was just visible through the trees, and while warmer than it had been, it was still too cold to swim. The Water trial didn’t scare me, though. In Florida I swam in the ocean all the time. I was a state champion at fifteen, and at least one of my ancestors had passed the Water trial. That comforted me. Besides, I can out-swim anyone I know. It’s my sport, and who among my ancestors could hold their breath for over four minutes?
We made our way down a set of stone stairs between two bluffs. The lowest step was broken, cracked and pushed out of place by a tree root. Placing my hand on it, I closed my eyes and imagined the stone repairing itself. When I opened my eyes the step reformed in front of me until it was perfect. Sara smiled.
“Thanks for the elemental assist. How long before I can do that by myself?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but Lola created these stairs within the first year,” Sara said.
She paused and abruptly turned her head back up the hill. She grew rigid and I felt her anger, even though her smooth face was still pleasant and passive. I traced her line of sight and saw what she stared at. Chalen glared at me, perched on top of a bluff fifty feet above us, like he did two weeks before. Apprehension caused me to take a step back.
They took turns looking at one another and glancing back at me—watching them made me uncomfortable. I realized that they were communicating with each other—apparently having a serious discussion. Their expressions didn’t change at all, but I could feel the tension in the air. Instantly I knew Chalen was Fae. Images of all the strange things I’d seen before going in the cave flashed through my mind.
At once, I felt isolated and alone. A sense of dread washed over me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. My heart raced and I had the urge to look behind me. Just as quickly, I felt peace and contentment. My heart slowed and my muscles relaxed. They did it—played chess with my emotions.
The sky grew darker and the wind picked up filling the air with leaves and the sound of distant thunderclaps. Without being told, I knew that they caused the commotion. Almost as soon as it started, the wind died down and the sky seemed to grow lighter.
“Earth aligned, I see,” Chalen finally said in a dry, wretched voice.
I stared at him, not knowing how to respond. Fortunately, Sara broke the silence.
“Yes, she passed the trial.”
I was positive they have already had this conversation, but merely talked aloud for my benefit.
“Looks like rain,” he said. Even from fifty feet, I could make out his smug expression.
“Yes it does … and strong winds,” Sara replied. “I think I’ll escort Maggie down to the cottage just in case—you never know how quickly things can blow up around here.”
“Oh, why such a hurry? Maggie owes me a visit, I believe,” Chalen said, keeping his gaze fixed on me.
To my side, I heard Justice’s low growl and felt him press against my leg. He took a position between Chalen and me, baring his long teeth and growling a little louder. Poodles are brave, too.
“She’ll be ready for the Water trial in October. We’ve already agreed to the date. Good day,” Sara said. Her expression was pleasant but her tone acerbic.
Behind her a gust of wind picked up and blew leaves in Chalen’s direction. He ignored them. I wondered what Sara meant by her comment regarding the Water trial in October. Surely he didn’t have anything to do with it.
“Don’t get your feathers ruffled, Sara, I know the schedule and I look forward to spending some quality time with Miss O’Shea. I was merely talking about a social call to congratulate the future Steward of the Weald Fae. That is, if she decides to stay.”
He paused for a moment and looked at Sara before turning his gaze back to me. His face was grim, but his voice was patronizing and he talked to me like I was a scared puppy. “I hope you do decide to stay. I look forward to spending the next sixty or seventy years together, Maggie.”
/> He nodded his head and scowled at me with a slight, downward smile.
I cringed at the thought of spending even ten more seconds with him, and looked away. Chalen was repulsive, and he made me uncomfortable.
“Maggie, let’s be on our way,” Sara suggested. “Chalen has things to do, and we should allow him to get to them.”
Sara never took her eyes off of him. She didn’t like Chalen—I could see that even though she kept her face perfectly emotionless. The tension between them was strong—I felt it on my skin like static electricity.
After pausing for only a moment, I managed to say, “Good bye, Chalen.”
“Yes, good bye,” he said, returning his gaze to me. With his cruel downward smile in place, he effortlessly stood and spun in a single motion, then darted back up the hill as quickly as a deer.
I glanced back at Sara who seemed more relaxed, though I could still sense the tension. She no longer looked up the hill, but I got the impression she was watching Chalen’s movement. In a few seconds, the last remnants of tension disappeared and the foreboding feeling I had drifted away.
We headed down the path toward the cottage and away from Chalen. Sara didn’t move until Justice and I were in front of her. I felt her behind me, though she didn’t make a noise when she walked.
Trudging down the hill, I tried to work it out. I knew, somehow, that Chalen was Unseelie. He had to be, but what I didn’t understand was why he was here on our land. Devin didn’t tell me much about the clans, but I had the impression that the Unseelie and the Seelie were bitter enemies. What Devin said about the Unseelie hating humans, feeding upon our deepest fears, and rejoicing in our pain, bothered me the most, though. It didn’t make sense to me. Why is an Unseelie caretaker—talk about a misnomer—living just up the hill?
At a fork in the path I went right, toward the cottage. Justice and Sara stayed beside me. Recalling my first visit with Chalen, I remembered thinking he was a statue at first. Then I remembered Mitch’s face, and being scared, and feeling protective, all at the same time. Chalen had made me feel uneasy when he moved toward me in the weed snarled garden, and I remembered how the bird seemed to intervene then.
“Oh my ... Sara ... wait a minute. That was…” I stuttered.
“Yes, that was me,” Sara said without breaking stride.
“And this morning?”
“Yes, that was me, too.”
Everything I’d seen started to make sense. “And each time I saw a wolf?”
“Yes, that was Chalen—the disappearing act as well,” she said, predicting my next question. “I think it’s best if we continue this conversation down the hill.”
We reached the Toy Box and walked though the cottage garden. When the thick front door of the cottage closed behind us, I turned to her.
“Chalen is Unseelie, isn’t he? He did all of that to scare me—to get some kind of sadistic fix.”
Sara nodded.
“But I don’t understand why he’s here, and please don’t tell me I’m going to have to take the Water trial with him anywhere close.” I allowed concern to register on my face where she could see it.
Sara studied my expression for a moment and suggested that we go sit down. I wanted answers and she had promised to provide them. I agreed with her, so we climbed the stairs to my bedroom together. Collapsing on the foot of my bed, I pulled my boots off—it felt good to flex my toes. She walked to the window and stared out for a moment, then turned to me, peeling off the red cape she’d been wearing.
“There is a lot I need to tell you, but you’ll need to be patient.”
“I’m all ears.”
I leaned back on my elbows. It felt good to recline, and the knot on my head didn’t seem to be throbbing quite as badly. Sara walked over to my bed and sat down, embracing a thick white pillow.
“Many thousands of years ago, a rift formed among the Fae over what to do with humans.”
“Over humans?” I asked, a bit confused.
“Yes. As hard as it may be to believe, the Fae vehemently disagreed over whether to allow humans to survive. Bear with me—this is complicated. Early men were superstitious, as Devin and I said earlier. Though humans were naïve and easy to manipulate, some Fae nevertheless found them endearing and wanted to help them learn to live in harmony with their surroundings. We had to make a serious choice, however. For thousands of years we took solid forms to experience the physical world, but because of the superstitious nature of men, we generally avoided revealing ourselves.”
“I’m still not sure what you mean by experience the physical world?”
Sara explained that the physical realm was a mysterious and wonderful place for the Fae. In their natural form, the Fae were not able to see, taste, touch, feel, or smell as physical creatures do. The first Fae who experienced physical existence was as wonderstruck as I had been in the cave.
“We experience the world in our own way, that is true, but I never smelled a rose, or experienced the simple beauty of a dew drop on a flower petal the way that physical beings do on a daily basis—until I took physical form. When our kind learned of physical existence, it opened up an entirely new universe to us. Much like the awe you experienced in the cave, I will never forget seeing a flower through physical eyes for the first time.”
“The patterns in the cave were remarkable. That vision was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, but it wasn’t real,” I said.
She smiled at me. “Oh yes, Maggie, it was real in the sense that what you saw closely resembles what the Fae experience in our natural state. We created it for you so that you would have a reference from which to put this conversation into perspective. It’s important that you understand what we are and where we come from. Much depends on you, Maggie, and it’s my job, for the time being at least, to teach you.”
“Okay,” I said. I curled up on the foot of the bed. “Please, go on.”
Sara nodded. “At first, there were very few people in the world, and we didn’t often cross paths with them. Early people simply existed, much like any other species in the physical world. They lived in small breeding groups and there was nothing particularly remarkable about them—no offense. Little groups of humans moved from place to place. They hunted, they ate, they reproduced, and they died.”
“How long ago are we talking about?”
She tilted her head, allowing her long curly white hair to fall over her shoulder. “More than one-hundred thousand years ago,” she said.
I felt numb for a moment as I contemplated how much time that was. But before I drifted too far off in thought I composed myself and, like a child listening to a bedtime story, I asked, “What happened next?”
“What happened was nothing short of amazing. Humans did something no other species in the physical world had ever done—your ancestors developed art and culture. People settled in many different areas and began to grow in number. Like the Fae, humans were attracted to particularly beautiful, fertile places and it was no longer possible for us to avoid one another. For many of my kind, there was a simple solution. While we thought it best to avoid humanoid form because it frightened ancient men, we could appear in forms that humans were accustomed to—birds, insects, small and large mammals.”
“Not everyone agreed, I take it?”
“That’s true. Besides the complications arising from those who simply insisted on taking human form, there was another problem. My kind has the ability to take many different physical forms, and we learned that with each form we inherit a different ability—or sense. We experimented for thousands of years. In raptor form, we experience acute eyesight but our sense of smell was diminished compared to other forms. In the form of a bee or butterfly, we could see an incredible spectrum of light and a broader range of color than in raptor form. In canine or feline form smell was enhanced but color was limited. We discovered that by taking human form we were able to smell, see color, and taste in a combination unique in the physical world.
“It wa
s quite easy to meld some physical forms, like human and bird or even human and bee, at the same time. We learned how to pick and choose the senses we wanted to experience. One of the most pleasant combinations to Fae is taste combined with smell—canine or bear combined with human. But those manifestations have terrified humans for millennia. Although the legends are somewhat exaggerated, it is a fact that a few encounters ended tragically.”
“Oh god, the Werewolf-Bigfoot thing again?” I asked in disbelief. The old movie An American Werewolf in London came to mind and a violent shudder ran though my bones.
“Yes and no. The shapes are real, but the mythology of full moons and silver are nothing more than Fae and human invention.”
“Vampires?”
“As depraved as it sounds, there are a few Fae who like the taste of blood.”
“Let me guess, the Unseelie?”
“Not exclusively Unseelie, but the majority, yes. For some, the images and emotions of fear that people project are as attractive and enjoyable to experience as the smell of mint leaves. Thousands of years ago, those Fae learned they could easily create fear in people by changing shape, and given the frail nature of your physical bodies … let’s just say that a few Fae hold great pleasure in causing pain, or worse. I’m sorry.” Her lower lip pooched out slightly and her eyes shifted downward as she read the horror on my face.
A shiver rattled down my spine when I realized that all the nightmares of my childhood could easily take physical form. Worse yet, I had just met a Fae at the top of the hill who was more than willing to accommodate.
“But I don’t understand what this has to do with Chalen and the Unseelie.” I tried to push the images from my mind.
“You see, Maggie, given the increasing numbers of people and our practice of taking physical form, it was a just matter of time before humans noticed our presence. At first we compelled, or glamoured, people who got too close to us. We made them forget, but that became unmanageable. What complicated things even more was that for many of us, observing and interacting with humans became one of the most enjoyable facets of taking a physical form.”
Weald Fae 01 - The Steward Page 8