by Bea Paige
“This is Nostra’s doing?” Ezra asks.
“Yes. The fae that live here owe him a great debt.”
“But I thought his visit didn’t go well when he came here,” I say. “That’s what he told us, anyway.”
“His visit didn’t go well. At least not with the fae king and his loyal followers. But there were a few elders who trusted Nostra and his word. They believed what he had to say, believed the prophecy. They helped him to escape the Forbidden forest and in return he spelled an acorn. That acorn was planted and grew into this place we now call home. Protected by his magic, it can only be found on invite. He made a safe haven for those members of Clan Terra who wish for a different life than what the king is able to offer.”
“I see,” Ezra says. “And this fae king you speak of. He doesn’t know this place exists?” He glances at me, a frown crossing his features.
“Oh, he knows that it exists. He’s just never been able to find it,” Avery says with a smirk.
“And what of Queen Adrielle? Does she know about this place? I mean all of it, not just your… tree.” I’m not sure how else I should refer to it. Tree-block, tower-tree? Who knows.
“Queen Adrielle has never set foot in the Forbidden forest or the realm beneath it. There is a magic here that she fears. When she cursed Clan Terra, she disturbed one of the oldest magics of all. Why do you think she rarely leaves the castle? Why do you think she gets the Dark Knights to do her bidding? She is afraid. Mother Nature’s reach is vast.”
“Interesting,” Ezra says.
“Shall we go up? I suspect you wish to see Clover now.”
“She’s here?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Avery says, walking towards the large opening in the tree.
“What do you mean, in a manner of speaking?” I say, catching up with him.
“You’ll see. All will become clear.”
It’s as beautiful inside the tree as it is on the outside. A central circular staircase curls upwards from the floor connecting at intervals with a landing on each floor. The balusters are all hand carved, entirely different from each other. Some are carved into depictions of plants, some animals, some flowers, but all are individual and beautiful. The hand rails are polished and smooth and catch the light of the lanterns that hover in the air above our heads. They are just like the lanterns back in Nostra’s hamlet. The familiarity of his magic is comforting.
“How many floors are there?” I ask.
“Enough to house a great many fae,” Avery says noncommittally. He walks over to a central platform that is raised slightly from the floor and steps up onto it, beckoning us over. “It will be quicker if we take the lift.”
“You have a lift?” I laugh. Yep, tree-tower it is. No self-respecting tower block is without a lift. This is, indeed, the fae version of a high rise.
“We used to call it the rising, but Clover corrected us. Now it is known as the lift. Clover has enlightened us in many ways. She is quite the woman.”
Avery catches my eye and I am certain I see love in the depths of them. I am more intrigued by the minute. Clover and I have a lot of catching-up to do.
“What is a lift?” Ezra says, stepping onto the platform. I stand next to him and take hold of his hand. There is no rail to keep us from falling over the side. He looks down at me, a puzzled expression on his face but he doesn’t pull away. The platform starts to move upwards, and both Ezra and I are forced to steady ourselves from the sudden movement. His grip tightens.
“Lights be blind, what is happening?” he says.
“Don’t worry, it is perfectly safe. You’ll find that your feet are fixed firmly to the platform. You won’t be able to move until we stop.”
I try lifting my feet, testing the truth of Avery’s words, only to find that I can’t. “He’s right. We’re stuck fast,” I say, letting go of Ezra’s hand.
“We could have taken the stairs,” Ezra snaps, snatching back my hand.
“I didn’t think taking the stairs would be wise, given the shape you are in,” Avery says, casting his gaze over Ezra.
“There is nothing wrong with me, I am perfectly capable of climbing up a few steps.”
“Sure you are,” Avery responds, entirely unconvinced.
Ezra opens his mouth to protest when the platform picks up speed and we begin rushing past the floors in earnest. We are going so fast that my hair is blown about my face from the acceleration. Ezra’s own face has paled several shades. I’m guessing heights really aren’t his thing.
Eventually the lift comes to a stop and we are all able to move our feet again. We are in the topmost section of the tree. I can almost touch the ceiling.
“Follow me,” Avery says, stepping onto the landing.
In my haste to see Clover, I rush past Avery and open the only door on this floor. “Clover, it’s me, Accacia,” I call, stepping into the room. Standing to greet me is another half-dressed man, not dissimilar in looks to Avery except he has russet-coloured hair, fuller lips and a dimple in his chin. He stands as tall as Ezra, is just as broad, and has wide shoulders that taper into a well-defined waist. I try not to gape. “Where is she?” I demand.
“Let me introduce you to Eldon,” Avery says. “He and I have been watching over Clover whilst she undergoes the Changing.”
“It is my pleasure to meet you Accacia, Clover has told us much about you,” Eldon says, holding out his hand. I don’t take it.
“Where is she?” I repeat. “And what do you mean the Changing? What’s going on?” Eldon and Avery exchange looks. They are hiding something. I glance at Ezra helplessly.
“You heard Accacia, where is Clover?” he demands.
Eldon sighs. “Through here,” he says, turning on his heel and opening a door to another room connected to the one we are standing in.
Beyond is a bedroom and lying in the centre of a huge bed is Clover. She appears to be sleeping peacefully. Rushing to her side, I shake her gently. “Clover, it’s me, Accacia. Wake up.” She doesn’t stir. “Clover, I’m here. I’ve come, just like you knew I would.”
“She cannot respond right now. It will be another moon cycle until she awakes,” Avery says as he enters the room.
“What’s wrong with her?” I ask. My eyes graze over her body. She is wearing the same dress as the one I saw her in when she visited me in my dream. Her bright red hair is much longer than I remember, falling past her chest and reaching the curve of her waist just where it dips in above her hips. Her skin is pale, flawless, and even more beautiful than my own.
“Clover is undergoing the Changing,” Eldon repeats.
“You said that already. What the hell is the Changing?” I stand, crossing my arms against my chest.
“She is becoming fae,” Avery and Eldon say simultaneously.
“What?!” I screech, losing all patience.
“If you have any knives, I’d remove them. Accacia has a bit of a temper,” Ezra says with a smirk. If I hadn’t been so angry at the fae men, I would have laughed.
Chapter Eight
“Come back into the other room. Let us explain,” Eldon says.
I glance back at Clover. She doesn’t appear to be in any pain, in fact she looks the perfect picture of health. “You’ll tell me everything?” I ask.
“We will tell you what we can,” Avery says.
We take a seat in the outer room on some wooden chairs that are covered in a soft moss-like material. It is surprisingly comfortable. Ezra stands behind me, his arms folded. Avery and Eldon sit opposite. Eldon considers me. He has a warm, friendly face, but I can’t help but feel suspicious.
“Clover made the decision to become fae a little over a moon cycle ago.”
“But why would she choose to become fae? I don’t understand. Clan Terra are cursed, just like Ezra, Rhain, Devin. Just like all of the people of Clan Lux. Why would she want that?”
“Clover is gifted, Accacia. She has a special connection to all things growing. Much more so than
many of our people.”
“Yes, back home she was always able to revive plants that seemed dead to me. It isn’t a surprise what you are saying, but what has this got to do with her decision to become fae? How can a person even become fae? I didn’t know such a thing was possible?”
“Anyone born of the clan can become the creatures Queen Adrielle created when she cast the curse. Did you not know this?”
“Hold on a minute. Are you saying that I can become a vampire if I choose it?” I twist in my seat to look at Ezra. He looks as stunned as me.
“Yes. You are the missing daughter of Clan Lux, are you not?”
“Well, yes but…” I say, turning back to face them.
“Even if that were true, Accacia will never become like us. She is here to break the curse, not to join us. I will not allow it,” Ezra says, resting a hand on my shoulder. His touch makes my skin pepper with goose bumps. Ezra mutters under his breath and removes his hand quickly.
“Ezra’s right,” I say. “Why would I choose to become a vampire? I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to find a cure for this disease I thought I had. Now that I know it’s a curse, I want to break it.”
“We understand. But for us, the people of Clan Terra, it is different. The curse Queen Adrielle cast means we are connected to the forest. We cannot leave because we are trapped here. You have seen the vines, have you not? Our essence, who we are as a people, is bound to the earth, to the trees, to the plant life, to very soil you walk upon.”
“What about the pods? I have seen none since arriving here. We were under the impression you were confined to them too,” Ezra asks.
Eldon shakes his head. “Not anymore. When we were first drawn down beneath the earth we were all confined to the pods. For a long time, we were trapped within them, asleep. Then one day, they began to open, and we awoke here in this place. We built a life down here, beneath the trees that grow above ground. We are, however, still confined to the Forbidden forest, above and below ground. We cannot go beyond the limits of the forest in our fae form.”
“But you can in another form?” I say, remembering the saplings Clover had been so excited about and the pods they grew into.
Avery shrugs. “Yes, but only for a short time. That magic does not last long. We took a chance, and thankfully Clover found us. If she hadn’t, we would have perished anyway. That’s why we had to return because, no matter what, we are bound to the forest.”
“Clover chose to return with us. Just like she has chosen to become fae. To help cure the disease that is taking over the forest,” Eldon adds.
“Tell us about it,” Ezra says.
“For some years now, the Forbidden forest has been sick. If the forest dies, we all die. Eldon, Jael and I were sent to find Clover, to bring her back here in the hope that she will be able to save our people from certain death.”
“But her purpose is to break the curse so that you are no longer bound to the forest. Not to become like you, not to be imprisoned in the same way,” I shout, unable to help myself. “Why would Clover walk willingly into a cursed life? Why would she choose to be fae? It makes no sense. None at all.”
Avery’s face lights up. “Clover is special, Accacia. There are things we cannot explain, things we are forbidden from revealing about the fae to anyone outside of Clan Terra. But will you trust me when I say we have her best interests at heart. Clover has made a decision that will help all the people of Clan Terra. She is selfless and good.”
“I know she is. She has been my friend for most of my life,” I snap, unable to accept what Avery and Eldon are telling me. “How can I believe a word you are saying? I can’t even speak with Clover to see if you’re telling the truth. You said she speaks of me often, you implied you can converse with her as well, but how is that possible given she’s asleep?” I shout, pointing towards her sleeping figure in the other room.
“We can communicate very well. I believe you have experienced our form of communication already, have you not?” Eldon says patiently.
I narrow my eyes at both men, refusing to listen. “You’ve used your magic on her, haven’t you? She doesn’t know what she is doing, and I am telling you now to stop. You stop this. You let her go.” I stand up, anger coursing through me.
“That is not how it is,” Eldon says. “We would never do anything to hurt Clover. Jael, Avery and I are the three fated to be with her.”
“Fated? What are you talking about now?” I ask, but wave my hand in the air as Avery begins to speak. “I don’t care what you say. I don’t believe anything you tell me. Clover warned me away. She said I was in danger. You have trapped her here. This is all a lie.” I stand up and run back into the bedroom. Ezra is by my side in an instant. “We need to get her out of here, Ezra. Please, will you help me?”
Ezra places a hand on my shoulder, just as Eldon and Avery enter the room. The three men exchange looks. “Accacia, look at me,” he says, pulling me around to face him.
“What?”
“I do not believe these men are lying to you. I believe them when they say they have Clover’s best interests at heart.”
“Rubbish. She is under their spell. She wouldn’t choose a death sentence like this. You heard what they said, the forest is dying. If she becomes fae, she will be connected to the forest as well. She will die, just like the rest of them.”
“What makes you so sure? Clover has spent her life studying, growing, cultivating plants. Look at this place, Accacia. What if Clover being here will save the forest. What if that’s her destiny?”
I shake free from Ezra’s hold, frustrated that he is taking their side. “Studying plants is one thing, becoming fae and being bound to this forest is quite another. Clover is sensible. She’s a scientist, like me. She wouldn’t make a stupid decision like that.”
“Clover is from Clan Terra. She has their blood running through her veins. Before the curse, these people were already connected to the land, gifted with the ability to grow crops. The prophecy has brought her home to her people. This is her fate. I do not believe that is a bad thing.”
“Damn it, Ezra, they’re lying! They are using her for their own gain. I know it,” I say, my voice cracking with emotion.
“Eldon and Avery, they are not lying. I believe this is the prophecy happening as it should. You have to trust me on this, Accacia.”
“Trust you? How can I trust a man who would rather walk away from his people, from his brothers, from me, because he is too afraid to live? I know what I felt when I took your blood, I know what I felt when we kissed,” I shout, rounding on Ezra. I push against his chest, not caring that I am revealing how I feel. “I know you felt it too, that connection. Yet still you refuse to let me help you. So not only will I lose you, I will lose my best friend to this curse and I will probably lose Rhain and Devin too, if the fae king has his way.” I turn back to Clover, falling to my knees beside her. “Wake up, Clover, please. You don’t have to do this,” I say, pressing my face into her hair.
Ezra doesn’t attempt to comfort me, or even tell me I am wrong, he simply walks from the room. I can hear the low murmur as he talks with Eldon and Avery next door, but I am too exhausted to try and listen in on their conversation. After a while I get up off the floor, slide into bed next to Clover and fall asleep.
Chapter Nine
I’m standing on the roadside looking down upon the Light fields below. It is daytime, the sun a golden orb in an azure blue sky. I can see a woman walking alongside a little girl of no more than eight or nine years of age. They are heading towards the centre of the field. Every now and then the woman gently touches one of the cylindrical shapes. They are holding hands, talking, laughing. Their closeness and ease with each other tells me that they are mother and daughter. Neither appear to be bothered by the dazzling light surrounding them. The sun is not their enemy, and seemingly not mine. I lift my arm up and look at how my skin remains unblemished. This must be a dream.
I hear laughter and my attentio
n is drawn back to the little girl. Her dark brown hair falls in a sleek curtain over her shoulders. From here I can see streaks of golden highlights within her long tresses. She looks familiar to me somehow.
A light breeze blows my own hair across my face, and when I tuck the disturbed strands behind my ear, Clover is standing next to me.
“Accacia, I knew you would come, despite me telling you not to. Why are you so pig-headed?” She laughs at my gawping face. “Don’t look so surprised. You wanted to speak with me, now you can. It’s good to see you.”
I throw myself into her arms. “Clover, you’re really here?” She squeezes me tightly then pulls away and pinches me hard. I flinch. “Ow, that hurt,” I say, stepping back and rubbing at my arm.
“Well, you wanted to know if this was real or not. I think that makes it pretty clear, don’t you?”
“But the sun. Why am I not burning?” I look up into the cloudless sky.
“Because we are just observing, not partaking,” she says cryptically.
“Observing what?”
She points to an open expanse of space next to the Light fields. I hadn’t even noticed that the land next to it is full of people farming until she points it out. The Forbidden forest has gone, and in its place there are endless fields full of men, women, and children of all ages working together. Several horses are pulling along ploughs which churn up the rich brown soil. Behind them the workers are planting bulbs and packing the dirt back on top. The children are playing, laughing and squealing as they run between the adults.
“Can you hear them?” Clover asks.
“Hear what…?” The moment I ask the question it’s as though the volume has been turned up. The people are singing in the fields. The song is unfamiliar, the words unclear, but the melody is joyous and happy. It makes me smile.
“These are the people of Clan Terra, Accacia. These are my people.” Clover steps closer to my side and takes my hand, gripping it tightly. “Watch,” she says, her face darkening a little.