by Alexia Purdy
Lana pulled back and held her out at arm’s length, studying her even more. She finally let her go and scanned the rest of them. She stopped at Benton and Soap, observing them just a bit longer than Camulus and Andraste. Shade wondered if her grandmother could answer Benton’s question of paternity. She gulped, sucking in a deep breath as she built up her courage to ask.
“Queen Lana?” asked Shade.
“Just call me Lana, please. I have not been Queen in so long, I feel unfit for the title.”
Shade grinned, her nervousness still swirling in her chest. “My brother here, Benton, would also like to know if Verenis is his father. He possesses magic, too, and we wondered….”
“No. He is not of my line, though he is your brother in blood,” Lana interrupted as she walked forward and reached out to Benton, pausing first for his permission. Benton glanced back at Shade, who gave him a slight nod to proceed. He looked back at the Queen and let her approach him. She touched his face with a gentle stroke, tasting the magic that filled him.
“No. He is definitely not of the same father. Human blood flows in his veins, but no fey. Fire Magic runs wild inside him. Your mother is, perhaps, a fire witch?” She smiled at him, not really expecting an answer as she brought her hand down. “A very powerful fire witch at that.” She studied his face intently. A far off look shone in her eyes before turning back to Shade.
“Sorry about the precautions. I don’t really get visitors out here. Nothing personal.” Lana’s face stilled as she studied Shade’. A flicker of something flashed across her very brown eyes. As it passed, she smiled at her once again. Slight wrinkles framed her eyes and mouth, betraying her age. Shade could feel her power, so strong, like a thick mist surrounding them. Yet her grandmother’s eyes looked almost too human, not an extraordinary fey color she’d noted in her friends. It was the same brown color that dwelled in her own eyes. The realization her grandmother was not a full faery surprised her more than she thought it would. It hadn’t occurred to her at all. Her list of questions grew tenfold as they continued to look at each other.
“I suppose you have a million questions for me, Shade.” Lana took a deep breath as she motioned them toward the house. “Might as well come in and make yourselves at home.” She headed up the stairs and into the farmhouse with everyone following in her wake.
They shuffled into the house where the living room was cozy, to say the least. Soft floral couches lined one of the wainscoted walls. Worn and smooth wooden tables hugged the sides of the couches. Oil lamps sat unlit on them, for there was still bright daylight streaming through the sheer curtains lining the dusty windowpanes. Shade sat down on one of the overstuffed chairs, looking around the room. She studied the pictures which hung randomly across the wood walls, pictures of a young boy with long black hair flowing down his back with an intense, mischievous look on his face. He looked like Lana in a way. Shade assumed he must be her father. The other pictures showed other men and women, none of whom looked familiar to her. She wondered who they were and if she was related to them.
Her excitement fluttered in her stomach as she took all of it in. Even though it was a place of exile, the house looked quite comfy. As she scanned the room, she stopped to see her brother fidgeting on one the sofas, sitting next to Soap. His frown gave away his disappointment at not being related to Shade’s grandmother. She was sure his list of questions was just as long as hers.
Lana returned with glasses and a jug of lemonade. Watching her serve her friends made Shade think how much more like a grandmother she seemed than the Southern Realm Seelie Queen. She wondered how long she’d been exiled and why she could not escape. Lana made her way around the room, handing a glass to Shade and smiling. Sinking into a wooden chair that stood alone on the opposite side of the room, she scanned all of them and waited patiently as they drank their drinks.
“Well, I suppose we might as well get this over with. Ask away, Shade. I’ll answer anything you want to know.” She crossed her legs, placing her hands on her knee.
Shade flushed, and her mind went blank under the pressure. Gulping down the last sip of her lemonade, she breathed in deeply as one swam around in her mind.
“Lana… er, Grandmother? I’m still not sure what to call you yet.” She paused, waiting for an answer.
“You can call me Lana. I know I’m not much of a grandmother to you yet.” She grinned and waited for another question.
“Right, okay, Lana. Um, well, I want to know where my father is and if he is dead like I’ve been told. Would you also know why my mother never told me about him?” She paused, not wanting to bombard Lana with a stream of questions.
“Well, Shade, I can’t say why your mother never told you. She’s probably suffering from some form of memory loss from a spell I’m pretty sure your father put on her. Maybe to protect you both. Seeing that he is dead, I don’t blame him for doing it. He died at the hands of that wretched Queen Aveta. I have wanted to avenge him for so long, but I see it will be quite impossible for me to do it.” Her mouth formed a tight line of tension as she thought of her son. Shade didn’t let the pain which seeped into Lana’s face go unnoticed. Just as quickly as it had manifested, Lana seemed to realize the slip as she breathed in and straightened in her chair.
“Um, what am I? What kind of fey am I? My powers grow the more time I spend in Faerie, but no one can tell me what they are, what I can do with them or how I can control them, and I really need to know.” She waited almost impatiently as she watched her grandmother smile and nod.
“Yes, of course you don’t know what you are. I’m part Changeling. I can change my appearance into anything I want to. I am also part human, like you. Your grandfather was full Sidhe, the most powerful and beautiful of all faeries. He was King of the Southern Realm before your father.” Her voice cracked for a moment, the memory flooding her eyes with pain. She gulped it down as she continued. “He is also dead, poisoned with iron by Aveta.” She sighed, rubbing her temples as she leaned forward. Shade wanted to comfort her, but the unfamiliarity of her grandmother kept her from rushing over. Lana looked back up, the pain still in her eyes but more steadied.
“Sorry, I still miss him, even after so long. He was my only love.” She gave a weak smile but motioned for Shade to continue with the questions.
“It’s okay, thanks for telling me. I was wondering if you could show me how to use my powers. I haven’t a clue how.” Shade waited, watching Lana as she nodded.
“Yes, of course. It won’t be easy, seeing you’re not a young child anymore. But if you work hard, I can show you everything you can do with your magic.” Lana stood up, passing her gaze around the room, studying the warriors.
“We’ll get started right away. No time to waste. You’re all welcome to stay here as long as you need. I have several rooms to spare. I’ll take you to them first, and then we can get started. Shall we?” She motioned to the group as everyone voiced their agreement. They shuffled quickly behind the Seelie Queen, following her up the stairs.
Chapter Thirteen
SHADE’S GRANDMOTHER WAS a thin, graceful lady. Her waist-length, silver-white hair swayed softly in the wind, and her big brown eyes glinted ever so slightly when amused. Shade thought about Lana’s wrists, so thin and bony they looked almost as frail as sugar sticks. Her skin was soft and thin with some wrinkles around the creases. Her face was smooth, though. Only faint lines of laughter crinkled when she smiled and became noticeable around her mouth and eyes.
She was like no one Shade had ever met. She seemed to be able to soothe and calm Shade with just a word or a stroke of her hand on Shade’s face. Her hugs felt like hot chocolate on a cold January day after playing too long in the snow. Her clothes fit loosely but elegantly, as if flowing around her in clouds. She was the essence of a calm spring morning under a shady tree.
Lana told Shade once that she was just the same. Her magic would embrace others, a calm and warmth which would extend to all whom she loved. Lana warned her that by not
being a full-blooded faery, she wouldn’t be immortal. Like Shade, she was part fey and part human. Her mortality weighed on her like a dreaded task waiting to be done. She didn’t age in human years but not too far from it. She could live maybe two lifetimes instead of one with Faerie blood inside her, yet would it be enough? Shade had just gotten to know her grandmother, and felt like there had not been enough time to get to know her more. She knew Lana wouldn’t be around too much longer, but what could she say? She wished she’d met her sooner, but that wasn’t how things had gone.
Lana told her that things didn’t happen the way they should, especially in Faerie. She would’ve liked to have had more time to train Shade in the arts of Changeling magic and such. There were also so many stories she would love to tell her about her life, her past and her son Verenis. She had tales of his adventures, life in Faerie and life abroad in the human world.
Lana taught Shade a variety of tricks and added to her stock of fey magic every day with her witty lessons or assignments. She knew that even in this lifetime, there wouldn’t be enough time in the world to know everything she could’ve learned from her grandmother.
*****
THE DAY WAS shining, and the crisp, warm rays of the sun beamed down and fed the greenery with its light. Shade noticed that around her grandmother’s house, it always seemed warm and spring-like. Fall and winter never seemed to come around the corner in Faerie. This day was a tiny bit different. The leaves had turned color and filled the breezes with floating masses of them. They were clogging up the bases of the trees and dark corners of the house. She realized after the few weeks since arriving there, seeing the fall come to pass in this isolated area of Faerie worried her. Something was different. Something about it scared her and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. A feeling of dread clung to the trees, leaves and the cool autumn breezes. She couldn’t say exactly what had changed, but something had. It made her glad Benton had already been safely returned home.
Shade joined her grandmother, who was sitting on the worn steps of the back porch. She had her shawl tossed across her shoulders, and she was staring out toward the distant trees and horizon, lost to whatever was passing behind her eyes. Their color was a brilliant shade of brown which completely passed for human eyes. Her wistful hair floated about her like a halo of silver and white, making Shade wonder what she thought about when her face sank so deep in concentration and seemed so lost to this world.
“Are you alright, Lana?” Shade asked. “You seem concerned about something.” Shade placed her lemonade between her feet on one of the wooden steps. White paint peeled up and flaked around them.
Lana sighed and shook her head like she was shaking off a bad dream. Her face lit up as she turned toward Shade.
“My end time is near, and I have yet to show you so much. I have one lesson left to teach you that must be done. The rest I have collected and mapped out for you in an ampule of memory, which I have made for when I am gone.” Lana dangled a glistening glass ampule filled with blood-red fluid. “I know you will be able to follow all my instructions and use it all for good. I hope you know how proud of you I am, Shade. I never thought I’d be blessed with such a wonderful granddaughter, especially having had a wayward son like mine!” She laughed and threw her head back, blinking up at the blue and white sky.
“Here,” whispered Lana.
She handed Shade the beautiful glass vial, complete with a twist-on, jeweled stopper. The red fluid shined and glinted in the sun. The liquid seemed to glitter in the light, swirling like smoke billowing from a pipe, and felt heavy in her hand.
“What exactly is this, Grandma?” Shade asked.
“It is all memory, my child. My memories. For when I am gone. Only then do I want you to open it and drink it. It will give you all which remains of me and my powers. My life will be part of yours, and so will my essence. It is the only way I could think of to help you since I have so little time to give you all that I can. It has everything you will need to live as a fey. I pray it will help you in your darkest hours.”
“Why do you talk like that, Grandma? You are not dying yet! Is there something going on I should know about?” Shade asked.
Lana sighed and looked down at the peeling paint under her loafers. She closed her eyes and shook her head, turning back to Shade as a glowing fire burned behind her eyes.
“Shade, I don’t know how to explain it. I just know there is no more time. Please, just believe me. Swear you will take the memories and learn from them all that you can. Promise me that.” Lana beckoned and waited as Shade agreed. Fear glistened in her eyes as she slipped the ampule necklace around her neck to rest next to the vial of Santiran Water. “I have one more lesson for you. One that will change a lot for you.”
Shade gulped and stared at Lana’s wise, old eyes. She nodded, feeling the dread flowing all around them, seemingly unable to shake it off.
“Yes, Grandma, I promise. I will learn the best that I can.”
Her grandmother motioned her to the yard. She held her arms straight out and tilted her head to the sky. She looked back at Shade as her arms moved back down. “Child, you must know you come from a long line of powerful faery women. Our line is one where only a very select few can change their appearance. We can mimic other fey, humans and anything else you come across in this world. I don’t mean glamour. I mean transformation. A change so quick and precise, you could fool a mother to think you are her child and a child to think you are its mother. Fey of our line can shift and change into anyone you can think of, anyone you want to look like.” Lana paused, taking in a deep breath as she continued.
“It is magic, but one that’s hard to detect. No one can even see it with the naked eye. No faery would be able to tell the difference, except you. Do you understand, Shade? We are shape-shifters of the rarest kind. You can do it, but I must help you unlock this magic from within you. It is kept so deep inside, even you cannot find and use it without help.”
Lana’s statements made Shade’s jaw drop. She pulled it closed and continued to look at her grandmother while she processed what Lana had just said. Shade nodded, even though it didn’t make much sense to her.
How is that possible? How could I have such magic inside me and not know it? How?
Lana smiled at Shade and put her hand on her shoulder for reassurance. “Now, close your eyes,” Lana instructed. “Breathe in and out. Feel your heart beating. Listen to its rhythm, a deep booming drum. Try to imagine my face. Remember what I look like. Remember each wrinkle, the flow of my hair, my voice and my fingers. Now, try to create a shroud-like mist around you. Let it tighten along your skin as it morphs your body into mine. Imagine staring at yourself in a mirror and seeing me staring back at you. Feel your heart beat and let it flow with your magic. Now, open your eyes and tell me what you see.”
Shade? What is it, what do you see?
*****
SHADE SNAPPED BACK into the moment, her memory of the lessons with her grandmother fading from her mind. The house was the same but the wind which flowed about in gusts and made her hair float around her in a halo was different. The weeks spent here had changed from sunny skies to a darker kind of weather. The air was changing rapidly. They were coming, along with the cold bite of winter. Something was very wrong.
She stood and dashed into the house. Lana! Where did she go?
“Grandma! Where are you?” Shade ran around the staircase to the hall where her grandmother stood. She was frail and looked so much thinner than when they had first met, just weeks before. She now looked like she was made of twigs and linen. Shade went to stand in front of her near the old, wooden staircase.
“You have to go now, or they will find you here. Go!” Lana motioned her to the door, fear hovering in her multifaceted brown eyes. Lana had warned them the Unseelie troops would eventually come. It had taken them some time to do so, but it was now time. Shade shook her head, looking behind her at her friends—Soap, Camulus and Andraste—who were now u
p and ready to dash. Weapons were strapped on, and swords were out in defense mode. All of them were waiting for her by the door, keeping watch out the front windows.
“You have to come,” Shade said urgently. “We can save you! Please, you have to come now!” The desperation leaked out of her voice like a whimper as she held her frail grandmother’s hand and tugged, but the old woman didn’t budge. Lana turned to her as tears escaped Shade’s eyes and drained down her cheeks.
“No, Shade. I am too old to run. I cannot withstand those perils anymore. You must leave now. I remain bound to this place and am imprisoned here forever. I have withered here, but they will never have my soul. I can no longer go anywhere else. I must stay here until I die. You have no idea how happy I am to have met you before my end.” Lana’s face filled with joy as she smiled at her.
Shade shook her head, sobs shaking her body as she protested. “No, you can still change. Change into your younger self, and then you can escape with us. We can do it. We just haven’t tried hard enough. Hurry, please!” Her last words spilled out, pleading without hope. She moved her sword hilt aside and tugged at the zipper on her pack. Something in her bag of tricks had to help her with an unbinding spell. Where is that magic scroll book Ilarial gave me not so long ago?
Lana smiled. A look of calm masked the sadness within. She held her arms out and hugged Shade tightly. The embrace was still strong, and her comfort still soothed Shade like a warm cup of tea in winter. “Let me go, Shade. Let me go. It is your time now. The wind is fierce, but I will not be cold. The night grows darker, but I will not be afraid. The Summerlands are closer than ever, and their warmth bleeds into me as we speak. Do not be afraid, for I will always be with you. In your heart and in your mind, my child. Remember the memories, the ampule I gave you. Drink in the essence when you most need it, and I will not die. I will always live on in you. Remember, I love you.” Lana loosened her embrace and let her go.