Faery Merry Christmas

by Jacquie Rogers

  He kissed me, gently at first, but then he pulled me even tighter. My wings began fluttering and there was naught I could do about it. Soon, we were fifteen feet in the air, when I noticed my bum was freezing and icicles forming on my wingtips.

  “Are you going to put us down?” Liam asked, a chuckle in his voice.

  My face heated, and I’m sure he could see me blush, even with my taupe skin. I settled us back into the water as gently as I could. As we descended, crystals sparkled in the mountainside. “This truly is a magic place. Crystals! They have natural powers and boost your strength and confidence.”

  “Really?”

  Only sort of, but I wasn’t about to let on. They were the sort of crystals that could amplify my own magic, thus lending assurance to others. Faeries were oath-bound to never lie, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t get creative now and then.

  “I’m of the Brown Clan, the earth is our element.”

  “Can we take some of these back to Shoreline?”

  “Even better, I can make you a crystal amulet to wear under your baseball jersey.”

  “You are a faery godmother.” He kissed me again. “And definitely one sexy faery lady.”

  I kissed him back. “You can forget the whole godmother thing.”

  “Mmmm.” His hands caressed my breasts while I massaged his back and ran my fingers along the ridges in his wings.

  “Ah, Cheshya, do you have any idea how pretty you are?”

  That remark puzzled me, for I knew my looks had never exactly ignited him or anyone else. Not that I ever wanted anyone else. Faeries of the Brown Clan are short, dusky-skinned, with round faces. We definitely aren’t considered beautiful like those of the Rainbow or Red Clans.

  He lifted me up and nuzzled my breasts. “You don’t think you’re good-looking, but I do. Everyone does. Your soul is beautiful, too. No one can make me happy like you can.”

  “Really?”

  Whew, baby. He needed to lay off for a while because I didn’t know if I could control my wings again, and last time’s adventure into the cold was enough. But oh, how I loved hearing his words, whether they led to anything or not. Believe me, I’d remember them always.

  But then he pushed me away. “Game tomorrow.” He tipped his head back and put one hand over his eyes. “I dare not.”

  “You don’t have a game. Not a real game.”

  “It’s more important than a real game. There’s no way I can risk making love with you, not before game-day.”

  I didn’t want him to stop, but neither could I interfere with his heart’s desire. Today would be the memory of the day he almost loved me, and I would cherish it.

  “My bruise feels better and my muscles are nice and relaxed, so we’d better get back to Shoreline.”

  Not what I wanted to hear. I sighed. “I’ll collect the crystals while you put your clothes on. Should I get some for Mike, too?”

  “Good idea. That shoulder gives him trouble more often than not.” Liam climbed out of the pool. He took a towel out of his satchel and dried himself briskly, water droplets on his chest hair freezing before he was finished. Not wanting to endure human hardships any more than necessary, I zapped myself out of the pond, dry and fully-clothed, complete with parka and boots.

  While he dressed in record time because of the cold, I climbed about ten feet up the slick canyon wall and collected several magnificently formed crystals. My powers surged even while holding them, and I knew they’d be an asset to Liam’s confidence on his important day.

  We collected our things and picked our way through the rocks back to Mike and Mary’s pond. Liam held out his hand and stopped me before we stepped around the boulder. We could hear them, but not see them.

  After a splash, Mary said, “No, I’m not going to rub your shoulders. You don’t have a shirt on and we’re not even engaged.”

  More splashing, then Mike asked, “Will you marry me?”

  “No!”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we haven’t even dated yet. Besides, you haven’t asked my dad.”

  “I don’t want to marry your dad.”

  Liam motioned me forward, but I resisted, not wanting to get in the way of true love. He had other ideas, however. “First Mike has to get through try-outs, and then he can get mushy with Mary.”

  Chapter Seven

  By late afternoon, Mike delivered Liam and me to the Heartbreak Plaza Inn. Though it nearly killed me to do so, I sent Liam on his way so I could make contact with Sabrina. Even then, I had to wait while Liam discussed baseball business with several teammates before he finally left the hotel.

  Kaylee took me back down to the lobby and showed me how to use the phone booth. She gave me several phone numbers, a pad of paper and pencil, and about five pounds of quarters, dimes, and nickels. The operator put me through to her husband’s office in the Reds organization. Since it was after hours back East, the janitor answered. I put in the required coins to find out that Sabrina’s husband wasn’t there.

  The next call was more successful—her home. Except the nanny answered because Sabrina and her husband were on the train to Shoreline. I put in more quarters and dimes according to the operator’s instructions. The nanny gave me a number of towns along the way where I might send a wire. I jotted the notes down in my old familiar script I learned from the changeling Bill Shakespeare, since writing in such manner required less thought than the new way of writing Liam had taught me.

  I went back to the room where Kaylee waited, dressed for the chilly winter weather. “I’m ready. Let’s go!”

  “You must’ve been watching.”

  “Of course. You’d have done the same thing if the situation were reversed.”

  Hardly.

  Knock, knock. Kaylee and I both looked at each other, wondering who would be at the door. Not many people in Shoreline knew us.

  “Concierge,” a man called.

  After we retracted our wings, I opened the door and took the envelope he offered, then Kaylee handed the man a tip. My name was written on the envelope so I ripped it open.

  Dinner at 6 P.M. Will meet you in the lobby.

  Your friend,

  Liam

  “Your friend? After being naked with me in the hot springs, he signs the note Your friend?”

  Kaylee flitted around the room. “You managed to get him naked? Cheshya, I’m so proud of you!” She clapped her hands together and smiled as if she were quite pleased with herself. Odd behavior, if you ask me, considering I’m supposed to be helping him fulfill his heart’s desire, not seducing him.

  Two hours later, we returned to the hotel after sending telegrams to every village from here to Cincinnati, which cost a fortune. The telegrapher kept asking for more money, and Kaylee gave it to him, grumbling the whole time about it being a lot cheaper just to deliver the message herself.

  “We can’t use magic,” I reminded her, “or Liam won’t be allowed to compete with humans.”

  So we did it the human way, even though it was exceedingly inconvenient.

  “Are you going to dinner with us?” I asked her.

  “No, I have a major ceremony to orchestrate and just two days to get everything done. You’ll have to go it alone tonight, and I’ll check in with you in the morning.”

  Generally, Faeryshire didn’t have a major Christmas celebration. Most faeries with human connections preferred to come here for the day. It’s one of the few days humans let themselves believe in magic, so faeries could have a good time. Papa and his elves (Brown Clan faeries, more accurately) could walk around in Terra Humanus without enchantment and no one would say a thing. We usually had my birthday party in here for that reason.

  “See you later, then.”

  With a pinch of faery dust, Kaylee disappeared. I set to working on the crystal pendants, one for Liam and one for Mike. Terra Humanus had its magic, whether humans believed in it or not, and that magic could be used by anyone open to it. Technically, these crystals didn’t
have magic, but neither Liam nor Mike knew that, and the most powerful magic in both worlds was the magnifying mind. I really felt these crystals could make Liam and Mike believe in themselves enough to put them at peak performance. I made more pendants from the remaining smaller crystals.

  I wanted to look as good as I could for dinner, and wished Kaylee had stayed a bit longer to advise me on my apparel. I finally chose a red dress with bolero sleeves, a pencil skirt, and a wide belt to accentuate my small waist. It came with matching gloves and for good measure, I zapped white fur around the cuffs and the dress collar, then whipped up a corsage of holly and silver bells to make the outfit more Christmasy.

  A little fashion faery magic here and there couldn’t possibly interfere with his goals, but I was careful to keep the zapping to a minimum. I even wore a girdle with garters holding up nylons and a pointy bra rather than enchanting my body into the artificial shape required by the dress. With a little glitter sprinkled onto my poodle hairdo and donning some red spike heels with handbag to match, down to the lobby I went.

  As if he were my own personal gift, Liam stood beside the hotel’s Christmas tree. Pine scent filled the air and colored lights twinkled as a pianist played a pleasant tune. Liam tapped his toe in time to the music.

  When he saw me, he grinned and strode toward me. “Good evening, gorgeous.” He offered his arm.

  I laid my hand in the crook of his elbow. “How does your back feel?”

  “Strong. Pain-free.” He led me toward the hotel door. “The bruise is gone. Echo Hot Springs truly does have healing power.”

  “I felt the energy, too. I could’ve rejuvenated some of my own powers there if necessary.”

  A valet drove the Metropolitan into the circular driveway and got out, tossing the keys to Liam, who, in turn, tossed a fifty-cent piece to the valet.

  “Your chariot, my princess,” Liam said as he opened the passenger door.

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Twenty minutes later, the waitress seated Liam and me on a bamboo mat in front of a low log table at the Liani Luau. My pencil skirt wasn’t exactly practical for this arrangement. I had to sit propped on my side in a mermaid pose. Should’ve worn the swing skirt.

  Hundreds of customers sat at log tables decorated similar to ours. The huge hall was decorated with orchids and mistletoe in fake snow, an unlikely combination. A handsome dark-skinned man sang and played the ukulele as Hawaiian girls in grass skirts illustrated the story of the bounties of the sea with their graceful hands. The dancers made a circle around a large fire pit with a pig roasting on a spit.

  Liam ordered a mai tai for each of us, then took my hand in his. “I thought since you were so cold this morning, I’d warm you up this evening.”

  He couldn’t know that one glance from him scorched me right down to my tootsies. Besides, I flushed red-hot every time I even thought about being naked with him at the hot springs.

  “This is lovely.”

  “It’s a converted barn. Hawaiian luaus are popular right now. I’ve heard tell that Hawaii will become a state within a few years.”

  I’d been to Hawaii many times, but not when they wore so many clothes. We faeries of the Brown Clan liked to travel there because of the powerful earth magic. Truth be told, I liked the old Hawaii better—would like to go there with Liam. Sans clothing.

  Our waitress brought drinks garnished with an orchid and a skewer of pineapple and a maraschino cherry. “The show’s about to start.”

  Drums came to life, rousing all the patrons in the room as half-clad male dancers with flaming batons ran around the fire pit chasing the hula dancers out.

  “You don’t look very comfortable.”

  I wasn’t, but then I didn’t want to use magic to ease the garter from burrowing into my thigh, or the girdle from digging a trench into my waist. “I’m fine.” The fact was, I’d readily endure any discomfort to sit beside Liam.

  “Try-outs are tomorrow. Will you be there?”

  “I didn’t know I could be.”

  “Yep.” He handed me two tickets. “Here’s a ticket for you and another in case Kaylee or another of your friends shows up.”

  “How kind. I’m honored!” I put them in my handbag, then retrieved the crystal pendants. “The larger, purple crystal is for you, and the rose crystal is for Mike. Neither are imbued with faery magic but both have earth magic which channels energy and confidence. And just to make sure that you don’t have an unfair advantage, or even think you have an unfair advantage, here are several more crystals in case your friends want to use them.”

  “Thanks.” He put the two pendants in his shirt pocket and the others in his Levis pocket. “Thanks a bundle.”

  “You should wear the necklace for at least twenty minutes before the game so it has a chance to tune into your energies.”

  “All right, I’ll tell Stump.” Liam smiled a teeny bit, a touch of pride glinting from his eyes, and oh, did I ever want to kiss him right then. Tomorrow was his big day and he’d asked me to share it with him. I vowed to let nothing, nothing, ruin it.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, the hotel was abuzz. All the top ballplayers from several West Coast farm teams were here. All the Shoreline Sharks players came, or planned to drive directly to the stadium. Several umpires showed up along with the Reds management.

  Sabrina, however, was not here.

  And it was raining. Sheets.

  “I’m not going to panic . . . I’m not going to hyperventilate . . .”

  Kaylee laughed at me. “I don’t suppose you checked the desk for messages.”

  “Messages to me? No, I checked to see if Sabrina and her husband have checked in, and they haven’t.”

  As it turns out, the desk clerk did have a telegram for me.

  “She says she’ll meet us at the ball field.” I folded the message and tucked it into my handbag. “I was hoping to talk to her beforehand.” I stared out the lobby window. Rain poured down so hard, it bounced two feet off the street, and was so heavy, I could barely see the building on the other side.

  “Looks like tryouts might be canceled. They certainly can’t play baseball in this weather.” A couple dozen ballplayers stared out the window, none of them moving a muscle. It was as if they were frozen into a mural, and I’d title it Waiting for Your Dream. “How long do I have to make Liam get his heart’s desire?”

  “Christmas Day is your birthday. Mum won’t hold you to the terms of your Queen’s Quest until then, so you have two free days. After that, I don’t know. Depends on your mission and your contract.”

  “Contract? I didn’t sign a contract. I didn’t even know faeries had contracts. Isn’t that more of a human thing where they don’t trust each other?”

  She shrugged. “But I know one thing, Mum definitely wants Liam straightened around right away. He’s been in Terra Humanus far longer than is good for him. We keep him supplied with the Waters of Life, but he needs to go back home more often, or at least associate with faeries. Otherwise, he could pay dearly with powers in his later life.”

  A bus pulled into the driveway. The doorman yelled, “Players only, board now.”

  Liam had planned to drive to the stadium, and I guessed Mike and most of the other Shoreline Sharks drove, too, since they lived locally. Kaylee strolled behind the piano and zapped a couple oversized umbrellas for us.

  Two more buses pulled up behind the first. Players jammed into them, and off they drove into the downpour. Fans milled around grumbling they’d never seen a downpour like this in thirty years. Maybe not rain this heavy, but this was, indeed, rainy season in wet country. Something didn’t add up.

  “Why on earth would they have tryouts in the Pacific Northwest? It always rains in December, and sometimes snows.”

  Kaylee shrugged. “They’ve had them in Florida before. Will be again in January.”

  “So they don’t hold tryouts here every year?”

&nbs
p; “Never have that I know of.”

  I was beginning to wonder if this whole thing wasn’t a setup. Kaylee was well known for her shenanigans in the matchmaking arena. If so, Queen Merci would have to be her full accomplice, and I doubted she was interested in schemes as trivial as matchmaking. After all, she had the entire empire of Faeryshire to oversee.

  Too much rain and too much time to think.

  More buses pulled up. “Ticketed fans only, please!”

  “That’s us.” I grabbed Kaylee’s arm and pulled her along. That bus wasn’t going to leave without her and me on it.

  The bus ride didn’t take long. We disembarked at the stadium gate. No roof or overhang of any sort to be found. Lots of rain, though.

  “Good thing you zapped these umbrellas.” Other fans looked at us with envy. “Let’s get to our seats, then find Sabrina.”

  No sooner did we get to the grandstands, but an announcement blasted over the public address system that due to rain, tryouts were moved to Liani Luau for pitchers and catchers only. Position player tryouts were delayed.

  “Good, I didn’t want to sit on that wet bench, anyway,” Kaylee said.

  “I know right where the Liani Luau is. Wanna call a cab instead of waiting for the buses to pick us up?”

  “Better yet, I’ll zap us there. Believe me, our mode of transportation won’t impinge on your mission. Not this time. And anyway, in the rain, who would see?”

  I wasn’t about to argue. I put my forehead to Kaylee’s so she could read the directions to the building, and in the next second, we walked from around the corner of Liani Luau to the front door. Kaylee zapped our tickets back just in case we needed them, which we didn’t.

  “Everyone thinks all the tryouts are canceled, so they’re heading home to their families,” the man at the door told us. “Sit anywhere you want along that far side over there.”

  A busload of pitchers and catchers pulled up, and behind it Liam’s car, and then Mike’s car, both full of men. And Mary.