Fae

by C. J. Abedi

  The Elders looked around at one another as the magnitude of Alderon’s words touched them to the core. The light from their palms grew stronger as the power in his voice reached their core.

  “If they want our destruction, then I say we destroy them first. If it is battle they want, then battle we will give them. They wanted to see us suffer, but they will understand true suffering when we strike down with the power that has flowed in our veins for thousands of years. If they want war, I will rage a battle upon them that will silence them forever.” Alderon raised his hands above the stone until they were at his chest with the energy flowing beneath. The other Elders followed his lead.

  “And HE, the one who will not be named, dreams of my destruction, but I won’t rest until I see the flicker of light that has consumed his soul blown out forever.”

  Alderon turned to an area of the stone wall and pointed. The stones moved as someone began to slowly walk through.

  “My brothers and sisters, I present to you, the esteemed member of the Kelpie clan, Patrick, The Seeker.”

  A beautiful white stallion moved through the wall as the stones disappeared before the Elders’ eyes. The muscles along the body of this Trojan warrior were large and bulging, its legs were strong and beautifully shaped. But the real truth of its character rested in its eyes. Crimson in color, and ominous, clearly representing the blood bath that confronted its many victims.

  A few of the Elders drew in deep breaths. Some smiled in anticipation at the mere site of this beautiful, monstrous creature. The others, who were schooled in concealing emotion, contained their expressions as they watched him. They knew that once this animal was released, he would wreak havoc, and it would set in motion a course of events that would never be overturned. For the Seeker would never be able to be contained. The mighty stallion bowed his head before the group of Elders.

  “He will destroy the one that stands in our way,” Alderon said with finality.

  “Alderon, we must all be in agreement. If we proceed, there is no going back,” Fenodoree spoke out. Her long black hair swirled magically around her face, and she could not hide the look of repulsion she had for the Kelpie.

  Alderon was instantly upon her. He was enraged and could not hide it. “You doubt my judgment? After all that I have done for you!” He continued screaming, “When members of the Light Fae banished you for your hasty actions, who took you in? Who protected you?”

  “You did,” she replied, but she continued to stare at him evenly, her courage having not fully deserted her.

  “But there are laws that even you cannot break.”

  Alderon smiled slowly at her.

  “We live and perish by the book. And even you know that the book says that you cannot take a human from their world—”

  “She is not human!”

  “No. But she has human blood,” Fenodoree continued. “There must be a ruling by the court before she can be destroyed. You cannot take her from that world without knowing without a doubt that she has the blood of the Fae. And to realize that fully, she must bleed and we cannot be the cause of that.”

  Alderon walked around her and started to clap.

  “Thank you so much for that edifying lecture on our laws. I don’t know what we’d do without you here to remind us all of what we already know.”

  Fenodoree’s eyes lit up in anger.

  “When you speak of the Kelpie finding and destroying her—”

  “Eventually destroying her,” Alderon said as his voice rose. “I know what laws govern our people! I know what will happen if we disregard those laws!”

  Fenodoree turned her gaze away from Alderon’s wrath.

  “I was only warning you.”

  Alderon was upon her within a second. He could not contain his rage as he gazed down at her, his hands clenched into little balls at his side.

  “I do not need your warnings. I am the law! Do not think to ever question me again. You are here because your age and powers have allowed you acceptance. But I can change that in a moment,” he whispered in her ear as he turned and faced the stallion.

  “My friend will certainly find her,” Alderon said with a smile as the horse lowered his head in allegiance.

  “You can all trust that she will be drawn to him,” he smiled as he slowly stroked the horse across his head.

  “And my dear son won’t stand a chance.”

  C

  Breathing deep breaths, I kept my pace. I kept going and going, not sure of my direction. I just knew that if I ran toward the trees, I might be out of harm’s way. I was too scared to turn around knowing that he might be near and that I might somehow lose my balance and fall. I had to hide somewhere where he wouldn’t find me. And now as I fast approached the wooded area, I knew deep down that the large trees seemed like the safest place to go. I was pretty sure that he couldn’t locate me there. If only I could outrun him.

  I wasn’t sure if I could keep up the pace. Running on fast crackling branches wasn’t as easy as I thought. The course was treacherous. And I knew that I couldn’t fall. If I did, it would be over. My life would be over.

  It was, however, beginning to wear me out. The pace was too much for my body to handle.

  Keep going. I told myself. Just keep going.

  I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but from the look in his eyes, it didn’t seem good. If I could find a safe place, I would hide there all night and would try and return home at daylight. Maybe then there would be cars and people around. He would never take me around people—that would be too careless. I just had to remember to be quiet and pray that I would be safe.

  Dear God, just let me be safe.

  I ran around the large tree trunks, using my arms to forge forward as fast as I could. I saw the beautiful tree with the thick branches and knew that I could climb it. Maybe if I climbed my way to the top, he wouldn’t see me. I reached up and grabbed the lowest branch and lifted myself up. Following the branches like steps, I kept going and going.

  I looked down and realized that I had climbed up high, and as I looked down upon the vast forest, I couldn’t see him. I breathed in a sigh of relief. I did it. I outran him. I allowed myself the moment as I caught my breath. I just had to be still and try and find some thick branches to cover me until daylight. If he didn’t look up, he would never see me.

  I climbed up a few more branches until I found a thick mass and slowly inched my way toward it. Safety. At last.

  I looked down once more and kneeled against the thick trunk of the tree, resting my head against its hard surface. I took another deep breath and felt a small flutter of wind move across my face.

  Fear instantly overtook me when I realized that his penetrating red eyes were upon me.

  He had found me.

  The black raven was upon me, and there was nowhere I could hide. So I did the only thing that was left to do, I screamed with all my might.

  “Caroline!!”

  My mother cried out as she opened my bedroom door and sat down next to me on my bed, deeply concerned. “Caroline, wake up!”

  My breathing was labored, and I was drenched in sweat. Famous started barking in concern as he looked at my trembling body.

  “Caroline, are you okay?” she continued. “You must have had a bad dream.”

  I reached out my arms and Famous jumped right into them. I buried my face in his fur and tried to control the frantic beating of my heart.

  “Mom, I was so scared.”

  “I know sweetheart. We heard your screams all the way down the hall,” my mom said as she wrapped me up in her arms, trying so hard to comfort me. “It’s okay now. It was just a bad dream.”

  “It was so real,” I said unsure of my surroundings. I couldn’t believe that I was actually sitting in my bed. “He was so real.”

  “Who was?” my mom asked as she smoothed out my hair.

  “He was—” I began, “a raven.” I knew how ridiculous it sounded once the wo
rds were out of my mouth, but there was no mistaking the menacing look that I saw before I woke up.

  “It’s over now,” my mom said, rubbing my head. “You’re safe. There’s no raven here. And if there was, I think Famous would protect you.”

  I got the shivers just thinking about my small dog within the raven’s grasp. I hugged him closer.

  “There’s nothing here,” my mom said to me again. “You have nothing to be afraid of.”

  “Promise?”

  D

  “I promise,” I said as I stood outside my balcony staring at the trees.

  “I promise that I will protect you,” I whispered again. It was dawn, and the sun was slowly lighting up the trees. It had been a very long night. Once Caroline left, I went for a walk and had returned to the party later in the evening to check on Jordana. After everyone had gone home, I had taken her aside and had a long talk with her about the future of our “relationship.” Sometime after the reality of the situation resonated, she began sobbing uncontrollably for what felt like hours.

  I honestly felt horrible about misleading her. It was never right to break someone’s heart, but the reality was that I needed her at the time to push Caroline away from me. She kept begging me to give her one more chance, to allow her to show me how compatible we really were. It was painful to watch, and even more painful to experience. After a few hours of the back-and-forth, I decided that the evening wouldn’t end if I didn’t do something.

  Something that required magik.

  I brought her in my arms and began whispering in her ear. Convincing her, ever so gently, that I wasn’t the man for her. That she was destined to be with Brian Baker. That he would make her truly happy. She shook her head in agreement, and in a flash, I was gone. This part of the game was over, and I was happy to be done with it.

  I spent the better part of Sunday in bed, not sleeping, but in bed thinking and staring out of the window of my room. I didn’t move for hours and hours, just watching as the sun rose, the birds sang their songs, the wind blew about, dusk settled in, then darkness. I don’t think I even blinked. I was so deep in thought about my predicament. Here I was, after centuries of living alone, of knowing what was waiting for me, of building up a resistance to it, knowing what would happen if I didn’t, and finally succumbing to what every pore in my body warned me to stay away from. I realized how powerless I really was to my destiny. Or to what my soul recognized as its other half.

  After hours went by, I noticed that the sun was close to rising again; I decided to get out of bed and push open the doors that led to my balcony. I walked straight to the edge and then leaned in against the railings and pushed back as I let out a sigh of frustration. Running my hands through my hair, I began thinking about her.

  It had certainly been a restless night for me, and I knew that it had been a restless night for her as well. Despite the fact that she walked away from me at Jordana’s party, I knew that she cared. I knew that she couldn’t deny that we had a connection. One that she would have to face as I had.

  All in time. Even though it was definitely not on our side.

  If I was of the right mind, maybe I could do something to change the course we were on. If I were to properly strategize, maybe I could tempt the fates and push them off their axis. It was a rare occurrence, but it had certainly been done before. I closed my eyes, and her face was immediately before me.

  Whenever I looked into her beautiful eyes, it pained me. For all I truly thought of was the sorrow I would feel if I let her in and then was forced to let her go. I had to think this through.

  All of it.

  I took in a deep breath. One step at a time, I thought. If she was close, I could keep a watchful eye, and if she trusted me she would listen to me when the time was right. Once I knew she was safe and sound, I would then ensure that she went back to her normal life and find love in the arms of man who would keep her alive and well forever. A man who wasn’t cursed as I was.

  And I knew at that moment that I would do whatever it took to get her there.

  “My son,” Odin said as he entered my room. “I was hoping to have a moment with you.”

  “Of course.”

  “Coffee?” Odin asked as he took in my rumpled appearance. I nodded as he snapped his fingers, and two maidens were before us pouring coffee into porcelain cups that stood on a new table that appeared in my room at that same instant they did.

  “You need to eat as well,” Odin said. Suddenly the table held a basket full of fresh croissants, a tray of fruit, and all sorts of butter and jams. On another dish, eggs benedict.

  “Let me make you a plate,” Odin said as he waved his hand. The maidens disappeared, and Odin walked over to me with a plate filled with all sorts of delicious items. Odin handed me the coffee and food. We both sat down in front of my fireplace, which instantly roared to life.

  Odin looked at me.

  “You seem out of sorts?”

  “I feel powerless. Truly powerless.”

  Odin reached out his hand and grasped my shoulder.

  “Look at me.”

  I was almost ashamed that I had spoken the words that had entangled my thoughts. I was a King. I should have been just that, a fearless leader.

  “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”

  “I don’t think Shakespeare ever thought that our existence could be part of the world when he wrote Henry IV,” I said stoically.

  “The same man wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Odin smiled. “I say you give him more credit than that.”

  I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.

  “Why is that whenever you speak to me I feel as though I can do anything?” I asked him.

  “Because you can.” I watched the flames in the fire as he continued, “I know you can defeat your father. I know you can defeat the dark that lives within your soul, and I know you can let the light wash over you. That is your destiny.”

  My eyes began to move through the flames as I pictured Caroline running into my arms. Her long hair flowed magically behind her, and she wore a rich purple muslin gown, the customary outfit of royalty in the fairy court. I watched as she threw herself in my arms and leaned back to look up in my eyes. I held her protectively, lifting her body off the ground. All the love in the world was in her eyes. I could feel my heart beat faster at the thought of such happiness.

  I looked over at Odin quickly knowing that he had just made this scene appear before my eyes.

  “Have you seen it?” I asked as I dared to hope for a moment that this could indeed be my life. Our life.

  “You know that I have not.”

  “Then why show me…” I began but chose not to finish my thoughts aloud. Why show me such happiness? Such love.

  “Alderon has the advantage,” I told Odin as I continued to watch the flames, “he knows me. He knows what I’m made of. He knows my weaknesses, and he will play upon those.”

  “He is only able to understand half the man you are. He is dark. Purely, utterly, completely dark. It motivates him. Drives him. He feeds off it. Covets it. But you, Devilyn, you are both sides. And you court the light. So it is you that has the advantage.”

  “His powers are great, and he has the assistance of a league of evil.”

  “You underestimate your abilities.”

  “I hope you are right. Now more than ever.”

  Odin countered with a knowing smile, “I am right.”

  Odin stood up abruptly and looked down at me.

  “If you have some time, I thought that it might be wise to pay a visit to Dana. She’s expecting us,” he said as he reached out his hand.

  Before I even had a second to answer, we were gone.

  It was as if I had entered a dream. Odin and I stood at the end of a long corridor surrounded by beams of light. The beams sparkled against the crystal pathway that led to the queen’s chamber creating a magical picture. Lemurian crystals, those of the
great Atlantean ancestors, lined the pathway so when a member of the Fae walked through, they were reenergized with ancient mystical power. As I walked by the human sized crystals I felt a surge of inner peace.

  We reached the giant doors to the chamber, and they opened on their own accord, and we stepped through. The room contained the most luxurious furnishings the world could ever offer. Bright flowers filled every opulent table, while large wax candles lit the room. Crystal platters, dishes of fruits and sweet desserts were displayed on the golden coffee table.

  A small group had gathered, and they were all sitting around the fireplace. Before I could even blink my eyes Dana materialized in front of us. She looked like an angel.

  Dana was the great goddess of the Light Fae, the first mother, the benevolent one, the spiritual leader of the Tuatha DéDanann. She kept court with the most enchanting and gifted of the Light Fae and was always surrounded by the sun. She was eternal. Loving. Gracious. Caring. Peaceful. The great mother of all the Fae in every essence of the word.

  The others stood when she materialized and bowed their heads. Dana reached out her hand, and they all sat again, forever wanting everyone to be in peace. My eyes searched the familiar faces in the room, and I smiled in greeting when I recognized one Fae in particular that I had a soft spot for.

  Her name was Ella. For even the Fae, she was a stunning beauty. Her dark hair was long and curly, swirled around her face like a painting, and when she smiled she could literally light up a room. Ella was the purest of all the Fae, untouched by dark, forever believing in only the light. She was one of the few confidants I had ever had at court, one of the only ones that I could trust and lean on. Ella was also by far one of the most creative of all the Fae, and thus many members sought her out as a mentor. She often advised them and provided them with resolutions to their problems.

  She smiled at Odin, stood, and lowered her head and body in a curtsey as she respectfully greeted the All-Father. As soon as she saw me her expressive eyes sparkled in pleasure.