by Jessica Cage
“How can you promise that?” Briar looked him in the eyes, searching for even a hint of dishonesty. “How can you speak for the rest? Am I simply to take your word?”
“He is their king,” Jinn offered, an attempt to avoid any unnecessary tension, or disrespect. Mike took a lot from Briar, but he shouldn’t have. Yes, he was the king of the slithers, the unwanted, but that still counted for something.
“What?” Praia stood from her seat, suddenly interested in the conversation again. “You’re a king?” She wiped away tears, sniffling.
“Born of the first, and one of the only ones who has a chance of blending in with normal society, yeah. It was more of a process of elimination.”
“I never knew. I …”“ Briar stepped back from him, a show of respect for his status.
“Look, no need to treat me any different than before you heard that. I’m just a spokesperson, because no one else can be. We know there were some people who did shady shit in the past. Unfortunately, those acts were taken as a standard, an example of who and what we are. We’re just asking that not all of us be punished for the acts of a few.”
“We will help your people, if you agree to help us.” Briar understood wholeheartedly what Mike, the expecting father, meant.
“Well, it looks like we have a deal.” Mike smiled and clapped his hands. “All right. I could use a drink, anyone else?”
Mike walked forward across the damaged earth, followed by Briar and two of her guards. Her visit to the scorched lands to speak with his people was a necessity. It was a show of solidarity. No other fairy queen had come there before; her appearance showed that she was truly trying to take a step in the right direction. The council, a collective of slithers who aided Mike in leading their people, would need a lot more than his word.
Briar brought two fairies with her. The new queen of her people, she would never be allowed to go into what was considered enemy territory without back up. Especially with what had just occurred to their former queen. With her was Mysti, her new second, and another fairy named Boxi. She was the largest fairy guard; her affinity for earth was a primary reason for her size. They often joked that it was the act of moving earth that made her so muscular, though none of the others were nearly as big.
“Are you sure about this?” Briar paused; they weren’t far from the general population. She could hear the sounds of life, surprisingly cheerful for the conditions in which they lived. If there were any doubts at all, then was the time to voice them.
“Yes, you’re coming here as my guest. Regardless of their personal issues, they will respect my wishes and hear you out. As long as you don’t have a plan to go back on your word.”
“My word is my bond. You and your people will be taken care of,” Briar asserted. Nothing was more important to her people than their word. It was their honor, their respect—once lost, it could never be regained.
“Good, because we’re here.” He pointed, leading their attention where just ahead of them, below the hill, was the scorched lands—earth burned by fires and poisoned by chemical warfare. It was where the worst of the damage had occurred, but in the midst of the death and the destruction, there was life. Mike’s people were left there … children, families, living lives as best they could considering their current conditions.
“I had no idea it was this bad out here,” Boxi whispered as though the people down below would hear her and take offense to her words.
“You, like everyone else who is a part of your world, chose not to consider it. And that’s okay. We have a tendency to take care of our own, which is exactly what I am doing now.” Mike was kind in his reply. He didn’t blame her or any of the fairies. It had been done, the goal was to undo it, not to point blame.
“Are you sure you want to go in there?” Mysti questioned Briar. “What if they aren’t as welcoming as you hope?”
“Yes. This is a time of change, for everyone.” Briar nodded. “I can take a little hate if it starts us in the right direction.”
They continued on, walking, following just a few paces behind Mike. Briar didn’t want his people to think she was there for anything other than to make peace. She kept a calm demeanor, smiling and making reassuring eye contact with whoever would dare to look at her. As they reached the population of the scorch lands, all eyes were transfixed on the visitors. There were murmurs, hisses, and growls, but no one approached. No one said anything or showed any form of outrage or disrespect for the visitors. They respected Mike as their king. Briar struggled to keep her smile and hold back tears as she witnessed children in tattered clothing, babies who were malnutritioned, frail, and sickly. With each face, her heart broke even more. They lived in huts built from reclaimed materials scavenged from places where no one dwelled; abandoned neighborhoods like the one Jinn lived in. Most of their homes left them exposed to the elements, the structures barely qualified as shelter. Briar’s heart was heavier than it had ever been. These people didn’t deserve to live in such terrible conditions. Their children had done nothing wrong, and yet they lived as if they had committed the worst crimes. The fairies, and every other entity of power, blamed the humans for all that went wrong with the world. Humans were cast aside for being evil, so wicked that they would turn against their own, and yet here they were, no better—allowing generations of supernatural beings, just like them, to live in squalor.
“Something must be done,” she whispered to herself.
“Well, you can do something, now,” Mike responded, though her words were not for him. He paused outside of a stacked group of old shipping containers, fashioned together to create the town center. “Are you ready?”
“Right.” The new queen straightened. “Yes, I will do something. I’m ready.”
Mike opened the heavy metal door, revealing the inside of the containers. Rusted and worn, holes formed in the sides of the make shift building by a process of natural degrading, and added light to the room. The effect almost seemed intentional if not for the candles that were lit as well. Mike entered first, and Briar followed with Mysti at her side. Boxi remained outside for security; if this was an attempt to attack their new queen, she would move the earth before letting them succeed.
The murmurs started the moment she stepped inside the space, and Mike waited patiently for the group to come to attention. He knew her presence would do anything but put them at ease, which was why he’d sent word ahead of their expected guests. The grumbles subsided quickly as Mike lifted his hand and called for their attention. “I ask that you all listen to what Briar has to say. She is the new Fairy Queen, and as the leader of her people she comes here, offering us help, in exchange for our assistance.”
“Our assistance? So she’s here to bribe us?” A brute older man sat at the far end of a table crafted from old wood and metal. His face was lined with a thick coat of grey hair that would have been three shades lighter if he had ready access to clean water.
“Relk, please, hold your comments for later. Let’s hear what the girl has to say.” Two seats over from the burly man was a slender woman whose features told that she was of a younger generation. Trex was one who couldn’t shed her reptilian side, not entirely. Though her face, half shadowed by the low light, appeared normal, a prominent lizard tail laid on the ground at her feet.
Mike gave her the floor. “Briar.”
“I must first apologize to you all.” She looked around the room, taking in the stern faces of the seven council members. This was not going to be an easy feat. “I, like so many others, have simply forgotten about you. All of you out here, victims of a war that was not your own. Our people have not done enough to rectify what has been done to you. It is easy, living as we do, to forget those who are less fortunate, much too easy. I had no idea that this was the lives you and your families led. And until fighting side by side with your leader,” she nodded at Mike, who returned the show of respect, “living for just one day as you all do every day, there was no way I could ever really understand it.
> “Nothing I say or do here will fix the past, it won’t change the fact that you have spent decades suffering for the acts of a few. I’m not here to erase the past. That is something that simply cannot be done. I am here offering to you, all of you, a better future. Should you choose to help us or not.” Mysti scoffed and Briar shot her a look that told her to back down. If she didn’t agree with her decision, that was something to speak to her about in private. It was not a matter of debate, and definitely not in front of outsiders. “Yes, our people need your help, and if what we are facing is as terrible as we believe it is, your people are at risk as well. If you choose not to help, I will understand your positioning. I do, however, hope that you choose in the best way for your own people, as our queen before me did for ours.”
“You would help us, without bargain?” the woman spoke again, leaning into the light to reveal the scaled side of her face previously hidden in the shadows.
“Yes. Those children, those babies, they don’t deserve this.” Briar shook her head. “I don’t believe that any of you deserve to live like this.”
The council members looked to one another, passing concerned and questioning gazes across the table. None of them wanted to discuss the issue further, not with Briar in the room. Though she came there in what seemed to be good faith, they still did not trust her or her kind.
Mike reclaimed the floor from Briar. “Give us time to discuss.”
Complying, Briar and Mysti made their exit, leaving him behind to discuss the matters at hand with the skeptical council.
“How did it go?” Boxi questioned, relieved that the two appeared without any sign of concern.
“We’ll find out soon. They’re discussing matters now,” Mysti answered her as Briar was too preoccupied with a small girl who walked by. The child was covered in filth, limping from an injury, and still she smiled brightly at her friends just a few feet ahead. When she reached them, her soft giggle fluttered over to Briar who couldn’t help but smile. There was still hope and it was inside of that little girl. Even if the prior generations could never forgive what was done, they would do what was right for their children, she knew it.
Mike emerged from the door with a smile on his face. “It appears we have a deal.”
“They have agreed to help us?” Briar asked. She’d been worried that they might accept her offer of aide without any return responsibility on their end.
“I simply explained to them that what you are up against will negatively affect us as the threat comes from the Ashen.” He smiled. “That alone was enough. We aren’t exactly thrilled with the current powers that be, but to have some ancient warlock from the darkest part of the coven take over things … well, we all agree that we must do whatever is necessary to prevent that from happening.”
“That’s good news.” Briar smiled, trying not to give too much of a show of her relief. “What’s next? Is there anything you need me to do now?”
“Next, you go back home, and I get my people together. If you need to reach me, Jinn knows how,” Mike said. “Oh, and I promised them you would be sending food and fresh water here.”
“Right, yes, we will get on that.” Briar turned to Mysti. “Please put in the call. Have supplies brought by air.” She paused, turning to Mike. “Is it okay for air supplies? I wouldn’t want to alarm anyone.” Not everyone knew of the deal they’d just struck; fairies taking flight above them might prove disarming, especially because it wasn’t an area they ever came near.
“Yes, I will make sure everyone knows what to expect.” Mike indicated the men leaving out of the side of the council chambers. “They are spreading the word as we speak.”
“Great. Mysti, please get that going.” Briar nodded again.
“We’re just supposed to walk back out of here?” Boxi asked, obviously getting anxious being in the scorch lands. The place was toxic, there was no telling how the environment there would effect them if they stayed for too long. Mysti kept the air circulating around them as best as she could, but in time, that too wouldn’t be enough.
“Yes, no one will bother you. As I said, news is spreading as we speak about your generous offer,” Mike stated with a wide smile. “Besides, you walked in with me, and you will leave without issue. The perks of being something of a king.”
“When do you plan on returning?” Though Boxi was eager to leave, Briar still had questions.
“When things are arranged here. There will be a lot to do.” Mike waved at a group of children, one of whom was the girl that brought a smile to Briar’s face. They called his name and then ran away giggling. “The council will help to arrange things, but we have to spread the word to everyone. There are groups of slithers all over the world. They need to hear this news from me directly, and that will take some time to get done. At least a few days.”
“Do you need any assistance with that?” she offered, knowing that kind of travel would be easier with a bit of fairy magic.
“No. Trust me, we have our ways.”
“Great. You can expect the supply drop in the next few hours.” Mysti rejoined the conversation after calling back to Vilar. “Are we good to go?”
“Yes, there is much to be done.” The three fairies walked out of the scorched lands, just far enough away from those who lived there. Once out of the marked boundaries, they took flight, their fairy wings carrying them back to Vilar.
“We need to find out where he is.” Briar sat in the small room that was set just off to the right of the chamber room with Jinn. There they could sit together and speak in private. The room was a simple space, with a long wood table, stained a deep shade of burgundy. They sat together at one end of the table, leaving the other eighteen chairs empty. Briar preferred the space to the chamber room, which still reminded her of the death of her friend and former queen, and the loss of the Solaris stone.
“How do you suggest we do that?” Jinn sat back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. “We have no way of tracking him. Hell, we don’t even know what this guy looks like. He may no longer have the appearance I remember.”
“I tried Sybella, but the seer was unable to help us. She is hurt really bad. The healers say she may take a long time to recover, and if she does, she may not ever be fully restored.” Briar sighed as she thought about the mental state of the woman she’d visited when she returned from the scorched lands. Sybella was held up in her room, mumbling to herself about evil.
“What’s our alternative?” He lifted the beer to his lips, having opted out of the sweet wine that was originally offered to him.
“Tracker spell?” Briar tossed out the idea already knowing it was futile.
“Not without something of his,” he replied, confirming what she already knew.
“Well, considering his home was sent up in flames, I say that is highly unlikely.” She laughed dryly. “Talk about a stroke of bad luck!”
“What if we could use me for the spell?” Jinn pepped up.
“You?”
“His magic is what created me. It was a long time ago, but perhaps there is still enough there, some signature that we can use.” It was the only thing they had, and even it was a slim chance.
“It’s worth a shot.” Briar pressed a small button on the arm of her chair that summoned her second in command, Mysti. When the fairy entered the room Briar issued her request. “Please go retrieve Rebecca. Tell her that we need her assistance.”
“Rebecca?” Jinn watched Mysti closely as she left the room to carry out the order. He’d had an odd feeling about the woman since they met and it wasn’t going away.
“She’s a witch, one of the few on our side. She’s the only one I know that is capable of tracing magical signatures.” She paused, considering the man at her side. They hadn’t discussed how he was doing with everything. From the moment they returned, they were on a race to find Daegal, and Jinn’s concerns had taken a backseat to the chaos. “Are you okay?”
“I’m managing.” He straightened in his
seat, not ready for the conversation that was about to happen. He’d been happy for the distractions that arose when they returned from the Collective.
Briar tilted her head. “I’m worried about you, Jinn. I know this is hard on you.”
“Yes, you’re right. It is difficult for me right now. The thing is, there is nothing I can do about that.”
“When we were in the Ashen, your anger, I’ve never seen you that way before.” They weren’t the best of friends, but they’d known each other. Jinn often visited Vilar as he was a welcomed guest, and most times he was there she’d see him. It wasn’t long until he figured out that their accidental encounters were planned. She had to keep an eye on the powerful outsider no matter how accepted his presence was. In all the time, she’d never seem him display any emotion besides a casual show of aloofness.
“It’s been quite some time since I’ve had reason to be that angry.”
“Right.” She paused, considering her next words carefully. “Do you think you can contain it?”
Before he could answer, the door opened and in walked Mysti followed by a short, chubby woman who smelled of whisky and mint. The odor filled the room quickly. Jinn raised a questioning eyebrow at Briar who shook her head. This couldn’t be the person she wanted to help them. Rebecca had become more liberal with the spirits in the past few years. Briar knew it was because of the things the woman had seen. Most often when she was asked to use her gift, it was to track someone or something that was horrible, their magic dark. The woman wore a crooked smile as she was escorted inside of the room by Mysti.
“Are you sure she is up to this?” Jinn questioned as the woman stumbled over to the chair Mysti directed her to, and plopped down into it.
“Yes, sorry, she has taken Alesea’s death really hard. They were close.” Briar left out the rest of the reasoning for Rebecca’s condition.
“Briar,” Rebecca hiccuped. “Ooh, my apologies.” She covered her mouth and giggled. “I am at your services.” Glossed-over eyes found the new queen at the opposite end of the table.