by B. C. Morin
Alannah cut him off, “no, that’s not what I meant. Why do you stay with her? You two barely had time together.”
He saw the genuine curiosity in her eyes. Her need to understand how he was so sure he wanted to stay at Evyette’s side. “Oh.” He looked at Evyette and smiled for a moment before looking back at Alannah. “I don’t know. I had been attracted to her from the moment we met, and watching her defend herself and us while we were on the journey to find you, showed me the type of fae she truly was.” He sighed deeply. “But on that night. That first night when she was attacked and she couldn’t fight back. Seeing that Demon try to take her… The thought of losing her, hurt my heart. I can’t explain it. It just wasn’t an option. I have to be around her. It’s crazy, I know.” He looked at Evyette. “You know she was hurt trying to help me.”
“Trist.”
“I know, I know, I’m not blaming myself. But I know she cares for me too. And it wouldn’t be fair to her if I left her here alone. I understand that you can’t stay, you have a lot to do and a lot going on.”
Alannah rolled her eyes. “If only you knew.”
“Actually I do. People talk around here.” She looked over at him.
“Do not worry. I haven’t gotten involved. Kaleb is like my brother. But he can take care of himself when it comes to affairs of the heart. He makes sound decisions. I’d like to say I hate Brennus. But I cannot. He has come in every few hours to see if there is anything the Magisters need from him to help Evyette. He even offers to call others from his Kingdom. I’m not sure how much pull he has but it sounds like a lot. I do not get him. He acts repulsive sometimes, but then other times… I don’t know.” Tristan shrugged his shoulders giving up on the idea of figuring out Brennus.
“Yes, speaking of that… I have to go with him to meet his teachers and train. I do not want to go though until I know that Evyette is at least awake. I know she is well taken care of, but I just need to speak with her before leaving. You know?”
“I know.”
Alannah stood and looked at her sister. She looked like she did when she slept peacefully at home. Alannah wanted so much for it to be that way. She brushed a strand of hair from Evyette’s face and leaned in to be cheek to cheek. “I need you sister. I need you to get better, I need you to fight so I can fight with you and we can rid you of this. I love you.” She turned and kissed her sister’s forehead, smiled at Tristan and walked out of the room.
* * *
The day was magnificent, the weather always seemed a bit cooler in the Magi Kingdom but with the sun shining, it made for a perfect day. Alannah walked about the village peering into stores and booths. There was one store though that caught her attention the most. It was smaller and darker than the others, and had no sign hanging outside.
She opened the door and she heard a small bell ring. Alannah waited for a moment for someone to appear but the shop remained empty. Bookshelves lined the walls from the ceiling to the center of the room. Beneath the old dusty books were shelves packed with cauldrons and potions. Next to those she would find herbs and pressed and powdered flowers. “Hello?” her voice was low. Almost as if she didn’t want anyone to answer so that she could keep looking around. She continued scanning the shelves when she received no response.
“It is a rare one that bears the mark that you do my dear.” The light old voice came from behind her.
She turned quickly but carefully not to knock anything over. “Pardon?”
“The Mark. On your back.” The old lady said, keeping her head down and eyes on the ground.
Alannah had forgotten that most of her hair was picked up today, “Oh, that mark. Yes apparently there aren’t too many people that know about it either.”
The faerie was almost half the size of Alannah, possibly though because she hunched over slightly. She kept her wings out, they were very badly worn, and drooped down, the auburn color lacking in vibrancy.
“Do you know of it?”
“Oh yes dear. It is the mark that only comes every thousand years.” Alannah tried looking at the woman’s face, but she continued to look at the floor and her hair hung around her face obscuring Alannah’s view.
“But what does it mean?” Alannah began to follow the older faerie as she walked toward a chair by the counter.
“I cannot tell you that now.”
“Why not?”
“Why you haven’t even mastered your powers yet.”
Alannah looked down at her mostly bare arms, running her hands along them unconsciously.
“I would think a princess would have had better training.”
“How did you know?”
“I know a lot of things dear.”
“My powers didn’t start coming in until recently. And well I was too stubborn to practice my other gifts.” Alannah stopped her explanation quickly not understanding why she felt the need to justify herself.
The older faerie walked slowly over to a nearby shelf and pulled out a book.
Sorcery Mastery
“Here. You should have this.” The old lady reached the worn book forward placing it in Alannah’s hands, never once lifting her gaze.
“Oh thank you. How much is it?” Alannah asked, running her fingers down the spine and across the designs on the cover.
“I will not charge the Princess of Meira. Besides, you need it more than I.” She walked around the store sorting potions and herbs. “How is your sister?”
Alannah was shocked for a moment but realized that she might have seen Brennus carrying Evyette the day they all arrived.
“She is fine. Her wounds are healing up well.”
“And her spirit?” The old lady’s voice was calm.
Alannah stepped quickly beside the old lady. “What do you know of my sister?”
“Oh, nothing that you do not.”
Alannah was beginning to be bothered by the old lady’s lack of emotion when she spoke. “Who are you? How do you know so much about me and my family?” Alannah heard thunder rolling outside, as anger and confusion boiled up inside her.
“I am Dara.” She said so low that Alannah barely heard her. Still walking around the room adjusting items on the shelves, she stopped never fully looking at Alannah but tilting her head slightly. “You should calm yourself Princess.” She pointed outside at the clouds that had rolled in. Alannah took some deep breaths and watched as rays of sunlight began breaking through the sudden clouds and poured through the store window. “You should get to reading young fae.”
Alannah watched as she finished sorting some potion bottles and walked to the back without so much as a goodbye.
Alannah walked out of the shop in a daze. She saw Alessa in the distance talking to a handsome young faerie and began walking over to her.
“Alessa, may I speak with you?” The young faerie looked at Alannah and nodded to Alessa before walking away.
“Of course Alannah.”
“Who owns that store?” She pointed to the old shop that sorely stood out among the busy well kept shops.
“Oh, I was hoping you were going to speak to me about something interesting. Like maybe the fae boy I was talking to?”
Alannah sighed. “Alessa, I’m serious.”
“So am I.” she saw Alannah’s annoyed expression and raised eyebrow. “Fine. At least keep me company while I walk then.” Alessa said, stepping off the stone she had been balancing on and began to walk. “Dara appeared here just before I was born. No one really knows her history, she doesn’t talk to many people and a lot of people are very weary around her. Not because of the way she looks mind you, not that she couldn’t do with a new dress and a hairbrush, I swear she ages twice as fast as anyone here. But because she knows things about people that most strangers would not know. Some people think that she might have the power of telepathy, but no one can tell since she usually has her marks covered and she doesn’t speak much of herself.”
“So no one knows anything about her?”
“No. Some
people just think that she is old and going insane. I don’t believe that though.”
“What do you believe?”
“Personally? I think she is telepathic, or she has precognition, or both. She just knows too much, do you understand? Also, she looks so different than the other older faeries. Like she has lived twice as long and been through twice as much but in less time.” Alessa shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well, we’ll never know because she doesn’t say.”
Alannah listened as she thumbed quickly through the spell book.”
“Thank you Alessa.”
“mmmhmmm.” Alessa responded waving her hand as she walked through the castle doors, disappearing through one of the corridors on the first floor.
Alannah went to her room and threw herself on her bed to begin reading. The beginning chapters were spells she had heard others use, common spells. She memorized them quickly and forged ahead. The further she got into the book the more complicated the spells became. Some even began to deal with countering dark magic. She traced the faint marks on the pages with her fingers. The knock on her door caused her to jump as she was so enthralled by all she was reading. “Just a moment.”
She got off her bed and looked in the mirror. Her hair had mostly fallen out of the pins that she had put on in the morning. She smiled at the blush of her cheeks, brought on by the time she spent wandering among the shops.
“Yes?” She opened the door and found Brennus leaning on her doorway, closer than she expected. He looked the way he always did, like he didn’t care about what he was going to say or who he was saying it to. His grey eyes looking directly at hers.
“I was told you do not want to leave until Evyette awakens.”
“Yes, I would be able to concentrate better knowing that she has at least made that step toward recovery.”
“Fine then.” he looked in her room and saw the open book on her bed, “Studying?”
Alannah glanced in the direction of her bed, “Oh, yes it was a gift from Dara. The old lady in town.”
Suddenly Brennus stood upright, his look of indifference suddenly replaced with concern, “Be careful with what she tells you Alannah. No one is sure of her powers so everyone takes what she says carefully, but lightly.”
“Yes, I have heard.” She looked down at her feet nervously, “Brennus, I’d like to talk to you.” She looked back up and caught his stare.
“I can not right now. I have to meet with the King and let him know of our plans to stay.” He said coldly taking his gaze from hers.
“Do you not have a moment?”
He cupped her cheek with his hand and drew close to her face. She could feel his warm breath close to her lips, the crimson rising to her cheeks.
“No.” He pulled back suddenly and walked away.
Alannah took a few steps back in the room, furiously slammed the door and went back to her book.
It was hard to concentrate, all she could think of was Brennus. His face, his eyes, and the way his breath felt so close to her face.
~ Chapter 25~
The corridor was dark, Evyette could barely see where she was going except for a shred of light in the distance. She felt something pulling her back but she turned and saw nothing there but the darkness. She looked in the direction of the light again and there was a shadow walking toward her, the shape looking familiar to her. She kept walking toward it still feeling the pull but forcing herself to walk against it.
It was Tristan. She could see his face clear as day now. He seemed to be walking toward her but for some reason wouldn’t get any closer. He had others with him, there were three hooded faeries with him. She could see nothing of their faces apart from their noses and mouths. She could see that their mouths were moving but she heard nothing coming from them, only the voices behind her in the dark that called her. But it wasn’t just them. There was another voice calling a name she didn’t recognize. Evyette of Caelestis. She reached her hand to Tristan who reached for her also but she was still too far. The pull on her became stronger. She looked again toward the dark and saw nothing.
Tristan seemed to be getting closer now. She tried to run but her feet moved slowly, as if trying to run through molasses. The hooded faeries seemed to reach for her too. The pull was hurting now. There was nothing there but the physical pain it was giving her. She tried becoming invisible but couldn’t. Suddenly the voices all became louder. The voices from the dark and the voices coming from the light, claims, and counter claims, names and spells she had never heard. Her ears felt like they were going to bleed. She turned to face the darkness.
She sat up quickly in her bed, yelling a spell in a language she didn’t know without even realizing that she was already awake. Her heart beating so hard against her chest she thought it would break out.
“Evy.” The voice called her out of her shock.
She looked over at Tristan who was sitting on the bed next to her still holding her hand and she lunged at him. Wrapping her arms around him, holding on for dear life.
“Tristan! Oh. I have had the strangest dreams.” She pulled back slowly realizing that she had no idea where she was. She looked over to the right and saw two hooded faeries and recoiled.
“It’s ok Evy. They are The Magisters of the Magi. They have been healing you and protecting you.” She turned to look at Tristan, not understanding what he was talking about.
“Evy,” he reached his hand to hers and began to lead it to her chest. She followed his gaze, stopping at her scarred chest and reached to touch it.
Her breathing slowed as she closed her eyes. Images of the battle in the forest came rushing back to her. Velius, the trolls, Alannah’s lightning strike, and the blade… the blade she saw coming at her but could do nothing about. “But I - I should have died.”
“Perhaps, but Brennus helped to keep you alive.” Tristan nodded in the direction past the bed near where the Magisters were standing, Evyette followed his gaze looking at Brennus as well.
“You. You did something to me. I thought it was a dream but you. I heard you. I didn’t understand what you were saying but I heard you and felt you somehow.”
Magister Torin stepped forward “He transferred some of his own energy and healing powers to you. It is something that is very difficult to do and requires a lot of energy.” She didn’t say anything to him but only stared. “Oh, my apologies. I am Magister Torin. This is Magister Morcant. Brennus brought you to us for healing.”
“I appreciate it. And Brennus I appreciate what you did as well. I don’t know how to-“
“Do not worry about it. I have your admirer over there saying he owes me so much I cannot keep count. I may have to start calling in on some of those debts.” He smirked at her and she smiled back.
“Evyette, we have much to talk about but first you will need to rest a bit. You are probably very overwhelmed with all this.” She was curious to the faces that were under the hoods but didn’t ask to see them.
“Yes, a bit I suppose. Where is my sister?”
“As soon as you woke the Magister’s apprentice ran out of the room so my assumption is that he went to tell everyone.”
“Everyone? Do you not simply mean Alannah and Kaleb?”
“Evy, your parents are here. You have been unconscious for days.”
“Days?” She reached up and touched her scar again.
“Tristan.” She glanced quickly at the Magisters and back at him and spoke lowly. “I had another dream and I think the venator-animus were trying to attack me but I couldn’t even see them. You were there,” She glanced at the magisters again and then back at Tristan. “and they were there” she nudged her head at them.
Tristan smiled at her and cupped her face with his hand. “They know Evy. We actually have a lot to talk about in reference to that-“
The conversation was cut short by the half dozen people clamoring into the room. First entered Alannah completely out of breath. She had obviously run to the room upon hearing the news.
She
ran to the bed and sat next to Evyette hugging her tightly. She pushed her hair out of her face and put her palms on both cheeks. “My sister. Thank God. I have missed you so much.”
Evyette smiled and wiped the tears that had silently fallen from Alannah’s eyes. Soon behind Alannah entered their father and mother and three other faeries that she didn’t recognize but knew that two must have been royalty as they were wearing crowns.
After many hugs and introductions Evyette was told of the previous days events. She had insisted on knowing more about the Venator-Animus and why they were after her.
She told them all about the dream and about the voices and how one voice that she didn’t recognize called her Evyette of Caelestis.
“Caelestis?” The crowd of people moved to face Magister Torin.
“I have not heard that village be mentioned in ages. I was under the impression it had burned down many many years ago.” He reached his hand to his chin and rubbed it for a moment. “Allow me to speak to the scholars of the surrounding lands and I will have more information to you all by tomorrow.” He motioned to the other Magister and their apprentice and they all hurried out of the room.
“We shall surely feast tonight as there is much to celebrate.” King Vadimas’s voice echoed through the room and everyone responded. “Let us prepare for dinner. Evyette. I shall assign you a handmaiden or two to help you bathe, dress and prepare. Have you energy to stand?”
“There is only one way to find out majesty.”
She turned to Tristan and took hold of both of his hands. He pulled her close to the edge of the bed and she swung her legs off of the edge of the bed, putting her feet on the floor. Tristan put his arm around her holder her up as she tried to stand on her wobbly legs.