Fairy World M.D., Boxed Set Two (4-6.5)

by Tamara Grantham

  “Can I speak to him?” I asked her.

  She nodded and moved aside. As she turned to leave, her wraiths followed. Kull helped me stand up. Walking the path to Fan’twar on my shaky feet took longer than I liked, yet I couldn’t have been happier that he was alive.

  We’d lost Maveryck but saved the sky king. One life for another. One taken, another saved.

  Fan’twar cracked open his golden eyes as I neared him. I sat on the floor beside him, spent after crossing the room and too dizzy to stay on two feet. Kull knelt beside me, and we both glanced at the hatchling sleeping by Fan’twar’s tail.

  The baby dragon had a short snout and glossy scales that sparkled with gold and black bands. I wondered at what she had already endured in her short life—to be hatched by the elves, her first fire used in a spell that would ultimately result in the planet’s destruction.

  “You came for me, young one,” a deep, familiar voice said.

  “Of course I did,” I answered, running my hand over the smooth scales covering his neck. His skin was uncharacteristically cold to the touch, even to my frigid fingers. I realized he still needed time to heal.

  “You did well,” he answered.

  I glanced at Kull. “Maybe. We still lost Maveryck, and the elves called Theht back. I’m not sure I count it as a win.”

  “But Theht does not have the power to destroy our world. Without the sword, the elves will not have the power to control the goddess, and she will be forced to abandon our world, for she does not have the power to stay here.”

  My stomach knotted. “Not yet. There’s something I have to tell you.” I glanced at Kull. “I have to tell you both.”

  “Go ahead,” Kull said.

  I exhaled deeply, wondering if I would be able to admit what I knew. “I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before Theht has the power she needs. She used my magic to put an asteroid on a collision course with our world. It’s only a matter of time before it gets here. As soon as the asteroid collides with our planet, she will use its energy to cross from her world to ours. And… she’s going to use me again, to destroy our world.”

  My hands were shaking and I didn’t know how to make them stop, so I pressed them into my lap, but it didn’t help.

  “I can’t do it,” I said, my emotions trying to break free. “You can’t let me do this.” I looked from Fan’twar to Kull. “You’ll have to stop me. It’s the only way to save us.”

  “It’s too early to talk that way,” Kull said. “There’s still time to stop it from happening.”

  “But how? Even Fan’twar said I can’t stop prophecy.”

  “You cannot stop it, no,” my stepfather said. “But perhaps there is a way to better understand it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You must find the one who spoke the prophecy in the first place. Lucretian—the first high druid of Faythander.”

  “Is he still alive?”

  “Possibly. He disappeared almost half a millennia ago, and no one has seen him since. But, he was last spotted on Dragon Spine Mountain, near this very palace. If anyone knows where he is, the witch is the one to ask.”

  “And if I find him, do you think he can undo the prophecy and stop it before it happens?”

  “Stop it? No. But he can explain it to you and perhaps help you find a way to fulfill it without the consequences you anticipate. And that is not all. Lucretian was the last known person to possess the sword of Dracon. It is the weapon that will destroy Theht—that I know. You must find Lucretian, and you must recover the sword. As you see, all is not lost, for if even the tiniest glimmer of hope can be found, then goodness still exists. You will succeed, young one. That I know.”

  I uncrossed my arms. With his words, I finally felt as if fear didn’t control me. Peering overhead, the bands of radiant stars reminded me of something else I’d seen, the truth of our universe.

  “There’s something else,” I whispered, “something Theht showed me.”

  “What?” Kull asked.

  Studying the stars overhead, my memories turned to an image of the world splitting apart. “I saw the birth of our world,” I said, “but Faythander wasn’t the only planet formed that day.”

  “What are you saying?” Kull asked.

  “There are three worlds, not two. I think we finally know where the Regaymor come from, and where Geth took me when he imprisoned Mochazon, and where the bloodthorn tried to take me. The third world.”

  I almost said the name of the world out loud, but I stopped. The fairies had told me its name was a spell, and I would only say it if I had to.

  “All this time,” Fan’twar said, “I believed it to be a place in Faythander. I never thought to look to the stars.” He chuckled. “Well, even an old dragon can learn a new thing or two.”

  “So you didn’t know?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I doubt anyone in the history of our planet knew this. Even Geth, I suspect, did not understand the truth of the alternate reality he had had discovered. You are the first to learn of this. You are special in more ways than you know.” He turned to me, his golden eyes intense. “You may think to be hard on yourself and believe you have failed. You have not. My life has been restored because of you. Theht has not destroyed our world yet because of your persistence. If ever a person could stop the goddess, it is you. It was no accident that Lucretian prophesied of you all those years ago, because if there were ever a person to beat a prophecy, it’s you.”

  A lump formed in my throat as his words sank in. “I’m glad you have faith in me,” I said. “That means a lot.”

  He nodded, then closed his eyes.

  “Do you need to rest?” I asked.

  “Only for a little while, child. Only for a while.”

  As he breathed shallow, ragged breaths, I stood and backed away quietly. My own body hardly felt recovered, but at least I felt I could walk without fainting. With nowhere else to go, Kull and I crossed to the staircase leading to the balcony overlooking the ballroom.

  My mind was a mess. I still carried a piece of Theht inside me, but I knew that as long as it stayed there, Theht couldn’t control our world, at least for now. The events that had happened in the last few days were hard to grasp, and even with Silvestra’s spell working inside me to restore my mind, I felt as if I would lose it again if I thought too long about the future.

  We made it to the top tier, where we stood looking out through the opened glass windows with the smell of greenery in the air and the smooth marble railing beneath our fingertips. Above us spanned the universe, and before us, the world of Faythander, with thundering waterfalls, trees that stood like spires reaching for heaven, and life that filled every corner—a place so beautiful it resonated not just with my physical senses, but with my soul as well.

  “Olive,” Kull said quietly. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you for quite some time. Well, since you arrived back in Faythander really, or perhaps before that… after we defeated the bloodthorn, to be honest—”

  “Kull,” I stopped him.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re rambling.”

  “Oh, yes, I am. You’re right.” He leaned with his elbows on the balcony railing, looking out over Faythander. Of all the beauty in Faythander, I didn’t think I could find anything more perfect than him. The way his eyes reflected the moon, the curve of his strong jawline, the wisps of his blond hair caught in the breeze. He was more than I deserved or expected, and I feared I would wake up and lose him, only to realize I didn’t have to.

  “What I meant to say,” he said, “was that I was going to talk to you sooner. I wanted to ask you something.”

  My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t want to let on what I suspected he would ask, and I also didn’t want to get my hopes us. Although he’d pledged his love to me, he hadn’t made it official. We weren’t engaged, and most people still thought of us as acquaintances and nothing else. Still, it was hard not to get my hopes up.

  “It�
�s about Grandamere,” he said.

  “Oh.” I exhaled, trying not to let the disappointment show on my face. “Is she all right?”

  “She is well enough, but with her failing health, she has decided to move back into the castle.”

  “I see. That’s probably a wise decision. It’s better that she live somewhere with people around to help her.” I eyed him. “Is that really what you wanted to talk to me about?”

  He smiled, but I found nervousness in his eyes. “Well, this is bit harder to do than I expected.”

  He took my hand and then knelt in front of me. My body broke out in a clammy sweat, and I didn’t know why, but I felt warm tears in my eyes.

  “I want you to marry me, Olive. I know our lives aren’t typical. I know we’ve no business trying to start a family with a world in danger of being destroyed, but goddesses be damned, because if we can’t live and make a future for ourselves, then there’s no point in carrying on.”

  His gaze was so intense I couldn’t look away.

  “Will you marry me, Olive?”

  Had he really just said the words? I hadn’t been in my right mind for quite some time. Could I be hallucinating? But his hands felt so real and warm as he held my fingers, and I couldn’t mistake that overwhelming sense of joy. No hallucination could mimic that.

  “Yes. I will. Of course I will.” I brushed the tears off my cheeks as he kissed my knuckles, then stood and took my face between his hands. He kissed me slowly and gently, and I knew then that I’d made the best decision in my life. After he pulled away, he took my fingers in his and carefully slid a ring on my finger.

  The cool metal warmed as it touched my skin. I stared, confused as I looked at the ring. Jewels sparkled in a faint, bluish glow from the silver band. Oddly, the bunches of tiny gems reminded me of the hydrangea flowers I remembered seeing in my grandmother’s garden.

  I lightly touched the gemstones and felt magic within. “Are these…?”

  “They’re from the flower we found in the wild lands. I saw how much you liked the jewels, and I thought they suited you. I’d been trying for so long to find a ring, but neither elven nor Wult nor even Earth Kingdom jewelry suited you. But this flower, it seemed when you saw it, it knew you. I know how strange that must sound.”

  “No—actually, I had the same thought.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “You like it, then?”

  As I studied the ring, I felt its magic combine with my own. I knew then that this ring was different; it was meant for me. Kull knew it as well. It represented who I was now, who I had become, and my potential to become someone better. I didn’t know what the future held, if I really would destroy the world because of Theht, if I would be able to find Lucretian and discover a way around the prophecy, or even if we would have a world to live in. But with my stepfather’s life saved and a real future with Kull to look forward to, I realized I had an actual chance at happiness, and that was good enough for now.

  “As for Grandamere’s cottage,” Kull said, “she’s given it to me. She said since I was the only one who ever visited her, she thought I should have it. With a bit of work, it would make an adequate first home for a newlywed couple, don’t you think?”

  “Yes,” I answered with a smile. “But I think it would be more than just adequate. I think it would be perfect.”

  “It might not be perfect. We’ll live next to the keep, you know. We’ll have to deal with my mother dropping by at a moment’s notice, and then there’s Heidel, who will demand we accompany her on any quest she can come up with and leave any time she chooses—and that’s not to mention her temper we’ll have to put up with.”

  I laughed. “Fine. Maybe it won’t be perfect.”

  He gave me his lopsided grin, the one he reserved only for me. We looked out over the trees and I found the stars glittering—not the light cast from the enchanted ceiling, but real light. It didn’t seem probable that a star’s light, burning billions upon billions of miles away, could ever reach us, or that it could even been seen, yet it was there, so real I could almost feel its heat burning against my cheeks, shining just as brightly as the jewels on my ring.

  I gently ran my fingers over the ring’s sparkling jewels, feeling a calming flux of magic, knowing that in the end, everything would be made right.

  “We’ll have a future,” Kull said. “I don’t know how, but some way, we’ll survive this. And we’ll do it together.”

  THE END

  Goblinwraith

  Someday I’ll wish upon a star

  And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.

  -From “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg

  I only fear one thing.

  Being tortured, starved, beaten, burned, and left for dead should have broken me. Instead, I became stronger. I no longer fear those things. Not anymore.

  I only fear one thing.

  The mountaintop’s icy wind chapped my skin as I stabbed my knife through the wraith’s hide. Blood spattered on my breastplate. Again? Did this creature have any idea how long it took to polish silver? The monster spun around with my blade embedded in its back and snapped at my face, making me jump back, slip on the frozen pond, and land on my backside.

  This was not my best day.

  I grabbed my blade’s hilt as the wraith whipped around once more, but my blood-slicked fingers slipped, and I lost my grasp. The wraith, covered in flaking, reptilian skin, laughed—a rattling sound that made my skin crawl.

  Its face was a meld of reptile and human; its lower jaw was elongated with protruding fangs, which reminded me more of a goblin. The creature fought like a demon, using a magical knife that burned when it touched my skin.

  It lunged for me and I darted back, this time managing to stay upright. I pulled the small knife from my boot and hurled it at the creature’s neck. The knife flew with swift accuracy and embedded itself deep in the wraith’s flesh. The beast’s scream ripped through the air, yet the wraith still rushed toward me.

  Stupid beast. Why wouldn’t it just die already?

  With one knife in its back and another in its neck, I was losing weapons fast.

  “Maveryck,” I yelled at the man fighting alongside me. “I need a weapon.”

  Maveryck fought two beasts at once. He was a professional thief, not a fighter, which made me wonder how he’d managed not to die yet. It helped that he wielded a magical staff with ridiculous amounts of power. Gripping the staff tight, he knocked both of the monsters back, but one of the beasts grabbed him and pulled him to the ground.

  Wrestling the beast away from the staff, he darted a glance at me. “Can’t you see I’m busy? What happened to all your weapons?”

  “They’re stuck in the monster’s hide.”

  “Then pull them out!”

  I growled under my breath. He was useless. Had I been fighting alongside my brother, we’d have killed the monsters hours ago and been drinking mead by the fire.

  The beast, still pierced with my knives, loped toward me with an unsteady gait.

  I was done with this dance.

  Spinning around, I kicked the monster flat on its back, jumped on top of the beast, and planted my knee in its solar plexus. Its filmy yellow eyes bulged as I ripped my knife from its throat, and then I made quick work of cutting through skin and tissue and severing its life’s vein.

  Its death came quickly.

  “Heidel,” Maveryck screamed. The only remaining creature pinned Maveryck to the ground, the staff between them as the monster tried prying it from the thief’s grasp. The runes etched into the wood glowed a faint bluish color as I approached. Was it normal for the staff to react in such a way?

  “Heidel, get back,” Maveryck yelled.

  “Get back? I thought you needed my help.”

  “No! Get back!”

  I clenched my fists, the knife’s hilt warm in my hands. The wraith moved its hands from the staff and gripped Maveryck around the neck, choking him.

  A
lthough I was tempted do as Maveryck said and back away, I also knew he would die if I didn’t come to his aid, so I ignored him and rushed forward.

  “What are you doing? Get… into the forest!” Maveryck choked.

  The staff glowed brighter. Its light pierced through the dark evening, making me shield my eyes. The sound of cracking ice echoed through the forest as a fissure opened in the frozen pond beneath us. I fell, but I managed to crawl to my knees.

  Maveryck lost his grip on the staff as he pried the monster’s hands away from his neck. Ice broke apart, spraying freezing water into the air. The staff rolled over the ice toward me, its magical glow reflecting against the surface.

  I crawled away from the staff, but its magic made a loud roaring wind fill the air. The world became a blur of swirling colors as the feel of the freezing ice beneath my hands disappeared.

  “Maveryck,” I called, but I barely heard my own voice over the wind. My stomach lurched. I felt as if my body were flying. I knew this sensation—I’d experienced it before. The staff had opened a portal, and we’d been caught in it.

  The screaming wind drowned out any other sounds. I wanted to clamp my hands over my ears but had no control over my body. I floated, weightless in an immense void, as my body was transported from one world to another.

  Panicking, I felt the magic surrounding me. I’d never liked magic. It was too uncontrollable, too powerful. Slowly, the swirling void faded and the howling wind died as I landed in a heap on a stone floor. I sat up and opened my eyes, but dizziness made me close them again. My head throbbed, so I took several deep breaths as I waited for the lightheadedness to go away. When I opened my eyes again, I was at least able to focus without feeling as if I would faint.

  Sounds of scuffling came from behind me.

  I turned to find Maveryck passed out on the floor, blood smeared on his face and chest. A creature resembling the wraith crouched over the thief. Crossing from one world to another must have changed the monster’s appearance. Without its snout and reptilian scales, it now looked more human than animal, though its skin and hair were still dingy white, and its eyes still shone a pale shade of yellow. As the creature stood straight, I got the impression that the crossing had changed more than just its appearance. Intelligence glinted in its eyes as it clutched Maveryck’s staff to its chest. I could no longer think of this being as merely a monster. Although still an abomination, now, it—he—seemed human.