The Skye Trilogy: Isle of Skye, Isle of Night, and Isle of Dawn. * Bonus: Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook*

by Shannon Barczak

  “May I have this dance, he asked, as he held out his hand. While the girls laughed around me, the atmosphere changed, and this pull came over me. The attraction was so great I could scarcely breathe. So we danced and danced again and over the next few weeks we hardly left each other's side. We used to sneak around at all hours, much to the dismay of my Guardian Mathias. When it was time for the Fae to leave I was heartbroken, but both Cormac and I knew our duties and knew we could never be together.”

  “You see Gypsies cannot breed children with the Fae. Only Fae can breed with another Fae. To make matters worse my own brother Oliver a few years prior had married a Fae. Oliver met Rhoswen during our visit to Fairlia. She was a beautiful but poor servant girl. That mattered little to my brother though. My mother may have accepted his marriage to Rhoswen, but she still harbored some feelings of regret for he would give her no grandchildren."

  “So I waited until the last second as he walked into the portal, and my heart split into ten thousand pieces. How can this be wrong? I asked myself. I knew with every ounce of my being that he was the other half of my soul. Days turned into weeks and still I moped around barely able to wake up in the morning. I tried to hide it from everyone. If someone figured it out, the fallout would be terrible. The only one who saw my pain was my Guardian, Mathias. At night, he would bring me handkerchiefs and tea and sit with me in silence. I never got to tell him how grateful I was of his presence."

  “Fall came and even though I was horribly anxious to see Cormac I knew that my resolve to be cordial and distant would be the test of my life. As I stepped through the portal to Fairlia and saw him my heart burst with joy and happiness and my resolve crumbled. That night Mathias helped sneak him into my room, and it was then he took me to bed and we became lovers. Basking in love we laid in bed for hours and then your father proposed to me. I knew in my heart that this was right, that this was real, no matter what obstacles lay ahead of us."

  “Telling no one, not my mother, my sister, or even Mathias, we hatched our escape plan. The night of the ball we slipped through the portal to the Island and from then on to London. We spent many years floating around the world, visiting exotic places, tasting new foods and just being with each other."

  “Willa one thing you must know is the Gypsies of our clan live a long time. The magic in our blood keeps us going for three to four hundred years. The Fae however can live for eternity. The fountain of youth or the Fairy nectar of the Gods keeps their bodies and minds in perpetual youth. Unfortunately, you have to drink at least one small cup a year to ensure that your body’s cycle slows. After moving for over one hundred years you’re father and I started feeling older for the first time. We went across America looking for a place to hang our hats for a long while."

  “It was in Arizona looking out over the Grand Canyon one morning, marveling in the breathtaking beauty, that I felt a light go on inside of me. I was so shocked I didn't know what to think. How can this be possible? I thought. There has never been any record or even any possibility of a child borne between our kinds. While I stood there in amazement, your Father came over and took me in his arms. We both wept, wept in joy and fear. We were so happy, but we also did not know what would become of you, and the dangers that your presence could pose."

  “While I grew heavy with you growing strong in my womb I had so much worry. The night you were born, the minute I held you in my arms and saw you for the first time all those thoughts went out of my head. For the only thought, I had was that I would do everything in my power to make sure you were safe, happy and whole. I prayed that we would give you a normal life, no matter the cost, no matter the fallout, for as long as we would be able."

  “And that is our story Willa, our history," Cecily said falling silent.

  Chapter Four

  I sat there utterly shocked and baffled. I felt like two parts of me were fighting for control. One part of me was filled with terror that my mother had gone completely mad. I was envisioning visiting her in a padded room on the weekends wiping drool of her mouth as she babbled on about Gypsies, Faeries, Vampires, Sprites, and Nymphs ( that honestly I had no idea what the last two even were). There was the other part though, a bigger part, that was terrified she was telling the truth.

  I decided the only thing to do was to stay silent. I couldn't even imagine trying to string words together to make a sentence. That had pretty much flown out of the window several minutes ago. My brain was so jumbled with information and questions that I wasn't able to even ask yet.

  “I realize it’s a lot to take in," said my mother

  Um, yeah, I thought, nothing like pointing out the obvious Mom. A lot to take in, this wasn’t just a lot to take in; this was the Holy Mother of God journey into crazy town. How does one even respond to something like this?

  "I’m going to guess by your silence you are either wondering if I’ve gone bonkers or you are just in shock by the story I've told," Cecily said gently. “I can assure you Willa I am not nuts. I’m not making up some weird story as a joke, I wish I were, but this is the truth. The truth that we should have told you a long time ago but I couldn’t. I wanted you to grow up with some normality and not be sheltered on an island or raised in some fairytopia. I wanted to give you a shot at having a normal life with no magic, no vampires, no Guardians. I wanted to give you the life I wished for, even if it would only be for a short time."

  That brought me out of my stupor real quick. “Wow, it’s amazing how many times you said the word want. You should have thought about what I wanted. You should have realized that raising me in this American dream world would be counterproductive. Here Willa, here is this amazingly ordinary life but, by the way, at some point it’s all going to change.”

  “I understand what you are going through,” Cecily said

  “Nope, I’m pretty sure I’m all alone on this island right now.” I replied. “This is so crazy I don’t even believe any of this.”

  “We always were aware that this day would come. We had hoped to break it to you gently. Take you out into the desert, show you some of our powers, and prepare you for what was to come." Cecily said. “I guess I was the one that was reluctant. I wanted to enjoy this time with you as much as possible."

  “Powers? What powers?" I asked intrigued. I mean, c’mon, when someone starts throwing around stories of magic and mythical creatures, you want to see it up close and personal. It's like a car accident. After sitting in traffic for a while you know it’s coming up, and you want to look, even if you have been bitching about people slowing down for an hour and causing more delay.

  “Well, your father is Fae and as you saw, when he gets angry or anxious he emits this blue glow. Usually he can manage it pretty good but sometimes it just comes out and surrounds his essence. It’s their bodies warning system I guess you could call it, I suppose. When he starts shooting light from his hands, best to duck and cover. They can create and manipulate their environment to project and make pretty much any image in their minds. Different Fae have different strengths depending on what their element is the Earth Fae, the Water Fae, the Air Fae, and the Fire Fae. All are different factions of the Tuatha De Danann. Your father, of course, being from the Royal family can control all these within reason." Cecily said

  “Teleporting short distances, creating fairy fire, manipulating water, using the earth’s natural energies to develop and grow matter, all these things that are Fae are in you naturally." Cecily frowned, “I have used all my powers, spell casting mostly, to try to inhibit your Fae tendencies.”

  “You tried to suppress who I am?" I asked. “So let me get this straight. You’ve been lying to me about pretty much everything. Who you are, who I am, and you’ve been casting some magic spells on me my whole life. So that what? I don’t show the world I’m some freak Gypsy-Fae hybrid?"

  “I suppressed your powers because I thought it would be best for you. How could we possibly give you an ordinary life with all of this?" Cecily waved her hand around. “I’m n
ot saying it was right but at least try to understand where we are coming from."

  “I’m trying Mom,” I sighed. “I’m trying, it’s just I don’t get any of this. I get the whole you want me to grow up normal thing and protecting me crap. At the end of the day though I’m sitting here, on the couch, at ten o’clock at night listening to stories about magical and mythical things that until about thirty minutes ago were never even mentioned by either of you, not once but you throw this at me and expect me to accept this? You want me to understand this and try to forgive you, but I’m not sure that I even comprehend any of it right now. I mean what’s next? Unicorns? Dragons?"

  “How about a little demonstration?" my mom asked. Gently she turned my hand over that she had been clutching and slowly peeled off the small bandage on the palm of my finger. The small cut I had gotten yesterday from cutting up chocolate for the ganache frosting was still visible. She muttered a few words and small warmth come over my hand. I watched in disbelief as the skin slowly closed up and disappeared.

  “Holy-Moley,” I breathed. “That little parlor trick would've been handy in the third grade when I fell off the monkey bars and broke my arm."

  “I wanted too unfortunately all these people came rushing over before I could even try to throw a mist,” Cecily said disgruntled

  “What is a mist?" I asked

  “A mist is something we can create to surround us, like fog I guess so that we can hide our gifts or simply vanish from humans. It doesn’t last very long but it works in a pinch,” Cecily said

  “You’ve told me about Dad’s gifts,” I said shaking my head. “But you didn't fully explain yours to me. I mean, you can perform healing magic, are you a witch?"

  Laughing my mom said, “Well I guess you can call me a witch but we Gypsies prefer the term Casters."

  "Ok, Casters, then,” I said. “I guess I’m curious about what other stuff you've done. What spells and magic you had to perform or chant or whatever it is you do"

  My mother sat smiling for a minute before she answered, “Besides healing that you just witnessed, I've done spells to mask our scents, especially yours which is a little richer and deeper. I've cast protective barriers around our house and property every night. As well as our cars, the bakery, your schools growing up, and your friend's houses. I have had to try to cast out your magical energy so it wouldn’t rear its head at an inopportune moment. That was very difficult during the hormone fueled teenage years let me tell you. Every once in a while I also try to do a spell looking for any threats. I let that one lax though, otherwise we would not have been so unprepared tonight. It was utterly stupid and irresponsible of me.”

  “Wow,” I said. “I feel like the biggest idiot in the world or the most narcissistic one. How on earth did I not notice this?”

  “You didn’t notice because we did everything in our power for you not to be aware of these things. Honestly, I’m almost happy. I guess we did our job. We did what we set out to do, and that was to make everything normal and happy for you."

  “Yeah, I guess you did but...” I started, "Wait, you said they found us, what happened tonight? Was it the Rau? What do we do?”

  “Yes, they found us, or they caught our scent,” Cecily answered, “Your Father and I decided to take a quick stroll after dinner. I guess I was caught up in the romance of the night. The wine, the stars, and well you get the point. We were just turning a corner, and both saw them at the same time and sure enough there they were, two of them, about to head into a bar. Their heads quickly snapped up but before they could move your father teleported us all over town. Finally, we got back to the car and drove here as fast as we could."

  “All right so what do we do? Stay in for a few nights? Lie low?" I asked

  “No honey, there's no lying low, they will find us," my mom answered

  “But you said you do spells to mask our scents, how did they catch it?"

  “I don’t know. I usually do them every morning. It must have worn off a bit. Suffice it to say they caught it, and they will not rest until they find us,” my mom let out a snort. “I feel stupid, I can’t believe I didn’t think before we went out, I’m usually very vigilant and cautious. This lapse is unacceptable."

  “You’re not Superwoman or Supercaster Mom.” I said reassuringly. “Everyone makes mistakes and from the sounds of it you've been pretty vigilant for the past several years.”

  “You don’t understand Willa. They will not give up. They will find us. We are a Skye Gypsy Princess and a Faerie Prince. It’s like every holiday rolled up into one for them. But the real prize would be you. You’re a Fae-Gypsy child of both royal families, and a child that is one of a kind. I can’t even imagine what they would do if they found out about you."

  “So we’ll head out of town for a few weeks, Polly can handle the shop…."

  “Oh sweetie, if only that was the solution.” Cecily said, “We need to leave, Willa, permanently.”

  “What? No, we can’t, I can’t. I have a life, business, and friends. I can't just leave.”

  “Willa,” Cecily said. “This is life and death, the bakery, your friends, none of that is more important than your life. Do you hear me Willa? There is nothing on this earth more precious to me or your father than your life.”

  “I second that," my father said as he walked back into the living room. “Over the years we have encountered a few, random stranglers but these two were different, older, more powerful. They probably already called in some human servants to help them find us. They will seek our scents, vague but there, at the restaurant. They will discover our names and from then on they will find where we live. We have perhaps, twenty four, to thirty six hours.”

  I sat there rubbing my forehead with both hands. “But you would ask me to leave everything I know. The bakery Mom, how can you ask this of me? Or tell me to pack up and leave my business? Our business?”

  “I realize what we are asking. I know this is gut wrenching to you, but you must try to understand…"

  “Understand. No, I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of this,” I said dejectedly. “I’m sitting here listening and even seeing this all unfold. It's like I’m watching from across the room. Like this is some out of body experience and before you say listen or I’m sorry or try to understand again, try to understand where I’m coming from. My whole world feels ripped apart. The proverbial rug pulled out from under me. I get it, ok? I totally get you want to protect me, but I think leaving town like a thief in the night is a little too much for me to comprehend at the moment. Furthermore stop treating me like a petulant child. I’m a grown woman not a toddler. While all this is a little confusing, I am fully capable of compartmentalizing all of this.”

  “Willa you're right,” said my dad. “You’re a fully capable adult and I think the best thing right now is just to have you sit and let this all sink in for a while.”

  “I didn’t mean to treat you like a child Willa. That’s not my intention, and I apologize for that.” Cecily had said before she looked up at Cormac, “Were you able to obtain the number?”

  "Yes,” said Cormac, “Winifred is a smart, crafty old witch. I found the numbers hidden on the website pertaining to the elimination of gypsy moths.”

  “Oh, she always knows what she is doing my Mother.” Cecily said chuckling

  “She hides her phone number on obscure websites?" I asked

  “Yes, well, she likes to make sure the information is out there for emergencies. Long lost clan members that are seeking sanctuary, clan members who may have left, but need a way back, even Fae that seek refuge. When I was younger, of course, times were vastly different. Those trying to get in touch with her or to find their way to the Isle had a much harder time. Since the technology revolution, she’s had a much easier time getting it out there. You just need to know where to look." my mom said

  “I’m sure an island in the middle of the English Channel isn’t hard to spot.” I added

  “The island not only has
a protective barrier, it also has an enchanted mist around it. Anyone who may come across it will think it’s just a rocky piece of unusable land,” my mother replied

  "She doesn’t make it easy but then again she isn’t really known to make anything easy,” my father laughed

  "You’re very amusing Cormac,” Cecily admonished. “Wish me luck. This conversation is not going to go smoothly."

  "You’ll be fine,” Cormac said as he offered his hand to help her off the couch.

  "Yeah, tell her I said hey,” I said somewhat sarcastic

  As my mom walked out of the room and went into my dad’s study, I heard the door close and my father sank onto the couch next to me. For a few minutes, we didn’t say anything and I appreciated the silence. There were so many thoughts and questions that were crowding my mind, but I didn’t know where to start. Even though, I had just proclaimed my adult status to my parents I slowly turned over on my side, put my knees up, and curled up under my dad’s arm.