Faire Eve

by Catherine Stovall

  Faya slung out her hands and began to chant ancient words. Tiritchiq opened his mouth, and beyond the gigantic sharp teeth, Eve could see the blue flame building in the base of his throat. At last, she knew what she could do. With barely seconds to act, Eve drew out of herself every inch of power she could. Forming a ball of energy, as she did in the alleyway, she threw it at the dragon’s wounded eye.

  Tiritchiq faltered. Eve shoved Faya as hard as she could towards where Caleb lay. She screamed, “Help him. Get through the gateway. Go!”

  Faya started to argue but neither her friend Eve nor the sweet little half human she knew spoke to her. The midnight voice of the Sidhe queen, who possessed components of the dark no one could understand, demanded. “Run now!”

  Faya ran to Caleb. She shook him but he still lay unconscious. Doing the only thing she could, Faya dumped a powder onto Caleb’s face. Dried huang qi sped the healing process fast enough that Caleb came back to the world, sputtering and swinging. One powerful blow nearly collided with Faya’s head before he realized what was happening. He turned in search of Eve, Eldon, and the massive black dragon, fearing it would be too late.

  He saw the dragon writhing in pain but still attempting to make its way to Eve. She stood on the Altar stone with her ebony and ivory wings flared out in a challenge. The girl’s golden eyes flashed with unrefined power. Eldon lay only feet away. Caleb snatched the bag of huang qi from Faya’s hand and ran to Eldon’s side. The dragon was aware enough of its surrounding to attempt to hit Caleb with his massive tail but the ball of magic had rendered him incapable of hitting his aim. Caleb dodged the blow and skidded to Eldon’s side. He prayed to the Goddess that Eldon still lived. To his relief, his commander and friend’s chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. As Faya did, Caleb poured a liberal portion of the dust onto Eldon’s face. Eldon took a moment longer to recuperate but soon he came up fighting as well.

  Eldon immediately sprang towards Eve and Tiritchiq. He froze halfway between her and the dragon. Eve’s midnight voice echoed in his head like black molasses filled with razor blades, sweet and dangerous. “Go into the portal, warrior.”

  Eldon refused but Eve left no room for argument. Never taking her eyes off the dragon, she demanded once more, “Go into the portal. I will follow. Obey me!”

  No Daoine warrior could dismiss a direct command issued in such a tone. Eldon and Caleb both eased their way around the struggling, snapping dragon. She forced them to go to the gate leading them on to Lil. Faya stood at the edge of the gate, wide-eyed and as forcibly compliant as the others. If they lived, she was going to talk to Eve about the etiquette of yielding such power.

  Eve assumed the command had worked and that her warriors and friend had crossed on to Lil. She went back to concerning herself with the black dragon that was close enough that she could feel her blood turn cold. His one good eyed swiveled to stare into her golden ones. She stood her ground, unafraid. The dragon was healing quickly. The ball of energy had temporarily disabled him but Tiritchiq had nearly recovered.

  His gaping mouth turned up into a twisted grin and blood poured from his damaged eye. “At last, the little changeling shall be mine. Come Eve, choose your side. Death or redemption. Which one tempts you the most?”

  Eve had never spit a day in her life but the urge to do so overtook her and she spat in the dragon’s face. “I will never choose your kind of redemption. I will never bow to you in subservience. I would rather die than be at your side.”

  “Your choice, my dear.” The dragon raised his head and the ice fire exploded from within him.

  Thinking her friends were safe, Eve risked it all. Her powers were not under control. She had no way of knowing if she could produce the power she wanted. If the dragon would be ice, she would be fire. She raised her hands and pictured her magic flowing in a blaze of orange and yellow flames. The fire flew from her in a burst of scorching heat. Her hands and arms burned fiercely but she did not cease her defense.

  Steam rolled from Tiritchiq’s gully and filled the room with a thick haze. Seeing her chance to escape without detection, Eve ran. She sprinted towards the gate with as much speed as she could muster. Colliding with the others, they tumbled into the gateway wrapped in twisting limbs. The portal was barely working. The negative temperatures of the caves had weakened the magic.

  Wounded and drained, the foursome could not help restore the gateway. Still unsure if the fourth portal would lead them to Lil, they fell through the shining mist on the wings of hope. None of them noticed they were not alone. They could not see through the clouded interior to what lurked behind them. The small creature hovered only feet away, nursing its own wounds.

  They could not see him as he shifted into a tiny dragonfly and fluttered to hide in the folds of Faya’s skirts. His scales screamed in agony when he shifted from the dragon to a lesser form. He rode the waves of the portal soaking the magic from around him. Rebuilding what the girl had damaged. She was far more powerful than she should be. She was not a full fey and Tiritchiq knew much older and pure blooded fey who could not summon the magic the girl had spilled everywhere. He felt the pain sear through his entire body. He could not call on the darkness to heal and help him. They would know he was near if he called the shadows to him. He would lay in wait.

  Faya felt a wave of darkness touch her but assumed the magical residue of the fight was to blame. Trying to shake the heavy gray chilling her, she pushed her way out of the portal as soon as the world outside became clear. Lil appeared before them in majestic clarity. The gate to Trig Na nOg stood upon a cliff high above their heads. A beacon of the Sidhe’s rule, it looked down upon the land and its people as if it were a sheppard guarding his sheep. The great marble columns gleamed in the sunlight against a sky of multicolored clouds. The picturesque view astounded Eve. It reminded her of the Brazilian Statue overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro from the peak of the Corcovado Mountain. The gateway seemed to be a reminder to the people that their faith did not go unrewarded.

  The mountainside seemed dangerously rugged and steep. She could detect no roads leading up to the gateway. Not even a crude set of stairs stood anywhere in sight.

  “How do we get there?” Eve felt as if she were always questioning her fellow travelers as if she were a lost tourist.

  Caleb grinned and his eyes twinkled with the mischief Eve fully associated with him. It no longer bothered her as it had before. Caleb was being Caleb.

  Eldon grinned broadly and he chuckled as he answered, “We are going to fly.”

  Eve suddenly became nervous but Faya went hysterical. “Fly? Fly? How the hell am I supposed to fly? Remember I’m a witch not a fairy. I can’t sprout wings! I’m not flying. Surely, we can find another way.”

  Caleb threw his arm around the distraught girl’s shoulders, “I guess you will be riding with me then, honey.”

  Faya elbowed him sharply in the ribs. “No, no I won’t. You are an ass and you will drop me.”

  Caleb’s grin turned mean and he rubbed his ribs, “Only once or twice.”

  Eve stepped in before a battle could ensue. “Okay, I can’t fly. I don’t really know how. I trust Caleb to help me. Faya can you trust Eldon to carry you?”

  Eldon’s mouth fell to the ground. He had been looking forward to coaxing Eve through the sky and into the gate. He wanted to hold her hand and be near her when she saw Trig Na nOg for the first time. His disappointment almost led him to argue but his duty made him bite down on the bitterness.

  Faya stood stammering. She could not think of any other excuses. She would not dare insult Eldon by saying she didn’t trust him. She could not stay below either. She could see it on Eldon’s face that he wanted to be the one to fly through the gate with Eve. Their love was building quickly and two of them should share such a special moment. With a sigh, she fell to the grassy ground and shrugged.

  “I guess I will allow Caleb to assist me through the gate but only if you swear to kill him if he even pretends to drop me, E
ldon.”

  He could tell by the deadly look in her eyes that Faya was serious. Inclining himself in a submissive and respectful bow, Eldon agreed to her terms and promised a horribly painful death if his best friend and second dared to frighten her.

  They rested on the sloping hill. Eldon and Caleb’s wounds from the battle were both superficial and the huang qi had helped considerably. Eve had received no physical blows but seemed drained and wan. The magic she had yielded sapped her mental and physical strength. Faya busied herself preparing a meal of bread and cheeses left from their journey through Zeal. The meager food was not much but it would help revive them some.

  Using her own powers, Faya quickly built a tiny fire and boiled one of her famous herbal teas in a small kettle over the flames. Caleb produced three small tin cups from his pack and the they ate and drank in silence. Tiritchiq had nearly killed them all in the unexpected attack and none of them wanted to discuss the experience. It was frightening to know that they had almost lost so much in one fight.

  Eve finished her meal and stood. She walked away from the others. The air and sun in Lil rejuvenated her after being in the closed dark space of the cave. Something felt wrong within their small group. As if a part of the dragon’s cruelty and evil had attached itself to them before they crossed. Eve could not pinpoint the dark distraction, but she knew it clung to them like a parasite.

  The others finished up and stood watching their young heiress walk through the tall grass and wild flowers stretching as far as the eye could see. Eve felt their eyes on her. She knew they awaited their queen and not the frightened teenage girl. The secret voice finally came. It whispered to her, insisting she had more than proved her right to sit upon the throne of Trig Na nOg. Embrace your magic and your blood. Make them one with your body and you shall be ready Eve.

  Eve turned her back to the gateway on the mountain and smiled at the others. The radiance of the magic flowing within her shined in her eyes and her entire body seemed alight with exquisite and illuminating knowledge. A final transformation seemed to take place. Her metaphysical self shifted and swirled. She looked as if she were a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Layers of humanity peeled away like dead skin and fell from her body as her ebony and ivory wings freed themselves.

  Eldon cautiously moved closer, waiting to see if he should approach her. If she cried out in pain or fear, he would go to her, but if it were the final stage of her Sidhe blood over taking the human, he would wait. She seemed to be in a trance and in no real danger but after the events of the last few days, he was ever ready to stand between her and any threat.

  When the last vestiges of the human girl fell away, the queen of Sidhe stood before him. The group stood and fisted their hands over their hearts in a formal bow. Eve did the same to show her gratitude for those who had carried her unknowingly through the darkness. Even her walk changed to a light-footed half-floating step as she made her way back to them.

  She reached for the hands of Eldon and Caleb, who in return grasped Faya’s hands. They stood together, two warriors, a witch, and a fairy queen. She whispered words from a language long forgotten but known in the hearts of all fey people. “Deixar vento exagerar nos deusa”. The others echoed her, not one of them knowing they asked an ancient blessing. Let the winds carry us to the Goddess.

  Caleb stood behind Faya and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Lowering his mouth to her ear, he asked if she was ready. His words sent shivers down her spine that were hard to suppress. She shot back with a snide remark about plucking his wings off if he so much as harmed one hair on her head.

  Eldon took Eve’s hand and prepared to instruct her. To his surprise, she was the first to leap into the air and allow the winds to catch her wings. The feeling was not one she could ever describe to anyone in words. The elation and fear surged through her as she moved her wings to gain height. Suddenly, she felt freer than she had in her entire life. The world below was majestic and quiet. The skies welcomed her home.

  Eldon’s copper wings came into view. He appeared beside her, taking his hand in hers. She grinned madly and faltered. New to her wings, she fluttered wildly to regain her position. Eve’s heart pounded and she laughed with pure delight. Eldon laughed as well. Faya, on the other hand, screamed obscenities as Caleb dipped and swirled with her in his arms.

  It would have been wonderful to stay in the air and forget the troubles waiting for them in Trig Na nOg but duty propelled them to their destiny. They flew in single file through the gateway with Eldon in the lead, as always. The light nearly blinded her and then faded into a deep purple. She could feel the promise of home nearing. At first, a welcoming sense of familiarity filled her. The darkness edged in and suddenly she was careening to somewhere sinister and foreboding

  The sky over Evalon cracked and a bolt of lightning scorched across the sky. Thunder rumbled the ground and the armies waiting for battle felt the electric charge in their veins. No one knew where she had landed but they felt the Sidhe queen’s entrance in to Trig Na nOg. At last, she had arrived and with her, came the darkness.

  Vandel cringed. He felt the oncoming disaster all the way to his bones. His fear heightened as he saw that Eve’s dark side was immense enough to disturb the forever twilight skies of Trig Na nOg with a bolt of light. The others didn’t seem to understand the innate sense of wrongness flowing from the girl who would be their last hope.

  Tiritchiq trembled as they passed into the heart of Evalon. The last time he had entered the territory he had faced his punishment for tricking the Earthly Immortals. He could taste the bittersweet revenge on his tongue. Soon they would all pay. Clarisse would lose her darling daughter, Bibesia and Edesia’s power would be his, and they all would die. Anyone who stood against him would perish, trapped within a block of ice. He would feed from their souls until they withered in to petrified waste.

  Eve landed roughly, skidding into Eldon before she could stop. The impact didn’t budge the stout warrior, but left her seeing stars. Caleb and Faya landed softly behind them. Faya still cursed despite trying to hide the small smile of pleasure at the corner of her mouth. The thrill of the flight was over. The tainted aura surrounding the center of Evalon like a death shroud destroyed the satisfaction of bringing Eve to Trig Na nOg safely.

  22

  Beneath the purple haze of Trig Na nOg’s skies, two armies stood on the high ground in the rear of the great fortress. Between them lay only a shallow valley and a moment stretched in time in which they waited for the appearance of whatever called them forth. The evenly matched forces were not what one would imagine. The species did not matter. The warriors of the war chose their side by the vision fate fed into their minds. Both sides were a medley of fey creatures. Not so different from the human war that had torn half of America apart, the fairy war divided clan and kin to opposite sides of a thin line.

  The tension in the air was as tight as a rubber band stretched too thin. One wrong vibration could send them catapulting towards each other on a collision course with death. There was talk about charging forward and not waiting for a signal. The older more experienced held them back. The war was one of destiny. One did not challenge fate by taking matters into their own hands.

  They waited impatiently, charged with the promise of the fight. Each side believed they were right and that they would be the victor. The vision showed those who fought to save the Sidhe, the results of their failure and those who fought for Tiritchiq saw their fate if Eve took control over Evalon. Neither side could live with the consequences of failure. They spoke of little else in the moments before a loud crack of lightning burst through the world and thunder shook the ground beneath their feet.

  Tiritchiq wasted no time. He flew unseen from the skirts of the witch and headed for Abnoba’s forest. He had left plenty of juicy little imps and their queen on ice in the forest. His troops stood and the oncoming battle only awaited his presence. He must feed on the magic of the captured before he could retake his dragon form. The
darkness would ask much for its assistance in ending all of Evalon and he needed the strength that he would obtain from his victims.

  They escorted Eve without hesitation to Corrigan’s chambers. The fairy woman stood in the middle of a large room furnished with a simple wooden desk, a fireplace, and walls lined with thousands of books. Her long, platinum hair hung freely around her thin shoulders. Her pure ivory colored wings lay folded against her back so that only touches of the magenta trimming peeked through here and there.

  When Eve entered, Corrigan bowed in the traditional manner and embraced the girl in a motherly hug. “It is a blessing to meet you Faire Eve. Beltane is upon us and there is much trouble here in Trig Na nOg. There is no time for official ceremony and such. The others wait for us in the throne room. You must sit upon the throne of Trig Na nOg before the hour of Beltane begins and before the armies decide to advance.”

  Eve’s stomach flipped but she spoke as well as she could, “I hope I will let none of you down.”

  Eldon wrapped his arms around her, “You will not my Faire Eve, you will not.”

  The throne room stood at the very top of the castle’s western tower. The walk was long and the silence nearly painful. Eve knew she should spend the time in reflection but she was too unsure of herself to look deep inside. She prayed for her secret voice. but it too seemed to have taken a vow of silence.

  While Eve walked toward her final stop on a long and exhausting journey, Tiritchiq landed in the forest of Abnoba. The imps were a small people but their magic was vast. He gorged himself on spirits until he grew and bloated. His green clammy skin hardened and turned to blackened scales. His body elongated and his teeth grew as large as boulders and sharper than the finest blade.