FAE

by Heather McAlendin

  “No!” He said angrily and backed away from her. Fae seemed to glow with light and supernatural beauty. She held out her hand to

  him and smiled.

  “Please Gordon, forgive me. I did not mean to lose my temper. I was foolish.”

  Anger burned bright within Gordon's chest. It wiped away any attraction he

  briefly felt for this creature.

  “Foolish? Murder is foolish? You can into my life without warning or desire and

  you have turned everything upside down. I even questioned my own sanity! Faeries?

  Childhood stories have become my biggest nightmare!”

  The flickering glow around Fae suddenly became blindingly bright. Gordon tried

  to shield his eyes but the force of the outburst knocked him against the basement wall.

  “Enough questions! I make myself available to you for whatever you desire and

  you constantly vex me!” “Do you not realize how fortunate you are? I am not just ANY

  faerie Mr. Parks. I am THE Faerie Princess!”

  Fae circled Gordon as he sat huddled on the floor with one arm over his eyes. Her

  eyes glowed ruby red and her tiny mouth was drawn back in a grimace. Finally, Gordon

  raised his arm and stood up, staring Fae square in the face. “I know all about you Princess.” Gordon spat. “I know where you come from and

  how you came to be! I will NOT help you and I want you gone!”

  Stunned, all fire left Fae and she took on the appearance of a scared, timid young

  girl. “How could you hurt me Gordon? If you truly know me then you know I am part

  human. How can you deny me help?”

  “You don't want help Fae. You are selfish and demanding and for the first time

  you have come across a human man who will not be seduced.”

  Suddenly, Fae took on the shape of large owl and flew up the stairs and out the

  back door, screeching as she went. Gordon stood motionless and wondering if he had

  actually witnessed her change form.

  “Where are you?” He yelled.

  Silence.

  With determination, he dragged the heavy chest across the floor and searched for

  something to pry the brass lock open. After a few strikes with a hammer, the lock came

  loose and fell to the dusty, basement floor. Dropping to his knees, Gordon quickly opened the chest and pulled out the items

  within. Many were small, personal effects such as sea shells, ribbon and a few mouldy

  paperback books. At the bottom of the chest lay a rectangular box wrapped in plastic.

  With shaking hands, Gordon carefully removed the brittle plastic to reveal a

  thick, leather bound book with yellowing pages.

  “Please let this be it. Mrs. Quinn I need your help.” Gordon's voice was calm and

  reverent as if in prayer. He closed his eyes for a moment then opened the book to the

  first page. A slight musty smell permeated his nostrils as he scanned the first few pages.

  The hand writing was elegant and had obviously been written with a fountain pen. It

  seemed to be a diary.

  The first one hundred pages or so were personal accounts of stories about family,

  weddings and birthdays in Ireland. It was the last twenty pages or so that excited Gordon

  the most. As soon as he saw Fae's name written on the yellowed pages, Gordon's heart

  began to pound.

  Mrs. Quinn's detailed account of discovering the Faerie Princess in her garden so

  many years earlier was the final confirmation for Gordon that he had not taken leave of

  his senses. He decided he would call Fiona the next day so she could translate some of

  the Gaelic phrasing. At that very moment he heard his telephone ringing upstairs.

  “What the hell? It's one o’clock in the morning?”

  Concerned it may be Marie about the children or her husband, Gordon clutched

  Mrs. Quinn's book tightly in his hand and rushed back up the stairs to answer the phone.

  “Hello?” Gordon's voice was heavy and breathy from his dash up the basement

  stairs.

  A terrified female voice screamed into Gordon's ear on the other end of the

  phone.”She's taken her! She's gone!!!”

  “Fiona?” Panic set in as he heard Fiona's voice on the phone.

  “Took who? What's wrong?”

  Gordon heard a sharp intake of breath and then a long sigh.

  “That damn Faerie took my wee child. She's gone Gord. Ling Mae is gone!”

  Gordon almost dropped the phone as he tried to comprehend what Fiona had said

  to him. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and his chest grew tight with fear. “Oh God Fiona, I am so sorry this is my fault! I forced her to leave. If I had just

  played along with her game.” “Fiona, I found a diary. Mrs. Quinn left some information

  about Fae but a lot of it is in Gaelic.”

  In a scarily calm and quiet voice, Fiona spoke into the phone receiver. “Bring it

  here Gord. I want to read it and send that creature back to where she came from.”

  “I'll come as fast as I can Fiona. I am so sorry.”

  Gordon listened as Fiona hung up the other end of the phone. He was distraught

  and fearful that he had endangered her child. That fear slowly turned to anger as he

  placed the book in a bag and headed out toward his Jeep.

  “If you have hurt that child Fae I will make you regret it.” Gordon promised as he

  sped back toward Fiona's home. Even the coming dawn could not cool his anger. For

  once in his life Gordon Parks did not second guess himself or what he wanted and

  needed to do. For once, Gordon was being led by instinct and pure animal emotion and

  it felt good to him as the adrenaline surged through his veins. CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Fiona paced back and forth across her kitchen floor, her red hair streaming behind

  her. Her face was mottled from crying and rage.

  “How dare you! You silly little faerie, how dare you invade my home and take

  my child! I will follow you into the depths of hell to get Ling Mae back. You have

  messed with the wrong human!”

  Fiona's tears and words went unheeded and the silence around her without her

  daughter was deafening. The only comfort was knowing that Gordon was on his way

  and together they would find a way to make Fae pay.

  “Poor Gord, first his pet and now this,” she whispered.

  “I think that you are suffering more than I ever will Fiona. I am so sorry.”

  Fiona turned to see Gordon standing in the doorway, his face filled with

  compassion and concern. She rushed over and without a moment’s hesitation and buried

  her face in his chest.

  Gordon stood frozen as he stared down at the top of head. Slowly, as she wept, he

  wrapped one arm and then the other around her shoulders and drew her as close as he

  could to him. They stood like that for a few moments before Fiona broke away and pointed at

  the bag Gordon held in the crook of his arm. Without a word, Gordon handed her the

  bag and followed Fiona into her living room. Now was not the time for personal feelings

  or intimacies. They had to find Ling Mae and somehow get rid of Fae for good.

  “Can...can you read it?” Gordon asked quietly as Fiona stared intently at the

  pages.

  Fiona nodded without looking up, her green eyes flashing at each and every hand

  written page. “Bloody hell!” She exclaimed.

  “What is it Fiona? What did you find?” Gordon asked.

  Shaking her head, Fiona ran a finger down the centre of one of the pages. “I

  should have known all this Go
rd. I should have expected it!”

  Gordon walked over and sat next to Fiona. “Please tell me what you've found

  Fiona.” He whispered gently and waited for a response.

  “Your Mrs. Quinn met Fae as a child; it seems she got to know her rather well. At

  first it was a sweet “make believe” relationship between a child and what her parents

  thought was a wee imaginary friend.”

  “Okay, I can understand that but when did she know that Fae was real?” Fiona swallowed, opened her eyes and looked Gordon square in the face. “Fae

  took all of her dollies and destroyed them.”

  Shaking his head, Gordon could once again feel the anger swell within his chest.

  “How devastating that would be for a young girl. The gall of this creature!”

  “Her parents blamed her for it. She was severely punished while Fae stayed in the

  shadows and laughed at her.”

  “Shock, misery and sadness is all Fae seems to be capable of. What a legacy!”

  Gordon exclaimed as he made his way toward the living room window. Dawn had

  broken and the sky was blazing red and orange. The normally exhilarating start to the

  new day did nothing to lighten the mood for Gordon.

  Turning back toward Fiona, he watched as she curled up into a ball on the floor,

  mourning the loss of her child. He walked to her and gently lay beside her, wrapping his

  arms around her, where they both fell into an exhausted sleep. CHAPTER TWELVE

  It was Fiona that woke first, her body aching and sore from the few hours spent

  sleeping on the living-room rug. She turned to find Gordon curled up at her back; she

  smiled sadly and touched his stubbly cheek.

  “Most men would run, you are stronger than I think even you give yourself credit

  for.” She whispered.

  Standing up, she shook off any kinks in her arms and shoulders; Fiona then took a

  deep breath and walked into the kitchen. “I feel you wee one. Your Ma will find you and

  bring you back home!”

  In a failed attempt to boost her spirits, Fiona felt the tears once again well in her

  eyes, she distracted herself by making a pot of tea and a plate of toast and waited for

  Gordon to wake up.

  The house was so quiet without Ling Mae and Fiona knew her heart would never

  be whole until she found her beloved daughter.

  “Morning.”

  Gordon has been standing the kitchen doorway and watched as Fiona tried to

  compose herself and get the day started, He marvelled at her strength. “Did you get any rest?” he asked a he noted her red, swollen eyes and face.

  “More out of exhaustion than anything else, thank you for staying. I think we will

  be better served together than alone against Fae!”

  Nodding in agreement, Gordon sat at the kitchen table and poured both he and

  Fiona a cup of tea. He wasn't the least bit hungry but he needed restoration to get on

  with the task at hand.

  “Have you managed to uncover any more secrets in Mrs. Quinn's diary?”

  Fiona smiled weakly and sat across from Gordon, the diary in hand.

  “I believe so, but it is going to be a bit more complicated than I thought. Fae will

  not go quietly; Mrs. Quinn thought she was rid of her once. We know now that Fae

  somehow summoned the strength to return.” “Faerie magic is strong Gordon, we have to

  be prepared.” CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Fae sat amongst the Heather and stared at the sleeping, tiny human she had

  bundle in warm, colourful rags.

  “I am sharing my pretty things with you human. I hope you appreciate it more

  than Gordon. He doesn’t appreciate anything in his life, especially me. Why doesn't he

  understand what I could do for him? Now he'll understand won't he? Who says I can't

  have a child of my own? It is just lucky your Ma didn't corrupt your soul with all that

  human religious nonsense. You are still clean and unbaptized, I can imprint what I like. I

  have so much to teach you little one. You will love your new Ma now won't you?”

  Singing an ancient song, Fae hummed and whispered into Ling Mae's tiny ear

  until the babe awoke. With a small flick of her wrist, Fae spread a thin layer of faerie

  dust over the child and she began to float effortlessly off the ground.

  “Why carry you when I can have you follow me around? Isn’t this fun little

  baby?”

  Ling Mae floated along behind Fae for a few feet before she began to wail.

  Startled, Fae stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the screaming child. Almost

  simultaneously, Ling Mae began to flutter dangerously close to the ground before Fae

  grabbed her by the edge of the blanket and almost crushed her to her chest. “Oh hush now, it’s not that bad!””How does your Ma stand all the noise?”

  Fae walked around the flowering trees and bushes trying to calm the still

  screaming child. Getting impatient, Fae dangled the sobbing child in front of her and

  shouted. “Stop the noise! What is wrong with you?”

  “Perhaps the child is hungry. Have you never been around a child before fair

  one?”

  Startled, Fae turned to see Bronwyn, a faerie “Prince” from a glen not too far

  from her own faerie home. He was lean, with long, thin fingers, turned up ears and dark

  curly hair. His eyes were shiny and full of life and the colour of slate. In any world,

  human or fey he would have been deemed attractive by most females.

  “Where did you come from?” Fae asked with a sour tone to her voice. “I can take

  care of my babe alone!”

  Bronwym chuckled and shook his head. “I know about you Fae and I know that

  babe cannot be your own. I am not here to judge just to help if I can. I have been

  watching you from behind the Heather for awhile now.”

  Sniffing, Fae walked over the faerie and pushed Mae Ling toward him. “Here

  then, you take her if you know so much. You quiet the child. Her noise is hurting my

  ears.” Wrapping the child in his long arms, Bronwyn cooed quietly to Mae Ling and

  rocked her. “You have lovely ears my dear one.’ He said as he glanced up from the baby

  to watch Fae pace back and forth.

  “What do you know about anything?” Fae snapped as she wrung her hands,

  trying to think of what to do next. “They should have come by now! Don’t they want

  her?”

  Sitting crossed legged on the cool grass, Bronwyn laid the baby across his lap and

  rummaged around in the bag he wore at his hip. Finally, he pulled out a bottle of

  formula and inserted the nipple into the hungry child’s mouth. Ling Mae contently

  suckled as Bronwyn fed her.

  Fae stood in wonder as she watched Ling Mae gurgled and swallow the milky

  substance. “What is that?”

  Laughing, Bronwyn again shook his head and raised an eyebrow as he answered.

  “Princess have you not lived long enough to see a baby suckle from its mother? As I am

  not a mother, this is the next best thing. I have been around enough human females and

  faeries to know..”

  “Yes I am sure you have!” Fae cut him short. Angry that she had not thought of

  the baby formula first she waved a hand and set a flowering bush alight with flame. “Fae!” Brwonwyn shouted. “That is enough! You will frighten the poor child.

  Control yourself!”

  Seemingly oblivious to the danger she was causing, Fae continued to flap her

  arms and fan the flames. She suddenly fle
w off in the opposite direction as Bronwyn

  was left to care for the baby on his own.

  “Insolent child,” he muttered. “Beautiful and so full of life but bitter nonetheless.

  Someone needs to control her before she destroys herself and everyone around her.”

  Staring in the direction of the fire, Bronwyn mutter a few words under his breath

  and the flames ceased. In its place suddenly sprang a more glorious flowering bush than

  had grown there before. The scent of honeysuckled filled the air.

  “Much better, now my wee one, we must find your home. I am sure your Ma

  must be beside herself. Fae will never learn. I must have a word with her mother, Queen

  Maeve.”

  Ling Mae let the nipple drop from her lips and snuggled closer into Bronwyn’s

  chest. She was full and warm and felt no fear from this male faerie.

  Bronwyn lovingly caressed the top of the baby’s head and sighed. “One day I will

  have my own child. I can only hope she will be as precious as you little human. I know I

  can be a wonderful Da.” Looking up into the direction that Fae had flown away, Bronwyn saw nothing but

  clear, blue sky. Secure that, for the moment Fae had gone, he twirled around with Ling

  Mae tight in his arms and disappeared in a cloud of glittering dust.

  In less time than it took to blink, Bronwyn found himself standing in front of the

  ivy gates leading to Queen Maeve’s courtyard.

  Everyone in the courtyard was dressed in fine gossamer. Both male and female

  faeries stood stunned as they watched Bronwyn walk toward the Queen’s castle with a

  human baby in his arms.

  The grass beneath Bronwyn’s feet was as lush as velvet with Heather and tea

  roses growing in every corner of the grand courtyard. Butterflies and robins flew high is

  the sky watching as Bronwyn drew nearer to the castle. An assortment of fruit trees

  dotted the landscape. It seemed as if this place were the new Eden.

  A faerie guard stood just outside the golden entrance way. “You will have to be

  announced Prince Bronwyn. Your visit was not expected” Suddenly, the guard stopped

  and sniffed the air. “What is that smell? It seems almost human!”

  Still holding the child close to his chest, Bronwyn clenched his jaw and frowned.

  “Let the Queen know I am here. This is urgent business. It has to do with her daughter.”

  “Which one? I have many daughters Prince Bronwyn.” The guard bowed low and backed away as Queen Maeve made her way down the