by Brynn Myers
My eyes went wide. What the hell was that? How did she know that? I never said a word.
The woman’s voice changed and she began to mimic my own. “I'm currently living in the space between lost and happy. It sounds odd I know, but it's truthful. I don't want to be in this limbo, but I am. The question is, how do I get back to happy?”
Oliver grabbed my hand and squeezed it will all his might. “Do not fall for it. It’s a trick. The seer can only read echoes of your thoughts. Think of something happy or memorable, anything, and it will distract her.”
Lithia’s snarl became a grin. “This I can use.”
“You will use nothing. I’m not falling for your shit,” I snapped.
Lithia’s laugh became a cackle as she gripped the chains binding the old woman and yanked them to her. “Find out more or I will use your daughter instead of you as my puppet.”
The woman shook with fear. “But that is all I can see. The magic imbued around the girl makes it impossible to view anything more. Even if I held her hand, I would be blocked from her entire thoughts.”
Lithia snarled and pushed the woman to the ground. “Useless.”
The warden, who had been standing to the side of Lithia, kicked the old woman and called for two of the freaky acrobats to remove her from their sight. The poor lady moaned in pain and cried out loud when one of them bit her on the wrist. Guess I now know what the clowns meant when they said they’d only needed a sip. Eeww.
An electrical surge filled the air and Oliver’s faced dropped.
“What is that?” I whispered.
“Your demise,” the warden answered.
Lightening crackled in the sky above, just as the ground beneath our feet began to shake. Oliver and I were still holding hands, and I wasted no time. I tugged Oliver and took off running. I had no idea where I was headed, but at the moment, all I wanted was for Oliver and me to be as far away from Lithia and the warden as possible.
We ran, but it wasn’t fast enough. Out of the sky a funnel cloud formed and appeared to follow us. If we zigged, so did it. It was as if it were honed in on us. The noise from the growing tornado was eerie. I’d always heard they sounded like freight trains, but now that I was experiencing one first hand, it was bone chilling. Like the train was the size of Texas, and it was barreling down on Oliver and I with a vengeance.
“WE NEED TO SPLIT UP!” I screamed at Oliver. “GO THAT WAY!”
He screamed back. “NO! WE CANNOT LOSE ONE ANOTHER.”
The funnel cloud made the choice for us. One second we were a few feet from each other, and the next, I lost him in the whirlwind. The air went from cool to freezing in an instant. My teeth were chattering, and I was floating in the center of the cone. For a moment it was quiet, but as I was tossed around, the sound became deafening. Debris was flying around me, cutting my skin and my clothes. I tried to focus my thoughts, but I’d lost the ability to think logically. I was falling…again.
When I was tossed from the tornado, I landed in a snow drift that thankfully softened my fall. It took me a few moments to gather my wits, but when I was able, I realized I had to be in the one place Oliver told me not to go––Hiems. Well, crap.
Chapter Thirteen
It was so cold, my lungs were struggling to catch a breath. I rubbed my arms, hoping to warm myself, but there was no way with the clothes I was wearing I would be able to get warm. I needed to find shelter and soon. Darkness was settling in, and in just a short while I would be blind to my surroundings. The trees almost seemed to disappear against the skyline. There was nothing around for as far as the eye could see.
A light began to glow underneath the shirt I was wearing and extended outwards. The ombre shades of pink were glowing against the glittery snow, illuminating all the white. Pink. The twin queens must’ve been watching over me and sending me a sign that I wasn’t lost. But wasn’t I? How are you going to get out of this, Novaleigh?
“Fear”
“Not”
“Novaleigh.”
“We”
“Are”
“Sending”
“Someone”
“To”
“Help”
“You.”
I looked around and saw no one but knew by the broken sing-songy voices that it was them. How were they talking to me?
“We”
“are”
“with”
“you”
“always,”
“child.”
A pitter-patter sound was coming up behind me, and I turned sharply to see what or who it was. There, coming at a steady pace, were several rabbits, but not just rabbits, rabbits with small elven fairies upon their backs. They were riding them as if they were horses.
“Hello, miss. We are here to show you the way. Come with us,” one of them said excitedly.
I moved to stand, but fell immediately. Something must’ve happened to my ankle in all the ruckus, because the moment I put weight on it, it gave way.
I screamed out in pain and the fairies dismounted to run to my aide. “Where does it hurt?”
“Here,” I cried.
The fairies ran down to my ankle and began working, doing what, I don’t know, but within moments I went from mind numbing pain to something far more bearable.
“Better?”
I nodded.
“We need to get you to the hideaway before the sun completely sets, otherwise we are all in extreme danger. Can you try and follow us now? It is not far.”
I nodded again. As I started to move, Oliver came running out of the tree line. Oh, thank God. He ran so fast that he was next to us in an instant. He was holding something in his hand and when he was standing close enough to touch me, he barked orders at the fairies who worked quickly to do as he asked. They mounted their rabbits, lined up and began to encircle us. They had in effect, created a barrier between us and the rest of “The White” as Oliver called it.
“Now,” he yelled at the same time he tossed the contents of his hand into the air.
The fairies each shot an arrow into the cloud of leaves and powder Oliver had just hurled upwards. Sparks flew and ember flames began to surround us.
“This only works once and will wear off eventually, but by then, we will be well on our way to Hortus. For now though, Lithia and the warden are close, and I need you to follow my friends to their hidden home, and I will find you later, okay?”
“What about you, Oliver?”
“I can remain hidden. You are harder to hide. Now please stop questioning me and go,” he snapped.
“Fine,” I breathed.
I lost track of all the events that happened next, but from what I can remember, one minute I was sitting in the snow and the next minute, a tree was growing up out of the ground, rising until it almost reached the sky. Near the top were houses built right into the trunk of the massive tree. These “tree houses” were different from the ones in Cadent. Their homes there were built into the bases of the trees, yet these were high up. I wondered why. I also wondered how I was going to fit considering I was a human and not six inches tall.
“Um, excuse me,” I asked a mahogany skinned woman carrying a basket full of bright red apples. “I’m looking for the fairies that were riding the rabbits.
She shrugged and went on about her way.
“Please wait! I’m going to crush this place, and I don’t want to hurt you all.”
“Miss,” a voice behind me spoke. “Why are you troubled?”
“I–I’m scared that I am too big to be here in your home.”
“Why?”
My eyes went wide. “Look at me.”
The elven fairy gave me a blank stare. “You look fine. Are you feeling ill?”
I was flabbergasted. “I’m huge, that’s why!”
He still just stood there, staring at me blankly. “I’m afraid not, miss. You are the same as all of us.”
“I’m not…wait, what?”
I looked down, and I was indee
d not my normal size. I was the same height as the fairy before me. I shook my head in shock.
“Um...did I shrink?”
He smiled wide. “Yes, when we lit the spark. Oliver used his magic to change you.”
I thought back to what Oliver had said in that moment. “This only works once and will wear off eventually, but by then we will be well on our way to Hortus. For now though, Lithia and the warden are close, and I need you to follow my friends to their hidden home...”
“So I’m not going to stay this size then?”
He laughed. “No, miss, you are not.”
I blew out a puff of air, grateful for that. “I’m Novaleigh, by the way. And you are?”
“Neesweth,” he beamed. “If you follow me I can take you to a more comfortable place. The main thoroughfare will be cluttered soon with everyone readying for the night shift.”
“Oh. Okay,” I replied as I followed Neesweth.
This place was so high up in the massive trees, it was like a rural fairy village suspended in the clouds. There were barns, stables, and livestock, along with all kinds of animals and gardens, as well as pathways and fences. And it was all small, well, would be small if I was regular size.
“Oh, miss. Please let me have the crystal you were using to illuminate The White. I shall need to charge it with the light of the moon, so if you ever need it again, it will be ready.”
I put my hand around the cord holding the necklace and pulled it over my head. “Thank you. I didn’t know it could do that.”
“Ah yes, your queens’ magic is vast and powerful.”
“Oh, they are not my queens.”
He chuckled again. “Of course they are. Why else would they risk so much to save you?”
I reached for his shoulder, halting him. “Risk? What did they risk?”
He stopped and stared at me curiously before speaking again. “The White is not for our kind to live in. We may hunt and forage during the day but when darkness begins to fall, we must be safely returned to our homes. Those are the rules.”
I gulped. “May I ask you why?”
His eyes widened. “Oh, we dare not name it.”
“Name what? And why?”
“For fear that naming it will call it to us.”
“Aren’t you hidden up here?”
“Yes, but their hearing is perfect and,” Neesweth paused. “No, I cannot.”
“Well, how can I know that I won’t encounter whatever this is if you don’t tell me what it is?”
Neesweth stepped close, very close and whispered hurriedly. “Lunatishee.”
“The Lunatishee? I know them. They are what Oliver and Mabellio warned me about in Cadent. They’re connected to Lithia, right?” Panic set in. I’d never actually seen one, but I’d never forget the sound of their shrill cries.
“Shhhh, never say their names. Oh dear, oh dear,” he cried as he paced back and forth rapidly.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I will never speak their names again.”
“The creature I named, they are many and they are bound to the will of the other name you will never speak of again. They are all beasts who roam the woods in search of food. They despise your kind the most, and you must avoid them at all costs, miss.”
“Okay, I promise.”
Neesweth shivered. “They’re a dark green, almost black, and they’re covered in thorny spikes that are poisonous to anyone who comes in contact with them,” he said as he looked me straight in the eye, “but you will not encounter them because we are hidden from their view. Now enough of all this chatter. We dine when the moon is highest in the sky. Meet us in the dining hall, and I beg of you, do not mention this conversation to anyone. It could be our demise.” He gave a clipped nod and began walking again.
“I understand.”
He stopped abruptly in front of a glass door. “Here you go. This will be yours while you are with us.”
I peeked through that glass and made a mental note not to stand near it once inside. “It is lovely.
“See you at dinner, Miss Novaleigh,” he said with a slight bow.
I closed the door behind me and walked into the spacious room. It was not as I expected. This home was not made of wood, but grey stone. Dark mortar and olive colored moss filled in the spaces between the brick, giving it an eerie feel. This home was colder than the one I stayed in Cadent, but then again, we were high in the sky above The White. Maybe they needed the stone to provide them warmth. A fire was lit in the fireplace, not roaring, but it was enough to take the chill out of the air. As I took stock of the rest of the room, I was struck by the sharp contrast of the cold stone to the white wisteria hung in strands above the bed in the center of the circular space. It was beautiful and elegant and looked as if it belonged in a fairytale. You’re dreaming. You have been since you got here. Do not forget that or you truly will be lost, I reminded myself.
I laid down on the bed and sunk into the cloudy center. It wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep and was heading towards yet another dreamland.
Chapter Fourteen
I woke to the floor rumbling beneath me and the glass door rattling in its frame. I tried to steady myself, but the bed started sliding from one side of the room to the other. What was happening? I didn’t have time to think about that, because on one of the passes of the bed, it managed to bump into the wall with the lit fireplace. In an instant, flames shot up and the bed covering became engulfed. I jumped off the bed and tried to put the fire out, but it had gotten too big and there was no stopping it. All I could do was run out the front door and onto the path, but here in the open, it was far worse.
Everywhere I looked there were fairies screaming and running around, grabbing their children and/or animals. No one knew what to do. It was total chaos. Another quake and the tree dipped to the left, cracking and splitting in two. Everyone was trying to grab something to hold onto, but it was no use. The tree was coming down. My heart was breaking as I watched the elven fairies lose their footing and fall into the darkness. Their hidden village was being destroyed, and they were being destroyed with it. I managed to find a branch to hang on to as we continued to descend. The lower we got, the easier it was to see who was terrorizing these poor fairies.
As balls of flames from the tree whizzed by, I caught glimpses of what could only be described as dark shadowy giants. Giants with large spikes running along their backs and trailing down to their long tails. Oh shit, the Lunatishee. I stared in disbelief. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as they slashed at the tree bark with their enormous claws. They were huge hulking creatures.
I held on and closed my eyes, willing myself to wake up from this terrifying dream. Neesweth and all of his family were perishing before my eyes. I never wanted to wake up more than I did in this very moment.
The Lunatishee had done all the damage they could do to the tree and began targeting the elven fairies who were just trying to save themselves. I braced myself when I saw white. I knew then that the tree was about to finally hit the ground. Many voices continued to scream while others became silent. The large pile of fresh snow blanketed my fall and I sunk into its cold softness. I tried not to move. One of the Lunatishee was standing no more than three feet away, and I quickly realized they weren’t giants at all, really. Had I been my usual size, I would be taller than them, but since I’m still only six inches at the moment, they definitely had the advantage.
I stifled a scream and lay motionless, hoping he wouldn’t see me. Up close, I could see the details of the creature and it was just as Neesweth had described––dark green, almost black, and covered in thorny spikes. The Lunatishee’s eyes glowed in the dark and appeared to be able to see everything that moved. I lay motionless, despite the fact that the frozen ground was chilling me to the bone. I remembered what Neesweth said about them being able to smell humans and couldn’t for the life of me understand why it wasn’t attacking me. Could the snow I was buried under be masking my scent? I had no idea,
but I hoped whatever was protecting me from their wrath would continue to work.
There was a rustling in the trees beyond where I could see; the creature took notice and reached over its shoulder to pull one of its spikes from his back. It immediately grew another as it launched the one in its hand towards the sound. A loud moan and then a thud confirmed he’d hit his target. Another sound and the Lunatishee took off in its direction leaving me alone. I waited a few moments before I moved. When I heard nothing but silence, I peeked over the snow hoping they’d all gone.
Horror hit my soul. In the darkness, fires burned, illuminating the tragic scene. I could see bodies of the elven fairies, young and old. The Lunatishee had shown no mercy to the fae. There were animals and children unmoving all around. Tears filled my eyes as I looked in the direction I last heard a noise and saw what the Lunatishee had hit with its thorny spike––Neesweth and his rabbit. I ran over to them, trudging as best as I could through the densely packed snow. Neesweth was still breathing but only barely, while his rabbit lay lifeless next to him.
“I’m so sorry, Neesweth. So sorry.”
“Are there any alive?” he choked.
“No,” I whispered as a tear slid down my cheek. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing I’m afraid. The poison has taken hold. I will not survive.” I cried softly as I stared into his eyes. “Your crystal is in my rabbit’s pouch. You,” he coughed. “You need to take it and go. Run as far as you can and hide. The crystal will,” he coughed again, “show you the path.”
Trees snapped in the distance and we both froze.
Neesweth pulled me closer. “You must go now, miss. Don’t let them get you,” he said in barely a whisper.
I nodded and leaned over to find the crystal. I was so frightened and numb to all of what just happened. Had this been my fault? Would these people all be alive if it wasn’t for me? Yet another thing I can add to my long list of guilt and angst.
“How did they find your hideaway?”