by Riana Lucas
“Oh yes, I’ve been there. Often.” Her voice is softer once again, and I can hear the sadness.
“When? How? Why?” Reed’s confusion and concern is apparent in his whispered one-worded questions. I turn my palms over so I can clasp his hands firmly, offering my silent support. His hands squeeze mine, but he does not look at me. He is still staring at his mother, imploring her to answer his questions.
I look over at her, willing her to answer. Reed and I both need to know what happened. I need to know what sort of danger I will be leaving Reed and his mother in if they stay here in the human world. If what Anna is saying is true, and I can indeed take her to Faery Land, I also need to know what danger may follow us and if my mother’s wrath will be worth it. I have a sinking feeling that I am not going to like what I hear and that my mother’s anger will be more than worth taking Anna back with us and keeping her safe.
Anna is looking down at her knotted fingers in her lap. I can tell she is thinking entirely too hard and is very nervous or scared about what she is going to reveal. My body tenses when she finally looks up at us once again. She squares her shoulders and places her hands facedown, palms flat on the surface of the table, bracing herself.
Before she begins her story she says, “Reed, honey, this is a rather long story. Why don’t you take your seat again, and then I’ll tell you.”
“All of it?” he asks as he rises from his crouched position and slowly takes his seat on the other side of the table, facing his mother.
“Yes. All of it.”
“Okay.”
The fear in his voice breaks my heart. Her story is not going to be good, and the love Reed has for his mother is going to make it even harder. But it is important for Reed to know this. It is important for both of us to hear this, so I sit quietly and listen as Anna tells us the story of her life.
“It all started about twenty years ago. I was in my second year of college and having a great time. My parents worked so hard to save money, and I was a great student. I earned almost all of my college money in scholarships, and what I didn’t they easily provided due to their savings. I was studying Greek mythology and early American history.” Her eyes stare past us now, caught up in memories, and her voice begins to take on the wistful tone of a storyteller.
Reed and I both remain still and quiet as she continues. “I remember as a small child, my mother would tell me bedtime stories of the Greek gods and goddesses. She would tell me of their wars and love, the magic they possessed, and the way they commanded all in the universe. I would pretend that I was Artemis or Aphrodite when I played my imaginary games, and I would beg my father to be Zeus. We would play on Mount Olympus, and he would help me rule the world. She would also tell me other stories. Tales of mythical and magical creatures like dragons and unicorns or leprechauns and Faeries. She would tell me of their secret worlds and magic spells. I would get lost as a child pretending to fly away with the Faeries. So naturally as I grew older and realized that these were only stories, I began to look at them more as research than playtime. I still remained fascinated by the tales and fables. I would read any and every book I could find, fact or fiction, having to do with any of those subjects.” She chuckles slightly, coming back to us for a moment. “As you can imagine, I was not an overly popular child or teenager because of this obsession. But I didn’t care. I loved the other worlds and took great joy in getting lost within them.”
She sighs heavily and takes a moment to get back on track. “I continued my fascination through college. I was relieved to see that there were others equally interested in the subjects. My freshman year at college I met Steven. He was in many of my classes, his major similar to my own. I fell in love with him.” A sheen of tears forms in her eyes. Her voice becomes sad at the memory, and she pauses for another moment, fighting the emotions. “Our first year passed by quickly and happily. But the second year did not.”
Now her face darkens, and a deep sadness and what I think is fear takes hold. She stares beyond us once again, but moves her arms to wrap around herself, shivering as if she were cold. A shiver works its way up my spine as well. I glance over at Reed who is sitting stock still, face set with a grim expression, bracing himself for what is coming. A quick memory surfaces of when I first met him. I remember him telling me of his father. I do not recall him mentioning a name, but I do remember seeing photos of him and of Reed telling me he died in a car accident. A premonition of what is to come hits me, but I wait it out and listen.
Anna continues sadly. “A few weeks into our second semester, Steven and I were researching the tales of the Fae. We decided to be silly and go camping in hopes of catching a glimpse of the magical creatures. It was a nice weekend, and we traveled up north to a remote patch of woods. We chose that spot because of the many stories of mysterious creatures and odd happenings that had been reported over the course of several years. We spent the first night out among the peacefulness and under the canopy of trees and beautiful stars. It was wonderful and romantic. The next night was different. Steven and I were sound asleep when an odd sensation woke me. I remember hearing nothing, but feeling as if I were being watched. I lay quietly in my sleeping bag but heard nothing. Deciding it was nothing, I went back to sleep. I awoke once again later, and this time I knew that something was terribly wrong. Steven was not beside me, and the tent flap was open.” Another shiver wracks her body, but she does not stop talking. “I put my shoes on and grabbed a flashlight. After a moment, my eyes adjusted to the bright moonlight, and I was able to scan the area. Steven was standing only a few feet away from me, staring out into the forest. I hurried to his side and looked up to see he was ghost-white, and his eyes were wider than I thought possible. After a few tries I finally gained his attention, and he told me we needed to get out of there. I wanted to question him, but I could feel the danger around us. We grabbed what we could and made our way to the car.”
She pauses again, this time to take a sip of her orange juice. I take the time to leave the room and grab a blanket from the living room couch. Once I return, I wrap it around her snugly, and she murmurs a soft “thank you.” When I take my seat again, Reed reaches over and gives my hand a gentle squeeze in thanks. As he goes to pull away, I tighten my grip, keeping his hand securely in mine. I know he needs me right now, and I want him to know I am here for him as well as Anna.
After Anna is quiet for a moment, Reed softly prompts her to continue. “What happened next?”
She pulls the blanket closer around her shoulders and takes a deep breath, once again going to that place only she can see. “When we reached the car, we both jumped in and locked the doors. I remember feeling a bit safer and less exposed when we did. Steven didn’t seem to feel the same way. He was tense and frantic as he started the car and peeled out, headed far too fast down the dirt road that would take us to the main interstate. We were turning around a sharp corner, and the headlights caught something that looked like a deer. Steven tried to avoid hitting it but instead we hit a tree. I don’t remember much after that, but I woke up later in a hospital bed and Steven hadn’t made it.”
A lone tear slips out of Anna’s eye and travels slowly down her cheek. She allows it to do so for a moment, before she wipes it away and stiffens her spine once more.
“That was the beginning, I think.”
“This is the time you already mentioned, right? When someone was messing with your head and wiping your memories, replacing them with lies?” Reed asks, barely containing the anger he feels.
“Yes. I’m not sure what was real and what wasn’t, so I won’t bother you with those details. The first thing I remember that I know is real is being in Faery Land a year after Steven died.”
I suck in a deep breath, and my heart begins to pick up speed. Anna and I both know it is probably better she has no memory before this time. If she had been in Faery Land for over a year, it could not have been a pleasant experience. My stomach rolls and my anger rises at the unknown Fae responsible for anyt
hing done to her. I feel Reed’s other hand on mine suddenly and realize I had been squeezing too tightly. I immediately loosen my grip and try to calm my anger, not wanting to alarm him. Thankfully his thoughts do not seem to have strayed in the same direction mine have. He is looking at me with a question in his eyes. I only shake my head at him and turn back to Anna who nods with gratitude. She knows.
“You lost a whole year?” Reed asks sadly.
“It would seem so. Truthfully, I’m sort of grateful for it. My heart was not breaking any longer from losing Steven. Although I can’t remember it, I must have grieved and moved on during that year. I was happy to have not had to deal with that. I still missed him terribly, though.” She smiles softly at some other memory — I am sure of Steven — which she chooses not to share. I smile, thankful she can still think of him happily.
“Do you know where you were? Or how you got there?” Reed asks cautiously.
“At first, no. I was so confused. I woke up one morning and was lying in this strange bed. The room was made of stone and the bed of wood. It was all natural and reminded me of a forest. I listened for a bit but heard nothing, so I decided to look around. The room was very small and only held the bed and a small side table. My clothes were neatly folded on it, and then I realized I was wearing a soft, white nightgown, one that I was sure I’d never seen before. I changed and tried the door. It wasn’t locked, so I opened it and found myself in a small cottage. It held one other bedroom, a small kitchen, and an equally small living room. That was all. I tried the front door and it wasn’t locked either. I looked outside and saw I was in the middle of nowhere. My first instinct was to run, but then something stopped me. I’m still not sure what it was, but I felt safe and knew that if I left the cottage I wouldn’t be any longer. So I stayed.”
She looks at both of us. The sadness is not as bad, and there is a hint of a smile on her lips. She does not speak.
“And?” Reed finally says, exasperated.
Anna laughs now. “Isn’t that enough for now?”
Reed sits up straighter, and his face twists up in disbelief. His hands fly into the air, and I begin to laugh as well. “What do you mean? You didn’t even answer the original question that started this whole story. How do you know it’s safe for Poppy to shimmer you to Faery Land? Remember? On top of that, now I have a million other questions, and I know I don’t have to ask them. You totally know you’re leaving us hangin’ on this, Mom!”
“Am I now?” she asks with a wink to me.
“Yes, you are!” Reed growls, but I can see he is fighting a smile. “Tell me.”
“Fine!” Anna throws her hands up in the air as if in defeat, but I know she did this on purpose. She wanted to lighten the mood, and she has succeeded. Both of us are giggling, and although Reed is trying hard, he is still fighting a smile.
“Mother,” Reed says again to prompt her along.
“Okay, okay, okay! Goodness, keep your pants on.” I laugh, which earns me a sharp look from Reed. I smile brightly at him, and he winks at me. I turn back to Anna for the rest of the story. “So to make an even longer story a bit shorter, I’ll sum it up for you.”
“No. I want to hear it all,” Reed says, serious again.
“You will, honey, in time. Now I’ll just give you the short version so we can get going.”
I cringe inwardly, knowing we still have to fight over whether Anna will be coming to Faery Land with us or not.
“Fine,” Reed says in a whiny voice, which Anna ignores.
“So the first few days a servant Fae came to tend to me. She wouldn’t answer any of my questions but was very polite about the fact that she was only following orders. I wandered around a bit but made sure not to go far. Finally, one day, someone new came.” Her voice takes that wistful tone again as she continues. “He was amazing, so bright and nice. He made me feel comfortable instantly, and soon we became friends. Although he never told me, I am sure to this day he is the one who saved me from whatever or whoever was after us before. In my time with him, he made me laugh and taught me to have fun again. Our time together was magical. Eventually he began to have feelings for me and I for him. Well, one thing led to another…” She glances up blushing and then looks away. Reed clears his throat and begins to move uncomfortably in his chair. I laugh. “So anyway,” she continues, “I found out I was pregnant with Reed, and we realized it was no longer safe for me to remain in Faery Land. He brought me back here, and for the first few years of Reed’s life, he visited often and helped me raise him.” She pauses and looks at Reed lovingly. “Reed, you remind me so much of him. Your smile and humor, just like him.” She shakes her head at the memory, but continues softly once again. “Then when Reed was about three years old, he came to visit and said it was no longer safe for him to visit. Reed was getting too old, and he didn’t want to put him in any danger. I haven’t seen him since.”
Anna falls silent and we all sit still, thinking about everything she has told us. I am sure Reed is thinking about who his father could be, just as I am.
The only difference is — I think I already know who he is.
Chapter Twenty
“So? Now you know I can go to and from Faery Land. There was never any additional use of magic or special way to do it. Humans can transport with a Fae just as easily as a Halfling.”
I take a deep breath to ready myself for the fight I know Reed and I are going to have once again. Knowing I can easily take Anna to Faery Land does not help the situation. If anything, it only makes it harder. Faery Land is not a place for a human, and I am positive my mother will not approve.
I look up to tell him just that, but words fail me. He is looking at me with a deep sadness that is probably mirrored on my own face. “Please, Poppy? I don’t want to argue with you about it. I can’t leave either one of you. I need to keep my mother safe, and I need to be with you to fight Damien.” He closes his eyes and swallows once before opening them again. His voice is softer this time. “I know you don’t feel the same way as I do, but I have to do this. Once it is all over, I will come back here if you want me to. But this is something I must do. If anything happened to you…” He trails off and looks away.
The right answer is to tell him ‘no’. I should confirm his suspicions, tell him I feel nothing but friendship for him and that his place is here in the human world. However, looking at him, I cannot lie to him or deny him. He seems to have this power over me that no other has ever possessed. A power that makes me want to give him whatever it is he needs. It makes me want to make him happy at all costs. The need to tell him how I feel about him is overpowering, but I refrain from doing so. Other things must take priority over my feelings.
Although it is against my better judgment, and my mother is going to be livid, the right thing to do is to bring Anna back with us. I will need Reed during the training and the war. He will not be able to leave his mom, and even if he did, he would not be able to concentrate. If I leave him and Anna here, I will always have the question of their safety in the back of my mind. With Anna safe in the Seelie Court with us, we can protect her and focus on the next priority.
Damien’s death.
I sigh. “Okay,” I whisper to him in defeat.
“Okay?” Reed asks in disbelief.
His shock almost makes me laugh. I am sure he expected even more of a fight than I was anticipating, but I find I just do not have it in me. I cannot deny him, and I cannot make him upset. So, I find myself in the same situation I have several times already, making vows that I am not sure I will be able to keep, but fully intending to try.
I take another deep breath and straighten my back. “Yes. Okay. We will take your mother back to the Seelie Court with us. I do not think my mother is going to like this, but I agree with you. She knows entirely too much about the Fae and is not safe here. We cannot risk her being used against you with the war pending. Damien is pure evil, and there are no limits to what he would do in order to gain the upper hand. And I…we n
eed you back at Court. You are an essential part of my team. There is still a war to prepare for and win. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can focus on that.”
I watch as Reed’s joy turns to sadness, and I know it is because of what I said. But I know, now more than ever, how important it is to stay focused. Whatever is happening between Reed and me will have to wait. Getting Anna to safety and finding Reed’s father is more important right now. Not only do I need to know who else knows about Reed and Anna, but I also need to know if they will be safe in the human world again.
Standing, I turn to face Anna, who is watching her son closely. I feel sorry for the way I have made him feel, but she will understand. She sacrificed her love for Reed’s father so Reed could be kept safe. She knows what it is like to have to sacrifice for the greater good. I try to smile reassuringly at her, but she shakes her head in disappointment at me. This confuses me. As hard as I try to do the right thing, the others do not think I am. All of these new emotions are overwhelming and tiresome.
Shaking my head, I ask politely, “Anna, are you ready to leave, or do you need to get your things in order?” Stepping back into warrior mode helps me to focus much more clearly on the task at hand.
“Um, okay then.” She takes a moment to gain her composure and think about the question I asked. After a few moments of glancing around, she nods once. “I just need to clean up the kitchen and throw out any food that may spoil. If the two of you can go around and make sure all the windows and doors are locked, I’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes. Will that be okay?”
“Of course, take your time. Reed and I will check the house over and meet you back here when we are finished.” I glance at Reed who has pulled himself together. Although I am blocking my thoughts from him, I am sure he can feel a bit of what I am feeling. Trying not to reach out to him too strongly, I brush the surface of his emotions, hoping to get a feel for how he is taking this. Anger and sadness along with a bit of confusion are subtly there, but the overall feeling is determination.