by Steven Wolff
CHAPTER 7
LEWRATH
“Well… Long ago ALL fairies co-existed peacefully and we thrived for thousands of years, generation after generation. We evolved, we developed music, magic, arts, you name it. But as with all things, one day it came to an end when one fairy accidentally killed another fairy. No one knows for sure how it happened but the one who killed the other fairy absorbed that fairy's magical abilities, making him stronger and able to do more. If my memory serves me correctly, his name was Lewrath.
“At first he felt horrible at what he had done, but as he soon learned all the things he can do with his new abilities, and greed started to cloud his judgment. He began to imagine what it would be like to kill other fairies that he had been envious of because they could do things he couldn't. He essentially became power hungry and acted on his impulses. Lewrath intentionally hunted down other fairies for their abilities and killed them in cold blood, man; woman or child, but there was a downfall he didn't count on… Although he had the ability to do all sorts of amazing things, he didn't know HOW because no one ever showed him! There are no instruction manuals on how to do these things; traits are passed on from family to family, generation to generation.”
“Kinda of like how my grandma passed on her secrets for cooking home made apple pie to me.”
R'dell nods her head in agreement. “That's right, Anica.”
Lonnie continued, “This infuriated him because the potential was there for him to do wondrous things, but it did him no good. So instead he would torture other fairies for information and then end up killing them once they learned what he wanted. It went on to become a massive killing spree. They tried to stop him, but he was unstoppable because he figured out how to do some powerful things that were no match for individual fairies. It became every fairy for themselves as he hunted and killed now just for the thrill of it. He absorbed so much power and thankfully grew bored of killing that he stopped for a while. He didn't want magic anymore, he had all he could possibly want, but there was one thing he wanted better than magic… a Son! And who best to give him one? One of the most beautiful creatures of the land… A Queen Fairy!”
“A Queen Fairy?”
“Oh yes! A Queen Fairy is THE ultimate ruler of any given kingdom and is usually the life giver of many fairies. She's essentially the mother and protector of all her children, young and old. She can give birth to thousands of fairies for a total of seven millennia before she dies.”
“That's a lot of birthdays to remember,” Anica jokes, trying to lighten the mood.
“No kidding right?” Lonnie chuckles before continuing, “There aren't too many Queen Fairies, but those that exist are extraordinary in every way, shape, and form. They are elegant in their movement and behavior, and are very beautiful beings who command nothing but respect.”
“Lewrath lusted over one of the Queen Fairies and so he approached her and demanded that she bear him a son. She laughed in his face and refused. Lewrath responded by killing all her guardians before capturing and taking her prisoner. For weeks on end, he continually raped her, over and over. Her pain and suffering were too much for the land to bear as her screams were heard for miles in every direction. Even all the wolves of the land would howl to express their sadness and the pain, that's how much the Queen is loved.”
“Then one day the screaming stopped and silence fell over the land, ending the nightmarish sound of great suffering. Lewrath, in his madness, finally succeeded… The Queen was finally impregnated with a son.”
“Lewrath wanted his son to rule the kingdom by his side and was excited when the Queen gave birth to him… But it was clear when he was born that something wasn't right.”
“He didn't move like an ordinary baby, nor did he look normal. His eyes were all black and his infant grin revealed pointy sharp teeth, almost like that of a demon child. Even the servants drew back in fear at the sight of him. Lewrath didn't know what to make of his son so he gave the Queen the responsibility of trying and raise it. However, this child didn't want to listen or do what it was told… It was truly a product of its violent creator. It had a mind of its own, and despite all the discipline or love given in the world; nothing could change this child from being twisted and evil. It was like the wiring inside his head was just all wrong.”
“It became malevolent, destroying everything and challenging all authority, all still while a toddler. The Queen tried calming the child by rocking it in her arms, but Lewrath finally had enough. He got up out of his throne, walked up quickly to the Queen and passionately kissed her on the lips. Then, in one graceful move, he violently snapped her neck. The Queen's body went limp and fell where she stood, dropping the child on its head, hitting the cold hard floor, rendering it unconscious.
Lewrath seized the opportunity to suck the magic life force as it radiated out of her body. Not caring if his son was dead or alive, Lewrath spit on him and left him to live or die next to his lifeless mother. He was mostly annoyed that so much time was wasted for nothing, she had birthed him a useless child and for that, she deserved to die.”
“Lewrath changed his mind and didn't want any children. He decided it was better to recruit other fairies to join him in the killings, promising them power, money and anything else they desired. His army of Dark Fairies ravaged the lands, going from town to town, killing innocent fairies and absorbing their powers. Those who weren't fairies weren't spared either. No one was left alive.”
“However, it wasn't long before they decided to turn on him, wanting his power for themselves. It became too much of a challenge to keep them under control, so Lewrath fled and went into hiding, leaving these Dark Fairies to cause chaos on their own. To combat the growing threat of the Dark Fairies, the High Council formed an elite group of guardians called Protectors and trained them in the art of war.”
“Kinda like the Special Forces for Fairies then?” Anica inquires.
“Something like that. When the time came for them to engage the Dark Fairies, they fought valiantly and won, absorbing the magical abilities that the Dark Fairies had stolen over the years. Now the shift of power balanced out to the side of good with the Protectors now able to do incredible things with their new magical abilities. The one advantage Protectors had been that families wanted to share their knowledge of their magical abilities to benefit the protectors.”
“What are some things they could do?”
“Let's see… Well, there are all kinds of abilities… the ability to Teleport, Read Minds, Turn Invisible, Soul Jumping, Incredible Hearing, Incredible Sight, Camouflage Touch, and Control Gravity… plus a whole bunch of things.”
“Invisibility? Wow, that sounds cool, I would love to be invisible!”
“Wouldn't that would be neat? In time, most of the Dark Fairies were defeated and disbanded. They haven't been seen in force for over several decades now, believed to be wiped out.”
“What about Lewrath? What happened to him?”
“The High Council created a hunting party to track him down and bring him in to answer for his crimes. After much searching and a fierce fight, they successfully captured him.”
“Do Protector Fairies still exist now that there's no more Dark Fairies?”
“Don't get me wrong, Dark Faes still exist. The guy who tried killing you was one.”
“Oh right.” Anica said.
“But to answer your question, Yes, Protectors still exist, but they're not just Fairies. Now they're all kinds of creatures. Elves, Dwarves, Rangers, Weres, Vampires, Elementals, pretty much anyone.”
“Wow… That's still hard to believe that everything you said exists.” Anica states. “What happened to his child? Did he die?”
“Believe it or not, the child didn't die! About a week after the Queen was killed, they found both of them together… Literally. The child hollowed out her chest cavity and was found sleeping inside her ribcage. He survived by feeding on her blood and organs.”
“Because the Fairy blood has healing properties!”
Anica says, feeling smart and a bit grossed out at the same time.
“Right! He scared the scouting party that found them because he was covered in blood and entrails. They say he was having a blast playing with her organs like toys. They tried to find a home for the child, but every orphanage passed him around because he was too much. They nicknamed this child Asylum because that's where he ended up… The one place that could deal with his mental illness.”
“Speaking of dealing with... Lewrath how'd that go?”
“The High Council put Lewrath on trial where he was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to death by volcano.”
“They threw him in a volcano?”
“Yep, it's the only way to ensure that he was gone for good.”
“After they did that, the High Council agreed that there needed to be some sort of warning system in place to tell if a person has been doing evil deeds or if they've been doing good. With their combined wisdom, they came up with the idea of casting a spell that would forever alter the wing structures of all fairies based on the deeds they do.”
“You mean as a way to tell them apart?”
“That's right. So instead of fairy wings being all the same, now whenever a fairy commits any act, be it hurtful, mean or dishonest, or nice, beneficial to all, or altruistic, it alters their wings physically. You can now see the choices a fairy has made in his or her life by the shape and colors of their wings. When a fairy does a good or bad deed, that action changes their wings ever so slightly. After years and years of choices, you can usually spot a fairy that's done good in his or her life from one who's chosen to be evil and hurtful to others because their wings are visually a lot different.”
“Which acts as a red flag warning to others.”
“Exactly!” Lonnie says, continuing. “Those that generally do good to other people or animals usually have bright colorful wings that are as beautiful as a light reflecting through a diamond. Their wings are usually roundish, others can be feather-like or it can be a combination of them all. Those who are mean or hurtful... You can usually tell because they have darker colored wings that are more dragon-like and pointy at the ends, some are almost bat like. They could also have holes and tears in them.”
Anica interrupts, questioning. “What if someone maybe did bad things when they were younger, but then changed their lives around and did good, what would their wings look like?”
“Well, closer to the back they would be more bat-like and the further outwards they would be more colorful and healthy looking.”
“So you can have a combination of fairy and bat like.”
“And everything in between.” Lonnie says.
“Come to think of it, we are so used to seeing all kinds of wings that we don't give it a second thought any more, unless they really stand out. Everyone now and then makes choices they’re not proud of, but that's life. We live and learn and make mistakes.”
R’dell added, “The important thing to remember is that now everyone's history is literally in their wing structure. It goes back to the day they were born. All fairies have two main wing bones that stick out of their backs at birth. Every choice we make affects a different smaller branch off of the main bones.”
“So like tree branches?”
“Yeah, you can say that. Over time these branches shape the color and outline of our wings. Most of us who are average end up with the typically shaped wings you would normally see on a dragonfly. Those who you would call “criminal” usually end up with bat or dragon-like wings.”
“Wait a minute. You're both fairies; remind me again why I can't see your wings?”
“Because the human eye can't see them, the same way you can't see ghosts.”
“So you're telling me you have wings on your backs right now?”
“Would you like to see?” Lonnie asks.
“Yeah, but HOW?” Anica asks, smiling ear to ear.
“By these.” Lonnie takes off his reading glasses and hands them to her. Anica inspects the craftsmanship of the frame and the lenses before putting them on. She notices they weigh almost nothing and yet are super strong.
“Wow, impressive!”
“The frames are hardened spider silk and the lenses are from melted crystals. I had them made in Airrah, for reading.”
“Airrah?”
“I'll tell you in a minute. Feel free to put them on any day now.”
“Oh yeah, right!” Anica slowly puts them on and notices everything becomes so much sharper and crisper. Colors seem more vibrant and everything is pleasant to look at, as if she was looking at a dream.
“Oh WOW…” She inspects her hand and is amazed that the glasses automatically magnify anything she focused her eyes on.
“COOL! I can see my hand like it’s under a microscope!” Anica says, a big excited grin on her face.
“Now I'm zooming in… Everything's small… Now it’s BIG... Wow, this is so cool!”
Lonnie clears his throat to get Anica’s attention back from her fixation with the details of her hand.
“Oh, right... Fairy wings! I…Uh.... OH WOW!!! That’s beautiful!”
Anica sees Lonnie and R'dell's fairy wings. They flutter back and forth in a gentle motion, emanating a beautiful glowing light. Lonnie’s wings are round and long and R'dell's are angelic like, with thousands of white feathers that sway gently in the slightest breeze.
“Your wings are so beautiful!!!” Anica says in awe to R'dell.
“Thank you. I've lived a good, honest life.” R'dell replied.
“Can I keep these glasses? Please? I’ll take good care of them, I promise!”
“I’m afraid I can’t, they’re not made for extended use by humans. Your eyes will go bad if you wear them too long,” Lonnie states, extending his hand, waiting for Anica to return them.
“Awww. Well thank you for letting me use them,” Anica says, giving them back hesitantly.
“You're welcome,” Lonnie replies, putting the glasses back in his front shirt pocket.
R’dell asks Anica, “Honey, I hate to change the subject but what do you remember about the incident that happened the other day?”
Anica stops for a second to focus on remembering.
“Everything is still a little blurry. I'm starting to remember being thrown from the car, being pulled off my feet by my shirt and the taste of wet mud in my mouth. I remember grabbing a piece of metal but then nothing. I think I remember seeing some kind of creature that jumped into me. It filled my lungs and made me feel tingly inside but that's all I remember. I must have passed out because I don’t remember the rest. Hey, you said the guy I killed in self defense was a Dark Fairy, right?”
“Well based on his wings and the magic that came out of him, we're pretty sure.”
“And you said these guys have a history of killing and stealing magical spells and abilities from other fairies, right?”
“Right…”
“And whoever survives gets all the magic from all of the dead fairies that came before him.”
“Correct”
“Then I should have all kinds of magical abilities right?”
Lonnie and R'dell looked at each other uneasy.
“Well, we don't know yet, since you're not a fairy. You’re a human,” R'dell says. “We've never heard of a human killing a fairy before, so this is a first for us.”
“Come to think of it, I don't ever think any human has ever killed a fairy before, so you're probably the first,” Lonnie adds.
“You'll have to talk to the High Council and see what they want to do. They are a few days from here at Castle Alveydor.”
R'dell gets up to get something. “Excuse me, I'll be right back.”
She walks out of the room. Anica takes advantage of the alone time with Lonnie.
“You said we're going to go to Castle Alveydor, right? Please don't take offense to what I'm about to say but aren't you guys a little too old to be driving around?”
“What are you talking abo
ut?” Lonnie asks.
“You said that I have to go to the High Council, which is a few days drive from here.”
Lonnie laughs. “Anica, nobody's driving or flying where you're going, and we're NOT coming with you. Sorry if you thought we were.”
“What do you mean 'where you're going and not coming with me'?”
“Exactly that: we're not coming with you!”
“Then how am I supposed to find this High Council by myself? I don't even know where I'm at; much less know where the nearest coffee shop is.”
R'dell walks back into the room, putting something in her apron pocket as she comes back to the table. “I'll answer that question if you first answer a question for me… How many worlds do you think there are?”
“One, I guess?”
“That's a good guess, and you're half right.”
“Why am I half right?” Anica asks, confused.
“Would you believe me if I said there are many worlds around you right now?”
“You mean planets?”
“Okay, let me rephrase it… many Realms.”
“Since I've been here, you've shown me anything is possible so I guess.”
“Here, let me demonstrate.” R’dell gets up and parts the drapes to the kitchen window, allowing the morning sunlight to shine brightly on the yellow tablecloth.
“Okay, you see the sunlight shining on the table, that light is all one color right?”
“Right!” Anica answers pretty confidently.
“Are you sure?” She asks, looking at Anica.
Anica raises an eyebrow, trying to follow along. R'dell reaches in her apron and pulls out a triangle glass prism which she places directly in the sunlight on the table. The light shines through it and casts a rainbow of colors onto the table.
“Do you see all different colors of the rainbow and how they are separated from one another? It's because of the prism refracting the light into all of its true colors.”
“Okay...” Anica listens.
“Now imagine that the green color is your world and that's where you exist. Let's say the yellow is our world, the fairy world where all fairies exist. For grins and giggles we'll pretend the other colors are worlds too. We’ll say the red is for Vampires, the blue for the elemental worlds. Do you see how all the worlds follow along the same path, even though they are separated? They coexist nicely in their own little colors or “worlds.”
“Mmm hmm,” Anica acknowledges.
“Take away the prism and all our worlds blend back together nicely, still following the same path. Even though there seems to be only one world, you now know there are many worlds that exist, still separate from each other! Think of the different colors as realms. Every once in a while, someone from a different world will cross over.”
Anica has a confused, lost look on her face, so R'dell backtracks for a second.
“Think of going from one color to another, for whatever reason. That's why your history books are chock-full of sightings of ghosts, fairies, werewolves, vampires, etc., and yet not a single person can prove any of these creatures exist! Do you know why? Because when things get uncomfortable for whoever crossed over, they simply go back to the safety of their respective realms and you can't follow!”
“Okay, so let me see if I understand correctly. There are parallel worlds or realms as you call them that exist side by side with this one. Like a Vampire realm, a Fairy realm, yada yada… But someone, say in the Fairy Realm, can jump over and exist in this Earth realm if they wanted to?”
“Correct, Look at us as an example! We're from the Fairy realm, born and raised there, but we crossed over to the Earth realm to spend our retirement years, because we like it here.”
“You like the Earth realm better than the fairy realm? That's odd”
“Not much odder than you being from the US and visiting Europe.” Lonnie says.
“I think that makes sense now.”
“But wait, it gets better! This is only the tip of the iceberg. To see the High Council, you're going to have to leave the Earth realm and cross over into a realm where ALL the colors blend into one.” R'dell says with excitement in her voice.
“You mean to a realm where Vampires, Ghosts, Elementals, Humans and Fairies all co-exist in the same space?” asks Anica.
“Yes Anica, pretty much everything exists in this place! We call this place Airrah and to get to it, you're going to need this magical ring I'm going to give you, but don't put it on just yet! It's real important you understand, don’t put it on until we say to!”
Anica repeats it. “Don't put it on, got it.”
R'dell takes out a beautiful gold ring that has a unique design unlike any she has ever seen before. In the middle of the ring swirls mystic dark blue, green and aqua colors, like storm clouds captured in a tiny globe of glass.
“Wow, it's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it.” says Anica.
“Listen. When you put it on, everything around you is going to change instantly! You will no longer be in the world that you know of. Instead you will instantly be in Airrah! You'll notice it's very similar to this realm in some ways but very different in so many other ways. I can't describe it, you'll just have to see and experience it for yourself.”
“I don't know if I'm crazy about this idea,” Anica says with an uneasy look on her face.
“What are you uneasy about?”
“Well for one, leaving this Earth world and going to a place where real monsters exist and might eat me the second I get there. I've already had enough adventure to last me a lifetime.”
Lonnie laughs. “Don't worry; we'll give you a fighting chance.”
R'dell hits Lonnie in the arm for making that remark. “What?”
“You guys aren't instilling confidence in me. So if I understand correctly, I put this ring on and magically just like that, I'm in a place called Airrah. A world where all kinds of creatures exist in one place.”
“Yep.”
“What's keeping me from getting killed the moment I get there?”
“The ring was last taken off at Marcel's home. You'll be safe there.”
“Huh? What do you mean the ring was taken off at Marcel's home? What's that supposed to mean and who's Marcel?”
“Sorry, I keep forgetting this is all new to you. Let me explain. This is important so please don't forget. Wherever you take the ring on and off is where you'll be transported to next time you wear it or remove it. It will be the same exact place you'll return to. So, for example, if you put it on while sitting at the kitchen table, everything around you will change instantly and you'll be in the last place the ring was taken off in Airrah.”
“Which you said will be inside this Marcel's home” Anica says.
“Right.”
“And if I take the ring off…”
“You'll come right back here to the kitchen.”
“But if I go to that room upstairs and put the ring on, I'll be inside Marcel's home again. And if I go to Marcel's garage and take the ring off, I'll be back in the upstairs room.”
“You got it!” R'dell smiles at Anica. “Since the ring was taken off at Marcel's home prior to me giving it to you, when you put it on, you'll find yourself instantly there. When you take it off, you'll be right back at the kitchen table here.”
“That makes sense.” Anica says.
“Okay this next part can mean life or death so please listen carefully. You don't want to take the ring off in certain places where the environment might change while you're gone. You'll be all right when you come back to your world but when you go back, if that area has changed, you could find yourself dead on arrival.”
“What do you mean? Like how?”
“Say you are in our world on a ship in the middle of the ocean. You take the ring off and instantly, you are back here safe and sound. You decide you needed to take a shower and after several hours you are ready to go. You put on the ring and suddenly find yourself drowning in the middle of the ocean! B
ecause you were on a moving ship, the ship continued on its course while you were gone, but the ring took you back to the exact same place where you took the ring off; where the ship is no longer. Next thing you know, you're shark food.”
“Oh wow.”
“There can be any number of dangers that threaten you when you get back, so whatever you do, make sure you leave from a safe, sturdy place that will be there when you get back!”
“Okay, when do you want me to cross over?” Anica asks.
“Well, that's going to be up to you.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You always have a choice. You're welcome to leave and go back home if you want.”
“Can I take the ring with me?”
“Nope. You only get it if you're going to cross over and see the High Council.”
“So if I go back home, I'm going to miss this opportunity to see this world where all kinds of creatures exist. Airrah? Right?”
“That's right.”
“Hmmmm. If I go back home, it's going to bug me to no end, not knowing what Airrah looks like. Plus I don't think Michele is going to believe me if I told her.”
“Who?”
“My best friend Michele. She's back in the States waiting for me to come back from my trip.”
“Then clearly the choice is made. I recommend you stay for dinner tonight, rest up and leave first thing tomorrow morning! That way you'll have time to process everything we've told you and I'll make you a good breakfast before you go.” R'dell offers.
“That's a good idea. I think I will.”
“Good call. We can fill you in on some other things you need to know as well.”
Anica makes the most of the time she has with R'dell & Lonnie, asking all kinds of questions and getting to know them. Evening comes and R'dell fixes a yummy meal that fills Anica's tummy nicely. Her eyes start getting heavy as the thought of that comfy bed beckons from upstairs. She hugs Lonnie and R'dell good night and musters up the last of her energy reserves to make it upstairs and into her bed. She brushes her teeth and gets ready, and in no time flat, Anica is ready to fall asleep. As she closed her eyes, she remembers one last thing…
“Good night Bobarall-la-lah ... ahhh what ever your name is!” says Anica, waving one hand over the edge of the bed.
“I'm gonna just call you Bob. Yeah… That's better. Good night Bob!”
Silence blankets the room for several long minutes as she drifts quickly into a deep sleep, followed by the gentle sound of soft snores coming from Anica, whose head is resting deep against a fluffy, comfortable pillow.
From under the bed, a kind reply from a friendly voice whispers softly;
“Good night Anica. Sleep well.”
*****