Faery Born (Book One in the War Faery Trilogy)

by Donna Joy Usher

  Her shriek warned me just in time. Queen Eloise grabbed my hair and pulled it as she beat ineffectively at my head.

  ‘It’s your fault,’ she screamed.

  ‘How is this my fault?’ I resisted the urge to kick her in the shins with my shiny, glass shoes.

  Danoo jumped up and down trying to pull her off me, but in the end I was rescued from her feeble attack by a ruggedly handsome faery. I recognised him from the night he had fought goblins in his bed clothes.

  ‘Cousin,’ he said, ‘you bring serious news. Can this be true?’

  ‘King Arwyn.’ I dropped to one knee. ‘We have to save him.’

  ‘We will child, but we need to prepare ourselves rather than run blindly into their trap.’

  Even though every cell in me was screaming to go straight after them, what he said made total sense. Everything I had read on the craft of war told me he was right.

  ‘A tracker has been sent,’ Wilfred said.

  ‘Excellent. We will prepare while we wait for his report.’

  It took less time than I had feared for the faeries to arm themselves and prepare light backpacks with food and other necessary provisions.

  ‘Here.’ Wilfred handed me one of the backpacks and then took another look at my outfit. ‘Aren’t you coming?’

  ‘Of course I am.’

  ‘Why don’t you borrow some clothes from one of the Fae women?’

  I sucked some air into my cheeks. ‘The thing is,’ I grimaced, ‘Aethan cast a Cinderella spell on me. I’m afraid I’m stuck like this till midnight.’

  I had to give him credit for at least trying to keep a straight face. A small smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. ‘What happens at midnight?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  His grin got bigger. ‘But the dress?’

  ‘Will go.’

  ‘And?’ He started to chuckle.

  ‘Hopefully I will be left wearing what I had on before.’ I was going to be royally pissed if I ended up naked.

  ‘Are you going to be able to ride like that?’ he asked.

  ‘Give me your dagger.’

  He pulled it out of its sheath and handed it to me, watching as I placed a split in each side of the skirt.

  ‘Why don’t you put these on?’ I hadn’t heard Isla approach. She held a pair of leather pants in her hands.

  Trying not to catch the sharp points of the stilettos in the material, I stepped carefully into them. I shimmied them up under my skirt and fastened them. For a second they fit perfectly, then they disappeared from view, reappearing in a pile at my feet. Stupid Cinderella Spell.

  ‘Shame,’ she said as she bent to scoop them up. ‘Your butt looked great in them.’

  Wilfred let out a chuckle as she stalked away. ‘Where’s your sword?’

  ‘Goblins stole it.’

  He handed me a belt with a knife sheath attached to it. I held my breath as I placed it around my waist. Unlike the pants, it stayed where it was. He nodded his head in satisfaction and then handed me a long dagger.

  ‘Why do I get the girlie knife?’ I pointed at the long sword he had belted to his waist.

  ‘You’re the one wearing the skirt.’

  The rest of the Border Guard was already mounted. I was less than thrilled to note Isgranelda amongst their ranks. She grinned when she saw me and whispered in Brad’s ear. He let out a roar of laughter.

  Rako sat at the head of the group. He gave me a long look but didn’t say anything about my attire.

  Scruffy whined from behind my head. ‘Sorry boy,’ I said. Once my adrenaline had abated, I’d not been able to control my powers. In the heat of the battle I’d only had to think of something and it was done. Now though, I was like a kid in a grenade store; you never knew what I might accidentally blow up.

  King Arwyn and Queen Eloise were arguing up the front in quiet voices, but I could hear the words – she, little witch, not going near my son, and his choice – so I figured I was the source of the argument. When they had finally finished, King Arwyn told us all to mount up. I guessed he had won and I was going with them.

  I took the reins of a mare from one of the Fae and climbed awkwardly onto her back. A horn blew and then suddenly we were off, racing as a group away from the castle. The moon’s light was so bright I could easily see the terrain.

  We travelled for a couple of hours over hills and through country that were both familiar and different to me at the same time. We passed farms with single-dwelling establishments, but there were no cities or villages. Eventually we approached a dark mountain standing like a lone sentinel on the plain. We slowed and then stopped.

  I, for one, was glad to stop moving. It was all very well to decree I was going to save Aethan, but I was beginning to think that jumping into a saddle in the remnants of my glittery ball gown had not been such a good idea. My thighs felt rubbed raw.

  ‘My kingdom for a sturdy pair of pants,’ I muttered.

  A small bubble finally appeared and floated towards King Arwyn. He stood still as the bubble popped on his face and then he turned to address us.

  ‘The goblins have taken Aethan up Black Mountain.’ He dismounted and the rest of us followed his example.

  Wary of attack, we moved slowly towards the foot of the mountain where a small path started. I could see it winding its way treacherously up the spur. Two at a time we started the climb, slowing when the path narrowed to single file. I wasn’t the only one searching the side of the mountains for goblins. If they decided to drop rocks on us we were in trouble.

  My back was aching, and my calves screaming by the time we reached a clearing we could all fit into. I saw the tracker talking to King Arwyn and pointing up the next path. A few of the Fae ran lightly up the path. They were shaking their heads when they returned.

  ‘What’s happening?’ I asked Wilfred.

  ‘I’m not sure.’ He made his way to the front of the group and returned a few moments later. ‘There’s a barrier up ahead. We need to breach it before we can go any further.’

  Frustration welled in me as the faeries tried to break the barrier. Aethan was somewhere on the other side and we had to get there before they killed him. I moved up to the front and turned my head from side-to-side. The barrier was invisible. I walked towards it with my arms outstretched, waiting for the tips of my fingers to meet resistance. There was nothing there.

  ‘Well,’ King Arwyn said, a few seconds later, ‘can you pull me through?’

  We linked wrists and I pulled him towards me until suddenly it was like pulling on a tree. I tugged harder. He winced and let go to rub his knuckles on his chest plate.

  ‘That would be a no,’ he said. His voice was neutral, but his face showed bitter disappointment. ‘One at a time, try the barrier.’

  I stood on the other side and waited while one-by-one the rest of the group pressed against the invisible force.

  ‘Whizbang,’ Wilfred muttered as he bounced off it.

  The rest of them had no success either until Isgranelda walked up to it. She stood for a second as if something prevented her, and then she stepped through. Smiling like a cat in a house full of mice she stood next to me.

  ‘I guess it’s just the two of us,’ I said.

  ‘Try not to get in my way.’

  ‘Get in your way? You try not to get in mine.’ Oh yeah, this was going to be a real hoot.

  ‘Teamwork ladies.’ Rako clapped his hands together before we got to the hair pulling. ‘Scout out the area. Find Aethan. You are not to engage the enemy. We will find a way through this thing.’

  They would eventually, I was sure of that. The question was, would it be in time?

  ‘You can’t go dressed like that,’ King Arwyn said, pointing at my ripped and bloodied dress. One of my glass heels had smashed off on the way up the mountain.

  ‘What time is it?’ I asked.

  ‘Twenty minutes till tomorrow,’ he said.

  Oh goody. I was going to transform very soon and i
t was going to be in front of a horde of goblins. I wondered if they’d ever seen a naked witch.

  ‘We have to go, and we have to go now,’ I said. They might be planning some horrible ceremony for Aethan at midnight.

  We travelled slowly up the path with Scruffy floating in the air behind me. I wondered what Isgranelda’s familiar was. I’d never seen it. Maybe she didn’t have one. Maybe she was half-human. She was definitely all bitch.

  The path we followed twisted and turned through the mountain till I lost all sense of direction. It had remained the same width as we climbed, but suddenly it narrowed. Isgranelda turned so her back was against the rock and slid her feet sideways as she edged carefully along the rocky ledge.

  Halfway across, I made the mistake of looking down. It was so narrow I could see the drop off through the tips of my glass slippers. I froze, staring at the valley below. It was so far away. If my foot slipped an inch I was going to find out exactly how far it was. A cold sweat broke out on my body.

  ‘Don’t look down,’ Isgranelda growled.

  I ripped my eyes away from it and stared straight ahead while I panted. If she could do it, I could. I pressed my hands against the wall behind me, looking for finger holds as I slithered sideways until the path widened again.

  We travelled for a few more minutes before Scruffy let out a low growl.

  ‘Shut him up,’ Isgranelda muttered as she squatted to peer around the next corner.

  ‘Shhhh,’ I said to him, squatting as well.

  Isgranelda pulled back from the corner and moved closer to me. She held up five fingers. Then three and pointed to herself, and two and pointed to me.

  ‘Why do you get three?’ I hissed.

  Ignoring me, she drew her sword and launched herself around the corner. I yanked the dagger from my belt and scrambled to catch up.

  I rounded the corner to see her kick a goblin off the length of her sword and twirl to attack another. So much for not engaging the enemy.

  I leapt into the air, pulling my legs into a tuck as I somersaulted over a goblin. I landed behind him and dragged my blade across his throat. Hot blood gushed onto my hand as he fell.

  Scruffy barked and I ducked, feeling the air above my head move as a sword swept through the space where my neck had been. I spun and kicked up with my glass stiletto. My attacker let out a bellow of pain as the heel embedded itself into the soft tissue of his groin. I heard a ripping sound as my leg whipped back down.

  Blood darkened the front of his pants. He clutched at his privates and I swung my blade up under his ribs and into his heart. He was dead before he hit the dirt.

  Isgranelda had already disposed of her three, a small smile on her face. I felt a moment of chagrin as I wiped my blade off on the material of my skirt. Smug bitch.

  The path continued around the side of the mountain until it reached a clearing. The moon shone onto a large, flat rock in the centre. Aethan lay unmoving on top of it. Was he alive? I couldn’t tell from where I was standing.

  I had expected a hoard of goblins would be guarding him, but there were none. That in itself stunk of a trap, so I resisted the urge to rush to his side.

  Isgranelda wasn’t so concerned. She stalked to the middle of the clearing and swung her sword from side-to-side.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I whispered.

  ‘You still have no idea do you?’ She started to laugh, a low guttural sound. It sent chills down my spine.

  Scruffy barked and it took me a panicked moment to realise he wasn’t barking at goblins. He was barking at her.

  She stretched slowly, as if luxuriating in the feel of her muscles, and then she started to change. Her hair grew longer, changing from blonde to black as it matted into dreadlocks. Her outfit shifted until leather, covered with small bones, encased her. Her nails lengthened and thickened till they were black talons.

  Oh buzznuckle. This so was not good.

  Her eyes became black with the eerie-red circle I remembered so well. She threw back her head in a triumphant laugh as she finished her transformation.

  ‘Surprise,’ she said, grinning at me with her pointy teeth.

  I couldn’t believe it. All this time? All this time Isgranelda had been Galanta? It made no sense at all.

  ‘So, is this when I get to kill you?’ My voice sounded braver than I felt. The memory of her melting her knife into my skin still haunted me.

  ‘This is when you get to try.’

  Scruffy’s barks became vicious as he snarled and leapt at her with snapping jaws. Suddenly, he was gone from the bubble. He appeared beside my feet, hair bristling out of the top of his tuxedo as he bared his teeth and growled.

  He attacked, latching onto her ankle with his sharp little teeth. She snarled and swung back her foot, shaking it from side-to-side. He flew off, letting out a yowl as he smacked into a rock. I ran towards him but he pushed himself up, shook his head a couple of times, and launched himself at her again.

  This time she lifted her arm and stabbed down towards him with the tip of her sword.

  ‘No,’ I shrieked. Rage roared through me as I raced towards them. I threw out my hands and her sword smacked into an invisible barrier an inch from his back. I wrapped him back up in his bubble and tossed him into the air.

  ‘Not my dog, you bitch.’ I threw myself at her.

  Stuff this stabbing people thing; I wanted to feel my fists pounding into her flesh.

  Darting inside the reach of her sword, I palmed her in the face, slamming her head back. Before she could recover I twisted her sword arm until her weapon fell from her fingers. Then I balled my hand and smacked her in the head as hard as I could. Blood flew as her nose snapped to the side.

  I followed it up with a flurry of fists; pummelling into her with all my might.

  Torture me? Try to kill my dog?

  I growled as I smacked her. The feel of my fists beating her flesh satisfied my urge to hurt her.

  ‘Instimo,’ she gasped as I grabbed her hair with one hand. I lifted my other arm to punch her but it was like moving through molasses. Slower and slower my arm went until I couldn’t move it at all.

  ‘Ha,’ she said, and she punched me in the gut.

  If I could have, I would have bowed over with the pain. As it was I fought against my invisible bonds as she punched me again and again. I choked in air, struggling to breathe around my burning chest.

  She stopped and straightened her crooked nose. Pushing it back into place she wiped away the blood on the back of her arm. Then she picked up her sword and waved it in front of me. ‘This ends now.’

  I grappled with her spell, desperately feeling along the edges of it with my mind. There. I could feel the join where she had melded the air around me. I flowed into it, stretching it and pushing it until finally, it fell away. Screeching, I dived to the side as her sword swept through where I had been standing.

  I spat some blood out of my mouth and pulled Wilfred’s dagger out of the holster. Holding it high I faced off against her.

  ‘Just like a witch to bring a knife to a sword fight.’ She waved her sword at me.

  ‘It’s knife to a gun fight, stupid.’

  She snarled as we circled each other. I risked a quick peep at Aethan. Was his chest moving? I couldn’t be sure.

  She launched the first attack. Letting out a blood-curdling scream she drove the tip of her sword right at my chest. I ducked to the side, and her thrust carried her past me. I kicked out, managing to hook one of her feet. She tripped and staggered towards where Aethan lay. As if he weren’t there, she swung back to face me.

  Why hadn’t she killed him? What was she waiting for?

  I moved around the area, staying on the balls of my feet to minimise the instability caused by the broken glass slipper. She looked down at my feet and burst out laughing. ‘Why are you wearing those?’

  ‘Glass slippers?’ I asked as if it were the most normal thing in the world. ‘You should try some. They’re very comfortable.’

>   ‘They don’t look very robust.’ She flicked her blade down and pointed at the broken heel.

  ‘I broke that off in one of your warrior’s chests,’ I said. ‘Such a shame. These were my favourite.’

  She spat in my direction. ‘Think you’re so clever,’ she sneered. ‘You don’t realise I’ve got you in a double bind.’

  I had no idea what she was talking about. That made me nervous.

  ‘No matter what you do tonight you will lose.’ She laughed like it was the funniest thing ever.

  I couldn’t see how that could be true. Either I lost and she killed me, or I won and killed her.

  ‘You must choose between him,’ she flicked her head in Aethan’s direction, ‘or yourself.’

  Double bind, him or me? I hated cryptic sentences.

  ‘Shut up and fight.’ I threw myself at her, slashing the air with my dagger. She darted away and I leapt into the air to land behind her. She twirled faster than should be possible, bringing her sword up to block my thrust. I kicked her in the chest, and forced her back.

  As I swung and slashed, parried and blocked, the strangest feeling crept over me. Tingling. Starting at my head and working its way down my body. I ignored it as long as I could but then it changed to prickles.

  ‘What are you doing to me?’ She raked her arms with her nails.

  ‘Nothing.’ I gritted my teeth as invisible ants crawled over me. Scruffy whined as he scratched and nipped at himself.

  ‘Stop it.’ Galanta hopped up and down on the spot, slapping herself with the palms of her hands.

  ‘I’m not doing it.’ I jiggled side-to-side trying to rid myself of the sensation. Pins and needles prickled my whole body. Scruffy spun around and around, trying to bite his tail.

  She tore her nails through her dreadlocks, scratching as if she had a bad case of nits. Her talons had left long welts down her arms. Blood trickled from a couple of them.

  As suddenly as it had come on me it was gone. Instead of my torn ball dress I wore the outfit I’d had on that afternoon. I glanced up at Scruffy who was naked except for his black, studded collar. He was contentedly licking his balls.

  Galanta ran in circles, slapping at her body as if she were on fire. She collapsed on the ground, writhing like a serpent. ‘Make it stop,’ she begged.