Natalia twisted her head to find someone familiar, someone comforting, and caught Jasper. He shook his head once, slowly. Natalia’s shoulder blades itched and she grimaced. Immediately she turned back to face the front.
A door beside where Gold stood creaked. Exactly seven figures emerged. All were dressed in black cloaks, hoods pulled over their heads. Gold kissed their hands one by one as they swung past to take their seats behind the large table. Natalia had been told the Council was made of elected members, one from each faction of Creature, and they would serve out their terms until they left on their own accord, were killed in battle, or were wanted to be replaced.
“Natalia Whitebell,” one of them called; it was hard to discern which one. “Step onto the platform.”
A white platform, about five feet squared, lit up in front of her. With a deep breath, she climbed onto it. No one would miss what happened now; she wanted to curse at whoever would listen for displaying her like some freak as the platform ascended, raising her. The only thing giving her the confidence to stand was the knowledge that there was support at her back.
“Female,” another voice from the table rang, though rather nonchalantly, “Recently turned eighteen. Father is Human. Residency on Venderly Island. Mother is dead.” Natalia’s heart-rate increased at the mention of her mother. “Mother was a child of the stars, as is the child here.”
“The Fairy was lost from us.” This voice sounded feminine. “She was discovered by the recently relocated Darby family after a Calefaction attack. She sustained a leg injury as a result.”
Another voice chimed in. “She has been learning the ways of our world. She has considered the possibility of training and following our God-given Purpose.”
How could they read every part of her? It was disconcerting. What magic was it? Yet she remained like stone. The growing murmur behind her back was silenced with a flick of one of the cloaked figure’s hands.
The Creature at the far left end of the table moved their hood and Natalia could see their pale lips move from beneath it. “Natalia Whitebell, Fairy. Can you confirm these facts?”
Gold faintly nodded. “I can,” she said, her voice airing a confidence she didn’t exactly feel.
“I can Council,” one of the hooded barked.
“I can, Council,” she repeated.
“Everything said is correct?” asked another.
“It is, Council.”
“You are a Fairy, your mother a Princess to the Fairy Throne,” another murmur rose from the crowd, again hushed by a raised hand, “making you an heir?”
“So I’ve been told, Council.”
“And you wish to join our cause? A Purpose, a destiny, given to each Creature. A Purpose which in our hearts we all know and must follow. A Purpose that means stopping Monsters from taking our Worlds for their own selfish devouring. A Purpose that will last a lifetime, and beyond after you’re gone.”
“I think I do, yes.”
“Council.”
“Council,” Natalia added. Each question showed the weight of her answers.
“You wish to see each soul as a precious force, one that must be saved and given a chance to live?” asked the smallest figure at the table. “You wish to see all evils from the worlds gone? Even if that may mean some of your own kind being ashed?”
Natalia didn’t understand. Someone at the table seemed to sense her unease because they explained. “Creatures may become infected by a Monster given injury, or other means, making them mentally vulnerable and susceptible to evil. If it meant saving the rest of Creature kind, would you rid the world of that evil? Would you rid the world of any Creature that promises death against their own kind whether there may be Monster provocation and influence behind the act or not?”
Would she really have to take out her own kind? Would she have to kill those who turned against Creature kind, whether Monster’s had caused the change or not? She imagined stabbing Peri with her own trident, strangling Archie with wire, locking Jasper away in a coffin to rot, pushing Noah from a great height.
Natalia knew certain Monsters would have ways to hurt others, ways of causing injury – after all, she’d been a victim. Their main motivation was to wreak havoc and destroy whatever they could. But she’d never considered that there would be those who could infect a Creature until they were no longer themselves. Their very essence taken. How often did that happen? And so she certainly hadn’t thought about Creatures turning against the world on their own volition. Why would a Creature, maybe even a Human, choose to give in to the dark when there was so much light?
“Yes, Council.”
This time, they allowed the whispers to be heard. Natalia tuned them out on her own. Her mouth had moved independently, her heart overtaking her head.
She searched her mind for a reason to why she’d agreed but also for a reason for why she wouldn’t have. Everyone here would’ve agreed to something similar, the terms and conditions couldn’t have changed. They all knew and followed their Purpose. They had all accepted. And now, so had Natalia.
Having to end a darkened life, one that threatened the sanctity of others, whether through Monster influence or not, had to be rare though. How often could a Monster turn a Creature to become one of them instead? Surely the Council just had to specify it in case there was the tiniest percentage of a chance an occurrence came – they’d merely covered their arses.
In the end, Natalia settled on hoping it wouldn’t happen in front of her if it did happen. Because while she sounded brave, she didn’t know if she would match up if faced with the situation.
“Natalia Whitebell.” Natalia looked up at the figures and silence fell around her like a curtain. “If you were given the opportunity to train, would you move to our City or any other in finding the aid you need to learn?”
That was easy. “Not permanently, Council.”
“You wish to stay on your Island?”
“I do, Council.”
One with a deeper voice asked, “Who would train you there?”
Natalia restrained herself from turning. “Hopefully, the Darby’s, Council.”
“They were the ones, were they not, who taught you of whom and what you were?”
“Yes, Council.”
“They have been teaching whatever you ask of them thus far?” asked the feminine one.
“Yes, Council.”
“What would happen if they were relocated?”
Commotion kicked up behind Natalia. Her eyes caught Gold’s and saw him shake his head firmly. She was getting awfully fed up with playing a statue.
However, Natalia’s head did turn when Sarah appeared to the right. Sarah didn’t stand on the platform and her face was rid of emotion. At this angle, she appeared older while also firmer and stronger. This was her element, after all.
“Council,” Sarah addressed politely. “As your documents will provide, I filed for a non-relocation order several days ago. I received the acceptance this morning before arrival. That means, unless my children decide they wish to in the future, my family won’t be moving. Our home is now on Venderly Island.”
The Council member on the far right nodded. “I assume these documents however do not stretch to Natalia?”
Sarah blinked but her gaze didn’t reach Natalia. “She is not part of our family.”
“And the mermaid girl?”
“Peri? She is covered since she is living with us and is in a committed relationship with my eldest child.”
“Well,” said the deeper voiced member, “You may be seated, Sarah Darby.”
“Thank you, Council.”
Sarah looked at Natalia as she passed, flashing a smile like she’d somehow won the biggest toy at a fairground. Natalia couldn’t return her gesture. Her heart was pounding inside her ears like a warning.
“Natalia.” The voice that spoke was one Natalia didn’t think she’d heard yet, though it was hard to distinguish exactly who had previously addressed her and who hadn’t. Still, N
atalia focused her attention to the Council. “As you are over eighteen and have a Human father, we cannot just relocate you. Well, in theory we can. However, because of the circumstances, if it is your wish to stay on your Island and be trained there, we shall allow it.”
The smallest wave of relief hit her. “Thank you, Council.”
“That is, if the Darby’s are willing to train you? If they are not, you may have to leave behind what you have, then move back after completion.”
The words sounded like a challenge, a test that Natalia needed to pass. She could almost sense the Council members grinning behind their cloth shields. Was she willing to give up what she had, her father and her friends, for any amount of time, to become a true Fairy?
From behind, Sarah’s voice boomed around the chamber. “We will train her, Council.”
Natalia reached for her star earrings as her shoulders itched, praying the motion distracted people from the faintest of gasps she’d made.
It was as if the Council were measuring her will. She didn’t know how many more near impossible questions she could answer. Every Creature surely counted, so wouldn’t the Council want any Creature they could on their side in the fight against the darkness when they’d probably lost so many to the cause already?
“Very well,” one member said, drawing it out. “There is one more matter we must discuss before we get to the final test.”
Test? Natalia’s mind reeled but she stayed silent, eyes forward.
“A Human followed you through the portal. An unsolicited human.”
“Oh.” The word escaped her mouth too quickly.
“You don’t deny it?”
What should she do? If she admitted it, she could potentially put Noah’s life at risk. But would it be worse if she denied it? Panic spread through her chest like a wildfire.
“He followed me through,” Natalia admitted seconds later, though it felt like hours. “He showed up as I was entering the portal.”
The smallest looking Council member nodded. “We understand. That is what we thought. Since you were honest, and since your friend seems to be no immediate threat, we have agreed to let it go.”
“But it mustn’t happen again,” said another member. “Next time there will be consequences.”
Natalia’s heart skipped a beat entirely. “Yes, Council.”
“I’m guessing he is currently being taken care of?”
“James Darby and two of his children are kindly watching him,” Natalia answered, then wondered if that was the right thing to say. “Council.”
“Is he to learn of our world? To be given information on us? He is Human.” The way Human was said, Natalia would have thought it was some sort of curse-word.
Natalia took several shaky breaths. This had to be another test, but some things were more important than passing. “Noah’s my friend, Council. If he is awake, James might already be telling him want he wants to know.”
“He may remain in Atlantis then, for as long as you are.”
“Thank you, Council.”
Natalia remained still and unblinking, her stomach flipping, as the Council members all nodded at once.
“One last thing,” one of them said. “Reveal your wings, Fairy.”
Natalia’s heart was ready to leave with her soul detached.
She’d barely seen her gifts at play before; the one time they really had come out, besides the occasional dust on her face, she’d been passed out. Forcing her wings out was going to be a problem. She’d never seen them and didn’t physically know how to get them out.
“Is there an issue?” a snide voice asked.
“No, Council.” Her stomach twisted.
Her frantic eyes found Gold’s. He didn’t move and neither did she, fighting every fibre of her being that was telling her to escape now. Her breathing became strenuous as she searched for anything that would indicate she had wings at all. A cacophonous mess of thoughts inside her head rattled and screamed at each other.
As if the self-shouting was paying off, a wicked twitching began between her shoulders. She closed her eyes in hope.
Nothing flurried out.
“There seems to be a problem,” noted one member.
“She looks pained,” said another.
“She is new to this. Maybe she hadn’t done this before?” presented another. “She’s only recently discovered who she is. If the notion and the wings were suppressed for years…”
“Then why would she say she was fine?” asked someone else. “And how can we tell either way?”
“Natalia Whitebell?” one called. It drew Natalia’s attention until she stood straight. Her back seized, like glass cutting her skin on the inside, and she cursed. “You have passed everything so far. You need only reveal your wings. Then we can accept you. You would be free.”
The smallest member, who Natalia now recognised as the most feminine sounding one, spoke. “We understand this is new, that you were taken into the Human world and lived there, but we need to see them. We have run tests, that is what the platform you are standing on does, but it cannot reveal your most previous thing to us. Only you can. And then you will be a Creature. You can live among us, fight alongside us, follow what your birth-right is.”
That didn’t encourage Natalia much. Had someone not revealed themselves before and therefore had been thrown away, or worse?
Natalia doubled over. She tried feeling for her wings or at least for some sign inside that suggested possession of a pair. Again there was fluttering between her shoulder blades. And again nothing sprung to life.
The moment of surrender came when she stood. There was something there, she could feel it. She just couldn’t reach it. Someone said something to her but Natalia didn’t hear what. The platform was lowering but she couldn’t move. She was drowning in a sea of her making.
Appearing from nowhere, four people surrounded her.
A paralysing purple spark slammed into her chest, hitting like a blow from a hammer. Blood rose in her mouth, but try as she might she couldn’t spit it out. Seconds passed before another purple spark shot into her back, one that made her entire body run cold. This time, she tipped forwards helplessly, her body limp and useless, landing in the arms of two people.
She was dragged from the room, the tips of her feet scraping against the floor.
8
Carved in Stone
The rolling stone locked into place.
A single candle hung on the wall inside a black metal casing, the flame unmoving. There was no window for extra light, only grey walls. The dim light showed nothing, not that it needed to.
I’ve really pissed off the Council, Natalia thought with a groan.
She was stuck. Alone. In a stone prison.
There probably weren’t even any guards outside. Why would there be? Who would have the strength or power to try and escape? She certainly didn’t. She wasn’t even convinced anyone would hear her scream and shout through the thick walls and solid door. At least whatever magic had incapacitated her before seemed to be wearing off. An acidic taste lingered in her mouth and her head was cloudy, but there was nothing she could do, and she knew how much worse things could’ve been. She could feel her body again, though stretching ached still.
Not wanting to give in to the solitary confinement, she tried to stand and instantly lurched sideways, crashing into the wall.
She glanced up at the candle as she reached for it. After several grunts and groans, Natalia seized it and slid it from the casing tentatively. Hot wax dripped across the back of her hand and she winced, but refused to stop.
Once the wax was dripping to the floor and she could see clearer, she inspected the cell. It was a six foot square box with a low-hanging ceiling. Luckily she wasn’t big enough to need that much space, however it was still claustrophobic.
Tears swelled in her eyes and she dropped to the floor, the candle light revealing yellow and black straw beneath her. If this wasn’t a dire circumstance, she might’v
e found the breath to laugh.
Her head fell against the wall. As it did, she noticed the dents in the stone. Blinking curiously, Natalia guided the candle along the wall, her fingers grazing the lettering. G. M. The further she went, he more the letters repeated.
Pain gripped Natalia’s heart like a vice. What dark desperation drove people to engrave walls in the hope it would allow their voices to be heard?
The Council had her thrown in here for not presenting her wings, wings she wasn’t entirely convinced she had. For disobeying, she’d been cast aside like she was nothing more than the straw she now sat on.
Stroking the letters on the wall, finding all the cuts and grooves, she hoped there would be no need for her to leave any desperate messages behind. But a tear slipped down her cheek and she found herself wondering if her headband was strong enough to carve into stone.
◆◆◆
Noah’s view was beautiful. The sun was setting beyond serene waves and the most wondrous lamps were being lit in the streets below.
What was at the heart of this place, or was it the heart itself? Maybe it was both. Maybe the magic kept the heart beating and the heart’s rhythm kept the magic alive in an endless cycle of self-dependency.
When he was younger, Noah had dreamed of Vampires and Werewolves and Witches. He even remembered asking a shopping mall Santa one year to send him a Creature he could go on midnight adventures with. Now that wish had been laid before him. Those downstairs were telling him that the things he’d dreamed of were real.
Should he believe in childish dreams all these years later?
The man with the miss-matched eyes, one gold and one blue, had elongated his canine teeth on command until they’d touched near his jaw. The girl with the curly brown hair had cracked and morphed until there was no Human body left, a wolf in her place. The older man, the father figure with a kind smile, had taken time to explain everything to Noah, answering his questions, concerns, and quandaries.
And what Noah could deny least was that Natalia was here. She also wasn’t. Tony had come back to this house nearly in pieces, the whites of his eyes red, claiming Natalia had been taken from him.
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