A Fey Harvest

by Sumida, Amy

  See? You can't accept even my introduction to your answer.

  “Oh great googa mooga! Can you please just tell me what you're going to tell me already?”

  You're so impatient. The star is a symbol of completeness, you are correct in that assumption. It is also a symbol that represents myself, or rather the Nine Great Magics that comprise me.

  “Nine magics?” I looked over at Arach but he just shook his head, he didn't know either. “Like how I have three types of magic?”

  Yes, similar, but these are the great magics, the magic that all other magic descend from. This is the magic that made the fey. Together they form the nine-pointed star, the source of all magic. Me.

  “The source of all magic,” something warmed in my heart, an acknowledgment. “And my heart has become this symbol? Is this like how Arach's heart is a white core of fire?”

  “My heart is a core of fire?” Arach looked utterly pleased but I just rolled my eyes at him.

  Very good, she actually sounded impressed. Yes, you now have not only a heart like other fey but a heart of Faerie. In a way, you are more fey than any other faerie in the realm.

  “Oh good, cause that's not at all creepy or potentially life threatening for me,” I huffed. “What are they, by the way? What are the Nine Great Magics?”

  If you would but look inside yourself, you would find the answer. What is the first word that enters your mind?

  “Love,” I shrugged, “but I'm a little biased when it comes to that.”

  You're also correct, she was laughing again. Love is the first of the great magics. Now what would be the last thing you'd think of?

  “The last?” I frowned. “Hate, I guess. The opposite of Love.”

  Is it the opposite? Or is it just a reflection? Either way, you're correct again. Hate is the last great magic. Between them, Love and Hate, lie the seven magics that are connected to these two. Love and Hate are the purest, the oldest magics, the other seven can be twisted to lean more to either side, depending on how they're used.

  “I don't know about that,” I grimaced, “Aphrodite sure did a lot of twisting of the Love magic.”

  Ah, that was not Love. That was Love combined with another magic, Domination. The goddess tainted it, this doesn't change what it was originally, as I know you've discovered. Love always wants to be pure Love, it's not a magic that enjoys being twisted.

  “Okay then,” I nodded, it was actually making sense. Then something occurred to me. “Hey, I had Love already.”

  Did you now? More laughter, she was really getting on my nerves. What a coincidence.

  “Never mind,” I groaned. Faerie wouldn't give me anything she didn't want to. “What are the other six? We've got Love, Hate, and Domination, though I can't see how Domination can be influenced by Love.”

  Can't you? You of all should know the benefits of control.

  “Huh, yeah, you got me there.”

  What other lessons have you learned?

  “The only one that I can think of, the one that seems to be a reoccurring theme for me, is acceptance but I don't see how that could be a great magic.”

  Duh. Hello? You've gone through it again and again and you can't understand how it's magic? What can acceptance accomplish and what happens when there's a lack of it? This is why it's not only a magic but a great magic.

  “Okay, you need to stop saying duh,” I shook my head. “You sound silly.”

  I never sound silly, I am Faerie. I can say anything I want and the mere fact that I'm saying it makes it sound sublime.

  “Now you're being arrogant. You should try some humility.”

  Hello? I'm millions of years old. I am the greatest power that you shall ever know and I, in no way, have anything to be humble about.

  “Don't say hello either, especially not with the questioning tone. You sound like a Valley Girl,” I totally ignored her temper tantrum.

  I am not only a Valley Girl, I am the Valley. And the rivers, and the mountains, and the ocean-

  “Alright, alright,” I held up a hand. “I get it. Can we get back to the great magics please? What else is there?”

  Fine but you really could figure this out for yourself. The others are Protection, Health, Abundance, Transmutation, and Beauty.

  “Beauty? Really? It's magical to be beautiful?” That seemed a little superficial to me.

  You're thinking of beauty as a human. Remember Breck and how you started seeing Beauty differently because of her. That is the magic of Beauty, that it's different for everyone and that it's truly powerful when you learn to see it in everyone.

  “Well damn,” I laughed. “You sure told me.”

  Yes, I know, just now. I believe that was one of your magics as well but one you had no idea how to use.

  “I just thought it sort of enhanced my appearance,” I admitted.

  You would.

  “Does this mean I have all of the great magics inside me now?”

  Finally, a good question, she sighed. But also one you could have answered yourself. What do you think?

  “I...” I turned my focus inward but though I clearly saw the star, I didn't feel additional magic inside me. “No.”

  Ding, ding, ding, correct. Of course you don't have them in you, that would make you, me and you are definitely not me.

  “As long as I haven't become the fifth element,” I joked. “I don't want to have to save the world and kiss Bruce Willis. Mainly, I don't want to kiss Bruce Willis.”

  What nonsense are you speaking now? Haha I'd confused and annoyed her for once. The fifth element is Spirit, you know that, and who is this Bruce of the detestable kisses?

  “It's a movie, don't worry about it,” I giggled.

  You are not part of the House of Spirit, you are the Queen of Fire, she said slowly, like she was speaking to a child.

  “Ugh fine I'm an idiot but you still haven't told me why I had this star inside me.”

  I did. The star is the symbol of completion as well as my symbol, representing-

  “Yeah, I got that,” I groaned. “But what does it mean that I have it inside me?”

  You know, your next lesson should be silence.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  Thank you. Now, as I was saying, it represents the Nine Great Magics, the source of all magic. Why do you think that symbol emerged from the melding of your trinities? What do you think you've become?

  “Uh, I don't know,” I said slowly, like I was talking to an imbecile. “That's why I asked you.”

  Have you forgotten that you're a witch too? You must discover this on your own, I can't just tell you. Figure it out! And do it fast because you're wasting time on this when you should be making a magic arrow.

  “Oh shit,” I stood up, “you're right. This can wait. Do you know if Andrasta has killed Dearbhail yet?”

  I told you before, I can't see past the Darkness.

  “Then how do you know where they are?”

  I can see it, just not past it.

  “Oh, right,” I looked over to Arach. “We'll have to figure me out later. Let's get changed and go meet the others.”

  “I don't like not knowing about you,” Arach growled, “but I agree, there's more important issues at hand.”

  He's bootiliscious when he's upset, isn't he?

  “Okay, you so didn't hear that word from me. Who have... oh, Roarke!” I snarled.

  Yes, I love talking with the cat-sidhe. He's very amusing.

  “You know what?” I started to chuckle. “The fact that I'm not the only one being a bad influence on you actually makes me feel a whole lot better.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  We found Danal waiting for us in the star room and I cast one last glance at the ceiling before following him out the first door we'd come in through(there were several doors along the walls, the room seemed to be the hub of the royal quarters). He led us back to the entrance of the family quarters and out into the twisting hallways of the Castle of Eight.
/>   These hallways were polished wood, living wood though, and though they seemed more mundane after the beautiful crystal lined hallways of the royal quarters, they were not. They may have just looked like wood at first glance but this was a part of the great tree itself and it was alive. The walls expanded and retracted just barely, you'd miss it if you weren't looking for it, but they were definitely breathing. Breathing walls trumped crystal walls for me but not in a good way. It was actually a bit disturbing.

  So I tried to ignore the walls as Danal led us down a staircase into the depths of the tree. After awhile the wood encasing us turned to stone and I realized we must have gone past the main trunk and down into the earth. The stairs opened up into a stone hallway at the end of which was a massive iron door, flung open. Heat radiated out of the doorway and I took a delighted breath of the warm air. Arach looked decidedly more comfortable as well.

  The smell of fire hit me first, the sharp tang of burnt things, then the scent of earth, rich soil with a mineral bite. We walked into a vast space with packed earth for both floor and ceiling. The walls were gray stone, very dungeon chic, and were devoid of any decoration. In the center of the room was a massive fireplace, it went up into the ceiling, a stone tube with several openings around its base to house forges. In front of these forges were anvils, buckets of water, and tables strewn with smithing tools.

  Gigantic roots descended from the ceiling and dove straight into the floor, creating partitions between the forges and other areas of work. Tables lined the walls, all kinds of tools laid neatly upon them. It felt like it should be a dark place, a place lit only by the fire within the forge, but it wasn't. In addition to the firelight, there were several fey globes hovering amongst the roots and they cast a bright and all-consuming light. It made the room seem less like a torture chamber and more like a workroom.

  The fey royals were standing off to the side of one of the forges, waiting for us.

  “King Arach, Queen Vervain,” King Cian nodded, “your tools have been brought here for you,” he swept his hand to include a heavy wood table near the forge. “Are you ready to get started?”

  “Yes, of course,” Arach nodded and I followed him forward.

  “We're going to forge the arrowhead? As in us, together?” I whispered to him. “I don't know how to work with metal.”

  “I do,” he grinned at me, pulling off his tunic so he stood in just his black pants. “Don't worry, A Thaisce, I'll let you know what to do.” He laid his tunic aside and tied his hair back with a piece of leather.

  “Oh, okay,” I grimaced and watched as he picked up a long rod of steel and put it into the fire. “I'm surprised you have this huge fire going down here,” I said to King Cian. “I would have thought you'd want them outdoors.”

  “The fire helps heat the castle and our water,” Cian grinned. “It rises from the river of lava that flows beneath the castle. Energy never goes to waste in Faerie.”

  “Of course not,” I laughed. “I should have known.”

  Arach pulled the rod out of the fire. The tip of it was glowing pale yellow and he put it on top of an anvil. Barehanded, he went to work on it with a hammer, pounding it into a fishtail shape. As he worked the metal his muscles bulged, his skin glowing gold in the firelight. I stared transfixed at his arms, his shoulders, the curve of muscles down his stomach. The rhythmic swing of his arm was hypnotizing, the clang of the hammer hitting metal sang in my blood, resounding with vibration as if he were striking a chord within me.

  “A Thaisce,” he gave me a knowing look, “your fire, if you please.”

  “Oh,” I walked over and blew a stream of fire onto the end of the rod until it was once more glowing hot. I wanted to lean in and give him my fire in a more personal way but I thought that would probably be inappropriate under the circumstances.

  “Thank you,” he grinned at me, “stay close, I'll need you again.”

  “Okay,” I watched as he pounded the flattened shape around the curved part of the anvil, forming a tube out of it.

  “Again,” he held out the roughly shaped tube and I blew fire over it once more, the act seeming more and more sensuous as we progressed.

  Then he slid it over a pointed rod of metal that was stuck into a clamp on a heavy wooden table and began to hammer it around the rod until it took that shape. He turned it around and with a swift motion, broke the rod, snapped it like a twig, a few inches down from the tube.

  “Right here, Vervain,” he pointed to the new end. I nodded, a little impressed by his careless show of strength, and heated the end for him. “Thank you, love.”

  “Sure, no problem,” I whispered breathlessly as I watched him begin to work the end first into a point and then into flat edges that tapered to the point.

  He stopped a couple of times for me to reheat the metal but other than that, he worked pretty fast and soon he had it clamped upright and was finishing it off with a file, putting sharp edges on the tapering sides. He held up the finished arrowhead and the assembled royals nodded their approval.

  “Thank you, King Arach and Queen Vervain,” King Cian took the offered arrowhead. “Now for the shaft,” he looked to King Cahal and the King of Earth nodded and gestured to a table a little further back in the room.

  We all followed him over, Arach coming up beside me with his tunic flung over his shoulder. It was a new look for him, at least new to me, and I admit it was a good one. He slid an arm around my waist as we walked and I leaned in. He was deliciously warm and when I looked up, he had an even hotter look in his eyes. So many raunchy jokes came to mind about heat and hammering but I wouldn't demean Arach by using them. Oh, who am I kidding? I couldn't wait to get fired up and pounded like that arrowhead now that I'd seen how he could handle a rod. Okay, I'm done.

  I pulled my eyes away from Arach's fine physique to see that King Cahal had a length of wood in his hands(get your mind out of the gutter, I'm such a bad influence). He strapped the wood into a contraption that scraped the outside away when he turned the handle on its end. He cut it into a long shaft and then he began to hollow it out with a long metal rod which had a spear shaped end. Once he had a hollow tube, Queen Aalish came forward and sanded it smooth. Then Cahal took it back and sealed the wood with some type of lacquer, I'm not sure what it was exactly, but it made it slick looking and probably waterproof since it was meant to hold liquid.

  “The shaft is finished,” Cahal presented it to Cian.

  “Thank you, King Cahal and Queen Aalish,” King Cian nodded. “King Guirmean, if you will?”

  King Guirmean removed a blue bottle from his inner jacket pocket and took out the stopper. He took the wooden shaft from King Cian and poured the liquid from the bottle into the shaft. The clean scent of salty air drifted over to me. Then he tucked the bottle away and King Cahal came forward with a wooden plug which he tucked into the end of the shaft, sealing in the water. He poured some more of the lacquer over it and then handed the shaft back to King Cian.

  “You got the easy part,” I whispered to King Guirmean.

  “I know,” he grinned, “but I didn't get the chance to show off my muscles either.”

  “Good point,” I laughed and looked over Arach again.

  King Cian ignored us and put the arrowhead on the end of the shaft before he handed it back to Arach. Arach took it back to the anvil and hammered it just barely, tightening the arrowhead to the shaft. He brought it back over to the High King.

  “King Fionn?” King Cian presented the shaft to the King of Air, who took it with a nod.

  We followed him over to yet another table, where fletchings had already been shaped from some pure white feathers. King Fionn made some cuts into the wood and slid the fletchings in. Queen Breana affixed the feathers with what I assume was some kind of glue. Then King Fionn held the arrow aloft and the royals came forward to inspect it.

  Was that it? Was that all it took to make a weapon of all elements?

  “Perfect,” King Cian took the arrow reverently
. “It will be my honor to use this arrow to defend Faerie.”

  “Now we just have to hunt down the Darkness,” I whispered.

  “Yes,” King Cian agreed, “but first we rest.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  We were all over each other the second the door shut behind us. Something about watching Arach work that metal just did it for me and I guess the workout did something for him too because he lifted me off my feet and carried me the rest of the way to the bedroom. I was tearing at his clothes as we went and he was helping me as much as possible but I couldn't get anything fully off of either of us until he laid me out on the bed.

  Then it was mere moments before we were pressed together without the barrier of clothing to get in our way. We were both so hot but scales were spreading down his sides, giving me little cool shivers. The shivers tingled through me, like being tickled, and then lifted up inside my belly. Then a sensation similar to being stroked down my sides caught my attention and made me pull back.

  “What the hell?” I looked down as gold scales formed a shimmering border along the edges of my stomach.

  “A Thaisce,” Arach whispered as he trailed a hand over the shiny scales. Then he looked up into my face and gasped.

  “What?” I lifted a hand to my face and felt the smooth raised edges of scales at my temples and the more prominent bones of my cheeks. “Arach?”

  “It's alright,” he soothed, “just relax, this is probably a side effect of the triple trinities.”

  “Sweet dragon loving, do you think so?” I felt the blood rush through my veins and inside my chest like rivers of fire shooting straight to that nine-pointed star that was my heart. My dragon lifted her head and roared. It vibrated through me, triumph singing in my chest as my other beasts joined their voices to hers. “I think you're right. I think I can be a dragon now, without jeopardizing my other magic.”

  “Because your other magic is connected to it,” Arach smiled. “They are all bonded now.”

  “But my face wasn't like this before,” I touched his face, “like yours.”