“Whatever do you mean?” I asked curiously, knowing full well that she was referring to my lack of clothing, though I played into the fool that she believed I was. I could use this to my advantage at some point.
“Are you trying to get frostbite? It’s at least negative two degrees.”
“If you haven't noticed, I was giving my warm coverings to you two, so that you would not freeze.” I exaggerated my words.
She acknowledged the cloak on her shoulders and shrugged it off as if it were the most putrid thing ever to have touched her. “Fairies have more regulated body heating, unlike humans. I don’t need your garment.” She spat.
“A simple thank you would suffice,” I began as she interrupted me.
“We need to get going, we are short on time.” She made sure to elevate her voice to wake up Voilet, stomping out the fire with her talloned foot. I gasped at the burns she was subject to, though she placed her foot back on the group, unharmed.
“Another fairy trait...” she said matter of factly. “We can’t be harmed by earthly substances.”
I stood from my position on the cold stone flooring and looked to Violet, who was stirring at this point, still growing in pain. “It’s time to leave.” I said gently in her direction, as she sat up cautiously, holding her new legs between her arms. “Here,” I held out a hand to her, to which she graciously took, giving me a weak smile.
CHAPTER TEN
Violet
I woke up shivering, though I was cloaked in garments, my skin still felt the prickle of the cold. I glanced at my legs, still not believing I had them. The trauma I had gone through to get them still gave me chills that I couldn’t shake off. I had night terrors all night long. I kept asking myself if it was worth it. I had always longed for legs, my curiosity finally taking over and encouraging me to save this human in order to receive a pair. Had it been worth it? I looked at him. He seemed to be faring quite well despite his injuries. He was constantly gazing at the fairy, however, which really irked me. I couldn’t stand fairies, and this one really was a piece of work. However, I was thankful to her for taking pity on us.
This was the longest time I had been away from home. I didn’t want to imagine what my father was thinking right now, knowing his little girl had ventured to shore again. And Esmeralda. She had warned me time and time again not to go, since that last incident that happened when we were just little Mere. But once again, I didn’t listen, and now I was in a deep mess that couldn’t be repaired anyway I knew how. I had my legs and could explore, but I had no idea how to get my tail back, and besides, I was supposed to be preparing for the day I was to take over my father's kingdom. Well, me or Essie, though, I tried not to think too much about that. There would certainly be conflict. I shook off the realisation and decided to focus on the now, and the two causes of strife that were currently in my life, and were both now staring at me for an answer to Bear’s gesture to help me up, “Here,” he said a long pause earlier. Now the two of them stared at me impatiently as I had been lost in an orbit of conflict in my head.
I tried to stand without any assistance but failed, falling to the ground and further injuring my aching bones. Giving in to defeat, I accepted the help offered to me and took Bear’s hand. As I stumbled along behind the pair I wondered how Iris was feeling, her nose poured blood and her mind was tortured, though she didn’t let on much more than that. We walked for what seemed like an eternity, up hills and across valleys; both Bear and Iris taking turns of carrying my weight when my new legs wouldn't. I wasn’t sure if we would make it to our destination by nightfall, wherever our destination was, I wasn’t sure...
“Are we nearly there?” I asked, impatient at the amount of time it was taking to get to this so-called “destination”.
“Yeah, I’m hungry.” Bear contributed to my plea.
Violet whipped around, frightening us both enough to cause me to fall and Bear to fall off his seat on her back. “If you two miscreants would just shut up for one minute and contribute to getting us to our destination, we would get there a lot faster!” She snapped.
“If we knew where it was, it would make it easier for us to help?” Bear whimpered at her temper. I myself could see that it was simply a girls voice and he was just a wimp at best; A sad excuse for a Viking. No wonder he got bitten.
“We are going to the one place you can be healed. My home. The Isle of fairies, of course. If you haven't figured that out by now, you're a lot stupider than you look. If you took nothing from our little magic act earlier, the hierarchy is after us. Therefore we have very limited time to complete this mission and get you both back to safety where you belong, and me back to my home, with the Hierarchy unaware that I am helping you.”
“All of our families are likely after us... and probably whoever is in charge of Sugarland too. But, why are we travelling so far when you said you entered Sugarland where we entered?”
“Well, the boy has a point.” I agreed. Bear to puffed up with pride.
“See. The mermaid agrees with me. So who’s the fool now?” he scoffed.
“Both of you are! I didn’t think there was a bigger fool than you, but I was surely wrong.” She shook her head. “Now listen... You obviously don’t understand the extent of the hierarchies' power and that their efforts to find me... to find us... will not go in vain! At the very least, when they do find us, and they will, you two will be sent home with no cure. So, we need to hurry up. And, to answer your question, we need to enter from a different entry point so we aren't seen.” She finished, turning to continue the journey.
“May I make a small suggestion?” I interjected, knowing that my own brain was larger and more capable than the two bickering items in front of me.
“What is it?” She turned back around, sounding defeated, which irritated me. My advice should be appreciated... “Well, all I was going to say was that you should consider flying instead of walking. It would no doubt make our journey faster.”
“Girl... I don’t have the energy to fly. Otherwise, we would have been doing it this whole time.” Her tone told me to let it go, so I closed my mouth and continued to plod along behind her.
That was until an unfamiliar voice came from the shrubs nearby. “Travellers. You look tired... let me assist you with getting to your destination.” I looked to my right to see a green being with a leaf for a face. I wasn’t too sure if it was a tree or a human, that possessed a man’s voice. It looked like a combination of the two.
“What are you?” Bear wondered out loud before Iris gave him a stern look.
“Why I’m a Greenie, my fine sir,” the strange creature replied.
“What’s a Greenie?” Bear asked again, against all of our silent wishes.
“Well... we are a native species to Sugarland, and it is considered very lucky to see one of us, as we are quite rare. Which leads me to ask... what are you folks doing so far out here?”
“Ignore... ignore him...” Iris said under her breath as she squeezed Bear tightly with her wings, the both of us now on her back.
“That hurts!” Bear exclaimed before answering the question, “Well, you see, I was bitten by a beast... well, a dark mere of sorts, and we are searching for a cure.”
“Oh, dear boy! I can help you with that!” the creature said as it walked beside us, not breaking stride.
We all watched him intrigued, no doubt waiting for more of an explanation.. The greenie continued, “I can grant you a wish to heal your body and teleport you to a resting place. You will be able to eat, regain your strength and be safe from those trying to hurt you for six hours exactly.”
I thought about the deal. It did sound safer than going to the Isle. Could it be the best option? The option we didn’t think about?
“It’s a deal!” Bear announced before any of us could say otherwise.
Iris looked at me with panic in her eyes. Panic which reflected that within my entire mind and body at this moment.
“No deal! Leave us alone!” Iris
shouted at the Greenie.
“Too late. your friend here, already accepted. The deal is done.” he said quickly.
“But,” I began, but we were already flying through the air, transporting... when things steadied, we were positioned in a bar.
“What have you done?!” Iris hissed, “This deal of yours could have done irreversible damage! Who knows what his conditions are.” Her words hung in the air, as I tried to ignore them as the reality of what our human accomplice had done.
I hung my head on my hand as I looked around the room, positioned on a wooden stool at the bar. I watched as a hooded man burst in through the large oak doors of the establishment. His face was well hidden beneath his large cloak, similar to the cloak that Iris was wearing when we met, and the one that she had passed onto me now to hide my naked appearance. He took a seat next to me, the barmaid thumbing a large chalice of ale in front of him. He took it by its handle and gulped down the entire thing in one go. I gasped at the impolite manner in which he was drinking. It only made it more apparent how far I was from home. He turned to face me. I gasped again at his rugged appearance. A jagged scar made its way from his left eye all the way to the corner of his mouth. He turned to face the bar, “Another ale,” he pounded the empty glass on the bar. The barmaid responded accordingly, placing another in front of him.
I shook my head at his rude manner, looking back to the group. Iris was staring at me deadeningly. “Don’t look at him. He is dangerous, on the run.” She whispered.
“How do you know?” I questioned her sudden knowledge. How could she know anything? The man hadn’t spoken apart from demanding drinks.
“I can hear his thoughts.” she rubbed her temples as if she had a bad headache.
“You can hear his thoughts?!” I exclaimed in a loud whisper.
“Be quiet!” She hissed.
“You can hear his thoughts?” I repeated in a hushed tone this time.
“Yes. It’s a gift. It causes me more harm than good.”
“Can... can you hear my thoughts?” I stammered, suddenly ashamed that she may know all of my secrets and harsh antics directed toward her. I thought they were private. I thought were hidden in my mind.
“No. For some reason I can’t hear yours. It’s probably a mermaid quality. I can hear all of his though.” She threw a disgusted look toward Bear.
I shot a sympathetic look at Bear, “Okay, well what is the man thinking that proves he is dangerous?” I inquired, trying not to let him hear my words.
She looked at him, speaking as if she was transcribing the words directly from his own mouth, “I'm a long way from anywhere, but if im noticed i'll be hung... If they can catch me... the risk is worth the reward. After my horse succumbed to the arrow wounds it was on foot from there. Fourteen long days on foot. My feet hurt with each step, to the point that it makes me grimace every time. I would sometimes muster up some strength, convincing myself it didn't hurt. Not to mention the thirst I had built up. That barmaid better keep those drinks coming. I hadn't had a beer in the time it took me to travel here. It was enough to send any man insane.” His thoughts were weird, as though he was writing in a diary.
“What... is he telling himself of his own crimes?” His thoughts were confusing, so different from my own.
Iris looked at me with furrowed brows and continued, “I walked slowly through the room, looking forward and taking everything in with a glance. Moving towards the spot in the middle of the tavern by the wall. There were only three other creatures next to me at the bar so I took my chances. No one was paying me any mind. Until the strange girl next to me started to stare. She appeared human, thought I had a strong feeling she wasn’t.” Iris paused, “He’s thinking about you now.”
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands, “A criminal is thinking about me?”
“We are heading into danger. We need to remove ourselves from his focus. We should get some sleep before our ‘safe’ period is up. Who knows how strong this deal actually is.” She continued. “Could we have a room please?” she asked the barmaid.
“Of Course. A room is already prepared for you.” The barmaid replied, causing us all to look at eachother with furrowed brows. “It must be part of the deal.” Bear spoke up for the first time since we had arrived at the bar.
We followed the barmaid up the stairs, “He is in trouble for looting.” Iris whispered to me.
“What?” I replied in a matching tone.
“The man, downstairs. Though I’m sure he has done more than that.”
CHAPTER Eleven
Iris
“Iris, Iris!” called my twin sister, Fenix. I lay on the lush teal glass as the blood moon passed through the fluffy cotton candy clouds. I loved my home. When I was left alone to enjoy it. “What.” I yawned, rolling over. “It is father...”
“What about him?” I replied lazily,
“Father is dead.” The words jolted my heart, my mind, the Isle. It all just froze into oblivion.
Walking up, I rolled on my back to see four wooden panels above me. The roof was tall and the room spacious. All I could hear was a buzz of voices, reminding me where I was. I really had to focus in order to hear one particular voice, and that voice was aware of our presence. While I didn’t know the reason for his interest in us, I did know that this deal Bear had made with a Greenie would be just about up. One thing I had come to learn was, if something sounded too good to be true, then it probably was.
“Wake up.” I hissed in the direction of the other sleeping occupants. Bear stirred, the Mermaid did not. “Siren.” I said sharply,
“It's Violet.” She said as she rolled over to face me from her place on the floor.
“We need to go. Our luck will run out soon and I don’t want to be caught by that weird guy downstairs. There is something about him that just isn’t right. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t want to find out either.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She sat up. We both looked at Bear, who was still comfortably dosing.
“Get up.” I kicked him in his side a bit harder than was probably necessary...
“I’m up.” He sat quickly, looking dazed as if still dreaming. His hair was in a ridiculous mess on the top of his head. Seemingly matching his personality.
“Let’s go, c’mon.” I threw the ragged cloth off me, and walked toward the door, my wings stopping me as I tried to leave. “Agh... damn wings.” I tensed my back to retract them from their large wing-span. I straightened up, and tucked hair behind my ear, slightly embarrassed, “Let’s go.”
The old wooden steps creaked with every foot that lay on their wooden surface. With the six of ours, we weren't quiet. I braced myself, nervous for who we might see downstairs. As I came around the corner, I peered into the room. The collection of people hadn’t changed, as if no time had passed from last night. I looked toward the bar, the caped man sat steady in his chair, looking down at his lagar. As I turned toward the door, a shriek rang loudly in my ears, my mind went black before visions flooded in.
My eyes burned. As I rubbed them to ease the pain, it only got worse. I was placed in an empty dirt field. As I looked around, I felt a strong feeling of unease. Suddenly, a black cloud seeped around me. I felt my skin, as well as each muscle in my body tighten as it hugged me. I tried to breath but the tight grip it had on me, made it impossible. A hum began, followed by a buzz, which increased in tempo each moment I tried to keep my breathing steady. I looked around me with what strength I had to do so. My head found the will to turn ever so slightly, to see thousands of creatures coming toward me. Each direction was filled with different races, Mermaids, Vikings, Fairies, Beasts like those I had seen in Sugarland and others I could never recognize.
There was a war happening, and I was in the middle of it. It all made sense, the black cloud that was wrapped around me was the great evil, and this was the war of 800 BC... unless it was a vision of the future. I panicked, trying to free my arms to run, but the more I struggled, the tighter the evil grasp
ed me. When I felt that I couldn’t struggle any more, I took my last breath. The ground shifted underneath me and I was back in the bar. The hooded man was staring straight into my eyes, not letting me see anything else. I sucked in a much needed breath. He possesed the great evil, and he had come to complete his mission. “We need to go!” I breathed sharply in the direction of my accomplices. They looked at me, confused, “Go! Go, now! We are in trouble. We never should have come here. I never should have come here. We need to get to my home now, before it’s too late.” I grabbed them both by the scruff of their garments and pulled them out of the door, I took off in flight so that we could gain speed.
“A new war is starting and we are going to be in the middle of it.” I braced myself, hardly able to comprehend what I had envisioned.
“How do you know?” Violet gasped,
“Because I just saw the old one, and it’s not finished.” I inhaled, fright crippling my bones.
“Who is involved?” Bear was quick to show his concern. A true viking, always ready for war.
“All of us. All of our families, our races, Sugarland, and others.”
“Others?” Violet pressed.
“I’m not sure who or what they are... I've never seen anything like them.”
We ran like our lives depended on it, well, they did. I saw a small entryway into a house of worship, “In here. Quickly.” I gestured to the others, who followed me with haste. It had brought us to the back stage, where a service was happening. I listened carefully, thinking of a way to escape. We had outrun our captur, for now. I snuck out into the crowd, making sure to stay low to the ground. A church goer spied me from his spot in the back row of pues, and picked something up from the ground, “Here.” he said, handing me a pair of camouflage- green shoes. I gave him a look of distrust, to which he looked at my shoeless feet and held the pair out to me, geturing for me to take them, eyebrows raised.
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