by Amy Sumida
“When's the last time you saw one of those?” I asked.
“Never. To get one here is...” he looked up at me, a lock of his black hair falling into one eye. He brushed it away distractedly. He hadn't bothered with a haircut in awhile. Things like that tend to get neglected when you're on a quest for vengeance.
“Suspicious?” I lifted a brow.
“Fortunate,” he began to grin.
“Dad, doesn't this make you at all wary?”
“I get to kill a fairy,” he shrugged, “that it's a request of the fey themselves is simply a bonus.”
“Maybe we should contact our council first,” I glanced at the picture included with the warrant.
A willowy woman with huge mossy eyes and long, hair the color of young pea pods, smiled back at me. Her skin was a deep tawny umber and in combination with that hair, I knew her to be a dryad. So she was probably a member of the Seelie Court. Not that it made any difference, Seelie or Unseelie, Light or Dark, all of the fey were dangerous and her sweet looks could be hiding the heart of a monster. Still...
“It says she murdered a sidhe male,” I held out my hand for the warrant and he handed it back to me so I could read it again. “Dylan Thorn. Aren't the Thorns one of the stronger fey families? The Unseelie King is a Thorn, isn't he?”
“Which is probably why they want this bitch killed,” Dad grinned. “She murdered a royal, they take that very seriously.”
“But how did a dryad kill a fey royal?” I stared at the picture again. “Dryads are generally timid and their magic is low class compared to that of a sidhe, much less a royal sidhe.”
“You should know better than anyone that the amount of magic a person holds has nothing to do with their capability for murder,” my father was already pulling out his Extinguisher gear from the little closet in the left wall.
He laid a mini crossbow on the desk and followed it up with a quiver of iron-tipped arrows and an iron knife. Guns were dangerous around fairies, even when filled with iron bullets. A lot of fey magic was born of the elements and fire used in a particular way, such as igniting all of the bullets in a gun at once, could make the weapon explode, harming the wielder more than the intended victim.
Non-combustible iron weapons were the way to go with fairies. Something about the chemical composition of the metal reacted to their blood and if they were actually struck with a piece of the stuff, it would burn their skin. If they were shot with an iron arrow or cut with an iron knife, the iron would poison their blood and without purification, they'd die. So iron was the metal of choice for Extinguisher weapons and when we used it in combination with our psychic abilities, we did pretty well against the fey.
“Why aren't you getting ready?” Dad asked pointedly.
“So we aren't calling the Human Council?” I tried one more time.
“Not necessary,” he strapped a specially made flat quiver to his back with practiced movements and then layered his coat over the top as I tried to push my unease away.
It wasn't that I didn't want to kill the fairy. I would have no problem extinguishing any fey I had a warrant for. The problem was, this warrant came from the fey themselves and if our Human Council didn't approve of it, we shouldn't be executing. It could get us into a lot of trouble and frankly, if this was just some high up fairy wanting someone else to do his dirty work, I'd rather not help him out.
My Dad began to hum an old Irish tune as we headed out the door. Yeah, getting in trouble with the Human Council hadn't been an issue with him for a long time.
Chapter Three
You'd think hunting fairies would be difficult. Beings with magic at their disposal and the ability to become invisible should be hard to track but when you're an Extinguisher, you're trained to use their magic against them. All magic leaves traces of energy and when combined with the powerful aura of a fairy, the resulting glow reaches up and around its host like the Northern Lights.
Still, you had to find the right sky to search in order to see those lights and tracking the murderess took most of the day. We finally found her hiding amid the crowds of Ala Moana, a massive, outdoor shopping mall on the outskirts of Waikiki. I thought it a strange place for her to be hiding, she would have fared much better up in the mountains, but maybe she'd thought she'd be safer in a crowd.
“I'll circle around behind her,” my dad whispered to me. “You grab her and we'll get her out of here so we can kill her without witnesses.”
“Alright,” I agreed.
Even though most humans couldn't see fairies, when one was killed, they lost their magic, starting with their invisibility. That wouldn't be the issue with this particular fairy, though. She was completely visible, her oddly colored hair tucked up into a baseball cap and her large eyes covered with a pair of celebrity sunglasses. That wasn't too surprising. Using invisibility magic ironically made a fairy even more visible to those of us with the sight. Magic was energy and energy burned brightly to clairvoyants. So if she wanted to hide from Extinguishers, using the least amount of magic was her best option. She hadn't seen me yet but I had no doubt she would soon. Fairies could see Extinguishers almost as well as we did them. All those psychic gifts made our auras stronger than most humans.
She was sitting on the edge of a long, oval shaped, cement planter set in the center of one of the open pathways between the shops. Plants rose up behind her and one of her hands was laid against the slim trunk of a palm tree. The fey liked to be close to nature but that touch was a clear sign that she was scared or at least nervous. Her slim body was hunched in on itself, as if she were pulling away from the humans sitting around her, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. A baby cried and she flinched.
It made sense that she would be scared but usually, a murderer has some kind of plan. They don't just sit in the middle of a group of humans and touch plants. Was she waiting for someone? Maybe she had an accomplice. This could be a lot more complicated than we'd thought. My steps slowed as I searched the area for signs of another fey but there weren't any to be found.
I was about five feet away when her head lifted and she looked unerringly in my direction. Her hand released the plant with a blur of movement and she stood, looking as if she didn't know which direction to run in. I tensed for the chase as her gaze flitted over her shoulder, where I knew my father was coming up behind her. Then she took a deep breath and started walking calmly in my direction.
I was so startled, I froze for a second and a Japanese tourist bumped into me from behind. It jolted me back into action. I pulled the fey handcuffs from my pocket and opened them with automatic ease. They were iron but lined in silicone so they wouldn't burn her, just prevent her from using her magic. When I reached her, she gave me a nod and held her hands out submissively. I put the cuffs on her with complete bafflement.
“Aideen Evergreen, I have a warrant of execution for you from the Fairy Council,” I took her arm and started walking her through the crowds. She was taller than me, as most fey are, probably around six feet. I was five-five and although I was leanly muscled from all the training I did, I'd inherited my mother's curves and next to Aideen's willowy, fragile form, I must have looked like an Oompa Loompa.
“Asylum,” she whispered and I jerked to a halt.
“What did you say?” My eyes slid over to her with the slow slide of incredulity.
“I ask for asylum with the Human Council,” she stated more firmly. “I have information that could lead to the destruction of the entire human race.”
“What?!” I turned to the side so I was facing her. The flow of foot traffic split around us with irritated murmurs. “Did you say...?”
“I'm talking about the extermination of your whole race, Extinguisher,” she hissed. “Now get me to your Council.”
“Yes, Ma'am,” I swallowed hard and started ushering her more quickly through the shoppers, using a combination of telepathy and telekinesis to nudge them out of our way. Possible extermination called for excessive measures.
Finally, a peek into the first installment of Amy's RH Fairy Tale Collection:
Happily Harem After
The first volume includes:
Beauty and the Beasts
Wild Wonderland
The Four Clever Brothers
Pan's Promise
The Little Glass Slipper
Beauty and the Beasts
Chapter One
“Once upon a time there were three spoiled princes,” I read. “They dined on the finest food and drank the best wine. Their clothing was made of silk from the East, fur from the North, velvet from the West, and linen from the South. They lived in the most magnificent castle made of stone and glass and were waited upon by an army of servants. They had everything their hearts could desire, and that was their downfall.”
I frowned at the book, flipping back to the cover to read the title again. There was no author listed, and I was beginning to realize why. What had I been thinking when I borrowed this book from Theo? But I was nothing if not tenacious, so I returned to reading.
“On a dark and stormy night,” I read and then rolled my eyes.
“Ugh... really?” I huffed. “As if 'once upon a time' wasn't bad enough, you have to add 'dark and stormy'? Who wrote this crap?”
“Sylvaine?” My father called.
“Up here, Father,” I called back to him.
“Come down and wish me farewell. I'm about to leave.”
I clambered down from my spot in the barn's loft and found my father smiling up at me as he stood in the open space between horse stalls. He held his arms wide open, and I went into them, still holding my book. He hugged me tightly, and then took my hand by the wrist and lifted it so that he could see the book.
“The Beastly Princes?” My father read the title aloud. “Is it a horror story?”
“No, but it may end up horrifying me, nonetheless.” I grimaced.
Father laughed. “You're too smart for your own good, Sylvie.” He kissed my forehead. “Now, your sisters have all made their requests. What shall I bring you?”
I knew that Father was hiding the fact that his business had taken a bad hit. My sisters didn't know that our last two ships had been attacked by pirates, the goods stolen, but I did. Theo often received word from the larger towns, and he told me what had happened. But my father was a proud man, and I didn't want to embarrass him.
“I would love a rose,” I said with a smile.
“A rose?” Father lifted his brows. “Not a comb or a book?” He looked pointedly at my beastly novel.
“No, just a rose,” I repeated.
He stared at me a moment and then nodded sadly. “You're a good girl, Sylvaine. I love you.”
“I love you too, Father.”
I watched him walk out to his waiting cart and climb in. He rode out toward the seaport village of Rapace, our horse, Bayard, pulling the wagon. He turned back as he got to the gate and waved. I waved back and then returned to the loft and my story.
“Let's see, where were we?” I scanned the page. “Ah, yes, we left our heroes... anti-heroes?” I frowned and then decided on, “Main characters, in a dark and stormy night.”
I sighed and then began to read, “An old woman let herself into the palace in the midst of a party. She walked through the grand ballroom, right up to the eldest prince.
'I beg of you to grant me shelter on this dismal night,' she said.
The prince scowled at her and simply turned away as if speaking to her was beneath him.”
My eyes went, and I growled. “Rude!”
I went back to reading, “The old woman approached the second prince and asked him for shelter. The second prince waved his hand, and an attendant hustled the woman away. As she was led through the ballroom, the old woman called out to the final prince, the fairest and sweetest looking of the princes.
'Your Highness, please have mercy on an old woman. Do not let them put me out into the storm!'
The prince looked her over and said to the attendants, 'Give her a pallet in the stables, she can bed down with her own kind.'”
I gaped at the page. “Oh, you bratty bastard!” I hissed.
Then I read on, hoping that the prince would get his comeuppance. “The old woman broke free of the men who were restraining her and in a blinding flash of light, her figure transformed into that of a beautiful maiden. The entire court went silent, in awe of her beauty. The three princes came forward and stared at the woman in astonishment.
'I gave each of you a chance to be kind, and instead, you treated me like an animal,' the fair maiden said.
'We had no idea that you were a lovely lady,' the second prince said. 'If we had known, we would have offered you a room befitting your beauty.'
'Beauty!' The young woman hissed. 'That is all you can see, isn't it? I will teach the three of you a lesson about beauty.'”
I smirked. “Oh yeah, you let them have it, lady!”
I settled back against the wooden wall and read more eagerly, “The maiden's hands began to glow with magic, and the court drew back in fear when she lifted them above her head. The princes, confident in their own worth, did not cower. They faced her with curiosity only.
'Since you treated me like an animal, that is what you shall be. We shall see who stands by you when you are no longer beautiful. How many of your court will remain to fawn over you when your monstrosity is apparent on your very faces?'
The magic shimmered over the princes, and they immediately transformed into hideous monsters; part man and part beast. The court ran away, screaming.”
I chuckled, monsters indeed.
“The eldest prince cried out to the maiden, now revealed to be a Witch, 'Please, we can change our ways. Have mercy.'
The Witch lifted her chin and stared at the pathetic creatures.
'You who gave no mercy, now beg for it,' she said. 'All right;. I will grant you one chance to regain your human forms.' She plucked a rose out of an overflowing vase and cast it at the feet of the eldest prince. 'You have till the last petal falls from this flower to prove that you are worthy are ruling this kingdom.'
The princes looked at each other in horror. 'But a rose dies so quickly,' the second prince pointed out.
'Not this one,' the Witch smiled. 'It will fade slowly, and you will not fade at all, but only I shall know how much time you have to prove your worth.'
The youngest prince crawled forward on his massive paws, 'But how do we prove ourselves?'
The Witch thought about it and finally said, 'With true beauty, of course. You must find a woman, a brave and beautiful woman, to love all of you. If you can win her love, and become humble enough to share that love, then I will return your kingdom and your pretty faces to you.'
The princes vowed that they would win the love of a brave and beautiful woman... and they would share her humbly.”
I grimaced and tossed the book down in the hay.
“What rubbish.”
Chapter Two
“You didn't like The Beastly Princes?” Theo chuckled.
“Have you read that garbage?” I asked him as I returned his book. “It's ridiculous.”
“It's supposed to be a true story,” Theo said, “about our very own kingdom.”
“We have a King and Queen,” I reminded him. “And they only have a daughter, no sons.”
“We were not originally a part of the Kingdom of Hannaleigh,” Theo said. “In fact, we're not really a part of it now. Our monarchy disappeared long ago; the castle is said to be deep within the forest, hidden by magic and haunted.”
“What happened to the rulers?”
“No one knows.” Theo waved the book at me. “Or do they?”
“You want me to believe that there are three beastly princes living in an abandoned castle in the woods, waiting for a beautiful woman to come and fall in love with them?” I scoffed.
“Pure drivel,” Fabien said as he sauntered into Theo's shop.
I rolled my eyes. “For the flour,”
I said to Theo as I handed him a copper coin. “And thank you for the loan of the book.”
“You're welcome Sylvaine,” Theo spoke to me, but eyed Fabien.
Fabien. Ugh. Speaking of monsters, Fabien was a real one. He was also a braggart and a bully. In fact, Fabien would probably get along famously with those princes. When he wasn't pushing his weight around, Fabien could be found admiring himself in any reflective surface nearby. And when he wasn't doing either of those things, he was annoying me.
“Where are you going, Sylvie?” Fabien followed me out of Theo's shop.
“Home,” I said succinctly. “And don't call me 'Sylvie'.”
“Aren't we close enough for me to call you 'Sylvie', Sylvie?” Fabien wedged his way in front of me, forcing me to slide between him and a wall.
“No, we're not,” I growled.
“Fabien!” Bianca, my older sister, shouted.
Fabien sighed deeply and ignored her.
“Fabien!” Bianca called again as she hastened after us.
“I'm busy, Bianca!” Fabien turned to snap at her.
I used his distraction to make my escape, ducking down a back alley and then racing out to another street. By the time I made it home, I was giggling like a girl. My giggling stopped when I saw Bayard, the horse who pulled my father's cart.
“Bayard?” I went over to the horse, who was grazing peacefully in the patch of grass before our home.
Bayard lifted his head, looking at me with somber, dark eyes.
“Where's father, Bayard?”
The horse looked guilty. And yes, I could communicate with our horse; with most animals, actually. It was a talent my entire family had. Our ancestors had been very in tune with nature. My name even meant “from the forest.” So, I knew immediately that Bayard had left my father somewhere that he shouldn't have.
“You're taking me to him, Bayard,” I said as I climbed onto his back.