Empyrean: Return of the Fire Faery

by Twyla Turner

  Imogen

  I gasped. He wings weren’t exactly like the butterfly or dragonfly wings everyone depicted of faeries on Earth. It was kind of a combination of the two, but they were transparent and seemed to be made of blue light. As if I could pass my hand over them and not feel anything. Rafe flapped them and rose up off the ground. I lifted my head and watched as he circled around the camp. I had never seen anything like it.

  I know I’ve been saying that a lot, but Empyrean was full of firsts for me.

  Rafe landed back on the ground and sat back down across the fire from me. Once more, he laid his wings against this back and arms. I was impressed, though I didn’t want to tell him that. It was obvious that Rafe wanted me to be in awe of him. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

  Oh, just admit it! You like him, Daegan interrupted my thoughts.

  Shut…up! I hissed, and Daegan laughed in response.

  “That was pretty cool,” I tried to compliment without much inflection.

  “Thanks,” Rafe said with a shrug, the markings on his face and neck brightened to a lighter shade of blue.

  “So…now can someone tell me what Hikari means?” I asked again. “You were supposed to remember to tell me days ago,” I said to Daegan, and he gave me a horse-like shrug.

  “There are two sides of Empyrean. Hikari and Myrkur. Hikari is the light side. The good side. Myrkur is the dark side of our realm. The evil side. Both sides serve a purpose, but rarely ever collide. There has to be a balance, though every time bad things happen on Earth, your hatred disrupts that balance.” Rafe explained with barely concealed distaste.

  “Well excuse me for living.” I snapped at him. “Not all humans are trying to mess up your precious life here. Some of us are just trying to make it through each day without having a major meltdown. The evil and hatred that affects you also affect humans too. Some more personally than others.” I defended, thinking of my father and how he was killed.

  “And how exactly did it affect you?” Rafe asked skeptically.

  “That is none of your business.” I shot daggers at him from across the fire. The subject of my parents guaranteed either a fight or my complete shutdown. “I’ve had a long day, so I’m going to bed now.” This time, I chose shutdown.

  I quickly dismissed him, not willing to give him one more minute of my attention. I shrugged off my jacket, rolled it up, and slammed it down on the grass. I flopped down and stuffed the jacket under my head, creating my usual makeshift pillow. I laid with my back to the fire and away from my accuser.

  “Was it something I said?” I heard Rafe ask.

  “Well, you did basically blame her for the fall of mankind,” Daegan quipped. “You might want to get to know her first before you make snap judgments.”

  “I suppose you’re right. But haven’t your kind heard the stories about the destructive nature of humans?” Rafe asked, on the defensive.

  “Yes, but I didn’t assume it was all humans. Then again, I know what it’s like to be judged based solely off of appearances. So, I try not to do it myself.” Daegan reasoned.

  “I know you’re right, but I still don’t trust her. I’ll see in time,” Rafe said stubbornly.

  “You know I haven’t fallen asleep yet, right?” I shouted out loudly. “I can hear everything you’re saying.”

  “Sorry.” I heard them say in unison.

  Guys! I said in my head with exasperation. I rolled my eyes and closed them, before falling promptly to sleep in exhaustion.

  ~~~

  I slowly came into consciousness from a deep sleep. I had dreamt that I was in my room in the trailer and drawing a picture of a black unicorn. I opened my eyes and expected to see my drawing plastered walls in my tiny bedroom, but instead, I saw the vibrant colors of a sky with too many moons and other planets in the horizon. My heart started to race with panic. I looked over and saw the face of a black horse with a horn, only a few inches from my face.

  “Good morning,” it spoke.

  “Gah!” I yelped and sat up swiftly as memories from the entire week in another realm came to me in a rush. “It was just a dream? I’m still in Empyrean?” I asked to no one in particular.

  “Yes, afraid so,” Daegan answered.

  “I don’t know whether to be mad or happy about that. I mean, one more day that I don’t have to be in that trailer with Carolyn and Bill or go to school with other kids who hate me, is a good thing. But being in a place I know nothing about is…I don’t know, I still can’t wrap my head around it. I guess it’s freaking me out a little.” I listed off the pros and cons of my situation.

  “So life wasn’t good for you there, so you decided to come here to spread your unhappiness?” Rafe said as he walked from behind the forest’s tree line, adjusting his sword belt. He must have just come back from relieving himself, which made me realize just how badly I needed to go to the bathroom.

  “You’re such a douche!” I spat out.

  “I have no idea what that means, but I guess it’s not a compliment on my incredible personality and dazzling sense of humor.” Rafe tilted his head and looked at me thoughtfully.

  I described in full detail what a douche was in my mind as I gave him the stink eye. Daegan cocked his head and listened closely to my thoughts, he then pulled his long neck back as he made a face and whinnied.

  “Nope, not good. In fact, you don’t wanna know. Ugh, that image is now going to be burned into my brain!” Daegan told Rafe. He shook his head quickly in disgust, his silky mane ruffled with the movement.

  “I thought so,” Rafe said as he walked over to his pallet and started to fold his blanket.

  I looked down, getting ready to stand and realized that I had a blanket covering me. I cringed inwardly when it hit me that Rafe must have covered me up at some point in the middle of the night.

  What is his deal? His attitude towards me is so Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One minute he’s sharing his food and blankets, and the next he’s blaming me for the destruction of his world. What the hell?! I thought in frustration.

  He’s just trying to figure you out. Give him time. Not everyone is as trusting as I am. Daegan said and then sniffed self-importantly.

  I rolled my eyes and pushed myself off the ground. I extended my arms up in the air, raised up on my tiptoes and yawned loudly as I stretched out my stiff muscles. I looked over at Rafe and caught him eying my chest and soft tummy peeking out from under my loose-fitting tank. I quickly dropped my arms, assuming he was staring at my plump body in disgust and not able to look away, sort of like a car crash. To distract myself, I grabbed the blanket off of the ground, folded it swiftly, and then handed it to him.

  “Thank you,” I said grudgingly, but politely.

  “Uh…sure. You’re welcome,” Rafe stammered, his marking turning from azure to a deep cobalt blue. “Y-You could always keep the blanket and use it when you ride Daegan,” he suggested.

  “Thanks, but I need to walk for a while. My…uh…legs still hurt from riding him all day yesterday.” I hesitated.

  Really and truly it was my inner thighs, butt, and hoo-ha that ached specifically. Though, I didn’t want to say it out loud, since it kinda sounded inappropriate and I didn’t want him to get any ideas.

  “Yesterday was my first time riding for a full day. So I need a bit of a break.”

  “Oh…alright then. Luckily, Faerien City isn’t too much further. We should probably get going, though,” Rafe said.

  “Um…I kinda need to go to the bathroom first.” I looked away embarrassed.

  “Oh, of course! Go just there within the trees.” Rafe pointed. “There are very soft and fuzzy leaves over there that are safe for you to use on your…ah…your…well you know.” He finished quickly, a telltale blush crept up his face and his markings turned indigo.

  Oh, this is getting better and better! Daegan thought in delight. And I get front row seats to the show.

  Ugh! Would you shut your face?!? I growled in my head as I stomped
off behind the trees.

  Technically, my face was already shut, since I said it with my mind and not my mouth! Daegan shouted back to me.

  Ass!

  Nope. Still a unicorn.

  Huh? Oh, I wasn’t calling you a donkey. But if you continue to act like a jackass, I’m gonna call you on it, I clarified. Now, hush up so I can do my business in peace.

  Harrumph…well, I never! Daegan tried to sound offended but ruined it with a chuckle.

  Chapter 7

  Rafe

  I looked over at Daegan as the unicorn chuckled at something. “So…you can communicate with each other through your thoughts?” I asked him.

  “Funny enough, yes. I’m not sure why, but maybe it’ll come in handy.” Daegan confided.

  “Hmm…” I hummed noncommittally.

  “Not that you trust me or anything, but she really isn’t planning on overthrowing Empyrean,” Daegan reassured me.

  “No, I don’t trust you. But that’s okay, we’ll find out the true story when we get to Faerien City,” I said stubbornly.

  “Yes, we will. And I’m sure you’ll have to grovel at her feet when you realize she’s a good person. A tad angry, but good. Especially, if you want her to return your affections.” Daegan said loftily.

  “Affections?” I raised an eyebrow incredulously.

  “Mmhmm…”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said as I busied myself with packing up the rest of my gear in my woven satchel.

  “Sure I don’t,” Daegan quipped.

  I ignored the unicorn. Sure, I thought Imogen was pretty. But what did that matter if she was here to destroy Empyrean?

  When I’d woken up and glanced over at her sleeping form, she had looked so peaceful and innocent. Her hair surrounded her like a fiery cloud. Her full lips were slack, giving them a softness that wasn’t there when she was awake. Her annoyance with me seemed to give her a rather pinched look, more often than not. The night before, she had been shivering, so I covered her up with one of my blankets. It was definitely not because her plump womanly curves looked inviting, at least that’s what I keep telling myself. My attraction to her was softening my resolve, so I lashed out at her whenever I could, to remind her and myself that for now, she was the enemy.

  Imogen walked back through the trees. At some point, she’d piled her hair atop of her head in a type of wild, messy ponytail. It cascaded from the top of her head in a fountain of molten lava. She left out a few curls to frame her face and lie against her neck. I watched her from the corner of my eye as she bent down to grab her jacket. My eye was drawn to her neck when she stood to shake out her jacket. Curling, red tendrils caressed the long column of skin as a breeze blew past her. It was soft and feminine with a few sprinklings of freckles. I imagined kissing each one before I shook my head, trying to clear the stupor my hormones had put me in.

  Anger and frustration replaced the hunger I had felt a few seconds before. I’d never looked at females of my own kind the way I looked at this human girl, and after only knowing her for a few hours. Even the infernal unicorn had picked up on it. It was not acceptable, and I made my displeasure known.

  “Are you finally ready? We don’t have all day. It’s still almost a full day’s walk to get to Faerien City. And since you can’t fly and you don’t want to ride Daegan, we need to get going.” I barked.

  “Jeez! Alright, Grumpy. I’m ready.” Imogen frowned at me. “You can go on without us, you know. I didn’t ask you to take us there. We were headed there in the first place and just so happened to stumble upon your camp. So it’s not like you have to drag us, kicking and screaming. We’re going willingly.” She reminded me.

  I realized that she had a point. She was completely right, I didn’t need to take them. But for some reason unknown to me, or willing to admit to myself, I wanted to stay near them. To know for a fact that they got there and to be close by when she spoke to the Oracle.

  “I…uh…want to make sure that you don’t encounter any issues getting into Faerien City.” I quickly came up with an excuse.

  “Well then, technically you’re on our time. So back off. We’ll get there when we get there,” Imogen snapped at me.

  It was apparent that she had a sharp tongue and had no problems using it. None of the young female faeries ever spoke to me like that. Most of them were sweet and accommodating when I was around. In fact, no one but my parents spoke to me like Imogen did. I am the prince, and everyone respected my position. Even if she did know I was the Faery Prince, I had a very strong feeling that it wouldn’t change her attitude towards me. And it irritated me that her feistiness intrigued me more than it turned me off.

  ”Fine,” I ground out.

  Chapter 8

  Imogen

  I eyeballed Rafe for a few more seconds. The blue markings on his skin turned a dark indigo. I was beginning to notice that they changed hues with his mood. When he was angry or embarrassed, they turned darker shades of blue. He hadn’t appeared exactly happy at any point in the few hours we’d been around each other, but when he was happier or less irritated, the blue lightened several shades.

  I smirked internally. That’s gonna come in handy.

  Rafe threw his satchel over his shoulder, I tied my jacket around my waist, and Daegan walked up beside me.

  “Ready?” I asked Daegan.

  “Ready.”

  “Alright, Rafe. Let’s get this show on the road, before your panties get in a twist.” I smiled sweetly as I watched his markings turn to midnight.

  Rafe angrily turned on his heel and walked ahead of us, leading the way. With his back to me, I took the opportunity to look at him in the daylight. Unfortunately, he looked even better in the sunlight than he did the night before. Which was pretty hard to believe, since he was already blindingly beautiful in the dark.

  His hair that I’d thought was dark brown or black was actually blue-black. The hints of blue were highlighted by the morning sun. His jaw was squarer. The dimple in his chin, more defined. His full lips, plumper and pinker than I’d originally thought.

  Also in the light of day, I was able to see his wardrobe in its full detail. His vest was a pale gray with shimmery blue and silver thread woven into the fabric. His loose-fitting leather pants were a charcoal gray with knee-high black boots. The sword belt and sword itself were beautifully made with intricate designs engraved into the leather of the belt and the polished silver steel of the sword.

  “How old are you?” I asked curiously.

  “I’m ten. Though, that’s full grown in unicorn years. And everyone in Empyrean lives quite a bit longer than those on Earth.” Daegan chimed in.

  I gave him the side-eye.

  “Oh!” He burst out and then chuckled mockingly. “You weren’t talking to me? My mistake. Carry on. Lowly, majestic unicorn will just stay back here where no one cares,” he retorted.

  I glanced back and gave him a cutting look. Daegan gave me a huge toothy, horse-like smile. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.

  “Anyway, back to the question. Rafe…” I paused for emphasis. “…how old are you?”

  “Nineteen. You?” He glanced back briefly.

  “Seventeen,” I answered. “Though I’ll be eighteen in a couple of weeks. Do you really age slower here?”

  “Not at first, no,” Rafe responded. “The faery children age at about the same rate as a human child until we’ve reached adulthood. Once we reach adulthood, the aging process slows way down. We’re not immortal, we can die. But we can live for centuries if nothing bad happens to us.”

  “Wow!” I exclaimed softly.

  “Yeah. Today, you’re going to meet our oldest faery. The Faery Oracle is about eight-hundred and twenty years old.”

  “Holy crap!” I blurted out.

  “Basically, the aging process during a decade on Earth, takes one-hundred years for us on Empyrean after we’ve reached twenty. So the aging process between twenty and thirty for you will
take one hundred years for us. And so on, and so forth. So even though the Oracle is eight-hundred, she looks ninety,” Rafe explained further.

  “People on Earth would kill just to get a little of that fountain of youth, you guys have going on here,” I commented.

  “Is that why you’re here? To run experiments on us or something? To figure out how to stay young?” Rafe asked as he quickly stopped and turned to look at me. I almost collided with him, in his haste. He looked down at me with an angry scowl.

  “Dude…seriously?! Let it go, already!” I shouted in exasperation. “I can’t wait to see this Faery Oracle lady if only to get you to shut the hell up!”

  I pushed passed him and continued walking in the direction he’d been heading. I’d completely had enough of his judgmental attitude. My brain whirled with more angry retorts, till I couldn’t keep them in any longer. I stopped and turned to face Rafe. He hadn’t expected me to stop, and he crashed into me. He clutched my upper arms to keep me from falling to the ground. It was the first time he’d actually touched me. I felt heat radiate up my arms, and I quickly twisted out of his grasp, as if I’d been burned.

  “Look…you have no idea what I’ve been through in the last week or so.” I thought about Mina and my breath hitched. “I didn’t ask to come here…well, not really. I was dragged here by some crazed mermaids, to a world I had no idea even existed. With mythical creatures I never knew were real. I have no idea why, but the mermaids seem to think I can help your world as well as mine. I’m scared to death and trying my best to keep it together.” I paused to step closer to the gorgeous blue faery and pointed a finger in his face. “So, the last thing I need right now is for some arrogant jerk to pass judgment on me like I’m the spawn of the devil.”

  Rafe didn’t say a word. He just stood there gritting his teeth as we stood toe to toe in a silent standoff. His jaw ticked with fury and his markings deepened.

  “There is a saying on Earth that parents teach their children. ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.’ I don’t know if you have that saying here, but until we get to Faerien City, I think it’s one you should quickly adopt as your own. Before you get a size eight, combat boot straight up your-”