by CC Solomon
“It wasn’t the right time to get you. You needed to help Felix,” Arwa explained. “And if we’d taken Charles, then the future could have changed. Someone else would have taken his place. In this case, you or Amina or all of you. The ability to know the future must be handled with care, Lisa. To change the future could result in grave consequences. And we must weigh the risk of those consequences wisely. At times, our best option is not to change the future but, rather, adequately prepare for what is to come. We decided it safer to not prevent Charles’ killing but procure a way for him to return instead. We asked that Mae keep that quiet for now.”
“So, he’ll come back? I need to go,” Lisa shot out of her seat.
Arwa raised her hand. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t be a wise decision right now, Lisa.”
“Why?”
“It’s not certain that he will rise. And even if he does, there are journeys that you both must take apart from each other.”
“What journeys? I can’t even go back for a visit?”
Arwa reached over and touched her hand. “I’m sorry, dear. I would advise against it. You aren’t a prisoner but according to our seers, your presence here is important. You have much to learn and do. You must be here for that. You won’t be here for long and then you may go back to your friends.”
Lisa hesitantly sat back down. “What work do I have to do?”
“We must get you ready for your purpose. To fight the evil that brought the six of you together.”
“How do you know about The Six?”
“Through our seers. Just as we know about the soulmates. And it’s a good thing that you have allies. There are those who would seek to destroy you.”
“Who is coming for us? Mae wasn’t sure.”
Arwa frowned. “The return of magic began with the whispers in the ears of humans who still maintained a tie to magic. There are many who capitalized on that and helped magic return. But there are also many who still cannot break forth into the human world, even with magic returning, as they were banished during the time of magic and must put forth more effort to return. Prior soulmates are such beings. The original soulmates would like to return but it isn’t easy for them. The new soulmates are also blocking their way, as only one pair can exist at full strength at a time. The stronger the new soulmates, the weaker the prior soulmates become.”
“New soulmates,” Lisa whispered. She began to feel overwhelmed by the discussion.
“Amina and Phillip.”
Her emerald eyes widened in shock. “No way.”
Arwa nodded. “If these original soulmates come back fully, it will be the end of our world as we know it. And we have enough to concern ourselves with what is already coming to the human world to harm the magics. There is so much I must tell you about the soulmates and The Six but I can imagine you must be overwhelmed now. Let us get you settled in so you can rest. I am sure you must be tired.”
Lisa opened her mouth to disagree but instead she yawned in surprise. It had to still be daytime. Perhaps the afternoon. Why was she so exhausted? She wanted to finish the conversation and learn all that she could but her eyes were growing heavy. “Why am I so tired?” she asked between another yawn.
“Going between worlds can be tiring. There are time differences. You should rest up and we can meet another time. I will make time to meet with you, do not worry. You are very important to us, Lisa.” Arwa stood up and held out her hand. Lisa rose as well and took the offered hand, shaking it. “I am glad you are here, Lisa. This is your home, too. Please feel comfortable. We will protect you.”
Protect her against what? Lisa wanted to ask but instead she smiled and nodded, watching the regal queen leave the room.
Lisa then turned to Bella, who was already standing. “Where can I go to get some shut eye?” she asked.
Bella smiled at her. “You’re staying with me,” she replied.
Bella lived in what could only be described as an adult treehouse. There was a collection of houses in this part of the town, all in the trees. Bridges connected the houses and a food market. There were four ways to get to the houses. Flight, teleporting, climbing the trees or taking the elevators connecting to the sturdy bridges.
Twila said her goodbyes and then fluttered away home for the evening. Lisa turned to Bella and her eyes lit up as the fairy sprouted glittering, translucent wings. Bella grabbed Lisa’s arm tightly and flew them up to her home. They landed on the small front porch and Bella turned her back to open her door, her wings receding into her back leaving no trace that they ever existed.
Lisa clung to Bella’s shirt, avoiding the look down. “I forgot you could fly,” she said with a trembling voice.
“Yep, I usually keep my wings hidden. It’s a giveaway in the human world that I’m Fae,” Bella replied, opening her door.
“Can I fly? I thought I couldn’t but maybe I just don’t know how.”
The pair walked through the door and Lisa gasped as she looked around the cozy treehouse. It was bright, surrounded almost entirely with floor-to-ceiling windows. The small foyer led them to a large living area to the right and eat-in kitchen on the left. The decoration was minimal and structured with several potted and hanging green plants, as if the trees had woven their way into the home. It had the feel of a tranquil forest and Lisa could faintly hear waterfalls and birds chirping from somewhere in the house.
“It’s possible. I assumed you couldn’t when we first met but sometimes the ability comes about later. Since you are part of The Six, it’s possible you could have gained the power to fly. Let me show you the rest of my home.”
Bella lead her down a short hallway with a large spa-like bathroom on the left and two bedrooms to the right.
Bella opened the door to the second room. “You can stay here as long as you’d like.”
Lisa walked in and looked around. She gazed out of the window, which took up an entire wall, and let out another gasp. The view of the city was amazing. She could see lights from the houses and establishments as the evening turned the pink sky a deep mauve. Fluttering lights sparkled around the tree homes, lighting the sky. She couldn’t see inside the tinted windows of the homes, preserving privacy in the sky.
“This place is magical,” she whispered.
“It is. You’ll never want to leave,” Bella replied.
Lisa nodded slowly and, oddly, thoughts of Charles fell farther from her mind.
Chapter 5
“We are going to have visitors today,” Bella announced two days later.
It was morning and Lisa was busy staring out of the living area window at a curious-looking bird. At least, she thought it was a bird. It looked like a humming bird, only it was orange and about the size of a pigeon. Two days in and she wasn’t yet sure she could get used to this new world but if she could get used to her realm, then why not this one? At least nothing tried to kill her here.
Lisa looked away from the windows. “Here?” she called before walking to her.
Bella, who was busy making breakfast in the kitchen, shook her head. “No, at Queen Arwa’s mansion. She wants you and I to attend,” she replied.
Lisa peaked over Bella’s shoulder at what looked like violet scrambled eggs. She still couldn’t get used to the look of some of the food but she hadn’t tried anything she hadn’t liked.
“Why would she want me to come? Am I really that special?” Lisa hadn’t had a chance to talk to Arwa about The Six or the soulmates. She was still processing that one. She was sure Erik would have a fit knowing Amina was tied to that jerk Phillip. If she could learn how to disconnect them—she wondered if disconnect was the right word—then her visit to the Fae realm would be well worth it.
“You have no idea.”
Lisa shook her head. “I’m just one of six and so far, no one can even tell me if Charles is alive yet. Can’t we just spy on them to see?”
“We have someone looking into it, Lisa.” Bella stopped stirring and turned off the heat. She turned to look at
Lisa with sympathetic eyes. “I have a good feeling he will be just fine.”
Lisa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “He won’t be just fine. He’ll be a vampire. He’s not the type, you know? He’s not a vampire type of guy. And yes, I know that sounds silly to say, but he isn’t. He’s this beautiful, geeky, kind-hearted, funny soul. And I only knew him for a couple of months but that’s all it took.” Her eyes sparkled and she looked almost wistful as she talked.
“You fell in love with him, didn’t you?” Bella asked, smiling.
Lisa looked away from her and shrugged. “I don’t know if it was love yet but I hadn’t felt like that about a guy in…ever. It’s not like dating got easier when the world went to paranormal shit. Charles was just so genuinely good. He loved his sister. He died for her.” She sighed. “If he wakes up and finds I’m not there, he’ll be upset.” Part of her wanted to run back to the human world, but most of her just wanted to stay in this paradise and forget all her troubles. Being a part of some special group was more than she wanted.
“You can go back anytime you want, even though the queen suggested you wait. But first we have to get ready for this visit.”
“Who’s coming?”
“A neutral elven king. As I mentioned before, long ago, our court made a truce with a Neutral court and an Unseelie court.”
Lisa frowned and shook her head. “I don’t get it, why do you need a truce with the neutrals and how can you trust the bad guys?”
“The truce really isn’t with the neutrals, since they are prone not to take sides; however, what makes them neutral isn’t just their desire not to engage in battle. It’s also about their interactions with humans, who we work closely with, even if the humans aren’t aware. The Seelie Fae believe that protecting humans is important. We see it as a duty, as a teacher would her students or how some humans protect endangered species. We don’t mean to imply that humans are lesser than, but they aren’t as strong and not all are as wise.
“For the Neutral Fae and Elves, they prefer not to mettle in human affairs. If a human were in need, they wouldn’t go out of their way to save them. I’m not saying that they would never help, but they wouldn’t feel it was their duty to do anything for them. Now the Unseelie, on the other hand, actually go out of their way to cause harm to humans. They have terrorized and killed innocent people.
“So, you see why there could be clashes between the Seelie and Unseelie and even why the Neutrals might be an annoyance to both sides. The Neutrals are beings that could aid either side in getting what they want but don’t. There are several courts in our realm but Queen Arwa, being one of the highest-ranking Seelie royalty, was able to bring forth a truce.
“That truce has been shaky recently. We suspect the original soulmates, in their efforts to build followers, are seeking out assistance from Unseelie. That would go against the truce, as we know the originals are not going to do anything good for humanity.”
Lisa nodded. “Do you think the Fae coming here are working with these bad soulmates?”
Bella shrugged as she split the pan of food between two plates. “We don’t know. Misandre, while not the head of all Unseelie Fae, is still high ranking. The king and queen of all Unseelie are almost figure heads. Misandre holds a lot of power. Her court is actually the largest of the Unseelie. She’s coming. Be careful around her. She has the ability to control minds. Have you thinking you’re eating a piece of chocolate and it’s really dog shit.”
Lisa dropped her fork. “Bella! Really?”
The fairy cackled. “Sorry, Lisa. That’s the rumor I heard.”
“Jesus.” Lisa touched her collarbone.
“She’s stolen children from villages and replaced them with ugly little monsters we call changelings. She can affect time in scary ways. I heard some poor human thought he was talking to her for five minutes. Turned out he’d been missing for five years! How he even survived, I don’t know.”
“Why would she do all this?”
Bella gave a slight shrug, sitting down at the table with Lisa. “Because she can, I guess. Unseelie see humans as a waste. They like screwing with us, well, them, because they ultimately want humans to submit. They want them to be slaves, so that the Fae can take over the human world as well.”
Lisa shook her head. “So, who is this Neutral king?” Lisa asked, picking up her fork again to eat.
Bella took a sip of tea before responding, her eyes twinkling behind the cup. “That would be King Joo-won. He is Elven. Very good-looking, known to be a lady’s man, so watch yourself around him. Rumor has it that he and Misandre are some sort of friends with benefits, but he is the love-them-and-leave-them type. He has loyal followers and from what I understand, he’s a good leader. He stays mainly in the human world, as most elves do. He recently changed the location of his community but we don’t know where yet. He moves from time to time, since people used to get suspicious that he doesn’t age. He’s around five hundred years old. Misandre’s a little older than that.”
“How old is Arwa?”
Bella gave a secretive smile. “Much, much older than that. No one knows for sure but I’m betting her age is four digits long.”
Lisa pondered that for a moment, her mind unable to process someone living so long. Would she even want to be alive forever? What kind of sights had Arwa seen in her lifetime? “I’ve never known real immortals.”
“Well, you are about to meet a few. Stay on your toes and hopefully this meeting will go smoothly.”
The meeting was more of a social gathering and occurred in Arwa’s parlor. There was another buffet of food and drink in the left corner and in the right, two fairies played the harp.
Lisa entered the room behind the queen, another male fairy who Bella mentioned was the queen’s partner, and Bella.
Already seated near the wall facing the door, was an almost-albino, male elf who Lisa thought uniquely attractive. There was also a pretty, dark-haired female elf with eyes similar to her own and the most beautiful man that Lisa had ever laid eyes on.
As the four fairies entered the room, the handsome man stood up and gave her a look of what Lisa could only describe as smoldering interest. Something fluttered in her stomach and she felt instant guilt, still thinking of Charles and wondering if he was alive now.
She tore her eyes away from the man, although she didn’t want to.
“Lisa, this is King Joo-won and his second and third in command, Yuri and Senna,” Queen Arwa announced.
Yuri and Senna both gave Lisa curt nods and she returned them before moving her gaze back to Joo-won. He extended his hand and when she shook it, the flutters returned. She wanted to punch herself in the stomach, feeling betrayed by her body. She snatched her hand away suddenly and Joo-won raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Sorry, static shock,” she whispered, looking away. She caught a faint smile on his lips before she moved. She needed to sit far away from them. Other fairies sat about the room. Added guest from all sides, Lisa assumed. She would sit closer to those Fae.
She wandered near the window and gazed out at the flower covered lawn. She wasn’t much interested in Fae business. If they mentioned anything pertaining to the soulmates or The Six, then she’d be sure to listen in. So far, the discussion was mainly superficial matters and Lisa wasn’t really sure why they were meeting at all. She figured maybe it was a way to check in on each other and ensure the truce was still holding.
Whatever they were talking about must have been boring because she felt eyes from Arwa’s corner boring into her. When she glanced over there from time to time, she would catch Joo-won staring at her. Each time, his expression changed. At one point he seemed confused, then curious, then wistful and the final time his eyes held an eerily coldness. She could feel no emotion emanating from him and she turned away, embarrassed that he’d caught her looking at him.
Why is he so handsome? And scary? And handsome? She thought again.
“I always thought it beautiful here,”
came a deep male voice.
Lisa jumped slightly and turned to her right. Joo-won stood beside her, gazing out of the window. Why did his voice make her come alive? Each sound of his baritone words tightened her core.
“Fae world isn’t that large but I always appreciate it more when I return.” He leaned towards her. “I bet this all must seem like you’re on some alien planet.”
She looked up at him then away quickly before she got trapped in those eyes. Those gorgeous alien eyes. God, he was even pretty with pointed ears, she thought. “It’s definitely different,” Lisa replied.
He didn’t speak but she could feel his eyes on her.
“You know, it’s very rude to stare. I don’t care if you’re an elf, you’ve been around humans long enough to know that,” she said, folding her arms, eyes still toward the window.
She heard him laugh and she frowned as his chuckle hit her insides again with more intensity.
“I’m sorry, you’re right,” he replied in a gentle tone.
She gazed sideways at him.
“It’s just that you remind me of someone I used to know,” he explained.
She looked away and rolled her. “Of course, I do,” she muttered, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
“Where are your people from?” he pressed, turning fully to her.
“New Jersey,” she said dryly.
“And before that?” He smiled, unfazed by her flippant tone.
She gave a dramatic sigh. “Still New Jersey. But my parents were from China.”
“Have you ever been? Maybe I’ve seen you there before. I’ve been to a few cities. Shanghai? Beijing?”
“Guangzhou. I haven’t gone since I was a teenager. My grandparents on my dad’s side lived there. My mom’s side is…was, in Hong Kong. And China has an insane amount of people in it. Even after The Sickness, which took out, like, sixty-percent of the population, it’s still really populated. Morale of the story being, I don’t think we would have ever noticed each other.” Lisa glanced at him and scrunched her face in condescension.