The Four Tales

by Rebecca Reddell

  He collapsed without a sound.

  Turning and leaping over fallen bodies, Maezy charged into another opponent who was about to strike one of her own down. Stabbing him through the heart, she leapt over his body and runs forward.

  “Mother!” Screaming and pointing, she rushed to her mother's defense. Striking the new threat over the head with her sword handle, Maezy shoved him out of the way. His sword missed her mother by a breath.

  Exhaling her own breath in a long wisp, Maezy helped block a sword thrust from the warrior attempting to behead her mother. “Why isn't your spell working?” Maezy cried.

  “I don't know! There must be a counter spell blocking my own. They keep trickling in!”

  “We need to fall back to the castle! You’re too exposed out here!” Maezy slashed and skewered several who charged at her and tried to surround her.

  More men met their maker.

  “Whose men are they?” she called.

  “Your father's,” her mother returned.

  That explained it. The king wanted her. They should have known he would resort to all out war. Her mother had told her this day might come. Tucked in their own realm, several dimensions away, Maezy hadn’t thought it would be possible for him to find out about her.

  “Retreat! Fall back!” The Captain's cries surrounded them and were repeated.

  “Fall back to the castle!” Maezy added her own cry.

  Maezy's sword blocked, sliced, and rang out as the troops fell back and surrounded her and her mother. Soon, they were encased in a shield of men and armor. Their men continued to fight and block the Elf King’s men as they retreated.

  At the bridge, they crossed as quickly as possible. Shields covered their heads as the enemy realized they were losing ground and resorted to arrows to take them out. Maezy noticed none of the arrows came too close to her.

  They want me alive, she thought. Wouldn't father be angry if I was accidentally killed?

  “What do we do?” Maezy shouted.

  “I'm unsure! I need to get to a quiet place to assess the situation!” Her mother tossed another fighter away with the flick of her wrist.

  “To the castle, men!” Maezy shouted to the nearest warrior.

  They were inside the gates, doors closing even as the last few of their men streamed through. The doors stood open as long as they could before each steel-enforced structure slammed shut in the face of the intruders.

  “Inside!” Maezy and her mother scrambled to the front doors, and launched them open. Servants scuttled back, and guards followed. “Keep them out as long as you can. We're going to find out how they came through.”

  The captain nodded and hurried back out the open doors as others took up their posts inside and out.

  “Mother, what happened to the protection spell? How was he able to break through?”

  “I don't know. I don't know! It's one of my most powerful spells. It should have worked against anything he threw at it. There must be someone else.”

  Closing the doors to the library, Maezy returned her sword to her belt and began pacing. “I wonder how he even found us? We're within a whole other dimension! We need to reinforce the spell.”

  Her mother sat on the edge of a chair and closed her eyes. Hands out at her sides, she took deep breaths in and out. Maezy watched her, eyes darted back to the door, and tried not to scream.

  What can I do?

  Spells were her mother's domain. Hers was fighting. She had grown up learning to defend herself for a day like this. The Elf King was a collector. Anyone with a special power he could possess was captured and added to his collection. Maezy didn’t want to be the one he caught next.

  “Bring me the book, Maezy, and stop wearing a hole in the carpet.”

  Doing as asked, she found the Book of Ancient Sorcery and ran it to her mother. “Should I call the others in?” Maezy wanted to know.

  “No, we need them fighting with everything they have while I search for a solution. There’s only one-- No! It can’t be.”

  “Mother, what’s going on? What do we do?”

  “I have an idea. I don't know if it will work. I may need your assistance.”

  “Anything!”

  Looking up, her mother's blood red lips smiled. “I'm glad you said that.”

  2

  Maezy didn’t like the look in her mother’s bright, phosphorescent green eyes. The effect was a little frightening. Her mad scientist look, as Maezy called it. Brushing random pieces of fiery red hair off her sticky cheek and away from her blinking eyelashes, Maezy shook her head. “What are you thinking?”

  “Your father’s clan isn’t a war seeking group. They’re attacking because they know what you can do, and he wants that power for himself.”

  Nodding, Maezy switched directions and shook her head, shrugging. “So?”

  “So, we have to keep him from getting to you and using your power. He would destroy everything if he had it.”

  “Tell me again why you two ever got together?”

  “I was a young witch; he was a young elf --”

  “We don’t have time, Mother!”

  “Well, you understand. Elves are elusive creatures.” She sighed.

  “Gag, gag, gag. I get it. They are beautiful, unstoppable forces with some sort of hold over humans. Now, can you please tell me what we’re going to do?”

  Eyes darkening, brows pulled low, and mouth puckered, her mother shook her head and slammed the book on the end table near her chair.

  “Maezy! This is a history lesson to you. Not an autobiography. You need to know what you’re up against if this doesn’t work! They are tricky. They lie and cheat and steal to get what they want. Just like your father did to me. All my hard work, creating this new world, and you ruin it with one realm walk.”

  “This ‘not an autobiography’ is sure sounding like a trip down memory lane to me. Can we speed this up? We may die soon.”

  The entire outside wall sounded as though it were crumbling to the ground, the earth trembling and rumbling through the castle floor. Maezy grabbed on to the back of a chair.

  “Maezy, I need you to use your powers. I want to put you to sleep. A sleeping curse, where you will appear dead. If he thinks you are dead, then your father will leave you alone. You can then be free to use your gift.”

  Maezy started to shake her head. She didn’t like the sound of this. “I can’t use my gift! Any of them! What if I never wake up?”

  The battle continued to rage outside. The sound of crumbling and crashing stone reached their ears.

  “You will! I’ll have safeguards in place. You’ll fall into a death-like sleep. It will be enough to fool them, and then you can find out what your father is up to and how to stop him.”

  Maezy shook her head once more.

  “It may not work. How will you make sure I wake up? What if you’re taken or killed? Or I’m taken?”

  Her mother stood and wrapped her hands over Maezy’s shoulders.

  “Maezy, have I ever let you down?”

  “Do you mean recently or when--”

  “Maezy!”

  “Fine, fine. No, Mother. You haven’t.”

  “Then I will start both spells.”

  “Both?”

  “Yes. The death sleep you will be under, and the shield spell to keep them out, until you find who’s helping your father and stop them.”

  Maezy jerked her head up and down. Swallowing, she moved to the sofa. “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “It will.”

  “Okay, I’m ready.” Lying on her back, she stretched her leather encased legs out until her boots touched one end, and her head rested on a pillow against the opposite armrest. Her height a gift from her father’s side.

  “Relax and rest. All will be well, my little one. I will watch over you.”

  “You always have.” Maezy allowed herself a tilt of her lips before pursuing them closed and nodding.

  The door shot open, and a young guard stepped t
hrough. “Queen Maleficent, they are breaking through the outer gates. What shall we do?”

  “Hold them off. I am working on a spell. Give me time. It will work.”

  “Yes, Mistress.” He disappeared as a crash echoed through the room.

  “Let’s begin.”

  3

  At first, Maezy could see only black. Black everywhere. The spell was working its way through her. She was being pulled deep, but not so deep that she couldn’t sift through the darkness. Meditating on the place she wanted to be, Maezy tried to picture her father, but came up blank. She had never met him. Never seen him. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d recognize him at all.

  Instead, she put all of her energy into picturing his name in her mind. Calling the name as she took shape and stretched into the world beyond her dreams. Walking through a dimly lit hall now, Maezy saw the interior begin to lighten more and more. She spotted the doors, detailed molding, round-topped entryways, and shades of green everywhere. The home was beautiful. It brightened as the sun brightened shadowed corners and cast everything in a golden glow.

  “We should break through soon. Keep your magic going. Maleficent doesn’t have a chance against you!”

  A voice. The voice she was looking to find? Continuing her pace, she reached a cracked door on the left and squeezed inside. She took a look around and noted the two wooden tables in the center with papers and books stacked high. The rest of the room was a library with bookshelves on every wall. A desk with chair and windows behind were to her right, and to the left, her prey.

  The Elf King stood erect. His eyes upon someone in a chair. The chair was positioned close to the fireplace. A low murmur of continuous words prattled on, and Maezy knew it was a spell.

  Walking closer she focused on the man standing. His was the voice she had heard. Almost as if a whisper surrounded her, your father, echoed in her mind. Taking a moment to observe him, since it was her first time ever seeing him, Maezy drew closer still.

  He was tall and thin. A wraith-like creature with a long, white face and waist length, silver hair. Hair that glittered like flecks of mica. His whole body was blurred, as though he were not meant to be caught in a picture. Yet, the details were there for her sharp eyes to pick up.

  He was handsome. She could see the reason for her mother’s infatuation. Of course, there were rumors of elves’ beauty and stature, she could see it firsthand now. In fact, the only thing she seemed to get from her father was his build and pointy ears.

  Slowly, she crept forward. Blocking the murmurs from her mind, Maezy focused on her father. She knew exactly when he sensed her.

  “Stop!” The king’s head turned to the right. He raised his hand and waited until the voice stopped. “Do you sense it?”

  “Yes.”

  Halting, hand to her heart, Maezy waited for what came next. That single word had her turning from her father’s blue eyes to the one creating the spell.

  He wasn’t what she expected. Young, her age perhaps, with amber eyes, which rested on her.

  “Maleficent, is that you?” Her father asked the question, but Maezy couldn’t take her eyes off the young one. He seemed to see her standing there. His gaze steady and solid. He looked similar to her father. Thin build, oval face, pointed ears, and long, silver hair.

  Such a strange color for one so young.

  “Can you use a spell to reveal her?”

  “I can try.” The murmurs began again.

  Maezy felt a slight tingle ripple and tickle across her skin. Rubbing her arms, she straightened taller and put her hand on her sword. Normally the people she snuck up on didn’t sense her presence unless she chose to reveal herself, and none of them had ever had the knowledge or ability to reveal her. She wondered if this boy did. Could he be her brother?

  “Nothing. Whatever magic she possesses, it is far greater than mine.” The young man stared straight at her. Right in the eye. His head tilted.

  Testing a theory, Maezy slid to the right. His eyes followed. She took a step back and to the left. His gaze never left hers.

  Glancing at her father, Maezy noticed he’d turned around and was investigating the area where she stood. His glance landed on her a time or two, but never stayed. Looking back at the young man, she found him staring straight at her. His lips were turned up in a smirk. He shook his head once.

  “If she’s there, I don’t think I can break through. She may be here as a distraction. We should proceed.”

  “Can she interfere?”

  “I don’t think so.” Another glance, and then he sat back down. Facing a low wooden table, a book laid out, with a small fire a few feet in front of him, the young man continued.

  “Are you almost through?”

  “The men are taking down the main outer gate. In just a few minutes they should enter the castle.”

  I think you’re underestimating the invisible person in the room.

  Caution gone, Maezy stepped around the back of the chair and looked down at the table.

  “Hurry! I want this finished before Maleficent can force you out again, Brandalfr. If that happens, we may not get back in again.”

  “She is powerful,” the boy told him, before continuing his chanting.

  “You had better be stronger. Your father said you were.”

  The young one shook his head. Maezy stepped up beside his right arm, opposite of her father. Reaching out, she swept the bowl he was concocting over before he could add the next ingredient. She didn’t even want to know what it could be. Glass shattered on the ground, the boil fizzled, and papers swept across the floor, and a few landed in the fire.

  “What was that?” Her father shouted, his eyes seeking her out. “I know you’re here! Reveal yourself!”

  “I can’t finish the spell. It’s been disrupted. I would have to start over.”

  “What do you mean?” Her father’s dark brows descended over his eyes. He looked very, very scary. Maezy took a step back.

  “I can’t finish the spell.”

  The boy flew backward and hit the wall on the opposite side of the room before Maezy blinked.

  “What the--” Her eyes zoomed in on her father.

  “I didn’t bring you here to fail! Do you want your family to die?” he whispered, raising his voice only at the end. The purple-red tone of his face was a sight Maezy had never seen before.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway! They’re already inside. Maleficent couldn’t keep me out,” the boy choked.

  4

  “They’re in?” Her father’s voice sounded calmer.

  “Yes, they’re in and retrieving her even as we speak,” Brandalfr confirmed, rubbing the back of his head.

  Maezy felt the light around the room dim. She blinked. The room faded. Her father and the boy disappeared for a second.

  Then, she was back. Focusing on her father, Maezy walked closer to the boy’s side. She wanted answers.

  “Excellent! I’ll tell the servants to prepare for guests. I will visit the Seekers. I will tell them to keep up their spells. You need to get back in there and tame Maleficent. She won’t let my daughter go without a fight.”

  “I’m on it.” The boy stood tall, erect, towering over Maezy’s six-foot height.

  “Get rid of the Presence while you’re at it.” Maezy caught her father’s eye as he turned in a flutter of robes and exited the room.

  “Thanks for almost getting me killed.” The elf cocked his head in her direction and crossed his arms.

  “You can see me!” Maezy hissed.

  “Of course. I can see the invisible. It’s one of my many gifts,” he smirked.

  “How are you more powerful than my mother?” she asked, ignoring his boast.

  “My father is a warlock. I’ve studied under him. His knowledge and linage goes further back than your mother’s.”

  “How is that even possible?” she wondered.

  “Genetics,” he shrugged.

  “I don’t get it,” Maezy rested her hand on her
sword hilt and propped the other on her hip.

  “Your mother didn’t teach you magic, did she?”

  “She didn’t need to do so. I have my own powers. Not to mention the time I spent learning to fight. She knew one day my father would come.”

  Raising his brows, the boy settled his hands on his hips. “She knew he would one day come, and she didn’t create better defenses?”

  “She didn’t know she would be up against a warlock elf who’s my father’s new pet,” she taunted.

  Eyes darkening black, the boy leaned close to her face, “I am not his ‘new pet’!” Deep breath inhaled and exhaled, he retreated. His red face returned to its normal pale color.

  “That’s what it looks like.”

  “Nothing is ever as it seems.”

  “Apparently. You’re the first person to ever see me in a realm walk.”

  Staring at each other for silent seconds, green eyes matched amber eyes.

  “Why didn’t you tell him you could see me? Or try to get rid of me?”

  “I wanted to talk to you first.”

  “Alright. You may begin.” Maezy perched on the arm of a wood carved chair.

  “We don’t have time. He’ll be back soon to see what I’ve accomplished.” He started to pace in front of her.

  “What are you going to tell him?” Maezy gnawed on her lip, as she awaited the answer.

  “You know what I have to tell him.”

  “Did they really break through?” She’d never once believed anyone would break through her mother’s spells, especially with the Collective adding their powers to Maleficent’s own.

  “Yes,” he stopped pacing and nodded.

  “You’re lying!” Maezy challenged.

  “I’m being very truthful. I have to be.” His enunciation was clear as he maintained eye contact.

  “Why?” Tilting her head, she crossed her arms.

  “Because the Elf King will kill my family otherwise.”

  5

  “He’s returning.” Brandalfr spun and picked up a book.