by J. M. Kearl
“Uhh, Vis, isn’t that your sword and your clothes?”
As the group drew closer I picked out features: small bony creatures with bat-like wings and horns. They looked like larger, evil pixies, and they did indeed have my belongings. “What are they?” I asked, marching toward the pig snouted things that would barely reach my knee.
“Be careful they might be dangerous!” Taz warned, chasing after me.
The beady-eyed little bastards hopped and hobbled on their scrawny arms and legs. With a wave of my hand I knocked half them over and reached for my sword. Hissing, the one holding my weapon, turned away and swiped at me with long clawed fingers. When its wings flapped some of the others latched onto my legs.
I shrieked, and kicked and batted them off. Growling, one bit and tore at the fabric of my dress with pointed teeth.
“Get off me!”
The creature stealing my sword took to the sky. “No!” I shouted and reached for it. I caught its back foot and suddenly my feet were sliding in the dirt. No way this small thing is such a powerful flier, I thought but couldn’t deny it pulled me with it. I jerked on its leg and it squeaked and flapped its wings harder.
I blasted the creatures clinging to me with a hit of magic; they rolled away but came right back in seconds. “Taz, a little help here!”
Taz hacked and swung his sword but couldn’t even hit one of them. “They’re too quick.” A wave of fire tore from one of his palms. The creatures darted but stayed at the edge of the flames, waiting to strike again.
“Give me my sword,” I demanded like I spoke to a child. Ice crept up my palm over my fingers and around the little beastie’s leg until the frost reached its wings. It dropped like a rock and even with half its body frozen it clung to my sword. I grabbed the handle and pulled. The creature lifted off the ground with it. “Oh, come on,” I groaned as I dropped it, and pulled my dagger from my thigh strap. “Time to die.”
The moment I raised my arm a male voice came from behind me, “Do not kill my pets.”
I whirled around, dagger at the ready. There stood a man. Well, he wasn’t a human man, that I was certain of. I’d never seen anyone with what I could only describe as a silver-blue skin color. He moved toward me with a graceful walk that also didn’t belong to a human. Almost as if he glided rather than walked. Long fingers pushed stray, pure white hair out of his unnaturally perfect face and his black-eyed stare made my skin crawl.
Taz appeared at my side ready to continue the fight. “Your pets stole my friend’s belongings.”
Everything about this man was so foreign I couldn’t look away. “And what are your pets exactly?” I wanted to ask what he was but I didn’t want to make an instant enemy by insulting the man.
“They are imps,” he replied in a voice like rushing water. With a small wave of his silver ringed fingers, the ice on the imp holding my sword hostage, melted. The creature growled at me and scurried toward its master. “And they found it under a bush. Who is to say it is yours?”
A huge raven called from a close tree and the man looked over, exposing his pointed ears.
He’s a Fae of some kind. The merfolk said they all had pointed ears. “It is mine. I hid it there and I demand you give it back.”
With a cruel smile he turned his head to face us. “You demand it?”
The fierceness of his voice surprised me. I clenched my hands at my sides, readying my magic. If this man wanted a fight I would be ready. He couldn’t be much worse than a vampire. “That’s what I said. That sword was made especially for me and a gift from my father. I won’t part with it.”
“You are human, you do not demand things of me.” The vibrations of his commanding voice pierced my chest.
I clenched my hand in front of my face and an invisible cord wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air. The tighter I squeezed the less air he’d have. “Give me back what is mine or die.” Before I did it, I knew it would be a mistake, but this man thought he was superior to my kind and I wanted to find out why. Maybe he’d never dealt with a magic-born human before.
His eyes widened at my attack and he grabbed at his throat, searching for something he couldn’t find.
Just when I thought I had the upper hand, a dark mist rolled in out of nowhere, churning around our feet. Then a heavy pressure crushed against my body, a sensation I’d never felt before. Within seconds my head pounded and my lungs couldn’t get enough air. I released my spell and dropped to my hands and knees. My arms and legs couldn’t withstand the force pressing upon me. I collapsed on the ground, my cheek smashed into the dirt. Taz crashed down beside me, his muffled cries startled me further.
“Stop! Please, you can have it. Take my sword.”
The pressure lifted as fast as it had come. I sucked in air but choked on the black mist. I forced myself to my knees, desperate for fresh air. The Fae man grabbed me by my hair and wrenched me to my feet. “I am The Prince of the Winter and Night Courts. I could kill everyone you love with the snap of my fingers and then make you my eternal slave, girl.”
I held in the whimper that threatened when he pulled my hair even tighter.
His menacing black eyes searched my face. “Keep your sword.” His fingers loosened. “And pray to your gods that you never see me again because if you do, you will be in chains.”
The black mist grew to a massive cloud. I coughed into my sleeve, and slammed my burning eyes shut. When the sunlight shined through the darkness and I could breathe again, I dared look. The Fae Prince had vanished, along with his imps. My sword however, remained.
Chapter 6
I snatched up my sword and quickly ran behind a bush to change. My mind flooded with the encounter. The power that man had, his appearance, the creepy creatures I’d never seen or heard of who obeyed him without question. Prince of the Winter and Night Court. Anger and embarrassment burned my cheeks.
“Why don’t we know anything about them!” I shouted at Taz. “Why have we never heard of this court or this blueish skinned being?” I strapped my sword onto my waist and came out into the open. “I didn’t even know people could look like that. And he took both of us down like it was nothing.”
Silently, Taz starred in my direction with unfocused eyes. Probably trying to process it all himself.
“Hello!” I said, smacking his arm.
Blinking, he said, “I don’t know, Vis. I don’t know.”
I marched toward the town. “Zyacus! He needs to know about this.” What if there were more of them here, now? Ready to attack the castle. “No one has seen or heard from what the merfolk call Fae on this land, to my knowledge, and suddenly one shows up at our academy months ago and then this prince attacks us. He probably controlled the birds too.”
Catching up to my side Taz slid his sword back into its holster. “I don’t have any answers but if there are more like him, we are in trouble. Queen Daelyn could contend with him but she’s only one person.”
“I wish he could have stayed around long enough so we could have asked him what he wanted. Why he is here.”
With lowered brows, Taz vigorously shook his head. “No! Stay around? Vis, he could have easily killed us. And he said if you see him again you’d be in chains. His slave.”
“I will never be anyone’s slave,” I bit out. Too long have my people, magic-born been enslaved. I wouldn’t let it happen again.
“No, we will not be slaves,” Taz added. Both of us were quiet for a moment. “I know this is less dramatic than what just happened but is everything fine with you and Zyacus now?”
Along the way to the Thirsty Pirate, I gave Taz the details of my conversation with the prince… well, most of them. I left out certain things like kissing whilst I sat on his lap.
“See, I told you.”
“Told me? You were as upset as I was that he hadn’t written to me.”
“True but I did say not to jump to conclusions about Jennika.”
“I suppose so.” When we reached the main street that had be
en filled with people earlier in the day, it now appeared abandoned. Had that prince controlling the birds sent them to attack the city too? At least I assumed he was the one controlling them.
The eerie feeling among the empty streets and closed shops steadily grew in my gut. The only positive thing coming to my mind was the lack of bodies. It looked like no one had died. I peered into the buildings and people started popping up in the windows.
A bald man opened his door and peeked his head out. “Is it safe?” he called.
“Seems to be,” I shouted back. He put one foot out of the door and looked around. Up ahead I saw the sign for The Thirsty Pirate. “I told Zyacus I would wait for him at the pirate place.”
Taz pursed his lips. “For how long? The sun is setting, and shouldn’t we see if something is happening in Delhoon? What if our home is under attack?”
“We can ask Legacy if anything is going on. If so we’ll leave right away.”
“I’ll write to her now.” Taz pulled a rolled piece of paper from his pocket and a quill. After he scribbled on it he whispered the spell, set the note on fire and we waited by the closest torch for her to reply.
It lit up within a minute and I grabbed it before Taz could. Nothing’s wrong, why do you ask? Legacy replied.
I turned the note over and wrote, we’ll explain when we get back.
Taz groaned. “So that means we’ll stay here all night? I presume we won’t be sleeping since we’ll be at a tavern.”
“Live a little, Taz,” I teased. “When will you be in Hesstia at a tavern again?”
He tilted his head and laughed. “I suppose you’re right. Can I get roaring drunk? After I got crushed like I hadn’t been training my whole life by the Fae prince, I could use a drink.”
I understood the feeling but I also couldn’t ignore logic and our training. “What if we need to fight? Drunk idiots get bruised and battered if not worse.”
“Fine, I’ll keep it to two drinks then.”
“Good boy.” When we stepped inside the Thirsty Pirate, every passing conversation was on the bird attack but no one talked about the Winter Prince or his little minions. Perhaps no one else had seen him.
I found an empty table along the right wall and made my way over. Taz scooted into the bench across from me and tapped his fingers on the table. “I’m going to get us a drink.”
“Thanks,” I said and glanced over at the table next to us whose conversation caught my attention. An old man with fluffy white hair on the sides and nothing on top put his mug to his mustache.
“Strange things be happening. The birds were just the first sign. I wonder if it’s happening again.”
The slightly younger man with more hair but it too had gone white, leaned forward. “What be happening again?”
“The blood moon. My grandfather talked about it before. Crops dying. Animals going crazy. Wild beasts never before seen emerged. Sickness. Ocean waves as big as a mountain wiping out entire cities.” He put both arms above his head for emphasis. “And magic folk with pointed ears.”
Blood moon? Pointed ears? I had no idea what a blood moon was but could it have something to do with the Fae I’d just encountered? Could anyone have power enough to control the moon? That didn’t seem possible.
“Sounds like rubbish, Erwin.”
He grunted and slammed his mug down, sloshing liquid over the side. “You saw them birds same as me. Explain that.”
“I can’t explain it,” the man shot back. “Just don’t know nothing about no blood moon. And never seen anyone with pointed ears.”
“I have,” I mumbled to myself. I didn’t appreciate either time but most especially not the most recent encounter.
Erwin took a slug of his drink then wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “I never seen a dragon before our king married the Collweyan princess neither yet they existed all the same.”
I wanted to interject, to question the old man, but instead I leaned a little closer.
Picking up his drink, the old man asked, “If tis a blood moon then what can be done about it?”
“Don’t know,” Erwin said, lowering his voice.
I couldn’t stay silent any longer. “How long ago was this blood moon?”
The old men looked at me as if I had three eyes. Clearly they hadn’t expected anyone to be listening to their conversation. As rude as it was for me to eavesdrop I had to with something so important.
“Uh, I guess it would be about... oh, four or five hundred years,” Erwin said. “My family are magic-born. We live long.”
“As am I,” I said with a half smile. “Is there a record of this event anywhere? Do you know anything about the Fae, er, pointed ear folk?”
“I’d guess there might be records of it.” He shrugged. “Never seen one myself. I’ve only heard the stories from my grandfather’s own mouth. He never saw any—Fae, you called them?”
With the noise of the place I had a hard time hearing so moved to an empty chair beside the two old men. Erwin and the other man watched me with amusement. “Yes, Fae. If he never saw them how did he know about the pointy-eared magic folk?”’
Erwin tapped a finger against his mug. “A boy from the nearby village constantly claimed they murdered his brother and took some of the girls as slaves. No one believed him. They said he was delusional. ”
My stomach turned at the thought of enslavement. The Fae prince had mentioned chains. Anger lit deep within me. My people, magic-born, had been enslaved by the Hesstians for a thousand years before the war that ended it. Now the Fae wanted to bring further suffering to my kind? I would fight to my last breath before I’d let that happen.
“Thank you for the information,” I said and went back to my table.
The old man lifted his mug to me and nodded. Taz plopped into the seat across the table and pushed a metal cup before me. “It’s honey mead. Not as good as your family’s but it will suffice.”
I took it into hand and watched the door. I hoped Zyacus would show soon. While we waited, I explained what the old men told me of the blood moon and the Fae. He slugged down his entire mug without a word, but his eyes said enough. “That’s—unsettling.” His voice hardened. “But we’re Delhoon, we’ll find a way.”
His words were kind and encouraging, and I knew we had to find a weakness in them. We couldn’t do a thing to stop the Winter Prince today and he was just one.
An hour went by and our drinks had emptied and refilled twice. My head felt light and my body fuzzy and warm. Here I was lecturing Taz on drinking too much and I’d had three myself. I pushed my mug away. “We’re done drinking. I’m going to get us some food.” I stood and made for the bartop where I could get us something.
While I waited to order, two large men pushed their way to each side of me. Elbows rubbing against mine, they talked to each other like I wasn’t even there. They actually laughed about a servant being attacked by the birds and how they got stuck in the woman’s hair. How rude. And clearly they don’t think the bird attack is a notable issue. I groaned when the man’s drink sloshed over the side spilling on my hand. Ugh and after fighting with the man in the street earlier… Holy unicorn, the men in this place drove me mad. I didn’t know how Zyacus could be such a charmer and raised in this kingdom. Although not long ago my opinion of him was quite low.
I shoved my forearm into the man’s side to my right when he bumped me for the third time.
He looked over and grinned, probably half drunk. “Hello there, beauty. May I know the name of such a fair maiden?”
I gritted my teeth. “No you may not.”
“Don’t be like that.” He put an arm around my shoulder like we were best friends. His breath reeked of alcohol. “I’m Leith. Castle guard, at your service.”
At first I didn’t notice the royal seal on their chests but now that he introduced himself, it was glaringly obvious. What were guards doing about drinking after they’d just been bombarded by wild birds?
“Wait,” the g
uard on my other side leaned forward on the bartop to look at me. His red-brown eyes and big smile seemed familiar. “I know you.”
Shit.
In a low voice, he said, “You’re Princess Visteal.” He grinned and spoke like he was in on a secret. Truly he was. As much as I didn’t want him to know me, I was grateful he was at least quiet about it.
I shook my head. “You’re mistaken.”
He narrowed his gaze. “No, I’m quite certain. I know you from academy. My name is Anchor. Prince Zyacus and I had a class together.”
What were the chances that I’d run into someone from the academy here, right now? My luck seemed to be finicky this day. My eyes slid around to nearby patrons to make sure no one listened to us. They all appeared to be preoccupied.
I slapped the guard’s hand that hung at my shoulder. “If I were her, then I’d tell your friend Leith to get his arm off me now before I cut it off.”
Leith only laughed hugging me tighter. “She wouldn’t be here in Hesstia in the Thirsty Pirate. There’s no way.”
“Oh, but she is here,” said a deep voice from behind. I smiled knowing who it was. “And if you don’t get your arm off her then I’ll be the one severing it from your body.”
The guards whipped around and stiffened. I slowly turned and leaned back against the bar. Ha, stupid guards. They’re in for it now.
“Prin—” The guard’s mouth slammed shut and it looked like he was struggling to open it again. Zyacus must have gotten his magic stone back after all.
“Ah, ah, you know better than to address me that way here,” Zyacus said, taking a couple steps closer. His light blue eyes flicked to a couple standing nearby who now watched our little group.
Sweat glistening on Leith’s forehead, his jaw relaxed and his lips parted. “I, uh, meant no disrespect?”
Zyacus held his hand out to me. I placed my palm in his and moved to his side.
“I told you,” Anchor mumbled.
The Prince kissed my hand and put an arm around my waist. “When she told you to release her, did you?”