Faebound Rhapsody

by Amy J. Wenglar

  “No idea,” Ruby says with a shrug. “Magic is a strange thing sometimes. Instead of bringing the water to him, he brought himself to the water.”

  We all reach for our beverages as another lull sweeps across the table. I can feel it coming. It’s been building since I sat down here. Any second now…

  “So, Sophia," Myra asks, raising her eyebrows. And…here it comes. “Have you been doing any magic? Studying what we’ve taught you? Anything?”

  I take a deep breath. I don't want to talk about this. They know I need a break. Why can’t they just leave it alone?

  “Myra, I'm taking a break. I need a break. I almost killed myself overdosing on your magic because I was trying to do too much too soon. And let’s not even talk about what it was doing to you guys.”

  I loosen my grip on the napkin I have balled up in my hand. I don't want to be angry with my friends. They’re witches. They were raised with magic, and their life revolves around the use of it.

  “Yes, we understand,” Myra says, nodding. "But when you stopped using magic, it affected our magic, too. You understand that, right? It’s not something you can just take a break from once you’ve started.”

  The tension around our table grows thick as Myra fixes me with a look of pure frustration.

  “Calm down, Myra. Jeez,” Anne gives me an apologetic look. “Sorry, Sophia. We weren’t trying to—”

  “We miss hanging out with you,” Sarah says, interrupting Anne as she reaches across the table for my hand. “We won’t pressure you to do any serious magic right now if you don’t want to. But at least consider coming to the gym with us to play magical dodgeball or something.”

  “Yeah,” says Anne. "You haven't even gotten to play magical dodgeball yet, Sophia. You’re in for a real treat. It’s—“

  "I don't want to play magical dodgeball," I say, clenching and unclenching my jaw. "Look, I realize you guys are just doing what you think is right, but I have to do what I think is right for myself, too. And I don't want to use magic. I want nothing to do with it. Frankly, I never wanted it to begin with. I’m not like you guys. Magic isn’t in my blood. It was something I did with Alexander. Like, when you date a guy and adopt all his hobbies? And then break up and want nothing to do with those hobbies anymore?”

  I'm getting angry, despite my efforts to remain calm. Glass shatters somewhere in the kitchen, and thunder rumbles overhead. The lights in the coffee shop dim and then flicker.

  “Well…” Myra smiles at me. “It just goes to show that magic is inside of you. It doesn’t matter if want it or not,” she says. “Some hobbies are a little tougher to let go of than others, aren’t they?”

  Anger rips and claws at my throat, begging to come flying out, but I take a breath, desperate to keep my composure.

  “Apparently,” I whisper. “But I still want to let it go…I need to take a break from it a little longer. Okay? Now, I’d love to hang out with you guys. Just no magic. Please.”

  “Come to the men’s volleyball game tonight,” Ruby says. “It’s so much fun to watch.”

  “Yeah, the rules are the same as non-magical volleyball, but we infuse the volleyball with magic,” Anne says. “And, well, you just never know what might happen.” She pauses. “Come on, Sophia. Everyone will be there. I even talked Chris into—“ She stops, clapping a hand over her mouth as if she’s just gone into taboo territory.

  “You’re making it way more awkward than it needs to be when you do that.” I reach over and tug at her wrist, pulling her hand away from her face. “It’s fine,” I say with a smile. “You can talk about him, Anne.” She nods in response. “I think I will join you all tonight. That sounds fun. It will be nice to do something other than mope around in my room, wondering what you guys are doing.”

  “Cool. Perhaps you’ll even find some motivation to use your own magic again,” Sarah says, grinning. “Maybe—“

  "Okay, Sarah. Seriously?” I slam my hands down to the table so hard, they go numb, and scoot my chair back away from the table. "This is why I don't want to hang out anymore. Every time…every single time, it comes back around to magic.” I glare at them. “I swear you are the most annoying bunch of witches I’ve ever seen in my life. What do I have to do to convince you? Alexander and I are done. The prophecy, as far as I'm concerned, no longer applies to me. My ability to summon your magic into one massive…I don’t know…energy ball…It’s no longer needed, okay? Alexander has Summer now. He and I are over. All of it is over. And as soon as it’s safe for me to leave, I’m out of here. I’m so out of here. And, I swear, if you guys ask me one more time to use my magic, I’m going to zap all of you into the infirmary."

  A huge, wall-shaking clap of thunder explodes outside, sending a hush of silence falling over the entire shop except for a single light fixture on the ceiling that squeaks as it sways back and forth. Everyone stares at me like I’ve just lost my mind. And I think I may be on the verge of actually doing so.

  “Nothing to see here,” Ruby snaps, scowling at the nosy patrons who quickly turn back to what they were doing before my freakout.

  “So, does that mean you’re not coming to the game?” Myra asks with a sheepish grin.

  “I’m sorry…just…give me a minute,” I whisper. “I’ll be there, okay? But I need to…I need to…”

  I nod toward the direction of the back room before I leap from my chair and race across the dining room. I push through the swinging doors behind the counter and brush past the other four baristas. They scramble out of my way as I stagger into the tiny back room that serves as both a storeroom and break-room.

  “I know I'm off the clock, but I need a moment,” I say to Ben, the barista who’d arrived at the end of my shift.

  He avoids my gaze, but gives me a brief nod as he hurries back out into the dining room. Everyone wants to be out of my way. I don’t blame them one bit.

  Alone, I sag against the counter, trying to catch my breath as I stare down at the stainless steel surface. I have to control myself. I have to find a way to unload this pent-up magic without terrifying the townspeople, summoning massive thunderstorms, and shattering coffee mugs.

  I really should take those witches up on a game of magical dodgeball. What could it hurt?

  "Okay, honey. I've had about enough of this."

  Out of nowhere, Jo Stanford pops into the middle of the room, clutching a bottle of champagne in one hand and two champagne coupes in the other. She looks annoyed.

  “Jo!” I throw my arms around her neck. “Where in the world have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

  Jo sighs and untangles herself from my grasp. She sets aside the champagne and coupes and then takes a step back to give me a disapproving scowl.

  “You’re the one who cut off your ties to Faerie,” she says, scolding me.

  “Oh.” Heat rushes to my face. “So you’ve heard then…about…”

  “Hell, honey, everyone and their grandmother have heard about it. Which is why I’m here.” She pauses to give me a chance to explain myself, but I say nothing. “You're driving me to drink,” she grumbles.

  This time, I don’t miss a beat. “Since when? You drink all the time Jo.”

  “Yes, but it’s been much worse recently.” She makes a face. “Since you and Alexander…" She rolls her eyes and sighs. I think she’s more frustrated about what happened between Alexander and me than I am at this point. “I’m not sure which one of you is worse. You or him. You are both acting like immature teenagers,” she complains. “The problem is, the entire Fae realm is at stake. He’s off, brooding and reading that damned Brecht. Meanwhile, you’re about to burn the entire town down with the magic you want to ignore.”

  Brooding? Brecht?

  "What are you even talking about?" I ask. "I figured Alexander was off frolicking with Summer now that he no longer has me to worry about. Isn’t that what you Fae wanted? For me to step aside and let him live his best life with someone who’s worthy of him?”

&nbs
p; A pang of jealousy stabs me in the gut.

  “Frolicking? With Summer?” snorts Jo. "Honey, he started a war for you. Not just a minor scuffle, but an all-out war. He won’t be frolicking unless you’re the one frolicking with him.”

  I stare at Jo.

  “What do you mean, he started a war?” I ask. A slow chill makes its way up my spine as the blood drains from my face. “There was…already a war.”

  “Yes, but all wars start somewhere, don’t they?” Jo throws her hands up in frustration. “When he returned to power, Summer saw it as an opportunity re-stake her claim. But he refused to acknowledge his former bind with her. So her people, the Unseelie, have taken arms against the Seelie Court because of it. It was an uprising at first. Now, it’s a war.”

  She tears her eyes from me, leaning against the counter as she mutters a few choice curse words. My mouth moves. I want to say something…anything…to show that I understand what she’s telling me, but I can’t form the words.

  “Why…won’t he…It doesn’t…” is all I can manage to string together.

  “God, honey, are you really this clueless?” Jo stomps her foot as she whirls around to face me. “You’ve been in this supernatural world longer than I have. How are you still so clueless?” She shakes me by the shoulders so hard, my teeth knock together. “Summer hoped she could break the two of you up when she came here. And it worked…to an extent when you walked away. But Alexander still rejected her. She wasn’t expecting that.” She pauses. “I think she’s just as clueless as you are with matters of the heart.”

  “I have to…I should…sit down.” My legs have gone numb and shaky. I stagger toward a chair and plop down. “Why…is he such…a drama queen?” I lean forward, resting my head in my hands. “It didn’t have to be like this.”

  Jo releases a long, frustrated sigh. “Why…didn’t you just…talk to him?” Jo asks, mocking my breathless tone as she stomps over to me. “Puh-lease, honey. He was an idiot for not telling you about Summer, but admit it. You’re as bad as he is, refusing to talk to him. You really need to learn to hear people out once in a while. You know that? He’s a Fae Prince. You are supposed to be his Princess. You are—“

  “He already has a Princess—“

  “Enough!” Jo looks as if she’s about to come unglued. “No one has time for this childish behavior…from either of you,” she shouts. I’m pretty sure she’s about to slap me across the face. “My God, if the fate of this world depends on the two of you lovesick idiots, then we’re screwed.”

  She isn't telling me something I don't already know about myself. I have a tendency to jump to some pretty hefty conclusions. But even if I had talked to Alexander. Even if I had allowed him a chance to explain, I would have been too angry to listen. It may be the human emotions coursing through me, but I believe I’m justified. The man I thought I’d married was already married to someone else. And he didn’t bother to tell me. He may not possess the ability to lie to me, but he wasn’t forthcoming with his information. I, of course, never thought to ask, “Hey, Alexander, got any other wives I should know about before we go through with this-here lightbinding?”

  Jo is right, though. We both handled this thing all wrong. He and I are supposed to lead the supernatural world and inspire others to do the right thing, no matter what. Human emotions can’t be a priority here. And despite the hurt I feel, I need to step up. Or we really are screwed.

  “He loves you, honey. You. Not Summer,” Jo mumbles.

  She waves her palm over the top of the bottle of champagne, sending the cork sailing across the room, barely missing a row of mismatched coffee mugs hanging from wooden pegs on the wall. I snatch the bottle, but I don't waste time with the coupe. I take a giant swig straight from the bottle.

  "Why wouldn't he just tell me this to begin with?" I press my fingertips to my temples as the champagne swirls and dances around in my brain. "Why wouldn't he tell me any of this? Why does everything always have to be a thing? Why can't people just be transparent?” I glare down at the table. “You would think the Fae would understand…they’ve been around long enough. They should understand the consequences that arise when humans fall in love with them…They should be ready to deal with us and our ‘silly emotions’.” I stare up at Jo. “Which…don’t even get me started…are just as silly in your world as they are in mine.”

  “Honey.” Jo takes the bottle and pours us each a glass. She nudges my glass toward me, and I gulp it down. “You refused to speak to him. Had you given him a chance to explain, he would’ve told you about the agreement he had with Summer. While in exile, he released her from their bind. She wasted no time in moving on, staking her claim to someone else. Some…nobody she’d fallen for. So, as far as anyone knew, she was out of the picture. Until Alexander returned, that is. Then, suddenly, she was interested in him again. She started wearing his cuff and claiming she had some rightful place beside him when what they had was over decades ago.”

  “Just how many of these binding-cuff-things does Alexander have? How many other women are going to come forward, claiming to be lightbound to him?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

  “Honey,” Jo whispers, shaking her head.

  “This is totally ridiculous. All of it,” I mutter, more to myself than to Jo. “You know, the next time Horace makes fun of our silly human emotions, I swear I’m going to punch him in the face. You Fae are just as bad as humans.”

  Jo seems to take offense to this.

  “Well, had you had spoken to Alexander and then allowed yourself to be lightbound to him again in a timely manner, we could’ve avoided some of this. The power you two could share would be more than enough to take down the Unseelie army.” She gives me a pointed look. “He is losing the fight with the Unseelie, by the way. His army is in tatters. They’re hungry and weak. And he is losing hope that he will ever get you back. Which puts all of us in danger.”

  "No, no, no," I moan, filling my coupe again. “How did this get so…God, I thought…I thought he was just being Alexander? I thought he was lying to me—“

  “Alexander can’t lie,” Jo says, her teeth clenched.

  I know that, but it still doesn’t stop me from glaring at her as I reach for the bottle. Jo puts her hand over the top of my glass.

  “What do I do?” I ask. “Tell me what I need to do.”

  “Well, first off, honey, no more champagne. You need to reconcile with Alexander. He’s miserable without you. And admit it. You’re miserable without him. You need to be properly lightbound.” She narrows her eyes at me. “You do still love him, don't you?”

  She taps her foot, waiting for my response even though she already knows what I’m going to say. My place and my destiny are by his side. We can work through everything else.

  Good thing I love the crazy fool.

  "Of course I still love him." I rake my hands through my hair. "I'm nuts about him and always have been. Damn him.”

  Jo takes the seat opposite me and takes my hands in hers.

  “Then you must reconcile. Tonight.”

  My heart speeds up just thinking about it. A few minutes ago, I was fine with my non-magical life. Who was I kidding? It was nothing but denial.

  “Okay. What do we do? How can I see him? Doesn't Summer have him in her clutches? How can he get away?” I grimace.

  "Summer only thinks she has her hooks in him. He’s got her convinced of that,” Jo says with a proud smile as she releases my hands. "You forget, Alexander is quite skillful with women.”

  “Except where common sense and full-transparency are concerned.” I roll my eyes. “Did he send you here? Does he know you're talking to me?”

  “He didn’t send me. I wanted to come. But yes, he’s anxious and moody. He can’t wait for your response.” She blows out a breath of air. “You know how dramatic he can be.”

  Happiness floods through me. I haven’t felt this hopeful and this excited about anything in weeks. Call it fickle human emotion, call it love, call it what
ever you want, but I’ve got it bad for Alexander Faust and his crazy theatrics. Jo’s shoulders relax as she gazes at me, an enormous smile plastered across her face.

  "When is this secret rendezvous going down?”

  “I’ve arranged for you to meet tonight,” she says. “One of Colin’s friends is all ready to perform the binding ceremony.” A dreamy, faraway look drifts across her face. “He’s not as handsome as Colin, mind you, but who is?” She chuckles to herself. “Anyway, he knows the ceremony well. And I have complete confidence in his ability.” She places a hand on my shoulder, her eyes glued to mine. “It will be as quick. We are more than prepared for anything Summer might throw at us, should she find out what's going on. We’ve even put together a counter spell in case the binding doesn't work. We're ready this time, Sophia. It won't be like last time. All I need is your answer, and I will make it happen.”

  “Yes. That is my answer. Yes. A million times.”

  Alexander isn’t the only drama queen around here.

  “Good!” Jo claps her hands and bounces on the balls of her feet. “Now, again, it has to be done in secret,” she reminds me as if I’ve already forgotten. "You can't tell anyone, not even your little gaggle of witches out there. You must come alone. When the war is over, and when it’s safe to have a proper wedding, then we will plan the biggest and the best one the world has ever seen. But for now, we must be very, very secretive about this. Atticus Drake may have fallen off the radar for the time being, but he’s still just as much of a threat as Summer. He would love nothing more than to sabotage this and take the both of you out.”

  “Ah, good old Atticus,” I muse. “Whatever happened to him? You’d think he’d be taking advantage of this darkness and misery and cooking up all sorts of mischief.”

  Jo’s lips press together. “He’s gone quiet. Disappeared. Which either means he’s dead or plotting something big.”

  “Oh, maybe that’s where Colin went. Maybe he got wind of something and went off on some heroic mission to kill his father.”