“No, he’s just visiting them. He’ll be back soon. Nothing is going on, all right? Just stay out of my business, okay?” She watched the sun disappear as dusk began to grow. She thought she saw a light within the line of the trees which bordered their backyard, but the longer she stared at the spot the more she suspected it was just her eyes playing tricks on her.
Right before she was about to jump up and retreat into the house, she saw it again. A blue fire flashed in the woods. She sucked her breath in, hoping it would be Soap and Andraste showing up to take her to her grandmother. She turned to look at Benton as he suddenly stood up and also stared out toward the forest.
“What was that?” Benton exclaimed. “Did you see that? I thought I just saw some kind of blue light or fire, but… it’s gone now. Did you see that, too, Shade?” Benton looked at her and then turned back to the woods as three faeries stepped out from the trees and walked toward them.
Oh, crap! Benton isn’t supposed to see them!
“Benton, go inside and stay there. I’ll see what they want.” Shade stood up and started to head down the steps when he grabbed her arm. “Benton, let me go!” She stopped, noticing his widened eyes.
“They aren’t human, Shade. They—I don’t know what the hell they are, but….” He gulped, a slight wisp of fear crept into his eyes as he stared at the faeries.
Shade turned and looked at them, too. She saw Camulus wrapping his glamour around him like a shimmer in the grass. Soap and Andraste followed suit, apparently aware she wasn’t alone. She placed a hand on Benton’s and pried it loose from her arm.
“It’s okay, Benton, I know them. Chill out, all right? I said I’d take care of it. We can talk about this later.” Benton turned to her, nodding and letting her go, but not looking completely convinced.
“If they try anything, I’ll kill them.”
Shade sighed, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they don’t.” She headed off to meet them before they got any closer.
“Shade, we found her! Your grandmother’s alive!” Soap’s smile warmed her saddened heart; she was relieved to see he wasn’t upset with her, at least not right now. He came to a stop in front of her, holding out his arms for an embrace. Shade smiled. Why not? She fell into him, feeling her heart flip with joy.
A moment later, he stepped back from her, serious now as he nodded in the direction of the house. “Looks like we caught you at a bad time. Need me to erase his memory?” Soap flashed a mischievous smile.
“No! That’s my brother, Benton. I don’t think you should. I’ll explain it to him later….”
A flash of orange-red fire flew near them, singeing the grass and landing before it hit Camulus and Andraste. The two warriors immediately unsheathed swords and stood ready to pounce on any offenders. Shade turned toward the source of the fireballs and quickly ran in front of them.
“Wait, stop, that’s my brother! Benton, what the heck are you doing?” She stared at her brother, whose hands were lit up with yellow flames which licked the air around him. He held another fireball, ready to be thrown.
How is he doing that?
“Shade, get back here! I told you they aren’t human! Get away from my sister, you beasts!” Benton started walking toward them as Shade pondered what to do.
“Wait, Benton! Stop! Please, they aren’t here to hurt us, they’re helping me! Please stop already!” Shade ran up to him and stood firmly in his way. He turned his dark brown eyes toward her, confusion swimming all across them. She shook her head as he frowned, giving her a nod as he extinguished his fire.
“Thank you! Now, care to tell me what that was about? You can wield fire? How did you do that?” She waited and studied his firm expression. How could she have not known? If he was fey, why hadn’t she realized it before? Did he know about her?
“I—I don’t know. I just found out I could manipulate fire about a year ago. I’m not sure why or how, but I can. I’ve gotten really good at it, too.” Benton pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry, Shade. I just thought they didn’t seem to be very friendly.”
She continued staring at him, waiting to see if he had any further explanation. She realized this was probably as good a moment as any to come clean with him about her own powers.
“I have powers, too, Benton. If I had known about yours, I would’ve have told you sooner.” She watched as his eyes widened with surprise.
Yeah, I need to have a good, long chat with him for sure.
“What? You do? What kind of powers?” His eyes glistened with curiosity but darkened slightly as he glanced nervously back at the three warriors.
“I’m part faery,” Shade said. “I’m not exactly sure of all I can do, but what I do know is that I can tolerate a Teleen faery’s blue-fiery skin without burning. I can speak to my spirit guides in dreams, and I somehow trapped one Teleen warrior who tried to kill me in his own mirror magic. I can wield water, control it, and make it do what I want. Not sure how I do it, but it’s all because I’m part faery.” She paused and wondered if they could possibly be full siblings. If they were, Ilarial’s story didn’t add up.
“Wow, Shade. I thought I was the only one who was different. All I can do is manipulate fire, though. It doesn’t burn me at all. Is that what they are? Teleen faeries?” He nodded toward the others, who waited patiently a few feet away.
Shade smiled and turned back to her friends. They had not moved from their spots but had re-sheathed their weapons.
“This is Camulus, Soap and Andraste. They are also fey, but Camulus is Elven-Pixie, Soap is part Teleen and part Changeling, and Andraste, um, not sure what you are Andraste, what exact sort of fey are you?” She smiled nervously to the husky blonde soldier. He smirked back, looking so much like his twin Draden in both looks and mannerisms. She almost thought she was looking at the commander, who was far away at the glass castle of Prince Lotinar, organizing legions of soldiers to wage war against Queen Aveta.
“I’m from the northern tribes of Drisen. Predominantly woodland- and ocean-dwelling fey, and partly descended from the great Vikings of the North,” Andraste said as he winked at her and rubbed his scruffy blond-red beard. Shade did think he looked quite a bit like a Viking, now that he mentioned it: big boned, strong and Thor-like. He and his brother were not the kind of guys you would want to mess with. She remembered having to trick them at the Santiran Fountains. She’d been so petrified about having to lie while Dylan cornered them. Draden had even cut her with his sword to get her to reveal herself. Only her mysterious Changeling Blood Magic had stopped him from doing any more harm, enchanting him and causing him to give up the fight.
“Oh, okay.” Shade grinned as she returned her attention to her brother. “Well, Benton, there are many different kinds of fey which I’ve met in the land of Faerie. I just didn’t know you might be one, too. I would’ve told you sooner, but I didn’t know.” Seeing his relief made her feel much better. Somehow she knew things would be different between them from now on. Even so, something was bothering her.
“One of the Faerie Oracles, Ilarial, told me my real father was a faery changeling and that mom doesn’t know I have a different father than you, Anna and James. If that’s right, how is it you have powers, too?” Shade inquired.
“He is a Fire Wielder,” Camulus stated more than suggested. “Your mother must also have some special powers of her own. Most likely a human fire witch.” Camulus watched her with his orange-red eyes, his face serious and still.
“What, Mom? I thought she didn’t have any powers,” Shade answered. “She certainly hasn’t shown any. Are you sure, Camulus?” Shade was beginning to wonder if anything about their lives had ever been true. Her face was frozen in shock, and her eyes moved slowly to look at her brother, whose disbelief danced across his own eyes back at her. For what felt like eternity, they digested the new information.
“But why would she hide her powers from us?” Shade asked as she felt her stomach twist, wanting to know what it all meant but getting nowhe
re fast.
“Maybe someone placed a spell on her, a memory charm which caused her to forget. It could be in effect temporarily or forever. She might not even know anything about her powers anymore,” Soap offered as he watched Shade with his gleaming, jeweled green eyes. Even now, the pull they emitted made Shade force herself to avert her own eyes to the ground. If anyone could cast such a spell, Soap was the one to ask.
“But can it be removed? Would she remember then?” Shade’s thoughts went to her mother. Such a normal and hard-working woman. How could her mother have magic swirling in her veins and remain oblivious to it? Mom seemed almost boring and mundane compared to the likes of Evangeline, the only other fire witch she’d ever encountered. Vange had been fighting with Jack for some stolen artifact she’d lifted from the Guildrin Court. She had disappeared just as quickly as she’d appeared. Her powers were so strong, they could cause a building to shake with her sonic booms. Shade wondered just how powerful Mom might be.
Shade finally blinked back to the present. Staring at Camulus, she searched for treachery but remembered that he could not lie. Breathing in deeply, she figured they could always have a long chat with her mother later. She definitely still wanted to go see her faery grandmother.
“Okay, well, this is just insane. We have to go now. I have to see my grandmother, and she could probably answer so much for me.” Shade turned back to Benton as his face contorted in confusion.
“Going? Going where?” Benton asked. “With these guys? No way. Not without me, at least.” Benton crossed his arms and stiffened as she started back toward the house for her pack. She stopped and stared at her brother. He was annoying her to the max. How would she get rid of him now?
“You can’t come, Benton.” Her voice came out stern, hoping that he would see how serious she was.
“Well, I’m coming. I don’t care what you say. Where are you going, anyway? Wherever it is, I don’t think it’s smart to go by yourself. Especially with three burly-looking faery guys! What if they mess with your mind, or worse, kill you or whatever the hell they tend to do with people? No, I’m coming, so get used to the idea!” He waited, staring at her with his dark eyes. He was as stubborn as brothers got.
Shade glared right back at him but finally sighed, shaking her head and letting out a frustrated grunt. “Fine, but stay out of my way and don’t wander off. Don’t touch anything, either, or speak to anyone but us. Faerie is full of crazy things, and some things you wouldn’t believe. Stay in the group, okay? Otherwise Camulus can drop off your butt right back here in a flash!” Shade snapped her fingers in his face and huffed away into the house, leaving Benton smirking back at her, satisfied that he had won. He turned back toward the warriors, sizing them up again before heading into the house.
Chapter Twelve
“HOLD MY HAND, Benton.”
Shade held her palm out to her younger brother, waiting as he made a face at it but did as she said. His eyes danced with excitement and gave away his real thoughts about the trip. He was secretly wondering if this grandmother Shade was so eager to meet might be his grandmother, too. They had never met any grandparents. It had always been just them with Mom and Dad, at least until Dad had died. Now it was just their Mom left. Meeting a relative would be quite interesting.
He held his sister’s hand and Camulus’s. The strange-looking surfer dude glamour he wore made Benton cringe. The Elven-Pixie’s hand was unnaturally smooth and warm. Benton hoped he wouldn’t have to touch the faery too much longer. Benton could feel a strange magic inside this unusual being tingle across their grasp. A feeling like ants crawling up his arm. He gulped and waited as the whole group gripped each other’s arms or hands. Camulus voiced a warning right before they went swirling away in a wind-whipping, stomach-churning jaunt.
Not a moment later, they stood in a completely different scene. They were near the edge of a thick redwood forest bordering a grassy green clearing that swooped up a steep hill. Atop the hill stood a large farmhouse, standing like a queen of a throne on the edge of the hillside. Benton let his hand fall away from the faery’s disturbing grip and rubbed it. The tingle faded as his own magic flowed over it like a seal. It was definitely a feeling he didn’t like.
Shade grinned. “Is that it, the house up there? Wow, it’s such a serene-looking place. Why didn’t you just teleport us to the entrance? Now we have to hike up that steep slope.” She bit her lip to stop the usual, endless torrent of questions which seemed to flow out of her. She knew she could annoy anyone with her twenty questions and tried to stop before someone rolled their eyes at her.
“Oh, Sis, can’t shut up for second, can you? What, afraid of a little hike?” Benton smirked at her and proceeded to roll his eyes, knowing it would piss her off.
Camulus sighed, pointing up toward the hill. “I can’t get any closer. There’s a magical shield in place. It’s the same thing that keeps your grandmother confined to the area. This is her prison. We can walk in, but no magic can penetrate it, so teleporting into it is out of the question. Since it is meant for her specifically, we will be allowed to come and go as we please, but without magic to aid us across the shield.” He began to walk up the edge of the tree-lined slope, and the others followed quietly.
As they crossed the shield, Shade felt the air fill with a vibration which floated around them and swam along her skin. It felt familiar and powerful, making her feel safe as they neared the top of the slope. She wondered if it was her grandmother’s essence making her feel so serene. Since she had entered Faerie in the spring, her ability to sense magic had heightened to the point she could feel magic emanating from all her faery friends, like auras bleeding onto her own. Some felt stronger than others, but they all felt unique and amazing.
At the top of the hill, they gathered together and took in the majestic view. The house had two stories with worn down, peeling white paint on the weather-beaten exterior. The shutters were no longer the baby blue they had once been. Flowing sheer curtains with dainty, faded daisies on each of them covered every window for privacy. It could’ve been a farmhouse from the Midwest planted in the middle of a desolate, forested slope. Shade wondered how it didn’t just slip off the edge of the hill to its bitter end at the bottom of the cliff. Maybe some kind of magic was at play here. She couldn’t be more eager to find out.
The front door swung open and slammed hard against the wooden sides. A big and husky man with bulging muscles and a warrior’s getup engulfed the doorway with his bulk. He stared out with silver-glinted eyes and silver-streaked white hair. His deathly white, pale skin looked sickly compared to their human-colored appearance, which they had remained glamoured with. Shade gulped and stepped back, right into Benton and Soap, who stood frozen behind her.
“You are trespassing. You will die if you do not leave. Do not come any farther. You will be destroyed,” his robotic voice growled over to them, making them gasp. The ghostly warrior stepped forward, holding up a massive sword in his thick fist, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the five of them.
“Wait, Queen Lana, Your Majesty of the great Southern Realms. We have been looking for you, and we mean you no harm. Pardon our disturbance of your peaceful exile. “Please,” Andraste said as he waved his hand, pointing toward Shade and Benton, hoping to deter any drastic actions from the great, pale warrior. “Your son’s only daughter, Shade, is here to see you.”
“My son has no daughters. He is dead. How dare you speak of him? You are nothing but the scum of Faerie!” A disembodied women’s voice echoed along the ghost warrior’s deep baritone. Shade could feel the air thicken around her and grabbed Soap’s arm, letting him embrace her in his, offering her reassurance.
“Shade, speak to her. Kin will recognize kin. Your voice will tell her who you are,” Soap whispered down to her. Shade looked up at him. His handsome face deepened the calm and warmth he radiated over her fear. Reluctantly, she realized it was the only thing to do. She pulled away and stepped toward the ghost-like man.
&nb
sp; “Your Majesty. I am Shade. I was told you’re my father’s mother. Please, I just found out recently he was my real father. I’ve come here for your help. I need your help to harness my magic.” She stepped forward as she spoke, moving closer to the ghastly warrior. His sword seemed to waver as she came closer to him. She hoped he wouldn’t swipe it at her.
The apparition seemed to buzz and disappeared with a quiver of smoke. In its place, a beautiful older woman with bright, silver-white hair down past her waist appeared. Intensity flowed from her eyes as she took in Shade, sizing her up and studying her like a specimen under a microscope. Shade felt the prickle of her magic poking at her as they came to stand face to face. The frown on the woman’s face seemed to take forever to melt away, but her lips gradually upturned into the brilliance of a smile Shade saw in her own reflection every day.
“Shade? I can hardly believe my eyes, it really is you. I can feel our blood calling toward each other! You are truly my son’s daughter!” The woman’s eyes lit up and danced with happiness. She reached out to touch Shade on her cheek, her power flowing across her fingers, almost zapping at Shade. Shade flinched back, wide-eyed. What was that?
“Oh, excuse me! I’ll tone it down for you! It’s just….” Lana paused as she smiled at Shade. Though she was shaking her head in disbelief, she continued to smile. She grasped Shade’s hands, her touch now lacking the zap which had hit Shade before. “I knew you would come one day. I foresaw it. I called you here. You heard me, didn’t you? I tried to find you for so long. I sent out whispers in your dreams to bring you here. You found me, Shade. Just like I knew you would.” She hugged Shade so hard that her breath escaped her chest. The Faerie Queen’s aura felt exhilarating and danced along her skin like tiny swirling sparks. Their magic agreed well, making Shade smile, and caused a feeling to stir within her almost like being home for the first time in ages.