She stopped at the painting Dylan had explained to her. “Ash and Embers” occupied the same spot as before, still glorious in its vibrant colors and anguish. She studied the smears of paint that illustrated a great fire blazing in the skyline of the forest, lava pouring through the trees on the slope of a hill tumbling down toward the girl who stood near a tree. She was turning back toward the fire, anguish and pain filled her delicate features as she observed the turmoil approaching her.
The girl was Shade. It had always been her in that painting. She wondered how the painter, an oracle, had seen this vision. These were the fires which had signaled the death of her grandmother, Lana. Tears burned in Shade’s eyes as she stared at the minute details in the canvas. It was so real, so like that night of terror that seemed lifetimes ago. If only Shade could’ve saved her. If only she’d been stronger and had destroyed the prison that had held her grandmother within its grasp for so long.
Her tears broke their restraint and they poured down her cheeks like hot, searing rain. Despair flared into anger as her fingers itched to tear the painting down and rip it to shreds. Her legs felt like they had disappeared from beneath her, liquefying as they shook with her fury. The tears continued on, etching their path down her face, searing hot and reminding her of the rain that she so longed to summon to drown her sorrows away.
Before she reached out to rip the canvas to shreds, a rush of calm filled her as Soap slipped his fingers over her shoulders. His touch was soothing, and her anger slipped away as it calmed the heartache inside. It’d been the one thing that had gotten her through so many nights of torturous sleep and tumultuous darkness. Even now, his reassurance and small gesture made the rage recede until the last wisp of it retreated. Turning to the Teleen warrior and his face full of knowledge, Shade was reminded that Soap had been there that night and had fought alongside her through the inferno filled with wretched sluagh and unholy things.
They had nearly died, yet here they were. If it had not been for her grandmother’s alliances with the flying Raven Queen Aluse, they would’ve perished with the legions of Unseelie who had them cornered. Corb had been there. He’d even ordered their deaths. Still, that night remained burned in her memory.
Shade pulled away from Soap and steadied her pace as she resumed following Camulus, swiftly wiping the wetness from her cheeks. The painting disappeared behind them, and she willed thoughts of it from her mind. The past was done. Now was her future; it was all she had to live or die for. For this, she let the pain slip away. For herself and her family, she would keep on until death embraced her and she was finally returned to her grandmother’s embrace.
Prince Lotinar, also known as Ursad, turned to greet them with his brilliant smile and mercury hair swaying like rippling metal as he moved. His green eyes flashed to Shade immediately as he ran to her, lifted her up in his arms and swung her around. It was definitely hard to stay sad after that. His joy permeated the room, and her mood elevated with it.
“Shade! How have you been?” Ursad set her down and paused, taking in the narrowed gazes he was receiving from Dylan and Soap. He countered them with a brilliant smile and turned back to Shade. “How was the trip? Fast and free of dizziness, I hope?” He held his hand out toward the soft chairs surrounding the fireplace. The room was an array of colors. Nothing was white here, only his pearly white formal outfit lacked the color spectrum splashed across the place.
Pillows of satin and velvet lined each chair and couch. Soft shawls and blankets draped across the sides of them for cool, winter nights. The fireplace was crackling with flames as the logs snapped with warmth and light. It was the coziest room she’d ever been in, and she happily slid into one of the couches, relieved to be able to relax after being so long on the rugged beaches in the northwest territory of the Land of Faerie.
“I’ve been better.” She sank into the sea of pillows, closing her eyes as she tried to shake the slight headache forming behind her temples. “Dylan says you can help us find a way to locate Corb, the Ice King.” Crushing one of the pillows under her chin, she hugged it tightly, her weariness seeping through her body as she watched the Northern Realm’s prince beam at her.
Ursad sat nearby in a bold chair made of royal blue and black velvet with a cable of encrusted rubies strung along the edges as trim. It was fit for a king. Was he not royalty? Shade wondered when he would be king of the castle here. If he wasn’t yet the king, then who was the king? She didn’t recall ever meeting the king or queen of the Northern Realm.
“Yes, indeed I do. Camulus will take you to an old, old friend I met in exile, a brownie named Stanis. He lives within the boundaries of New York City, so it will be quite a distance to travel. But….” He paused, signaling one of the servants who lined the room for something. Shade glanced around, suddenly aware of the many faery servants standing perfectly still and unnoticed in the chamber. They blended into the background, assuming the colors of the décor to hide their appearance. “He’s quite skittish and a bit eccentric,” Ursad continued. “Not to mention, he does have a nasty habit of favoring intoxication in one way or another. He won’t be easy to convince to help, but he will if you give him something of great value in exchange for the information.”
Shade listened intently while keeping her eyes on the servant returning from wherever she had gone. The servant’s clothing color was now of the grey stone of the hallway walls and slowly morphed back into the color scheme of the room. Shade’s eyes widened, watching the change, for she’d never seen faeries do this before. Her surprise must’ve been quite noticeable because now everyone was staring at her.
“How do they do that?” She felt bad for the interruption but was too shocked to really pay attention anymore. Ursad chuckled, but Dylan was the one who offered her the explanation.
“It’s a glamour charm, a chameleon cloak. It changes depending on your environment. Servants use it often to conceal themselves when they might or might not be needed. It makes it seem less oppressive with many of them in the room. Not many castles use it, but some still do. It is one of the oldest glamour charms of Faerie.” Dylan took a goblet of drink from the servant as she made her pass around the room.
As she approached Shade, her eyes twinkled with excitement, and a small smile played on her lips as Shade took the offered drink. Once the servant was done, she exited the room swiftly and silently, as if she didn’t even exist.
Shade glanced down at the goblet. It was filled with bright lavender fluid and smelled of sweet fruit.
“I do hope they didn’t startle you, Shade. I have many servants, and I do not want my rooms to seem cluttered when they are on duty. The chameleon glamour suits this purpose very well. I have more servants now than ever before; it’s practically impossible to run this place full time without them.” He lifted his goblet, saluting her. “Ingleberry juice. Quite rare, and I’ve saved it just for you, Shade.” He waited as she saluted him back with her goblet, careful not to slosh the precious berry juice over the sides of the cup. At that, everyone saluted the prince and Shade sipped the juice quietly.
Shade brought it slowly to her lips, wondering if it would intoxicate her like the faery honey wine had, not long ago at this very castle. The sweet fluid slipped past her lips and down her throat, coating her tongue with its smooth taste. It made her stomach tingle, bringing a smile to her face as a yummy euphoria swept through her. She eagerly drank the rest and licked her lips. It was the best drink she’d ever tasted.
“That was amazing.” Everyone agreed, nodding their heads and grunting their praises of the delectable juice. The servants quickly skittered around to collect the empty goblets, returning to the edges of the room and disappearing into the walls. Or so it seemed.
“So… New York City. Has anyone been there?” Shade scanned the room, but no one answered.
“I have,” Dylan offered, “but it was over a century ago. Much has changed.”
The room seemed to stand still as Shade’s thoughts ran over the possibili
ties of the situation. She knew of one person who’d been there recently. Almost every year since birth, this person had returned to the Big Apple.
“I know someone who knows the city pretty well.” She straightened, elated to have the chance to see her oldest and closest friend in the world, Brisa. “Brisa’s gone there since she was an infant. She knows it better than anyone. She could come, take us around and show us where this Stanis lives….”
“Absolutely not!” Ursad’s calm face had morphed into horror and suspicion. What the heck is wrong with him? Shade thought.
“Wh—what? Why not?” Shade stammered. His reaction was confusing, and her stomach sank at what he said next.
“Because she’s human. She shouldn’t know about us.” His face tensed at the mention of Brisa. It threw Shade off her train of thought and sent rage surging through her once more. He had never been opposed to mingling with humans before. Why the sudden change?
Shade stood up and glared at the prince. Her temper was so volatile since she’d returned from the inferno of the Unseelie Queen’s grasp. It threatened to send her into a stampede if she didn’t rein it in now. “So am I, Your Majesty.”
Ursad flinched at her words as she spat them out. Shade’s fingers were turning white, clenched tightly at her sides. The room was even quieter than before, if that was even possible. Wild eyes flew from her to the prince and back. No one wanted to interrupt the thickened air that hovered around them now, electrified with fury. Even some of the glamoured servants had their eyes wide open and mouths agape at her outburst.
“She comes with us, or I will not pacify this Stanis creep you’re sending us to. He sounds like a nut, anyway.” Shade flew out of her chair and out of the room, spilling into the hallway where the air was easier to breathe. Why would Ursad treat her so? He knew she was human. How had he forgotten so quickly?
Something felt wrong, misaligned in some way or another. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she was sure that the prince was not acting the same as he had the last time she’d been at his castle. What had happened in all the time she was trapped at the Unseelie castle and the weeks on the isolated beach? She wasn’t the same either; she felt it in every cell, every expanse of her skin—in the hollow inside where her magic had resided. She knew the reasons for that, though. She’d have to question Ursad alone later, when she’d taken a break from it all and could think without seeing red.
Brisa was coming with them, whether the prince liked it or not. She’d make sure of it.
Chapter Five
“YOU’RE KIDDING, RIGHT?”
Brisa gripped the door to the off-campus apartment she shared with her two roommates near UCLA. It cost a bit, but it was so much more spacious and convenient for her to have her own space. The waitressing job she worked at on the weekends helped her pay her share of the rent.
“Are you going to let me in, or do I have to stand out here the whole time while I convince you otherwise?” Shade lifted a brow at her oldest friend. Brisa had squealed like a pig when she’d opened the door to her but then expressed her suspicions. Shade didn’t just pop out of nowhere for no reason. Brisa was too smart to ignore that fact.
“Oh, yeah, come on in.” She opened the door enough for Shade to slip by. “What about your, um, friend out here?” She eyed Camulus suspiciously, even though he was wearing his surfer boy glamour. He gave her a sweet grin but did not make a move to enter the apartment.
“That’s Camulus; he can teleport anywhere in the world. How do you think I got here?” She plopped onto the couch and scanned the apartment, assuring that it was empty but for the two of them. “He’s harmless. Let him in.”
“But….” Brisa felt her heart quicken as she refused to pull her eyes from him. “He’s one of them, Shade. He’s from Faerie, isn’t he?” She threw a fearful glance at Shade, her voice cracking as she opened the door wider, still unsure of letting in the faery.
Shade looked up at her friend, surprised at Brisa’s sudden fear. She hopped up and next to Brisa, looking at Camulus. To Shade, he appeared like a normal human male: board shorts, spiked, bleached-out hair and a smooth, immaculate tan. It was looking too Californian for Shade, but she could still see his actual looks under the shield of glamour. Just as she thought that, it came to her what was wrong with Brisa.
“It’s okay, Brisa; you’re seeing his actual appearance. Some faeries don’t look human. Let him in, and I’ll explain.” Camulus slipped in, and Brisa shut and locked the door almost as quickly. She turned, still wide-eyed and hesitant. Shade waved her over to the couch where she joined Shade. Camulus plopped onto a worn-down green recliner that didn’t match anything in the room. It was probably a hand-me-down. In fact, everything probably was since nothing in the room matched. It gave the room a comfy, eclectic feel.
“Since you’ve been touched by faeries and pricked by a weapon made in Faerie, you can see them now. You can see past the glamours that faeries use in the mortal world,” Camulus offered. He tried to look harmless, but ever since Brisa’s encounter with Corb, who had threatened her with death, she was not very keen on being near faeries. “You have the sight now; a most dangerous thing to have, as a human.”
So much for reassuring.
“What? What’s that supposed to mean, green man?” Brisa grabbed a candlestick from the small side table and held it like a bat, ready to crush Camulus’s skull if need be. “Are you threatening me?”
“Brisa, put that down!” Shade stared at her friend, hoping to calm her before she lost it. “He isn’t threatening you, he’s just warning you about it so you know.”
“Know what? Sounded like a threat to me.” Brisa pressed her lips tightly as she continued to throw dirty glares at the elven-pixie. Shade groaned but relaxed as Brisa slowly lowered her weapon. But she didn’t let it go, keeping it at the ready.
“I’m sorry, Brisa. I meant no threat. You must know that if you ever see creatures of Faerie in the mortal world, you must never let them know that you can see them. They will kill you in a split second if they discover that you have the sight. I highly recommend you look away if you run into anything out of the ordinary. It will be safest for you to ignore them.”
Brisa listened intently and nodded, gulping down the knot in her throat. “Who’s ‘they’? Faeries like you? Like Soap?”
“No, Brisa. We are more connected to humans than you’d ever believe. It’s the elemental ones, the ones of the land itself, and even the dark ones, the Unseelie creatures which roam the night and take your kind without regard. Those are the ones you must avoid, at all costs.” Camulus looked grim, but his stoic face showed just how serious he was. Brisa looked spooked but appeared to heed his warning.
Shade sighed, relieved that her friend was being sensible. “Look, I don’t mean to barge in on you like this, but I need your help, Brisa.” She slipped her hands into Brisa’s. They were warm, and it reminded Shade of so many years of holding onto her most trusted friend. Years had gone by, and they had remained closer than sisters. Shade beamed at her, tears prickling at her eyes as the memories rushed through her thoughts.
“What’s wrong?” Brisa asked.
Shade took a deep breath, praying that Brisa would not turn her down. “We need to go to New York City to track down someone who lives there, in exile from Faerie, who can help me find the one who took my powers.”
“What? Find another faery? Oh, hell no! Having this one here is bad enough.” Brisa shifted a couple of inches away from Shade, mainly to get more distance between her and Camulus. He seemed to find it amusing but remained quiet as he waited. Shade felt a headache rolling in from the tension inside her. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Look, I know that Corb almost killed you. I understand that it makes you really nervous to be around any faeries now, but you have to remember that I’m part faery, too. I would never hurt you. Ever. You’re like a sister to me.” Shade gave Brisa’s hand a squeeze, hoping to reason with her. “If I didn’t trust Camulu
s, I would never have brought him here. I’d never put you in any danger. You know that.”
Moments passed as Brisa contemplated her words. As she rubbed her fingers over her jeans, she appeared lost in her thoughts. Her forehead creased as she clenched her eyelids tight, chewing her lip. She let out a reluctant groan before she opened her eyes and stared right at Camulus before meeting Shade’s eyes.
“Alright. Just because I love you as a sister, too, I’ll help you. Tell your friends to keep their magic to themselves, though, or I might have to give them a broken nose or worse to cover up and glamourize.” She sniffed and narrowed her eyes at Camulus. He threw her a smile instead, hoping to disarm her with kindness. Shade smiled inwardly. The bad thing about the “kill them with kindness” thing was that it didn’t work on Brisa. She was too brass for that.
Shade threw her arms around Brisa and squeezed her tightly, elated that she would not be alone on this new journey. Shade hoped she could keep her friend safe. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to make that happen. Even without powers, she’d throw her life on the line for Brisa.
Chapter Six
BACK WITHIN THE crystal clear walls of the Glass Castle, Shade and Brisa loaded their backpacks with supplies. Shade enjoyed the slight déjà vu the preparations gave her, not to mention the permanently-etched, surprised look on Brisa’s face at the discovery of the shrinking spell on her pack, allowing her to stuff all sorts of things into it without any increase in weight or size. Brisa was having a bit of a harder time adjusting to the magic than Shade had, but she was gritting her teeth through the surprises, shocks and craziness of the Faerie world.
It had Shade smiling. Maybe things would have ended differently if Brisa had been with her the very first time she stepped into the Land of Faerie. Maybe things would have taken a much less extreme turn had they been together. Shade would’ve not been so lonely on her magical adventures. Maybe she would have been a lot safer with a kindred spirit at her side. But there was also the possibility the outcome would have been worse. Brisa was completely human; not a lick of magic ran in her veins. Faerie was much too dangerous for Brisa, yet here they were.