Fae Frost

by Michelle R. Reid

  “That vial,” the Dryad called from behind me, “was very special.”

  I paused and said over my shoulder, “I can make more tonics.” But none of them would as special as that one. None of them would be held by Helios as he praised me. That part of my life was over.

  “Thank you!” The words drifted through the wind behind me.

  I just kept walking, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, heart and mind breaking with every step I took.

  Chapter 13

  I don’t remember going home. Or the two days after that very well. When my family asked what was wrong, I could only say I didn’t feel well. Because it was true. I felt numb. Cold. All I could do was lie in my bed, crying, surrounded by all the drying flowers that reminded me of Helios. Maybe Mama figured out what was wrong, but she didn’t say anything. She took the time to pet my hair when she brought me food and hum songs for me.

  On the third day, I finally sat up and looked out the window. I wasn’t ready to move yet, but I needed to water my plants or they’d die. After lying for so long, my body felt stiff and sore as I stood up and climbed down the stairs to the kitchen. Luckily the room was empty, and I could quietly walk to my garden in peace.

  The sun was bright, too bright. I could barely see, and I stumbled across the beaten ground, my habitual limp more noticeable than ever. It was only muscle memory that got me where I needed to go. I needed to get a bucket and start filling it, but at the sight of my flowers, any thoughts or reason left me. Just inside the opening of the fence around my garden, my legs gave out and I sank to my knees. Numbly, I stared at the flowers, so vibrant and bursting with life. I could see it, but I just couldn’t feel it. I could be sitting in a barren field, for all the emotions in my heart.

  Slowly I became aware of the chill. It wasn’t just inside my chest; my knees and the legs under me were getting colder as water soaked through my dress and chilled my skin. I blinked and touched the damp ground, feeling the moisture with my fingers.

  Someone watered my garden. The thought broke through my stupor, a first in days. And they hadn’t watered in the lanes that I normally did, but every inch of the soil had received water. A task like that could take hours.

  “Who?” I whispered, voice cracking from my raw throat.

  In the back of the garden, plants started to shake and shiver as someone moved through them. For once it wasn’t running away but coming towards me.

  Moments later, a gnome, the same gnome I kept seeing, stepped out of the foliage and cautiously came towards me. In his hands was half of a large nut shell, filled with dirt, and a tiny sprout poking out. He stopped a comfortable distance from me and examined me with a frown.

  My eyes widened in shock. “Did you… water my garden?”

  He paused but didn’t give any indication whether it was a yes or a no. “You are the Fae Eyes, correct?” His voice was so deep for such a tiny person.

  The sound of my—that—name stung in my already bruised heart, especially now that it lost all meaning. Still, he’d taken a lot of time to decide to talk to me and it would be rude if I didn’t respond in kind. Quickly, I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hands and forced a smile, as pathetic as it felt. “I’m Maira. Thank you for helping my plants. Can I help you with something?”

  My answer puzzled him, but I didn’t know which part. He glanced at the plant at my shoulder, the Faeweed I got from Aine’s own garden. “I would like to trade this ferfaen,” he motioned with the nut and sprout in his hands, “for a shoot of that Faeweed.”

  “Oh,” I muttered. Like the Faeweed, ferfaen had many medicinal uses and I’m sure could improve any tonic I made, but I’d never had the chance to acquire one. “I’m surprised. I don’t mean to be rude, but after all the times you came here, I thought you might just take it.” I spread my hands in an apology.

  His wrinkly face became wrinklier for a second then smoothed out some as he accepted my words without contempt. “That might work on a meager human plant, but Fae plants are loyal. They only bloom for their keepers and only accept others with permission from their keepers.”

  “That’s amazing. I had no idea,” I whispered. So, it was literally impossible to steal a plant from a Fae garden. It would just die. All of the plants I had were given to me from Aine. I never thought I’d ever trade them with another Fae.

  The gnome pointed to the Faeweed. “The Sun Fae covet that quality of plant well. Only the lesser variety is found in the wild.”

  Gently I reached out and touched the pink blossoms. These flowers had been my link to Helios. Whenever I was here, I was at peace because I felt like I was surrounded by him. That peace was gone now.

  It was funny though. I got this garden because of my connection to Helios. But even if he was gone, because of this garden, I could connect with other Fae. Were there other Fae that might seek me out, interested in my garden? How many more would I meet? How many more things would I be able to learn from Fae that visit?

  I paused, remembering the Dryad from several days ago. How I bought her freedom with a tonic made from Fae plants. If I made more tonics, how many more Fae would I be able to save? For the first time in days, I finally felt like my life wasn’t over. There was something more I could do.

  Slowly, a true smile came to my face. “That sounds wonderful. I would be happy to trade.”

  He let out a relieved breath.

  He was nervous because of me? How silly. I smiled and shook my head. “I’m sorry, I’m still learning. Would you tell me a little more about the ferfaen and how to use it while I get you some of the Faeweed?”

  He paused, then nodded.

  “Thank you.” I stood up, haphazardly brushing the wet stains on my skirt, and got a small pot from the shed by the barn. It was hard to focus on the gnome’s low ramblings while I prepared a shoot of Faeweed for him, but I got most of what he said.

  Once I was finished, I paused, cupping the pot in my hands and looked at the five inches of shoot poking out of the soil. Aine said I had magic that could affect my plants. I took a breath, forcing my mind to clear.

  Grow for him, I thought strongly to the plant. Grow strong and kind.

  Maybe I was being silly. I didn’t know anything about what was in me or how to use it. But even as I watched, a tiny bud grew on the top of a shoot as if the plant knew what I thought. Just like when Aine was here.

  The gnome gasped. “A human with…”

  I offered the potted shoot. “I hope it’s everything you need.”

  He set the nutshell of ferfaen in my right palm and reached with slightly trembling fingers for the pot. “It will be,” he said assuredly. “To be blessed as well, this gift is worth a thousand ferfaen plants.” He looked at me, concerned. “What more can I do for you?”

  I smiled down at the tiny sprout in my palm. “How about we just be friends?”

  His face wrinkled again. “Friends…with a human.” He didn’t sound sure of it. He also didn’t reject the idea. “Good day, Maira with the Fae Eyes.” He turned and hurried through my garden. Moments later, he hopped the fence and disappeared into the field where the sprouts were growing strong in the morning sun.

  I watched him go, smiling. Like the blossom in my hand, a small ray of happiness bloomed in my heart. I felt light and airy, as if there really was a meaning to my existence, other than the family obligations I had.

  Aine told me to choose to be happy. Three days ago, I chose to be happy with Helios. That wasn’t an option anymore. I couldn’t be with him. But I could still be happy. Maybe if I helped enough people, humans and Fae alike, this hole in my heart would fill.

  Movement at the corner of my vision blink out of my thoughts. I glanced over my shoulder.

  Seamus stopped at the end of the barn, a surprised smile on his face. His clothes were neat but not clean. Dirt and mud speckled his nice clothes and caked the bottom of his boots. He shifted, trying to keep a bucket—my watering bucket—behind his legs.

  I
gaped at him as understanding dawned on me. “You were the one who watered my flowers.” Something sweet and painful built in my heart. My throat tightened with emotion, and I couldn’t make out anymore words. For Seamus to do that tedious work for me, it touched me to the core.

  Seamus cleared his throat and walked over. “I heard you weren’t feeling well, so I came to see what I could do to make you feel better.” He swung the bucket in his hands, not trying to hide it now that I knew. He set it down in its spot by the gatepost just feet from me.

  I looked down, hoping that my eyes weren’t too puffy. I had yet to brush my hair, and my skirt was covered in mud from kneeling in the soil. Well, at least he knew what a mess I could look like already. “Thank you. Thank you so much for helping me with my garden.” Something bright purple was in the bucket. “What’s that?” I motioned to it.

  “Um, those…” His ears turned red and he scooped a small bouquet of flowers out. He shifted it in his hands before offering it to me. They were simple purple flowers, the kind you find on the side of the road. “I brought you these, but it looks like you don’t really need them,” he said sheepishly. His ears turned pink and he looked at my garden.

  I took them, appreciating the effort anyway. “Thank you, Seamus.” I sniffed the fresh, sweet scent. “They’re cute.”

  He drummed his fingers on his thigh, then cleared his throat and leaned forward onto the fence. His honest nervousness was refreshing. If he had been more sure of himself, it would have reminded me too much of Helios. I couldn’t have coped with that now. But as it was, I could focus on Seamus and give him the chance he deserved.

  Seamus motioned to the plants around me. “This is quite the garden. I mean, your pa said you took your garden seriously, but this is—wow.”

  I smiled, his compliment warming my heart. “Yes. It’s very special to me.” I looked around. It was all I had left of Helios. And all I could ever have of him.

  “Did that little Fae give you something?” Seamus pointed to the nut shell plant beside me.

  I nodded and picked up the little sprout to hold it at eye level. “Yes. He wanted one of my plants so we traded. This one is new to me.”

  Seamus shook his head. “I’ve never heard of something like that before. A human trading with a Fae.” He was in awe more than he was alarmed.

  I let out a breath, relieved. He didn’t sound uncomfortable or scared of the Fae. It would have been trouble if he had. “I owe a lot to the Fae. And I want to continue to help them and humans as much as I can.”

  He nodded slowly like he was thinking of something. After a second, he took a slow, deep breath and pushed it out through his nose. Looking more uncomfortable than ever, he licked his lips. “Maira, I know—I mean, your Ma told me how there was—someone else.”

  A sharp pain stabbed my heart. I set the nut shell and flower bouquet down on the ground harder than I meant. I didn’t really want to talk about Helios now. I’m not sure I ever wanted to talk about him. “It…was a girlish fantasy.”

  Seamus’s brows pulled low over his eyes as he soldiered on. “I don’t know who he was, and I know I can never be like him. But I’ll be the best I can be.”

  His sweet words made me smile bitterly. I kind of didn’t want him to find out. Especially now that I’d said goodbye to Helios. I didn’t want Seamus to feel like he wasn’t enough, because it wasn’t fair to him. After all, Helios and Seamus were as different at the sun and moon. One such a strong light that seemed to burn with its heat. And the other a gentle glow that lit the darkness around me.

  “I don’t want you to be like him. I want you to be you.” I looked up him, his blond curls falling into his face as he leaned on the fence above me.

  I didn’t love Seamus right now. And I didn’t know how long the thought of Helios would pain me. But one day, I was sure I’d learn, with all his gentleness and sweetness, to fall in love Seamus too.

  Seamus’s ears turned pink and he looked up to the fields. “Ah.”

  I blinked and followed his gaze. Just at the edge of the field, my parents and his papa were talking animatedly.

  Seamus laughed. “Pa never knows when to give up. He loves to haggle.”

  I smiled, already touched by his charm. “I’m not too surprised.”

  “I bet they’re talking about the…” Seamus’s voice died out.

  Wedding. That was the word he was trying to say.

  I picked up the small bouquet and lifted it to my face, breathing in the sweet smell. Just looking at the tiny flower made me feel light. Happy. With Seamus and my garden, I could be happy. Would be happy.

  I opened my mouth and only paused for a moment. “The preacher leaves for the South in a month. Do you think we could have everything arranged by then? That would also give us a little more time to get to know each other.”

  Seamus jumped at my sudden question, apparently lost in his own thoughts. “What?”

  I smiled at him. “They say that Sundays are lucky days to get married.” I might need all the luck I could get, until I could finally leave Helios behind. “How would that work for you?”

  His eyes widened and he looked at a loss for words. “Ah, yeah. Yes. That would—” He blew out a breath and shoved his hands through his hair. “A Sunday. Yes. We—I need…”

  I laughed, I couldn’t help it. He was so flustered.

  He paused and looked at me, his hair stretched tight in his hands still. After a second, he smiled sheepishly and laughed too. “I guess, it wouldn’t do to lose my head over this, huh?”

  Still laughing, I shook my head. “It’s okay. It’s sweet.” Gently, I touched the flowers in my hand. “But there are a lot of things I need to do. First off, my garden.” I looked around. “It all will come with me.” Carefully I moved the ferfaen sprout next to the other plants. It would be useless to plant it now. I’d just have to dig it up again. Hopefully it would last until it got planted in the new garden.

  Seamus’s brows wrinkled as he started to think. “That’ll be a big project.”

  I nodded. “Yes. I’ll need all the top soil too. And maybe even some from the field.”

  Now he looked downright puzzled. “Really?”

  “Yes, it’s special.” I stood up with Seamus’s flowers and brushed the wet stain on my skirt, suddenly remembering that I looked like a mess. I put a hand to my hair.

  If Seamus thought I looked awful, he didn’t seem to mind. He simply smiled at me. “Just tell me what I need to do to help.”

  I stood up, the air cold on the wet spot on my skirt. Holding Seamus’s flowers to my chest, I couldn’t help but look across the field to the Fae woods. My heart ached with loss at the sight of those beautiful trees, even as the smell of the flowers lifted my soul.

  I didn’t know what the future held. Nothing in the last year had gone like I could have ever predicted, but no matter what happened—I’d be happy.

  To Be Continued

  A Note to You

  Please don’t hate me!

  And thank you so much for reading the next part of Maira’s life. It was so fun for me to finally be able to expand the Fae world and give you sneak peak of what’s to come later. I learned a lot as I researched about different Fae and also simply made up my own. (But that’s what author liberties are, right?)

  It was hard writing this book! I can’t tell you how many times I sobbed into my keyboard as the words came out. I love them, both Helios and Maira, and it broke my heart to not put them together. At the same time, I also love Seamus. While Helios and Maira are characters that I pulled from my mind, Seamus was actually modelled a bit after my dad, but with a boyish charm. My dad was a hardworking farm boy too.

  BUT their story isn’t over!

  I hope that you will keep supporting me and check out the next and last book in the Fae Eyes series. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. A great way to show your support is to leave a review, even a simple star click. It makes a world of difference to an author.

 
Until then, see you in the Fae Flower!

  Michelle R Reid

  Coming Soon

  Some secrets are too dangerous to be left unsaid.

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  About Me

  Stories have always been important in my life. From the skits I made up for my friends while jumping on the trampoline (Moon Prism Power!), to my first full length novel I wrote in 8th grade choir against my teacher’s wishes.

  I am married to a wonder man and we have three very active kids that keep me on my toes. In college, I studied Zoology, Biology, Art, and English. I drove my counselor nuts. I finally settled on wanting to be an author like my mom. (Alysia S Knight-check her out!)

  ‘Curiosity killed the cat’ is a good saying for me. I love to figure out how all the pieces of the puzzles fit—whether it be in a book, movie, or real life situation. I like to take what I’ve learned and weave it into my books.