People of Fae

by M.M. Gavillet

People of Fae

  M.M. Gavillet

  People of Fae

  Book 1 in The Fae Trilogy

  Copyright © 2013 by M.M. Gavillet

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of the book may be used or reproduced in any manner without the written permission from the author. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidences are the product of the author’s imagination, any resemblance to real events, locations, persons living or dead, are purely a coincidence.

  Front and back cover designed by M.M. Gavillet

  For my dad.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As always, I have to thank my village people-you know who you are! And my family whom I adore for their support, love, strength, and even all of the hair-pulling, frustrating times of being a writer—yes all of you are very important to me! Also, thank you to Shani for being simply the extraordinaire you are! And to my mother-in-law –you’re still perfect. And to the beautiful Elizabeth for being patient with me and reading anything I threw at ya! And as always, to my dad—wish many times over you were here!

  Chapter One

  Eli

  “Do you know where she is or not? You know who I speak of,” Eli demanded in a quiet whisper. “Answer wisely.”

  The three fur covered creatures hovered before him growling their warning. Bright, silver, vine-like bars was the only separation between Eli and the beasts. Their eyes of silver disks reflected the dimly lit dungeon. Eli knew he had to be quick or he would be joining them in this dreadful place. Guards would be coming soon and, the last thing he wanted was to be in prison again.

  “Why should we tell you?” the largest of the three creatures asked staring at Eli. “Give me a good reason. I need some amusement, sentry.”

  Eli knew little of the nature of Mogs, and negotiation was not one of them. If only she was easier to find and didn’t mingle with these horrible creatures. It was her nature to befriend the most unlikely creature, and now Eli had to resort to getting information out of them.

  He had to come up with something without sounding desperate, even though he was. He had to remain in control or he would get nowhere with the creature. Mogs were short- tempered, and serve no one but themselves. Eli remembered hearing of lost sentries get torn apart by them just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, he had no choice. He owed something worse than a Mog.

  The Mog snorted at him showing his sharp, canine teeth. Six silver eyes focused on him as he scrambled to think of something. The creatures were not stupid, but they were very superstitious. The Mog’s nostrils of his flat, wide, lion-like nose flared slightly.

  “Did she tell you she has something that would interest you?” Eli said quickly and caught the attention of the Mog. He really didn’t want it to come out like that, but he had to be enticing without revealing too much. “It is something of great power,” Eli tried to say in a tantalizing voice.

  The Mog stopped, and slowly turned lowering himself to Eli’s level. With gleaming eyes, the Mog stared at Eli, wrapped his talon claws slowly around the metallic bars one by one in front of Eli’s face, and glared at him. Eli swallowed hard hoping the Fae made dungeon was strong enough for three Mogs.

  “We don’t associate with Faeish things. You are trying to trick us into something. Go away—or I’ll have you as a play thing.”

  “I don’t have time for trickery,” Eli stated. “This is something so great, it could change the course of history. And all you have to do is lead me to Lil.” He hoped mentioning her name would persuade them.

  “I don’t care about history. I want the sentry that put us here!” The Mog growled showing his teeth and showering Eli with droplets of the beast’s spit. He wiped his face and smiled at the Mog.

  “That can be arranged,” Eli said in his most convincible tone.

  The Mog looked at him for a moment then turned to the other two. Growls and grunts came from their huddle. Eli wished he understood what they were saying. Minutes went by and he grew impatient waiting for their decision.

  “Come on, I don’t have all day,” Eli prodded as he paced the floor.

  Eli turned to find the Mog peering at him through the bars. Startled, he jumped with the Mog’s smiling face staring back at him. At least he thought it was a smile. It was hard to tell with their sharp teeth and flaring nostrils that looked more like a snarl.

  “Fine, let us out,” the Mog said.

  “We have a deal then?” Eli asked confirming it.

  “Yes we want a sentry’s blood in our mouth,” the Mog replied.

  “And you will track her for me?”

  “We are good at tracking, we can find her easily.”

  Eli looked at them for a moment knowing this was his last chance at finding Lil. He had to trust them. From his pocket, he took out a small black disk. It had been years since he was actually a sentry and hoped it worked or he would be hunted by three angry Mogs. Quickly, he slid it across the lock. With a quiet click, the door swung open. The beasts came out, walked past Eli, and peered at the darkened stairwell.

  “Your word!” Eli demanded thinking they were going to leave.

  The lead Mog turned to Eli with crescent glowing eyes and a faint rumble vibrating from the beast’s throat. Placing his hand on a small dagger he had under his cloak, Eli held it out in front of him towards the Mog. The beast gave a deep, raspy chuckle with the other two behind joining in.

  “Do you think a Fae piece of cutlery is going to stop us?” The towering beast snarled.

  “Your promise you have better keep. I am not afraid to use my training in magic.” That was a lie. Eli had not even an ounce of magic running through him. His confident tone said otherwise.

  “No exiled sentry can do magic, and I do believe your blood would satisfy my thirst for revenge.” The Mog bent down and advanced towards Eli.

  Eli backed up with his insignificant dagger pointed at the towering Mog. Six silver eyes glared at him. He was cornered at his own doing. Eli’s desperation cost him his life he thought with the Mogs slowly coming closer. He was not good at negotiations and he had better master the art quickly. He had been in tighter situations than this he thought trying to calm himself. He had to come up with something quick.

  “Magic isn’t something a sentry loses,” a voice said to the right of Eli, “and can be used as he wishes.” The voice had a ring of authority to it that caught the Mogs’ attention for a moment.

  Eli could only see a shadowy figure standing in the middle of the cell beside him. His crumpled shape slowly emerged from the darkness. Shadows covered his true identity as the advancing Mogs paid no attention to the man Eli gazed at.

  “Go on sentry, show them who the boss is here,” the man prodded in an almost amused voice.

  “Who are you?” Eli had to inquire, now pinned against the slimy dungeon wall.

  The man didn’t answer as the lead Mog with gleaming eyes, claws extended, and sharp teeth all in view and ready to sink into his flesh. Eli had nowhere to go thinking this was the end. He extended his small dagger in front of him hoping to at least poke one of the Mog’s eyes out. Closing his eyes, Eli waited for the impact. But instead of razor sharp teeth, fur and claws digging into him, he felt nothing.

  Still holding his dagger in front of him, Eli slowly opened his eyes and saw the two remaining Mogs. A fine, grey, glittering dust covered Eli and the ground around him. The lead Mog had simply turned to dust. They stood wide eyed with a baffled look on their face. Eli equally surprised, looked over to the man standing beside him shrouded in darkness.

  “I suggest you two listen to this powerful sentry or b
ecome dust yourself,” the man said retreating to the shadows when Eli stepped closer to the cell.

  “Who are you? What’s your name?” Eli asked peering into the blackness.

  “I save your skin and now you demand to know my name?” the man replied in an insulted, hushed whisper as the commotion of guards echoed in the stairwell. “I suggest you go—I would hate to see you use any more magic on your once comrades.”

  Eli wanted to know who this man was and take him along. Looking at the Mogs who stood side by side as if waiting for orders, reminded Eli for a split moment of his past sentry days. That time was gone, and he had no one to blame but himself. He had to save the man who helped him. He reached into his pocket, but his disk was gone. Eli jerked on the cell door rattling it until dust settled around them.

  “What are you doing?!” The man yelled. “Go or you will be joining me!”

  Reluctantly, Eli had to go to save his own skin. He ordered the Mogs to go up the stairwell and take out any sentry in the way. They seemed glad to do this as Eli turned one last time to the man whose face was voided in blackness.

  “Find her!” He yelled out before retreating to the shadows. “Find Lil!”

  Despite the urgency to leave the prison, Eli was more intrigued to speak to the man rather than make a quick escape.

  “Do you know her?” Eli asked with no reply. The man was gone, absorbed into the darkness. “I said do you know her?” The man appeared to have vanished into thin air.

  Eli had no choice but to leave the ghost of a man behind. He knew her name, or actually, one of her alias. Lil’s plot thickened the more he dug. Eli knew she wouldn’t leave a straight path to find her. He wasn’t about to give up, no matter how many twist and turns she threw at him.

  Eli followed the Mogs bloody trail until he reached the street above. More sentries would come, and he ordered the two Mogs to run as fast as they could into the dreaded Shimmerick woods. Not many would enter as all who did, were at the forest’s mercy. Believed to be a gathering place of everything evil, Eli knew different. It’s just a forest shrouded in mystery and folklore. Once he was out of prison, he spent many nights there in hiding and sure that those who were after him thought the forest would take care of him, and they were right. Still steeped in superstition, the sentries wouldn’t venture here. He could regroup and make his plan with a new army.

  Eli kept up with the Mogs until he ordered them to stop. They stood side by side. Eli looked at them. Their eyes were round and black, not silver disks of venom, their tawny mane that encircled their lion- like face gently floated in the breeze making it look silky and soft. Now, they looked like somewhat gentle creatures, reasonable to deal with. With the help of magic, that is.

  Eli wondered about the man in the dungeon and if he knew his intentions. The man must know Lil well enough to know what he is after. He had vanished into thin air, dissolved a very large Mog into dust and that could only point in one direction as his identity—he had to be a sorcerer of some sort, or maybe a warlock.

  Eli didn’t have time to deal with it right now. He had to find Lil, and his tracking machine stood before him.

  “What does master want us to do now?” One of the Mogs asked in a rough voice.

  Eli gazed up at them. “I want you to track the owner of this.” Eli took from his side pouch a leather shoe, delicate and unadorned with a pointed toe.

  The Mogs naturally good at tracking, bent down took in a deep breath inhaling her scent that reminded Eli of lilacs. He wasn’t sure if the Mogs interpreted her like that, but he couldn’t help to think of how she felt in his arms. Quickly, he put the boot away along with his remaining memories of the past.

  “We know of her. She’s in the Etherworld,” the Mog said.

  “The Etherworld?” Eli said turning from them.

  A distant land of Faeish past, the Etherworld was a place they once thrived until magic was discovered. It isn’t spoken of much and deemed an undesirable place to spend much time in. Etherworlders are not the same creed of the superior Fae. Fae are the holders of all magical implements and therefore chosen, superior and unbreakable. It was the Fae who controlled the magic. Etherworlders had no business with it. Their ignorance and misuse of the element was put to a stop by the Fae who hid it. The Fae used it to create their world sealed from Ehterworlders. The rest is nothing more than myth and legend for Etherworlders. A perfect place to hide, Eli thought with a curled smile.

  Lil was always associating with all sorts of creatures and Fae society. She had many allies as well as enemies. Eli felt he fell somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. He had to push his feeling away, and focus on finding her and making things right.

  “Take me to her.” Eli commanded.

  The Mog with the lighter mane smiled slightly, grasped Eli by the back collar, and hoisted him up onto his back. Eli nearly fell off the other side, and only managed to hang on by clutching the beast’s fur.

  “Hang on Master!” The Mog yelled jolting into the darkness of the low limbed forest.

  Eli had never ridden a Mog before but knew to hang on tight. The sharp, precise movements around trees and boulders were razor sharp. The Mog’s stamina didn’t quit until sunrise. They stopped at the forest edge. Eli dismounted, his muscles ached from hanging on so long, but it was worth it. He looked over a ruined city he’d never seen before.

  Ancient stones crumbled to the ground in the quiet landscape that once looked as though it housed hundreds of Fae in its deteriorating grand structures.

  “Where are we?” Eli asked looking at the grey stones.

  “The First City,” The lighter mane Mog said.

  “Arrinia,” Eli said looking at the ruins, “The First City of Fae.”

  Eli had never seen it, but heard of its existence. It was the first city build by the escaping Faes from the Etherworld. Magic ran wild creating the lands for them that they learned to live in. Now, Eli was looking at a fabled legend of Faeish past, and it was real.

  “Lil knew of this place and never told me.” Eli clenched his fists controlling a ping of anger that flowed through him.

  “She knows lots of things,” the lighter mane Mog said. “The portal is over there.”

  Eli followed the Mogs extended talon towards an arched stone sculpture. It sat in the middle of the ruins, untouched by time or weather. Eli walked closer to it with the Mogs behind him. There were no markings on the grey stones, but something radiated from it.

  Humming filled his ears, the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly, Eli looked at the arch feeling it was filled with life; almost a being of its own.

  “It leads to the Etherworld.” Eli stated looking up at the oblivious Mogs. “We are at a threshold between worlds.”

  Eli shook his head at their blank expressions. He couldn’t expect Mogs to understand what was before them. Lil was there in the Etherworld and what she had he wanted not only to save her, but destroy something before it blossomed. Eli looked at the simple arch, the gateway to a world forgotten, and now lived with the fables of its very own past.

  “Take me to her.” He stated.

  Eli again was placed on the back of the Mog and before he could say a word, they jolted through the arch with a blinding light into the Etherworld.