Weald Fae 02 - The Changeling

by Christopher Shields

  Other than Sara, the only Fae in the area were the guards, so I went to the plaster wall and retrieved Pete’s journal. The familiar, musty smell of the journal filled the room when I began reading.

  After a few pages I realized Pete was well aware of Ozara’s interest in our family. He had heard her debating the subject of “Áedén’s heir” with the Council on several occasions. All the Fae, it seemed, had noticed Pete’s eyes.

  So Billy and Sara were right.

  Pete also confirmed that among the Seelie Council, Ozara alone knew how to create Aether and administer the fifth trial, but as I continued reading, a passage snapped me out of my drowsy state. He thought he’d guessed the secret to the fifth trial while watching her, as he put it, “conjure the substance in a most unique and uncanny way, in an amount so slight it appeared to assemble in its most basic form.”

  Pete had watched her methodically, and he’d done so for more than seventy years. During that time, he had witnessed her playing with Aether, and in another bombshell passage, he wrote:

  Unbeknownst to the otherworldly creature, I secured for myself a vantage from which I beheld her, to my astonishment and marvel, assemble and disassemble the substance again and again from each of the quaternary elements, like a watchmaker plying her trade. A fortnight passed before the veil of ignorance lifted and I began to grapple with the enormity of what I had witnessed. As I pen this entry, I muse at the fact that I scarcely appreciated the spectacle at the time.

  Then I came across an odd passage written directly to Lola. Pete said that at her birth the Fae began speculating that she might be Maebown. According to Pete, Ozara recognized an abnormality in her “cognitive function,” an abnormality that appeared in humans who frequently developed a proclivity for sensing and controlling the elements. She warned the Council members to keep that fact to themselves, as both prior Maebown had the abnormality as well. The Council was shaken by the news, Pete said, as each of them began referring to the Second. Pete didn’t know what that meant, but I did: the Second Aetherfae. Then something else registered.

  Oh my god, my mind screamed, Ozara knew from the moment I got to Arkansas that I was different. There were so many times over the past year when different Fae would stare at me and remark about how special I was. Maybe, like Billy and Sara, they didn’t know why I was different, but each was aware of something from day one.

  I read faster, past the observations he’d recorded for Lola until, near the bottom of a page, he began to discuss the implications for learning to control Aether. He followed by describing what he’d seen Ozara do—the combinations she’d used to create Aether.

  I read the last line on the page. The initial combination consists… Then on the next page I read, (Summer 1935) curiosity demanded I listen. Nary a condition existed that might explain…

  It didn’t make sense at all. It was as if he’d changed topics in the middle of the sentence. I reread it a dozen times. I relaxed and let the journal rest on my lap as I tried to figure out what it meant. After a while, I glanced down at the book as it straddled my thigh, and I noticed the cleanly cut remnants of two pages sticking out of the binding.

  What the hell? Really? Oh come on! This only happens in movies.

  I pulled the book closer to my face, and yes, two pages had been removed. The date didn’t make sense either—the passages were written around the time of Lola’s birth, in 1899, three and a half decades earlier than the written date. If I remembered correctly, Pete O’Shea had passed away in 1901 at the ripe old age of 98, and his journal entrees had stopped in April of that year.

  I didn’t know what Summer 1935 meant, but I didn’t need to. Aether was created through a particular combination of the elements. That was valuable information, and it was more information than I had when the day began. I fell asleep wondering what combinations would do the trick.

  ***

  On Monday morning, the first day of spring break, I prepared myself to track Cassandra wherever she went each day at nine. Mom and Dad left for the hospital about the same time they always did, and Billy followed them, generating a sense of calm and hope, I was sure. Sara left at the same time to take Sherman’s place and look after Doug.

  At 8:45, I settled onto my bed and began trying to relax. It was a little more difficult to concentrate. My nerves were on edge and my heart was beating faster than normal, so it took several minutes before I felt the floating sensation. Patiently waiting for what seemed like several minutes, I finally sensed my body well below me.

  Without wasting a second, I willed myself to the Seoladán. Despite knowing that I had to remain calm or risk being yanked back to my body, I felt nervous about how much time I’d spent trying to relax. I wondered whether Cassandra would be there.

  Through the mist I recognized two things. The first was the bureau in the abandoned cottage where I’d found Pete O’Shea’s journal—I was floating in front of it in a thick fog. Cassandra’s presence was the other. Good, I hadn’t missed her. She was still out front near the fountain.

  Before I willed myself to her, it occurred to me that the bureau doors were open. I distinctly remembered closing them, so I knew with complete certainty she’d discovered that a book was missing. The dust free spot on the shelf was a dead giveaway.

  Could she have known what was in it? I began to fret for a moment, and felt the tether to my body pulling at me. I fought being yanked back, and tried to relax. There’s no way she could know, is there? No, I told myself. If she had a clue about the journal’s contents, she would have destroyed it. It really was that simple.

  She was suspicious, though. Whatever it contained, it was important enough that either I or one of the Ohanzee had obviously stolen it. Her instruction to Doug to get ‘it’ back made sense—she wanted him to find Pete’s journal.

  Concentrating on her location, I moved quickly through the wall of the cottage toward the fountain. She was in physical form and appeared to be concentrating. Even though I wasn’t actually breathing, I felt the compulsion to hold my breath anyway. I didn’t want to do anything to alert her.

  Several minutes passed before she shifted to Naeshura and shot to the southwest. With everything I had, I tried to follow her, focusing on the places I sensed her essence. But I moved only to the rock wall before she disappeared into the confounding mist. The disappointment was painful and caused the tether to strengthen, threatening to pull me back down the hill. It was clear I wasn’t fast enough to keep up with her.

  For Mitch’s sake, I tried to concentrate on her again, to predict the place where she passed, but she was moving so quickly I couldn’t find a trace.

  “No!”

  The tether was too strong, and it snapped me back into my body. I sat up on my bed and waited for my senses to clear. As soon as I could, I channeled the sunlight beaming through my window. My body filled with energy. I felt strong—I felt alive.

  The disappointment I’d experienced disappeared when I felt her return. Briefly, I wondered if my mind was playing tricks on me. It wasn’t. I clearly sensed Cassandra’s essence race back to the opposite side of the cove, high atop the southern hills. She’d never done that before. My alarm clock read 9:30. Why is she back so soon?

  I got up, keeping my concentration on her, and made my way downstairs as leisurely as I could. I briefly lost my connection as I went down the stairwell. From the sunlight beaming through the kitchen window, I reestablished my link and quickly determined that she hadn’t moved. She waited motionlessly across the lake, where I suspected she watched my every move. Amusing. She doesn’t know I can sense her that far away, does she?

  If she wanted to watch, I would treat her to a hideously bland morning. After an agonizingly slow bowl of cereal and a pot of tea, methodically brewed, I retrieved my Mac and decided to chat with Candace about the prom. Cassandra will love that. In truth, I didn’t normally enjoy discussing it, but I was determined to completely bore Cassandra. I knew she was hanging on every keystroke, trying to figu
re out what I was doing. Was she hoping I’d be careless and sneak up to the caretaker’s cottage? Fat chance.

  Forty minutes later I grew annoyed by the tedious back-and-forth with Candace on decorations, music and costumes for the servers. But as much as it bothered me, I found some pleasure in the fact that Candace and I had to be driving Cassandra completely mad with our incessant discussion of what I’m sure any Unseelie would consider a frivolous human ritual.

  A few minutes later, Cassandra changed to Naeshura and moved closer, crossing the lake slowly. I remained calm and continued chatting with Candace. She wasn’t moving toward the Seoladán, though—she was headed toward me.

  What was she doing? The guards in the garden hadn’t moved, but I’m sure they sensed her, too. I wondered when I should act like I sensed her? Quickly, I decided to play it cool and wait until she changed back into physical form, so I continued to chat with Candace, asking her for clarification on yet another prom detail. As I waited for her reply, Cassandra reached the shoreline below the cottage. I fought to control my breathing and act like I wasn’t aware of her. Fae come and go all the time, and I’m not supposed to be able to recognize them in their natural form. Play it cool, Maggie. Keep your head.

  At the boundary of the lower garden wall, I felt Cassandra change into her human form. My cue, I thought. I knocked my cereal bowl onto the floor, shattering it into a hundred pieces, and forced several sharp, deep breaths, allowing my heart to race as I spun to face the back window.

  I turned quickly back to my Mac and hastily typed “Gotta go, someone’s here,” and hit send. Then I ran spastically from window to window trying to act frantic. To my surprise, the guards in the garden moved into action, causing my heart to race even faster. They shot down the hill taking as they took physical form, one of them as a human, the rest blurred animal shapes racing through the trees.

  Cassandra changed back into her natural form and moved casually to the southwest and beyond the range of even my extended senses. A test, I thought, and for time being at least, she appeared to believe my performance.

  Three of the Seelie Guards returned to their prior positions and remained there in Naeshura. The rest moved to the South, undoubtedly to inform Sherman and the rest of the Council of the near-breach.

  There were only three Seelie guards, all in their natural form. A window of opportunity had opened wide. If the Ohanzee were right, and Ozara is off hunting the Second Aetherfae, what’s preventing me from trying to take the fifth trial on my own?

  “Nothing,” I said to myself as I raced upstairs and gathered the four stones from my trials.

  After placing each stone in its respective slot in the gazebo, I stood in the middle above the symbol for Aether. One by one, I focused on channeling each of the elements. The stones glowed brighter, and I could feel the energy in each. The Earth stone connected to something far below me and I sensed energy rising up through the ground, passing through the gazebo structure. Each elemental stone made a connection to its element in a similar fashion. They were conduits and I could tell for the first time they were not simply rocks as I’d always assumed. Each one was absolutely unique. Billy and Sara did tell me Ozara created them with Aether, after all.

  The guards didn’t move.

  “A combination, right? Right.”

  First, I tried to pull all the energies together in the center of the room. From the Fire Stone, a thin thread of glowing red-colored plasma snaked toward me in the middle of the room. From the Earth stone, a gold strand of energy inched forward. The Air stone produced a silvery green finger of light, and the Water stone, blue. It was easy enough to pull the elemental strands together, but they connected to produce a bright white light in the middle. It wasn’t Aether. I memorized it nonetheless. Next I tried to combine Air and Water separately. The mixture became invisible but for a slight shimmer that reminded me of staring at the horizon on a very hot day.

  Pulling Fire and Earth together, I felt tingling on my skin as a glowing orange orb formed. It wasn’t hot, but it felt powerful all the same.

  It was exciting and my pulse quickened. Could I have found the right combination on the first try? Quickly, I combined my new creations and as before, they transformed back into a white light. “Of course not,” I exhaled. “No problem, it’s just another combination.” I found myself wishing for the missing pages.

  As I considered combining Air and Earth, I felt twenty Fae approaching from the South. Ozara was among them—I recognized her immediately.

  Breakfast turned in my stomach. My first reaction was to drop the connection, but like earlier with Cassandra, I feared that Ozara was already aware of what I was doing. With another snap decision, I chose not to stop what I was doing until she was very close. The more pressing matter of trying to explain my way out this took center stage in my thoughts. When they reached the shoreline and took physical form, I turned to face them and let the energy connections drop. Ozara, her red hair flowing in fiery waves down her thin, elegant back, came directly into the gazebo, slinging the door open in front of her. The rest of the Fae stopped outside the glass walls.

  The expression on her face wasn’t what I expected. She had a pleasant look and held out her graceful hand. I took it, briefly.

  Her blazing amber eyes were tender, but I sensed they were hiding her true emotions. “Please, continue.”

  “I, uh…” was all I managed before the words stuck in my throat.

  “You were attempting to create Aether, were you not?” she cooed.

  “Yes ma’am,” I said sheepishly. My lack of confidence was genuine, and I felt my face blush.

  “Well, my dear, do not let me stop you.” She clasped her elegant hands together like she was saying a prayer.

  Did she mean to let me take the fifth trial right now? Here? No way.

  Ozara’s reaction made me extremely uncomfortable. “I, uh…I haven’t got a, um…” I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “I’m not sure where to start, exactly.”

  “Why that is not true at all. You’ve already accomplished the first step. Please, continue.” She was definitely irritated, and I caught just the leading edge of the anger that festered just beneath her pleasant façade.

  “Do you have a suggestion, or instructions, or something?”

  Her words were beginning to turn acidic. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You need my help?”

  “I think I do.”

  Her eyes narrowed, frightening me. “Why not ask the Fae who told you how to get this far?”

  Oh god, the paranoia again. She was afraid I’d been coached. She couldn’t possibly know what Tse-xo-be told me, even if she somehow knew we’d met. I wasn’t about to admit that I’d had any help, so I shook my head.

  “Ozara, neither Billy nor Sara has told me anything.”

  A furrow formed on her otherwise perfectly smooth forehead. “No? Then how did you know to do this?”

  I pointed to the floor.

  “What?” she snapped, her anger finally piercing the surface.

  “The symbol for Aether on the floor.” My voice was quiet, weak.

  “What about it?”

  I stepped backwards, just off it. “When Aunt May brought me in here the first time, she told me that the stones were supposed to go in the holes below each sign.” I started replaying that memory in my head where she could see.

  “And?” she snapped again, trying to speed me along.

  “She also told me that I couldn’t use them until after I took the trials. It was Chalen who told me the fifth trial would take place here.”

  “Chalen? When?” Her tone was dismissive.

  “At my Water trial he said I wouldn’t be smart enough to figure it out.”

  She rolled her eyes. “He is an idiot of epic proportions. Go on.”

  My mind raced. “I’ve studied the symbol for Aether several times,” I said pointing at the floor again. “Where the lines intersect, it clearly shows that Aether is created by combining the other elements. I wa
s just trying to figure out the rest as I went, but all I got was a bright light.”

  “I will accept that, but why now?”

  “Cassandra appeared out of nowhere at the bottom wall. She attacked me once before when I went to see her at the Seoladán—just to visit. She and I both know she’s more powerful. I thought if I learned how to create Aether it would neutralize things—I’d at least be able to protect myself.”

  She exhaled slowly and her face grew stern. “Enough! You knew there was no need to protect yourself. The guards are here for that.”

  That annoyed me, being forced to rely on the guards, and I went on the offensive. “Pardon me, but the guards are only here.”

  I assumed the guards knew the Ohanzee had been on the Weald, and told her as much. I tried to play it off to my advantage.

  “The guards weren’t around when the Unseelie decided to take the form of Sasquatches and throw things at me, and they didn’t come to my rescue when Cassandra threatened to cut me into pieces at the Seoladán.”

  Ozara smiled. “I do appreciate your moxie, but the fact remains, had the Ohanzee wanted to hurt you, or Cassandra for that matter, they would have. Yes, Maggie, I know the Ohanzee were here and I also know you’re perfectly aware they weren’t Unseelie.”

  I tried to act confused, but she saw through it.

  “Don’t be coy with me. I was an Ohanzee, as I’m sure you know by now.”

  I frowned, and then she did.

  “You’re very clever, but you forget, I was clever before your species learned to walk upright. That is another matter. Your games are fatiguing, and they stop today. Because I did not specifically forbid you from attempting the fifth trial, I will not punish you.”

  My blood went cold.

  “However,” she continued, “I have a remedy. You are forbidden from trying it again. To see that you obey this rule, I am not going to give you the opportunity to break it. I am sure you have gathered by now that these are no ordinary stones. They are my creations.”