Godmother warned Liam of her rules. “My staff is my eyes and ears when I’m not here, young man. Don’t you forget that.”
Liam had bowed and assured her that he’d never be seen anywhere besides here in the music room.
After we’d warmed up for an hour, Marcus brought out some music he’d written himself that he wished for us to practice. I had no recordings to listen to so I was forced to work out the difficult refrains myself.
Despite my nervous concerns, we practiced beautifully. I was able to follow Liam’s lead and after several tries, I had the song down to perfection.
The hair on the back of my neck suddenly began to prickle. It did that whenever Godmother was about to arrive. I didn’t know why, but the tingling hardly ever failed to let me know of her arrival a few minutes before it happened.
“I think Godmother is on her way here,” I said, ducking my head.
Marcus sucked in a sharp breath, then smoothed his reaction. “I felt a disturbance, too, Rachel.” He looked at Liam and I swear some unspoken words passed between them. “You know where to meet me, son. Give me about an hour.”
Liam packed the violin in its case and slung the strap over his shoulder. In a blink, he was gone from the room.
I was about to continue playing the song Marcus had us working on when he quickly snatched the sheet music and put it away. “You’re dismissed for the day. I’m sure your tutor has some work for you to do.”
Was Marcus going to try to leave before Godmother got home? Where had Liam gone to? Where did they meet and how did they come and go from my sheltered home? I stood, unsure of what to do with myself. Marcus headed from the music room, leaving me like a piece of forgotten furniture. Well, I should be used to it.
After spending most of the day indoors, I wasn’t in the mood to study anything else. Usually, Miss Wrenn worked with me on the days that Marcus and Liam didn’t show up. Instead of looking for Miss Wrenn, I hurried out through the glass doors and ran deep into the garden where it would be more difficult for anyone to find me.
When I reached the pool, I collapsed on the grassy shore, breathless. I laid down and looked up at the puffy clouds drifting across the sky. The tingling at the base of my neck grew more intense. She’d arrived. I waited, my breath held, wondering if she’d call for me. After several minutes, I relaxed and let the soft ground and bubbling stream that fed the pond sooth my nerves.
The trees were unusually still and so was the wind. Even the birds were quiet. I sat up and looked around. Someone watched me. But from where?
I tried to see deeper than what was on the surface. I stood, pretending to be interested in the lazy fish swimming along with the current. The oak tree. Something was off about it. I headed in that direction, humming a soft tune. When I paused, I heard him breathing.
“Come on out, I won’t let her know that you’re—”
Liam stood right beside me.
I let out a startled yelp, almost tumbling off my feet. He caught my arm to steady me.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you knew I was right here.”
Shaking my head, I asked, “How did you do that? Were you blending into the tree?”
He nodded. “This is my favorite spot. I also love that big maple that grows beside the pond. It has some wide branches where I can sit for hours and…” his shoulder lifted up, “watch things.”
My mouth fell open. “You’ve been out here before?”
He ducked his head and blushed. “Uncle has been bringing me here for some time. I usually hide somewhere that I can hear you playing. You are very talented and your music is so… wonderful.” He hopped over the stones that crossed the pond and sat on the stone bench that surrounded the maple. “At night, I play the melodies over and over in my head. Your music lulls me to sleep. I always have the nicest dreams when I do that.”
I could only stare at him in disbelief. But his expression was sincere. Oh, how I loved looking right into his dazzling green eyes. They were simply amazing. I’d never seen anyone with such an intense color.
“I think you’re teasing me.” To keep my hands from trembling, I began trying to braid my long hair. I was always sloppy at it. Miss Wrenn could braid it into intricate patterns for me, but she hadn’t stopped in this morning.
“No, I’m very serious, Rachel.” He watched my fumbling for a moment, then patted the bench beside him. “I can braid it for you. Would you like me…to?”
“Uh…?” Before I could say anything else, he pulled me down beside him. My eyes closed as his fingers ran through my long hair, untangling the locks.
He was careful, yet worked quickly, pulling the braid so it draped over my shoulder. I usually tied my hair back with a string I kept around my wrist. He used it to secure the end of the braid.
“Where did you learn to do that?” I asked, giggling.
Liam shrugged. “Haven’t you found that there are some things you seem to know naturally how to do without being taught?”
I nodded. “Playing the piano. And reading. I seemed to just know what words were and what they meant. Isn’t everyone like that?”
He shook his head. “Only people like you and I. Tell me what you know about yourself.” He drew his knees up to his chest and folded his arms around his legs. “And don’t worry about letting out any secrets. Uncle Marcus has already told me that you and I are alike. We’re both changelings.”
“Changelings,” I repeated. “I dared not to believe your uncle’s stories.”
His feet hit the ground as he stood and started to pace. “You think they are merely stories?” For a moment, he started to look worried.
I stood as well. “Godmother keeps so much from me. I know there’s a difference between me and humans, but I’m not exactly sure what. Miss Wrenn has taught me stories about faeries, but those are just stories, right?”
Liam shook his head.
I did too. “So, are we—?”
“Yes, we are both fae.” He nodded. “I’m not sure where we belong. I’ve been researching…uh,” Liam glanced over his shoulder, then took my hand and started walking toward the forest. “Marcus is a scout. Someone who looks for fae that has crossed the border of Realm in World. That’s where humans dwell. Some, like us, have been brought here and left with unsuspecting human families. Sometimes, the faerie parents will trade a human child for theirs. And before you ask, I’m not sure why we might have been left in World.”
“So…” I was finding it hard to breathe. I stopped and bent over, my hands grasping my knees. “I…I…”
Liam led me beside the stream that ran through the woods. He yanked a broadleaf from a bush and scooped water into it. Holding it to my lips, he urged me to drink a little. When I did, he then began pressing his wet hands to my cheeks and forehead.
“I’m sorry, Rachel. I thought you knew a more than you actually do. Uncle Marcus was hoping I’d be able to explain things to you. He can’t, you see? He’s bound by the contract he made with Estelle Froste. She was once a queen in the Arctic Realms.
“Marcus escaped to the human world after being accused of leading a rebellion to overthrow the Moonlit kingdom.”
Liam was talking straight from the fairy tale books I’d read all my life. I pressed my hands to my head, feeling like I was going to be sick. The world tilted and spun around me until I squeezed my eyes shut. “You’ve read the same books I have. I know these are nothing more than silly stories. You’re not—”
Liam continued, ignoring my accusation. “Marcus has to tread very carefully around your guardian. She is very possessive of you.”
I stared at him for a long moment. His eyes didn’t shift in deceit. Nor did his earnest expression waver. He was dead serious about what he shared with me. And perhaps a little frightened of it. Did he fear I’d run to tell Godmother?
“Liam?”
“I’m not lying, Rachel.” He grasped my hands in his. The same tingle that coursed through my veins when I play the piano now r
an along my arms at his touch. “You have to believe me. If you ever wish to be free of Estelle’s entrapments, then you have to find a way to trust me.”
My throat tightened as tears fought their way to the surface. He spoke the truth. I’m not sure why I believed him, but I did. Finally, I said, “I knew I was different, but that’s all. I was afraid to know why she keeps me here. I was afraid to admit to myself that I’m a prisoner.” Tears spilled down my cheeks.
He scooped his hands into the cool water again and washed away my tears. “Shhh, don’t cry, Rachel. Please? I didn’t mean to upset you.” He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me.
I probably should have pushed away, called him a liar, and told him to leave me alone. But I knew it wasn’t him that I needed to get away from. It was my Godmother. I’d known it all along. Knew she’d lied to me. Knew that she kept me here as a prisoner.
“We’re going to help you, Rachel. That’s why Marcus is here. To try to figure out who left you and why. He thinks there might be a connection between us.”
“Really?” I sniffed and blinked back my tears. I really did like Master Shield. He treated me differently than Miss Wrenn did.
Liam had been coming along with him all this time. “How were you never caught, if you came with your uncle before?”
Liam grinned, merriment dancing in his eyes. “I’m very good at blending in.”
His hands were still cupping my face. Could he hide the same way I often did? I pulled them down. “Show me.”
Standing, he back up a few steps, looked around, then headed for a thick oak. The trunk was so large, I couldn’t even get my arms around it. He stood with his back to the tree and suddenly, he was gone!
“Liam!” I ran over to the tree and there he was. But his skin and clothes had turned the same color as the tree. “That’s amazing!”
He stepped away and was normal again. “Why, thank you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh with him. Already, I liked him more than anyone I’d ever met before. Even Miss Wrenn, who was pleasant, but always distant with me.
“Liam, is my tutor a faerie, too?”
He nodded. “So is the cook and your gardener. Him, I need to be careful of. I swear a couple of times he knew I was here, but he never revealed me to Madam Estelle. My uncle isn’t sure why Estelle was banished from the Realm. She is a scout like him, I think. But she’s very particular about who she chooses to collect. And like you, we suspect she has tucked them into other folds like this.”
“Folds?”
He scratched at his wildly curly hair. The wind seemed to be having fun blowing it about to and fro. I was a little jealous.
“Folds are places between Realm and World. Places of in-between. Only a powerful faerie can produce one. We have to be careful. You need to be careful. I don’t want to see you anger her. She can be—”
“Dangerous,” I finished, recalling the servants who’d disappeared after breaking one of Godmother’s rules. When I was younger, there was Silvia who had been the one and only servant who spoke to me. She taught me silly songs and let me work in the kitchen with her. Then one day, Godmother heard me singing one of Silvia’s songs and flew into a rage.
I don’t recall what exactly happened to the friendly cook. In my dreams, I hear screams that are suddenly cut off. I recall the other staff scrambling to clean up a mess, but Godmother sent me to my room, refusing to explain what the red stains were from that covered her hands and dress.
The next morning, there was a new cook. Miss Wrenn was there and made a tea that caused my mind to feel fuzzy. After that, Silvia was a dim memory. Still, her name and face lingered in the back of my mind. The memories are most vivid in my dreams that usually faded with the morning light.
Suddenly, I was frightened for Liam. He was the first friend I’ve had since then. At least, I was hoping he considered himself a friend.
He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked directly into my eyes. “Don’t let her know that we’ve talked, promise? I’m not so worried about Marcus and me. We know how to take care of ourselves.” He paused a moment, then said, “I don’t want any harm to come to you, Rachel. I know this is the first time we’ve actually had a chance to talk, but I’ve known you for some time now.”
Liam froze for a moment, his gaze widening as he looked toward the house. “I have to go. You should get back inside. Will you remember what I said? Promise to not let her—”
“I promise, Liam.”
To my surprise, he hugged me one more time, then he was gone. Just like that. The wind swirled around me, cooling the tears that had managed to trickle down my cheek. I quickly wiped them away, then turned and started walking slowly down one of the paths, not ready to see Godmother yet.
I needed a chance to collect my thoughts. To let Liam’s information sink in. Was he honestly telling me the truth? Were there others like me that Godmother kept hidden away? Perhaps that explained her absences.
One person would know, I was sure of it.
Miss Wrenn would come tomorrow for my lessons. Marcus always took the days off when she worked with me, it was part of Godmother’s conditions. Perhaps Miss Wrenn was also part of her collection?
I intended to find out.
Chapter 5
Present day.
Cheers and shouts explode from the darkened stands. My hands start to tingle and shimmer as the magic awakens inside of me. I squeeze my hands into tight fists, then shake them to release the nervous tension. Warmth builds inside my chest and rises upward along my throat by the time I reach the grand piano.
Once the crowd’s droning applause and shouts quiet, I sit on the cushioned bench. The narrow eye-slits make it hard to see the keys, but I no longer need to look at what I am doing. My magic has taken over and I only need to go through the motions and allow it free rein.
I risk a glance toward the septet ensemble, consisting of a flute and clarinet player, and a stringed quartet accompanying Liam. Hopefully, the gesture looks as if I am merely waiting for their cue to start.
Liam stands near my baby grand, bow poised over his violin made from the wood of a different world. One I am still sometimes unsure actually exists, though he and Master Marcus insist that it is indeed real.
He is also gazing back at me. Our eyes meet for a brief moment. I give a slight shake of my head. He isn’t to look at me. None of them are ever to look at me.
I’m not permitted to speak, only sing. Four songs, one instrumental that will highlight Liam’s amazing talents with his enchanted violin. I’ll sing two songs that usually bring the audience to their feet. Finally, we’ll end with a duet. By the time we finish, the audience will be completely transfixed, their emotions pouring out of them like dandelion seeds carried in the wind.
That moment is what Godmother waits hungrily for.
Two Years Past…
As I neared the end of my teen years, Wrenn’s tutoring sessions became less frequent, though she still remained a part of the manor’s staff. It took me another week to form a plan. Miss Wrenn was always so secretive and cautious and avoided my questions by assigning lessons and leaving me to work them out alone.
On a day which I had neither tutoring or music practice, I decided it was time to stretch my newly realized magical muscles. Even Godmother would most likely not stop in. I was free to do as I pleased that day.
First, I sat beside the pond and concentrated upon my desire to find Miss Wrenn this morning. I’d brought along one of the books about faeries that she’d had me read some time ago. It was tucked securely in my pocket. I wanted, no, needed to know if the stories inside were fact or fiction once and for all.
The wind played with my hair and tried to flip the edge of my skirt over my knees.
“Why can’t you be useful today?” I’d chastised the trickster wind, “and show me where Miss Wrenn’s cottage is? I know that you know.”
The breezes grew so still for a few moments that the reeds growing beside the pond sto
pped waving. I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen.
Suddenly, a strong gust blew past me, knocking a scattering of old leaves and flower petals along the walkway. I stood and followed the debris. Our progress was slow, but when the breezes pushed the leaves onto the right turn-off along the trail, I knew without a doubt that Wind was showing me the way. With a happy skip, I hurried along into the woods. When the trees grew thick, a robin chattered loudly to catch my attention.
I stopped, watching it with curiosity. Was it…calling for me to follow? The brown bird with a bright red chest took off, then landed on another tree’s branch further down the lane. I was in the woods that surrounded the mansion now. With a heavy sigh, I walked toward the bird, knowing soon I’d end up right back in my garden. The woods never allowed me to go too far into their depths.
One step after another, I continued on, wishing over and over to find Miss Wrenn’s home. What if Godmother hid her so well that I’d never find her? I’d wondered often why Miss Wrenn’s home was hidden away, but that was one of the off-limits questions she was so good at avoiding.
The robin gave one more low chirp. I looked up and found the trees had parted into a sunny clearing. In the center of that clearing sat a delightful stone house surrounded by a beautiful garden, like mine, but much smaller.
Smoke puffed from the squat chimney poking from the wood-shingled roof. No lights shown from the round windows. I stopped before the hedged fence. A wrought-iron gate, the height of my waist, blocked my entrance.
“This is it, right? Her home?” I leaned over the gate and looked around the pretty yard. Some of the flower bushes I didn’t recognize.
“Hello? Miss Wrenn? I know you’re here. I need to talk to you.”
I shook the gate, then tried to pull the latch. It was locked.
“Please? I know you’re like me, Miss Wrenn. We both came from the Realm, didn’t we? I know you have magic, too. I didn’t realize it at first, but—things are starting to become more clear.”
Promise Forever: Fairy Tales with a Modern Twist Page 18
