by J. S. Malcom
“That’s true,” Alec says. “I’m proficient in multiple forms of magic. Terramancy just happens to be my area of expertise.”
Of course you’re proficient in multiple forms of magic. Because you studied abroad at some exclusive witch school. Okay, I have to admit I’m jealous, even while I can’t help but be impressed. I’d go shake the guy’s hand if I could move my feet.
“When do we get our legs back?” Blair says.
Exactly, Blair. Thank you for bringing that up.
“Right, sorry.” Alec cocks his elbows at his waist again, this time turning his spread hands to face the ground. He gestures in a pushing motion repeatedly as the vines loosen around our legs and recede into the ground. The grass follows accordingly, like a time lapse movie playing backwards.
Alec looks at the tree he made rise from the ground, considers for a moment, and says, “I think the tree is a keeper.”
Who’s going to argue with him? Not me anyway, and it really is a nice tree. In fact, the birds seem to think so too.
“Well, Cassie,” Regina says. “I guess we’re down to you.”
It’s not lost on me that she says it like someone suggesting leftovers. Better than nothing, maybe. And here’s the problem: While I’ve spent the last half-hour basically blown out of my socks by what I’ve seen, I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do. Shit. It’s not like there are any ghosts hanging around for me to send packing. Same for vampires and demons. I wonder if Blair might be able to pull up the real deal. I doubt it, but that would be teamwork and this is supposed to be my solo audition. What about that deflection thing I did with Grayson? Okay, not Grayson, but Vintain when I thought he was Grayson. Either way, he seemed pretty impressed at the time.
I look up to see all eyes watching me. Right, like these guys are going to be impressed with me bouncing around a bunch of rocks. They probably nailed that trick while they were still in diapers.
“We’re waiting,” Regina says.
Thanks for that, Regina. Like I didn’t know.
Sweat starts building on my forehead. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind signaling I’m about to hurl a firebomb across the field. It’s the kind that happens when I know I’m about to make an ass of myself.
Come on, what’s the one thing I can do that none of these guys can? There has to be something. Oh, wait. Should I? For weeks now, I’ve been resisting the temptation, but could a little visit really hurt? With my mind made up, magic flares to life within me. My core heats up as energy starts thrumming through my veins. I look to the group and say, “You guys might want to get out of the way.”
Honestly, that’s just for show. I could just open the veil in another spot. But where’s the fun in that?
Harper, Blair and Alec step aside from the spot I’ve indicated. Regina stands her ground. I clear my throat and gesture with my head. Regina narrows her eyes at me, but gets out of the way.
Okay, this is going to take a bit of precision, but I think I can do it. Come on, baby, open the door. You know who’s knocking. Sure enough, a moment later the air before me starts to shimmer, like heatwaves rising from the road. I step toward that gap, turning to the group at the last moment.
“I’ll be back in a sec,” I say. “Don’t go anywhere.”
A moment later, I’m standing in a forest in Faerie. At first, I think I may have blown it with where I visualized landing, but then I realize that the trees have just grown larger since the magic became balanced again. I follow a familiar path and soon find the clearing I remember from before, where a group of centaurs wheel around at my sudden approach. Yes! There she is. What was her name again?
Majenic, right? The one who took us on our potty breaks.
Her eyes go wide at seeing me.
“Hey, Majenic,” I say. “Can you come here for a sec?”
A moment later, we both stand on the other side of the veil. This time, it’s the others whose eyes go wide as their jaws drop open. Regina reacts no differently, staring in stunned silence at the sight of me standing beside a female centaur. One who’s defaulted to her angry glaring mode. Majenic is scary enough when she’s in a good mood, and right now she’s seriously annoyed. I didn’t exactly ask permission before popping us back through the veil.
“This is Majenic,” I say. “Say hi, everyone.”
After another moment of stupefied staring, they manage to croak out a few hellos. Then I realize they’re not just staring at Majenic. They’re also staring at me, and I think I know why. I reach up to touch the tapered points of my ears. Right, of course. My glamour dropped when I popped over to Faerie, since I don’t need it there. I decide to save that explanation for another time.
I turn to Majenic. “Thanks for being a good sport. Let’s get you home again.”
“Good idea, fae witch,” she says.
Majenic will probably kick my ass when we get back to the other side, but it was worth it to see the look on those guys’ faces. Pyromancy, phobimancy, terramancy. Whatever. I’m a freaking veil witch. Deal with that, you poor earthbound creatures.
CHAPTER 21
The next day, I walk through the streets of Gorgedden dressed in leather leggings, a blouse with puffy sleeves and a suede vest. It feels strange to be dressed this way again, but somehow not strange to be back. And that might be a problem.
For over a month, I managed resisting the urge to return to Faerie. I told myself I had no business there anymore, that it would only leave me confused, or that I should only go if I’m once again called upon. Then, on a whim, I went back there again yesterday. Sure, it was only for a few moments, long enough to pull one over on Majenic and then deliver her back home again. Thankfully, my female centaur pal took things in stride. Partly, because I only hijacked her for that short span of time, but mostly because she knew about my role in toppling the Seelie regime. I know this because she told me that was why she didn’t kill me.
But going to Faerie again probably wasn’t the best idea, because I went ahead and opened that door again. I guess that must be what it’s like to lapse after quitting smoking. You tell yourself you’re only going to have one cigarette. Before you know it, you’re puffing away again full-time. That’s what Faerie feels like to me, a place to which I became addicted. Maybe it was the power I held in that realm, or what I had with Esras. More than likely, both. But it’s also more, I know. That place is part of me. It always has been. It’s just that for most of my life I didn’t know.
Even now, I tell myself it will just be a quick visit, a look around and a chance to let my ears out for an hour or so. Not that keeping a glamour in place has been any big deal. It’s easy to do, like putting on a little moisturizer. Only in this case, I’ve been spreading magic on my face. At first, it tingles a bit, but then you forget it’s even there. Still, I’ve been hiding something and I feel like taking a break. Simple as that.
Or maybe I’m lying to myself yet again. I’m kind of good at that. Maybe I have other reasons for being here. Reasons that tie into my deeper issues. Namely, that I carry within me an unrelenting desire to understand who I am and where I fit in. Faerie, of course, is now another part of what defines me. And, while I’m psychologically self-analyzing, my time spent in this other realm represents another path I could have taken. Another life I could have had, if I’d chosen to. It’s not as if I’ve forgotten that Esras asked me to stay. Who would I be now if I’d simply said yes? Yet again another Cassie who never came to be. So, yeah, maybe all of that ties in too.
Therapy, girl. Therapy.
Yeah, I hear you, annoying inner voice, but whatever. Maybe, like I said, I’m just here to let my ears out for a while. Not everything has to be a big deal. I’m going with that for now.
I look around at what was, until recently, the Unseelie slum of the Scintillia city kingdom. In the short time that has passed, it’s changed a lot. Buildings with crumbling walls and missing windows have all been restored. Streets that were overgrown with grass and weeds are now paved with
new and evenly placed cobblestones. On top of that, getting here didn’t require that I open the veil miles away in the Barrens, and then run through a dark tunnel while being chased by a bullmole. So there’s another sign of how things have changed since the Seelie lost power.
By Seelie, I really mean Vintain and Queen Abarrane. The whole magical imbalance really came down to them. Although, there’s no doubt that both of them had legions of magically privileged minions. As for where those minions are now, I can’t say. Last I heard, they were running for the hills.
As I continue to walk, I notice that one thing hasn’t changed about this part of town. Music still drifts through the air, children still play, while adults take the time to stand around talking and laughing. The Unseelie spirit I first encountered, which had remained unbroken, has grown only more buoyant in the time gone by. For a brief moment, I can’t help but wonder if the joyful scene around me will grind to a sudden halt as the sound of horns cut through the air announcing the arrival of the Royal Guard. If those here will suddenly be commanded to bow in the presence of the High Mage. But that doesn’t happen. It can’t happen now.
As I continue to walk, I notice people looking up. Soon, children start jumping and pointing at the air. “Dragons!” they say. “Dragons!”
“Well, look at that,” a man says to his wife. “When was the last time you saw four of them?”
My eyes lift to the sky, where I see one large dragon being followed by three smaller ones. They circle above us, their scales shining in the sun and their scalloped wings spread to the air. My eyes grow wide as I recognize them, and feel my connection to them. I have no doubt that these are the same dragons I set free from their torture beneath Queen Abarrane’s palace.
As if in confirmation, the mother dragon swoops in lower over the town. Her golden catlike eyes peer into mine from above for just a few moments, before she takes to the heavens again.
“That must be a sign,” I hear a woman say. “Usually, you only see one, and never a mother like that. They keep their young high up in the cliffs until they’re fully grown.”
My face flushes with heat. I keep my eyes on the sky until the mother dragon and her children fly off again into the clouds. Only when the fae children around me start playing and laughing again do I realize that I’ve stopped walking. I set myself back in motion, having no doubt that the dragon somehow knew I was here. Even though I’ve witnessed a lot of magic, that was one of the most magical things I’ve ever seen.
~~~
Before long, I see a familiar wooden sign hanging out over the sidewalk. As well as a door I can barely resist passing. There’s nothing more I’d like than to spend some time in the Gilded Gargoyle. I’ve dreamt about those pints of pale ale and those cold, crisp glasses of mead. Of course, Revlen has been in my dreams too. That woman who risked everything to bring justice to her realm. But she wouldn’t be there now, would she? Revlen, along with Esras, became an interim leader in Faerie. She can’t possibly need her old underground headquarters and safe-house anymore.
I should go back, shouldn’t I? Slip into an alley, open the veil, and return home. My brain tells me I should, while my heart argues to stay. Just a few more minutes, I tell myself. After all, I might not come back again.
Once again, I ignore my brain and listen to my heart, when I know the answer lies between the two. I walk a few more blocks and spot another pub, a place called the Gem and Bandit. No one will know me there. I’ll spend a few minutes, maybe half an hour at the most, and from there I should be good.
The place looks to be doing a brisk business, quite a few tables full and half the bar as well. Pretty impressive for midday, and I take that as another sign of how things have improved. People have money now, and jobs. There’s also no need to huddle in dark corners hoping not to be seen. Just the opposite, since the room is full of lively conversation as festive music plays in the background.
I make my way through the crowd and take a table at the back. Before long, a waitress appears. I can never tell with the fae, but she looks young, which means she’s somewhere between twenty and two-hundred. With her curly brown hair and freckles, she looks slightly familiar, although I’m not sure why. Thankfully, I socked away a stash of fae dactos, just in case, so I use some of those to pay. Soon, I look at my gorgeous beer wondering if it could have just been my imagination before. I mean, it can’t possibly be as good as I remember.
I take a sip and get transported directly to heaven. Not only was Esras crazy good in bed, but I also tried to cut myself off from this? What was I thinking?
I force myself to drink slowly, to savor. After all, when this beer is done I’m heading home, right? Probably. No, definitely. A deal is a deal. Then, suddenly, a snatch of conversation from one of the nearby tables catches my attention.
“…said something about a red glow and a shadow over the field. That’s what I heard.”
I look up to see two Unseelie men leaning in toward each other over their beers. One is chubby and bearded, the other thin and bald. It must have been the chubby guy who spoke, since the thin one says, “I heard the same. Just like that, everything was black and dead. Lost an entire crop. I bet it has to be—”
“Cassie?”
I look up to see Cade staring back at me, his eyes wide with disbelief. I open my mouth but no words come out.
A grin spreads across Cade’s face. “What are you doing here?”
Should I tell him he must have me confused with some other fae witch? I could try, except I can already feel the smile that just replaced the rest of my face. That and I’m immediately pulled out of my chair into a tight, warm hug. Cade nearly snaps my ribs and then steps back again to look at me. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
I’m about to ask him the same thing. Meaning this pub, in particular, rather than this dimension, but then I notice that he’s wearing a black apron. “Wait,” I say. “Is this your—”
“Yep, this is it!” Cade spreads his arms, smiling proudly. “What do you think?”
He talked about opening a place of his own, of course, but damn that was fast. I look around the room again, suddenly realizing that everything looks new. The tables, chairs, and top of the bar gleam. The polished wood of the floor shows no signs of wear. Rows of glasses behind the bar sparkle like diamonds. “It’s beautiful,” I say. “I love it.”
Cade spins around and calls out to the waitress. “Do you know who this is?”
He points to a row of framed pictures behind the bar. I didn’t notice them before, but I see now that they’re hand-painted portraits. There’s one of Cade and Dabria, and one portraying Dabria’s family—her father, Gylth, her mother, Tayora, and her younger brother, Jodelac. Beside those are other portraits featuring people I haven’t met, but there’s one there of Esras, another of Revlen, and yet one more. That one features a likeness of none other than myself. That’s the picture Cade is pointing at, I now realize. The waitress’s eyes go wide, as bar customers turn to see and people at tables look up from their conversations.
For a moment, I’m like a deer caught in the headlights. Then a roar goes up in the room as people start clapping, cheering and calling my name. The waitress dashes into the kitchen, returning a moment later with Dabria in tow. Those two are quickly followed by Gylth, Tayora and Jodelac. All of them wear aprons, so I guess the Gem and Bandit is very much a family business. Dabria’s family converges around me, each of them giving me a hug. The waitress does too, and I soon learn she’s Dabria’s cousin. Meanwhile, the clapping and cheering continues. People have even started stomping their feet on the floor.
I look around, stunned. “What’s going on?”
Cade bursts out laughing, no doubt at seeing my wide eyes and red face.
It’s Dabria’s father who answers my question. “Oh, they know who you are, missy,” he says, a happy grin spread across his face too. “Everyone here knows what you did for our people. Did you think we’d just go and forget?”
I’m not given time to answer, since I’m soon swept up and bustled to the bar where even more people crowd around me. Cade takes his position as bartender, and then the drinks start arriving. Apparently, everyone in the place wants to buy me one. Before I know it, I’ve been ordered pints of ale, glasses of mead and shots of various colors.
“You have to drink those,” Cade says. “It’s fae custom.”
Talk about killing someone with kindness. I’m pretty sure Cade’s kidding but, to be on the safe side, I try pulling up my magic. For a moment, I wonder if I’ll still have any in this realm, but my friend the ley line doesn’t let me down. No, she doesn’t bestow mega-powers like last time, but she sends more than enough juice to do the trick. Way more. Clearly, she hasn’t forgotten me. I don’t need much right now, but I can use some of that energy to rev up my metabolism. That way, I can burn off alcohol. It’s not like I won’t feel it, but the effect will give me a fighting chance. Hopefully, I can at least take a sip of each drink to avoid hurting any feelings. Either way, one thing is for sure. I won’t be sneaking out of the realm again any time soon.
~~~
As it turns out, I underestimate the amount of magic I'll need to do the trick. Then again, I am seriously pushing it. There may not be enough magic in the world to keep me from catching a serious buzz. Especially since I get a bit overconfident when it comes to being diplomatic. For a while there, with my metabolism racing like a jet engine, I sort of forget about my original plan to take dainty sips. At one point, Cade starts reminding people that there’s only so much kindness a person can take. By then it’s too late. Not that I mind. In fact, just the opposite. I feel like the fae version of a rock star, as people continue to crowd around me and raptly listen to my every utterance. They laugh like mad at all of my jokes.
In my mind, I’m freaking killing it. Even when Tayora calls out, “Sing the fandango song!” and I actually try once more to belt out my solo a cappella version of Bohemian Rhapsody. I fail miserably again at hitting those high notes, but I’m far from being the only drunk person in the room. This fact is verified by the fact that at least twenty people try singing along with me.
