Behind the Veil

by Thawer, Tish

  Switching her focus back to the man who was the obvious leader of the three, she noticed one last thing that stood out about them all. Each had red streaks throughout their hair. Red, and no other color, which was odd because most fairies develop two levels of magick. Red was the sign of fire magick and passion, and it was pretty obvious that this magick was the main requirement to becoming a council member.

  "Shay, the rules of the fairy trial are simple. You will be given three items that you're required to find. These three items are the only way you'll find the location of the Box of Nye, but beware, finding them won't be an easy task. Your path will be fraught with danger and unexpected things that could lead you astray. Focus, remember your goal, and once all three items are brought together, the location of the box will be revealed. You'll have until midnight, at which time the box will reveal itself if you've completed your tasks, but if not...you will be transported back home to live out your life without wings or magick. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, Sir."

  "Do you have any questions for us?"

  "Actually, yes. I would like to know if there are any other rules. Rules pertaining to what I can and cannot do during my trial."

  All three of the council members smiled, and Shay was proud of herself for following her gut and asking the question.

  "Yes. There is one other rule. No one else may help you on your quest."

  "No one? Not even the fairy spirits themselves?"

  The frowns that now replaced their smiles had Shay worried she'd overstepped her boundaries, but when they answered, her confidence was restored. "Of course the fairy spirits are allowed to help, not that they ever have or ever will."

  Maybe Shay's confidence came from the silver magick building inside of her, she didn't know, but for some reason their answer had put a cocky smile on her face. "Thank you, gentlemen. I'm ready to begin."

  Joseph spoke next, causing her smile to spread even wider. "The first item you'll need to find is the peach feather of a trig owl. As you know, trig owls are very rare, and so this is no easy task."

  Shay simply nodded.

  The skinny one spoke next. "The second item you'll need to acquire is a rasper shell from the Lake of Sorrow. As you know, the Lake of Sorrow is no playground, and so this is no easy task."

  The old man spoke last. "The final item you'll need to find is the wooden key made from bark of the Rune Tree. As you know, the Rune Tree is sacred and protected, and so this is no easy task. But only with its key will you be able to find the Box of Nye."

  Shay stood, bowed, and spoke the customary response. "I accept the challenge of my trial."

  The council members all stood and bowed in return, then left without saying another word, but just as Joseph was shutting the door, Shay caught the quick smile and wink he sent her way. Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, Shay smiled back and gave a little wave just as he shut the door, leaving her alone in the kitchen.

  Shay immediately started to gather her supplies, packing a loaf of bayberry bread and a flask of herb laced wine into her travel satchel. She knew getting started on her quest as soon as possible was a necessity, but forced herself to take a moment to look around the small kitchen. She had to make sure she'd grabbed everything she would need, because the moment she stepped out her front door she'd be transported to her starting location.

  Shay took one last look at their beautiful Christmas tree standing in the corner. It had silver and gold fairy lights woven through out, beautiful glass balls in all shapes and sizes, each with their own wintertime scene playing within, and a sparkling purple and silver ribbon wrapped around the entire thing. She couldn't wait to return home on Christmas Day and watch her sisters tear open their presents while she hovered in the corner using her newly developed wings. Yes, she was that confident she'd succeed.

  All fairy trials took place on Christmas Eve, ending on Christmas Day. It'd probably be a big surprise for humans to find out that whenever they got snow on Christmas Day, it was only because another fairy had completed their trial and received their wings and magick.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Shay took a deep breath and opened the front door. Then, closing her eyes, she took a step over the threshold and straight into the portal. The first thing she felt was the change in temperature. It was warmer here...wherever here was. She slowly opened her eyes, finding herself forced to squint as the sun shone brightly in the sky. After placing her hand above her eyes, creating a shield from the blinding rays, the first thing Shay noticed was a large grove of swaying aspen trees. She knew instantly where she was, thanks to all the studying she'd done to prepare for this day. The only aspen grove in the land was on the far edge of the Feygan territory.

  Her mind quickly ran through all she'd learned about this area. She knew the animals that resided here were not only rare, but extremely dangerous. Shay almost laughed out loud, as she contemplated the situation. Of course the trig owls would choose this as their home; they were flesh eating predators and would fit right in.

  Shay didn't waste any time and started to move into the tree line. The moment she found herself surround by shimmering yellow leaves was also the moment she noticed multiple sets of red eyes hungrily staring at her. Realizing she wasn't the only one hunting for something in this grove, Shay reached for her knife. Suddenly a small, half-bird half-rodent looking creature came flying directly at her on wings made of scales and feathers. Unfortunately this wasn't the feather she needed, so her quick reaction was to slice through the creature's belly.

  Twenty minutes later, after lots of slicing and dicing, Shay had made her way to the thickest part of the aspen grove. The trees here were so tall and thick they almost blotted out the sun. She searched the skies for any sign of a trig owl with no luck. The only things she saw were more beady eyes, and slivers of yellow as the aspen leaves floated on the breeze ever so often. After staring into the treetops for a good ten minutes with no results, Shay decided to give herself a break and took a seat on the ground. Leaning back against one of the tall trees she opened her flask and took a long drag of the herb laced wine. Feeling the exhaustion from her fight so far, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  As she relaxed while the healing wine did its job, she began contemplating what her next move should be. Should she climb one of the trees and look for a nest? Should she scour the ground and see if any fallen feathers were buried within the forest floor? She didn't know, but upon opening her eyes, all thoughts of the peach feather quickly fled her mind.

  She now found herself staring at a group of the bird/rodent like creatures with their wings tucked in. They were using their tiny feet to sneak up on her instead. Shay jumped up, fumbling to unsheathe her knife, but unfortunately she wasn't quick enough. One of the small creatures launched itself at her leg and sunk its teeth into her flesh. She cried out and smacked it away, then sent it flying across the forest with a fierce kick. Shay held her position, ready for another attack, but was surprised when all the creatures started to scurry away. Suddenly, she heard a loud screech from above. Looking up, she saw a large owl swooping down towards her, riding wings made of peach feathers. The trig owl. She should have known...it was drawn to the blood that was currently running down her leg.

  Shay stood her ground, knowing this was going to be her only chance. She had to let the owl get close enough to think it would be getting a taste of her flesh, and when the time was right, she'd grab the first item required by her trial...the peach feather.

  Only seconds ticked by until the owl was within reach. As the predatory bird opened it mouth and bared its clawed talons at Shay, she ducked to the right while yanking one of the feathers from the tip of its wing. The owl let out another screech as it fell awkwardly to the ground. It wasn't hurt and the removal of one feather wasn't going to stop it from flying, so Shay took off at a dead run back towards the edge of the forest.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Shay didn't stop running until she reached the spot where she'd en
tered the Feygan territory. She watched the portal start to shimmer and vibrate the closer she got. With a quick glance back at the aspen grove, she stepped through the portal without a second thought.

  Quickly taking in her new surroundings, Shay spotted the Lake of Sorrow. It was shining like a large piece of black onyx and sat at the bottom of the slope in front of her. She was thankful the portal was placing her in such convenient locations, because even though she'd packed all her maps and scrying tools weeks in advance, she really didn't want to use them to find her way if she didn't have to.

  Checking the sun's position in the sky as she'd done since she was a little girl, she noted it was only eleven o'clock in the morning. She was happy with her progress since she'd retrieved the first item of her trial and it wasn't even noon.

  Tucking the trig owl's feather into her satchel, Shay then started towards the lake, but after a few steps, the slope became increasingly steep. Slowing her pace didn't seem to help and suddenly she could hardly stop herself from sliding straight into the lake below. She sunk down to her bottom and dug in her heels. It slowed her progress by a fraction, but she still ended up sliding down the side of the hill, stopping just as her feet touched the edge of the lake.

  Falling back onto the wet bank, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. The next sound that left Shay however wasn't relief, but instead, a scream. She bolted upright and started kicking at the gray slimy hands that were now wrapped around her ankles, pulling her into the lake.

  In just moments, Shay had multiple hands wrapped around her legs. She started to reach for her knife, but quickly realized that could be a bad idea. If she were to miss her target and nail herself in the leg instead, she'd inflict an injury that would quickly bring her trial to an end.

  So, as hard as it was, Shay tried to calm her movements as well as her mind. The first thing that happened was a tingling sensation that started from her head and ran through her entire body. She opened her mouth and said the words that had magickally formed in her mind. "I have no sorrow for this lake to claim. Release me now and I'll cast no blame."

  Shay was relieved when the hands released her, but now found herself treading water, as the tingling from the magick strands in her hair started to subside. Even though she was no longer being tugged at, she could still feel the effects of the lake starting to seep into her soul. The cold feeling she was experiencing wasn't just from the frigid temperature of the water, but from the bone deep depression the lake caused in anyone who got too close.

  She made her way to the shore and drug herself back onto the bank. Scooting up the slope as far as she could, Shay drew out the loaf of bayberry bread and her flask of wine again. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts and regain some energy from the sustenance the bread and wine provided, she contemplated how in the world she was suppose to retrieve a shell from this lake when it was a black as coal and apparently filled with some seriously scary things.

  She laughed at herself when the first thought she had was to fashion a wand out of one of the sticks lying on the bank and shout, "Accio rasper shell." Until her magick was fully in place she wouldn't be able to pull off something like that.

  Stopped short by the thought of her magick and the tingling that was once again beginning to radiate from the strands in her hair, Shay dropped her bread and flask on the ground. She grabbed a handful of her hair and was mesmerized to see the blue strands sparking to life. The blue strands that carried her water magick.

  Shay stood up and walked straight into the lake. Within seconds she was waist deep in the black water, but suddenly a blue light started to radiate from below the surface. Shay quickly realized that the light was coming from her. She closed her eyes and let the magickal words fill her mind once again. "Water is mine to command, rasper shell come, this I demand. I take from these waters but leave a part of me, as I say it so mote it be."

  Using her knife, Shay sliced a thin line across her palm and let her blood drip into the water as payment. Then she watched as the rasper shell drifted up from the bottom of the lake and straight into her hand.

  Rejoicing that she now had two of the three items required for her trial, she let out a loud "Whoop!"

  Trudging from the lake and back up to the spot on the hill where her items lay, Shay added the shell to her backpack and sat down to finish her snack. But as she sat nibbling the bread and sipping the wine, her joyous thoughts began to waver and soon she felt tears streaming down her face. She was overwhelmed with the sudden fear that this was too easy; that she was succeeding now, only to fail the last task. What if she couldn't find the wooden key and never got her wings or felt her full magick coursing through her veins? Or never got the chance to become Queen of her fairy clan. It only took minutes before Shay was wracked with fear and curled up in a ball. She let the tears flow and she closed her eyes, accepting that she'd never complete her trial.

  CHAPTER SIX

  A strange sound woke Shay from the dead sleep she was currently in. She quickly sat up and took stock of her surroundings. She was still on the bank of the Lake of Sorrow, and it was almost dark. She had slid down the hill and was lying close to the water...a little too close for comfort.

  Shay jumped up, quickly realizing what had happened. The lake's affect on her had caused the fears that led to her depressive sleep. Thank goodness for whatever sound had woken her, because she had a feeling if she'd remained unconscious for much longer, she would've ended up in the lake again, but this time, her stay would have been permanent.

  Shay quickly gathered her things and fought her way back up the hill to where the portal awaited. Just as before, it shimmered and vibrated as she stepped through without hesitation.

  Emerging on the other side, Shay found herself in a forest of the tallest evergreen trees she'd ever seen. They easily stretched one hundred feet into the air, filling the sky and filtering the sun. The rays of light illuminated the snow as if some of her fairy relatives had sprinkled it with silver glitter.

  She recognized the area as the oldest forest in all of the land. Everyone knew this forest was home to the Rune Tree. This tree was worshiped by her clan and was protected by the fairy spirits.

  When a fairy had an important question they would journey to the Rune Tree. After asking their question, they would watch as the runes carved into the tree trunk illuminated, therefore, providing them their answer. It technically worked just like rune stones, but thanks to the spirits, these runes were instead carved into a sacred tree.

  The only problem at the moment was that Shay had never journeyed to the tree herself, and since she'd lost most of her day––thanks to her sorrowful nap––she had less time to find the tree...let alone the key.

  Thinking it only made sense to head in the direction that was associated with the element of earth, Shay headed North. She travelled at a rapid pace, knowing when she found the Rune Tree there'd be no mistaking it.

  As the last stream of sunlight disappeared and the moon rose in the sky, Shay was suddenly struck with the feeling that she was getting close. She quickened her pace and ran towards a large group of trees, and just as she emerged from the thick forest, she spotted the Rune Tree. Bathed in moonlight, it stood tall and beautiful in a small grove, and was unlike anything she'd ever seen. It was no evergreen, but instead, a large purple maple with shimmering leaves. Even in the dark, its leaves gave off a subtle lavender glow.

  Smiling wide, Shay made her way to the boundary of the tree. She could feel the magickal barrier that protected it pushing gently against her hand as she reached out. She had no idea how she was going to find the wooden key made from its bark. As a matter of fact, when the old councilman mentioned it, that was the first time she'd ever heard of any such item. She didn't know if the key still resided as part of the tree itself, or was fashioned and then moved and hidden. She truly had no idea how to proceed.

  Taking note of the moon's position, she knew it was almost 7 p.m., and that she only had five hours to complete her
task. This was the moment she truly started to panic.

  Shay walked around the tree again and again, trying to look at every inch of the trunk. Up and down, side to side, from the very roots up to as high as she could see, but found nothing. Not a strange notch or mark, not a weird scrape or cut, and definitely not a convenient key-shaped indention, but suddenly she had an idea. Why not use the tree for what it was meant for...receiving answers. She raised her arms and asked out loud, "Where can I find the wooden key made from the bark of your tree?"

  She watched with anticipation, but when nothing happened she yelled out as she sank to the ground, "Come on!"

  Feeling defeated, she laid back onto the soft mulch of the forest floor and stared into the starry sky. Blanking her mind, Shay let herself fall into the meditative state she'd practiced since she was a little girl. She felt herself floating, as if cradled by the hands of the fairy spirits themselves. She imagined the Rune Tree in her mind's eye, and suddenly knew just what to do.

  Sitting up, she took note of the moon again and realized that too much time had passed while she'd been meditating for her answer. Though it'd only felt like minutes, receiving her vision had apparently taken over an hour, and it was now almost 9 p.m.

  Shay rushed back to the barrier of the Rune Tree and focused her mind once more. She then asked her question by thinking the words, making sure they were laced with reverence. Allow me to find the key I need, which will fulfill my destiny. The fairy Queen I will be, with your help...wise Rune Tree.

  She watched as the runes on the tree started to glow. She quickly reached in her backpack and took out her journal and charcoal pencil. She took note of which runes lit up and in which order. And after the tree went back to normal, Shay settled back down on the ground and started studying her sketches.