Once

by Alyson Serena Stone

  She wiped her knife off on a fold in her cloak. "You may think you don't, but you will." She paused. "You know why? You cannot stand to have a job when I don't."

  Dak frowned at her. "And you know what?" He wiped some more blood off his chin. "You can't stand not knowing something."

  Ryanon glared at him. "Just tell me so I don't have to kill you."

  "You and I both know that you won't." He shook his head. "I never took you for a fool and, yet, here you are, picking a fight with a man in close quarters."

  "I can take you," she hissed, "and you know it. That's why you haven't tried anything. Besides, I don't think you have the nerve to do it anyway."

  "Do what?" He moved closer to it. "Go ahead and say it."

  "To kill your father."

  Dak's hand came up so quickly and she found herself pinned to the brick wall before she even had the chance to react. "Who told you?" His voice was dangerously low.

  Ryanon struggled underneath his tight grasp. He had better not leave any bruises on her or there was going to be hell to pay. "Why? Are you worried that they might give the job to me?"

  Dak hissed.

  Ryanon seized the moment by kicking him in the knees. Though he didn't drop, his death grip did lighten up just enough for her get free. "You are playing a dangerous game, you know that? Why do you put so much trust in your mother? She could be the death of you."

  Dak glared at her, gasping. "I thought this was about my father."

  "And your messed up family." She paused. "Come on, Dak, you really can't believe that there are still riches in Trelia. It's been how long since the curse? It's not like you can just walk in there anyway. Not even the drones have survived a mission there."

  "There are things that you don't understand." He straightened his uniform. "Now, I have a job to get back to, so I suggest you get out of my way before I have you arrested."

  Ryanon snorted as she stepped to the side. "You do know that I will get to the bottom of this."

  He turned and smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way, but I'm not going to make it easy for you."

  She watched as he walked out into the crowd, giving him until the count of ten before stepping back out. By the time she emerged, he was gone. She really didn't expect him to hang around, but she had kind of expected him to linger to make sure that she got back to the guild okay. Granted, she could take care of herself, but Dak had this kind of honour that made it impossible to him to see a female walk home alone.

  Sighing, she turned and started walking back to the guild. She hadn't meant to make him that mad.

  Still, he was mental for thinking that they could break through the walls of Trelia. The land, though once rich, was completely surrounded by a wall of thorns that destroyed anything that came within their reach. The things that did actually manage to make it over the wall came back so brunt that they were almost unrecognizable. Many had hinted at the possibility of there being some kind of dragon on the other side.

  Even for all the riches in the world, Ryanon could not see King Teodric Morninghelm risking everything for money. No, there had to be something else and she was going to find out.

  She pushed open the guild's doors. Silence greeted her and she hoped that everyone was on a mission or just simply gone. There was work to be done.

  Chapter Three: Eternal Torches

  Amberfall knelt down in the cool early autumn grass, allowing her human form to drink it all in. These days she did not spend a lot of time in fairy form having lost the privilege, in her mind, the right to wear it. Her sisters and the other fairies had told her otherwise, but she didn't care.

  King Rauffe and Queen Iseut had trusted her with Princess Jessimond and she had let Nightstone get to her. No one could get through and everyone was after the fairies.

  She supposed that in a sense they were right. There was nothing that she could have done to prevent Jessimond from sneaking out to meet that awful boy. Men were always the reason behind a woman's downfall.

  Amberfall pushed herself up, staring at Zania's lush landscapes. The Nature Fairies had been trying to make contact with the Iron Fairies ever since the curse, but have had little to no luck. Apparently, Nightstone had never returned to Waryn and the Iron Fairies were still bitter over their defeat in the Warynian Wars.

  "Amberfall."

  Amberfall looked up, only to find Honeylashes hovering over her. "It's time."

  Nodding, Amberfall got to her feet. Tonight, they would be examining the Eternal Torches. These torches had been lit every night since the curse had been cast on Trelia. They were charmed to burn until the curse was lifted. Every day, she looked at the torches, but nothing ever changed.

  Honeylashes looked down at Amberfall, she walked slowly behind her. "You could always change over to your fairy form."

  Amberfall slowly shook her head. "Why would I want to?"

  Honeylashes sighed. "It's not your fault, Amberfall." She flew down so that she was hovering right in front of her sister's eyes. "It really is not your fault."

  Amberfall looked away. "It happened on my watch, so it is my fault."

  Honeylashes rested a tiny hand on Amberfall's cheek. "No, my dear, you cannot allow yourself to keep thinking these dark thoughts. You deserve to be happy."

  Amberfall's eyes darted up to one of the many Eternal Torches. "As long as those things continue to burn, I cannot truly be happy." She walked around Honeylashes. "Now, come on, you said that they are waiting for us."

  Honeylashes flew on the other side of Amberfall, her eyes down. The only sound that came between the two sisters was the gentle beating of Honeylashes's wings.

  Amberfall really didn't care that the sun was shining and the birds were singing. It really didn't matter that everything was going on as normal. As long as the Eternal Torches burned, Zania would be dead. The land's magic was so bound to Trelia that it was impossible to shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

  The sentry watched from the high wall of the Eternal Torches as the two sisters approached the centre of the fort. Amberfall winced under their glare. She knew that they weren't actually glaring at her, but the thought of unblinking eyes watching her was a little unnerving.

  In the middle of the fort stood the great Fire Goblet, which housed the Eternal Flame. It was a very old and almost forgotten magic that allowed the Fire Goblet to spread its great flame to all of the Eternal Torches.

  The High Fairies all stood around the Fire Goblet as Honeylashes and Amberfall approached. Honeylashes bowed her head as she allowed her human form to take over.

  "Welcome, by children," Diamondrose said, bowing to Amberfall.

  "Rise, my darling" Amberfall commanded, trying to use her leader's voice. Diamondrose got to her feet. "How does the flame burn?"

  "It burns just as strong as ever, no stronger nor weaker." Diamondrose ran her hand along the tops of the flames, allowing it to lick, but not burn her skin. "The curse still stands in Trelia, but nothing has changed."

  Amberfall could have already told her that, but swallowed the foul words. "Good." She turned to Purpleflash and Honeylashes. "Go and recheck all of the Eternal Flames. Make sure that their fire is visible to all."

  Purpleflash and Honeylashes turned and walked back toward the fort's walls.

  Amberfall knelt down in front of the Fire Goblet, feeling its warmth on her skin. The gentle breeze brought the fire close to her, but not close enough to burn her.

  She closed her eyes, allowing the scenes of old fill her mind. She could see the times when the Iron and Nature Fairies worked together to create the great land of Nimen. There were no other countries, both clans ruled together in perfect harmony. There was dancing and great feasts almost every night. The groups got along so well that they even went as far as to mix bloodlines and start families. Then, a darkness came over the land and drove the groups into war. In the end, Zania, along with its allies, Xandria and Trelia, had won the war. Now the Iron Fairies had their own kingdom of Waryn and the
Nature Fairies had Zania. The two groups had been divided ever since then.

  She opened her eyes, staring right into the Fire Goblet. The flames were so many different colours; it was almost too beautiful. She could make out the faint outlines of the people of Trelia sleeping throughout the land. They looked so peaceful, uninterrupted in their eternal sleep. She shook her head. What was she thinking? These people might as well be dead, because there was no hope of breaking the curse.

  While true love did exist, it was next to impossible to find it. There were just too many people in the world to find that one person and you just had to settle.

  What had she been thinking whenever she had given Jessimond that gift?

  Amberfall got to her feet, watching as Purpleflash and Honeylashes circled each of the Eternal Torches. She could fell the High Fairies' stares on her back. She knew that they thought she should get over the curse and deal with the Iron Fairies.

  Diamondrose stood beside Amberfall, also watching Purpleflash and Honeylashes. "This came for you." She reached into her cloak, pulling out an envelope.

  Amberfall took it, staring at the seal. " King Teodric Morninghelm?" she whispered. "Xandria?"

  Diamondrose nodded.

  Amberfall turned. "Tell my sisters that I have an important matter to tend to and will be in Sprucestumps." She turned.

  "What about the Eternal Flame?" Diamondrose called after her.

  Amberfall turned, looking Diamondrose up and down. "You look like you're are perfectly capable of handling the job."

  Amberfall ran out of the fort, toward a large stone and wood circular temple. She loved the way the entrances faced both the setting and rising sun and the way that nature just seemed to flow through it. It really did just bring her all that much closer to the elements.

  She knelt down in the soft dirt directly in front of Sprucestump's roots. To the untrained eye, the roots just looked dead, like they were from a tree that had long since been chopped down. However, if you were to listen closely, you could hear the faint, gentle whispers from the ground below, picture the tiniest fairies running around in a misty, beautiful setting. There was just this calming nature to the tiny voices.

  Amberfall bowed to Sprucestump. "Thank you for listening to me," she whispered as she took out the king's letter. "I am not all that great at dealing with mortal monarchs, as my last dealing ended up with one being placed in an eternal sleep." She looked out the entrance, allowing the warm sun to reach her. "I hope that you will guide me and allow me to make the right decision."

  She slowly opened the seal, staring at King Teodric's urgent, but short message.

  Queen Amberfall of the Nature Fairies,

  I am writing to you as a fellow royal in need. The world is dying and you are the only one who can save it. We are running out of time and I think that I have the solution to all of your problems.

  Please consider meeting with me. It will be an honour to be in your presence.

  King Teodric Morninghelm, King of Xandria

  Amberfall quickly reread the letter, sighing. She crumpled the letter in her hand, staring again at Sprucestump. He was just after her for her magic--that much she knew very clearly. However, the one line stood out to her. He knew she was trying to break the curse and would do anything to see it broken. Still, how many had she heard that line, only to be played?

  Besides, Xandria was so far away and there was no way she could allow mortals to set foot in Zania. The last time man had been in the lands had resulted in a civil war that divided Nimen into two countries that could never be brought back together.

  "Tell me what to do," she whispered to Sprucestumps. "This could all be over, but the outcome is so unclear to me."

  The tops of Sprucestumps's roots blew ever so gently in the cool breeze, swaying toward the east. Ambefall looked in that direction, but saw nothing more than the tops of the trees of the forest that lined the fort. She slowly got to her feet, but the picture of the forest only grew bigger. Looking over her shoulder at Sprucestumps, she shook her head. It had never failed her until now.

  "Listen to the wind," the haunting, gentle voice commanded. "Listen as it will give you the answers to everything. The truth lies within the pen, not the man. The pen is our greatest weapon, not the legions."

  Frowning, Amberfall went back over to Sprucestumps. "What is that supposed to mean?"

  The tree remained silent.

  She sighed. Nature was supposed to give her the answers, not cause her more grief. "Please," she whispered as she gently stroked the tree's leaves. "Please, just tell me what I am supposed to do."

  "I cannot show you. I can only guide you toward the light," Sprucestumps whispered.

  "So, am I supposed to trust this king?" She stared down at the crushed paper.

  "You know what happened the last time fairies trusted man, but remember that this man was not the reason for it."

  "So, you are saying that I should take him up on his offer?"

  There was brief pause before Sprucestumps spoke again. "I am saying that a wise ruler listens before acting. Those who do not look at all of the choices end losing their heads or worse."

  Amberfall got to her feet. "I'll go ahead and make the meeting, but I'm not going to do anything."

  "A wise choice."

  Amberfall bowed her head at Sprucestumps. "Thank you for your words." She turned and walked out of the temple.

  Well, now, that had been a complete waste of her time. Sprucestumps did always talk in riddles, but normally some kind of an answer was given and it was normally the correct one. Of course, she knew King Teodric Morninghelm hadn't been behind the war or had even been born at the time, but it was still hard to get over. Humans were behind the downfall of anything great. They even managed to bring down their own empires, which made it next to impossible to keep up with on who was ruling what.

  The Eternal Flames still blew in the air. Their flame never seemed to flickered or show any signs of weakness.

  "Diamondrose," Amberfall called as she reached the centre of the fort.

  Diamondrose bowed as she reached Amberfall. "Yes, my darling?"

  "Prepare for a journey," she said. "We are going to see a king." She turned and walked toward her quarters. A journey to Xandria was going to take a lot of work and she intended to go in style.

  Chapter Four: Tales of the Night

  Ryanon stood in front of the table with her arms crossed over her chest, not really caring what the other assassins thought. There was just simply no way she was going to do this job, at least not the way they wanted her to do it.

  Karlen and Kieran stared at her.

  "This has got to be lowest of the low jobs and you know it," Ryanon hissed.

  "Masse is not protesting it, at all," Kieran said, gesturing to the other female assassin who was staring at Ryanon with a giant smile. Ryanon really could not stand Masse; she was too much of a princess.

  "And it will be good for the two of you to work together," Karlen pointed out. "You have been working with Dak way too much and it would do you some good to broaden your horizons."

  Ryanon snorted.

  Kirean smiled. "Besides, we are hardly taking a cut in the pay and you could get all of those books and stuffed animals that you have been eyeing."

  Now, that was rather tempting. Ryanon did not have a lot interests, but books and stuffed animals were another story. She could spend all day in her room, hugging a stuffed animal and reading a good book. She also had a guilty pleasure for films, but that was neither here or there.

  Besides, Kirean wasn't supposed to distract her from getting out of this ridiculous job.

  Ryanon marched over to the table and banged her fist on it. "No, you listen here. I am not to be used like this. I am not going to be a bloodily courtesan!"

  "It's really not a bad job, plenty of money," Masse said, examining a fingernail. "Plenty of young men and women do it and they seem pretty happy to me."

  Ryanon just snorted. "Again, why do
you want me to work with that?" She pointed at Masse.

  Masse's eyes narrowed. "Just remember that I could kill you."

  "You'd have to beat me, because I'll kill you first."

  Karlen stood up. "That's enough!" She banged her fist on the table so loudly that Ryanon jumped. "Now, you two are going to do this job with each other and I don't want to hear another word about it."

  Masse smiled sweetly at Ryanon. "I'll behave myself if she does." Her voice was oddly sweet and pleasant, but licked with an iciness that made Ryanon want to choke her.

  Karlen raised an eyebrow at Ryanon. "Ryanon?"

  "Fine," she spat. "This doesn't mean that I like it."

  "Well, now that we have that all settled, you two are free to go." Karlen waved her hand at them.

  Ryanon stormed out of the room without even bothering to hold the door open for Masse. She really hoped that it hit her in the face and bruised her precious face.

  "Ryanon." Azur smirked at her as she passed him.

  She huffed at him.

  "Well, now, who got you your wrong side?" The twenty something assassin leaned against the wooden wall, his body still shone with sweat from his recent workout. He was, what Ryanon supposed, charming, but he just didn't know when to stop pushing someone, which really did make him one of the deadest assassins here.

  "Where's Kitt?" Ryanon asked.

  Azur ran a hand through is thick hair. "He's still running."

  "Figures," Ryanon muttered, leaning against the wall. "So, what about you? How's life been treating you?"

  "It would be better if I could get some work." He smiled. "Apparently, I'm not the most humane assassin out there, but I didn't think we were humane anyway."

  "Got ya." She stared off into space.

  Azur gently grabbed her chin, slowly tilting it upwards so she was staring into his soft eyes. "You know that I could give you more fun than Dak, don't you? I could be a better partner than he ever could. He just doesn't see your talents."