by Peter Glenn
“You lose,” I told him, a wry grin on my face.
“Enough!” a strange voice barked. It was the elder shouting again. “You have proven your point.”
My surroundings began to shift and blur again, including Dalfus’ enormous form. A minute or two later, I was back in the elder’s hut, and everything looked exactly as it had before the combat had taken place. LaLuna was back at my side, shaking her head and sighing, and Dalfus was back in his small imp form. Even my wounds had somehow disappeared.
Well, everything but my Duran Duran shirt. Somehow, that still had a giant tear in it. I guess fae magic only went so far. Oh well. I’d already figured on having to buy another.
“You fought bravely, Sir Damian,” the elder told me, nodding slightly.
Somehow, staring at him sitting there like that, all the rage and anger I’d had just a few minutes earlier drained away from me, leaving me feeling calm and serene. And just a tad badass. I mean, I had faced down an ogre-sized imp and won. That was pretty cool, even if it had been an illusion.
“You’re darn right I did,” I fired back at him, my face beaming.
Had my earlier rage all been part of the elder’s magic, too? Had he been testing me? I supposed it was possible. I had gotten angry over a rather minor slight. I looked at him with a new appreciation. LaLuna had told me that fae magic could be dangerous, and I’d already seen one pretty grand illusion on the way to the village. If the elder was at least as powerful as the evil spirit had been, anything was possible.
“Very well, Damian, you have proven that you can indeed protect LaLuna from the dangers that lie ahead,” the elder said a moment later. He eyed me cautiously. “Well, the physical ones, at least.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, frowning.
The elder waved a hand dismissively. “Never mind that. Just understand that the Seelie Court is not all that it may seem.”
I nodded. Based on what I’d seen so far, it made a lot of sense.
“Then you’ll grant us passage, Fyrel?” LaLuna interjected.
Fyrel? She’d mentioned him earlier. So this little tree runt was the Seelie elder LaLuna had been seeking out this whole time? That explained so much.
The elder nodded solemnly. “Indeed, I will grant you access, and my blessing. For what little good it will do for you. The Court has been... anxious of late.”
Something about that warning gave me goosebumps, and I shivered in spite of myself.
LaLuna, on the other hand, seemed overjoyed. Her face brightened for the first time since we’d entered the fae realm, and a warm smile creased her lips. “You have my gratitude, Fyrel,” she said with a deep bow.
“Yes, well, we’ll see if you still feel the same after you meet with the rest of the court,” Fyrel replied, his face contorted into something between a grimace and a scowl.
It was obvious from his tone that he didn’t think highly of this Seelie Court for whatever reason, which struck me as odd, considering he was apparently one of them. But what did I know? This was LaLuna’s territory. I was probably worrying over nothing.
“Please,” Fyrel said, standing and beckoning us onward. “Follow me.”
We did as we were bade. Dalfus came along as well, bringing up the rear. The elder led us out of his room and across the hallway, then stopped abruptly in front of a blank spot along the wall that looked every bit like every other part did.
“Here,” Fyrel said, pointing at the wall. “This is the portal to the Seelie Court’s inner chambers. I wish you well on your journey.” He bowed deeply.
“And I wish you well on yours,” LaLuna said in a ceremonial fashion, bowing as well.
“Here?” I asked, blinking. “It’s a blank wall! How can this lead us anywhere?”
Fyrel shook his head. “Haven’t you learned anything yet, human?” he spat. “Things in the fae realm aren’t always as they seem.”
With that, he stood up to his full height. Somehow, he now surpassed me by at least a foot, looking menacing and taking up half the hallway. Then he picked me up by the back of my neck and threw me full force toward the wall.
I screamed a stream of obscenities at him, but it did me no good. In the blink of an eye, my surroundings changed and started to swirl around me once more as I was thrust through the portal. I scrambled around as the ground disappeared under my feet, and I felt a sudden weightlessness, then the sensation changed, and it felt like I was falling through the air instead.
I flailed about and opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. All at once, I could no longer breathe, and I choked on the last bit of air that left my lungs.
Were all fae portals awful like this? Did they all want to kill me in different ways? If so, I had no desire to ever take one again, though something told me I wouldn’t have that choice.
A moment later, my body spat out of the portal, and I crashed into the ground at full force. I groaned and rolled on the ground, gasping and taking in a deep breath, filling my body with precious air once again. It felt glorious.
As my vision started to clear, and my extremities stopped tingling, I tried to summon the strength to stand. LaLuna’s hand was there, filling my vision, greeting me in that very moment. She had it stuck out as an offering. I accepted her gesture gladly and got to my feet. My head swam a little with the change in altitude, but it cleared soon enough.
“Thanks,” I stammered.
“It was the least I could do for you,” she replied, shrugging.
“How do you deal with those awful portals all the time?” I asked her, scowling slightly.
She scrunched her nose. “What do you mean?”
“You know, the falling, the choking, the drowning. That kind of thing. How do you put up with it all?”
LaLuna stared straight at me like I’d gone insane. “Whatever do you mean? Everything winks out for a second, then I’m there on the other end. That’s it.”
For a second, I couldn’t tell whether or not she was serious, but I assumed she was. Was it because I was human, then? Or was there something more going on? I couldn’t be certain, but I would be more careful the next time I went through a portal, for sure.
I brushed myself off and stared back at her for a moment, looking deep into her eyes. There was a slight twinkle in them, like starlight reflecting off of a lake. It took me a moment to realize that it probably was real starlight reflecting off them, as the sky above us was full of bright, shiny stars.
My eyes scanned our surroundings then, and I found myself enchanted with what I saw. It was the most beautiful sight in recent memory. The sky was a canopy of stars and nebulae that seemed to dance and frolic with one another as they panned out across the sky. In front of me was the fae portal, standing tall and graceful like the previous one, but grander somehow as well.
Behind me, a grand garden spread out, with flowers of every color seemingly sprouting from every inch of the ground in long, flowing waves of color. A small, golden path weaved through the garden, leading onward to what I could only describe as an outdoor throne room, complete with gilded chairs.
Even from this distance, I could tell that several of these seats were empty. Only four of the dozen or so seats were occupied, though who sat upon those chairs, I couldn’t discern.
Like it would have mattered. I had no idea who any of them would be, anyway.
“Is this...?”
“The Seelie Court?” LaLuna finished for me.
“Uh... yeah,” I replied, my voice a bit shaky and raw. “That.”
LaLuna nodded. “I think so. To be honest, I’ve never been here, either. But it matches my mother’s descriptions.”
Great. Now she tells me. Looks like I’d have to be fully on my guard. They probably wouldn’t trust us or like us, either. My hand slid down to Grax’thor’s hilt and wrapped around it.
“Really?” I glared at her. “I thought you were the expert here.”
“Don’t worry so much,” LaLuna said, as if reading my
mind. “I am training as a guardian for them, remember? They won’t want to hurt me. I am sure we will be just fine.”
“Okay,” I said. Though I didn’t really believe it. “Well, let’s get going already. Time’s a-wasting and all that.”
I wondered just how long we’d been here. Walking through the jungle had taken maybe two hours, and the fight with Dalfus another ten or fifteen minutes, tops. Under three hours, then. Not too bad. I’d have to check in with Yuri soon and see how Grace was doing. Maybe after this.
“Very well.” LaLuna smiled at me and we headed down the pathway. I marveled at the fact that it appeared to be exactly big enough for the two of us to walk down and no bigger, and that it followed the contours of the ground exactly. This was not a path that had been hewn out of the side of a hill, but one that gracefully played on top of it. Or at least, that’s what they wanted us to think.
For all I knew, it was all an illusion. I was beginning to learn not to trust my senses here.
As we neared the throne room, I could make out the inhabitants more clearly. Off to the left was a man that was dressed in flowing, silver fabrics. He looked distinctly human, except for his sharply pointed ears. A long, flowing beard ran down the front of him, obscuring most of his face.
To the right of him sat a woman in pink satin. She had large butterfly wings sprouting from her back that glinted slightly in the starlight. She was lounging in her seat, her legs propped up on one of the armrests, and her back up against the other, like she hadn’t a care in the world. She was beautiful, but in a completely different way than anything I’d ever seen before.
Next to her sat another man, dressed in a bright green tunic that was tucked into a large, brown belt. He looked kind of like a grown-up Peter Pan, with the red hair to match that was graying slightly at the temples. There was no other sign of aging on his mostly boyish face.
But the real treat was the man sitting in the grandest throne, who I assumed was the leader of the Seelie Court. Even seated, I could tell that he was tall. Taller even than most men, I guessed. He was dressed all in tight, form-fitting blue fabrics that showed off his incredibly muscular physique. A pair of delicate wings sprouted from his back. They were translucent and surreal to look at, as the color changed every time I spotted them flapping gently in the slight breeze that traveled through the place.
“King Oberon,” LaLuna said, bowing toward this gentleman. “It is I, your guardian LaLuna, come to ask the court to grant me favor.”
Oberon stroked his chin with a long, pale finger that looked like it had never seen a hard day’s work. In fact, none of the Seelie Court did. They all looked rather young for what was supposed to be a ruling body. More fae magic, I assumed.
“LaLuna, you say?” Oberon said at last. His voice was melodic, almost like I was listening to an operetta, and had a slight metallic twang to it.
“Yes,” LaLuna said, bowing again.
“Hmm,” Oberon mused. “I do not remember a guardian named LaLuna.” He turned his attention to the only woman in the court. “Caerwyn, do you remember a LaLuna?”
The woman known as Caerwyn frowned. “Nay, Oberon. The name is not known to me.”
Oberon stared at us once more, but his face no longer seemed graceful or joyous, but hardened and angry. His small eyes burned and seemed to bore through my skull. “A liar, then? But how can a fae lie? What kind of imposter are you?”
“My apologies, King Oberon, but I misspoke. I am but a guardian in training. I have not been called to serve your greatness just yet.”
“A guardian in training, eh?” Oberon repeated. LaLuna nodded and bowed once more. That seemed to pacify him a little, and his face took on its graceful look once again. “Well, you should have been more specific.”
“Yes, my king. It shall not happen again.”
“See that it does not, fair LaLuna.” The king waved one of his well-manicured hands gently in the air as he spoke. “I would rather not mete out punishment on such a glorious night as this.” His hand swept across the sky at that last bit.
I wasn’t really sure what was happening, but LaLuna’s face softened, and I saw the hint of a smile creeping out, so I assumed it was a good thing.
“Very well, guardian in training, what is it that you would ask of the Seelie Court?” King Oberon asked. He turned his attention back to staring at the sky, as if whatever it was LaLuna had to say didn’t matter, even though he hadn’t heard it yet.
“Yes, my king.” She bowed once more, kneeling on the ground at the end of it, and looked up at him. “It is a matter of grave importance. My mother tasked me to guard the life of a small babe, but I know not how to accomplish this feat.”
“A baby?” Oberon’s eyes widened, and he stared down at us once more. “What is a guardian in training doing with a baby?”
“Well, you see...”
LaLuna sucked in a deep breath and relayed her harrowing tale, leaving no detail out. She didn’t use memory magic to do it this time, though, which struck me as odd. Why had Mei made her use it with me earlier? There were so many unanswered questions.
Regardless, a few minutes later, she finished the story, and by the end of it, all eyes were on her. “And that brings us here.”
“Hmm,” Oberon said again. He stroked his chin a few times and appeared lost in thought. “A very interesting tale. What did you say the name of the fae child was again?”
“Grace, your Majesty. But it could have been a cover name, for all I know. I... I didn’t have time to ask questions before my mother...”
“Yes, of course, child,” Oberon said, cutting her off. “I understand.” He looked up at the sky again, his hands rolling off to his side as he took up a position similar to Caerwyn’s. “Grace, you say? Can’t say as I have ever heard of a Seelie fae baby with that name before. Have you, my queen?”
Caerwyn frowned again. “No, my king, I cannot say that I have. The name could belong to one of many fae, I suppose. It was a bit common before the Christians came, but hasn’t been used in ages, as far as I know. I cannot think of a single Seelie fae that would have been granted that name in recent times.”
“Not even one?” I blurted out before I thought better of it and clapped a hand over my mouth.
Oberon glared at me, a bit of that flash of anger from before returning to his eyes. “I did not ask your opinion, mortal.”
I had half a mind to tell him that I was every bit as immortal as he was, but I decided against it. It wouldn’t do any good here to argue with him about semantics.
“My apologies, my king,” LaLuna said, bowing once more, which made me wince. I had cost her some points there with my brashness. I’d try not to do it again.
“Yes, well, it is no matter,” Oberon said with a wave of his hand. He went back to staring at the sky again. He seemed to do that a lot.
I wondered for a moment as to whether or not he was just bored. He didn’t seem to have a lot to do other than respond to questions. Surely he had other duties some of the time, but right then, his expression spoke to me of boredom.
Which struck me as odd, considering at least one of his guardians had been murdered over Grace and a trainee had come agonizingly close to it. Why didn’t he care about it more? I had half a mind to tell him just that, but thankfully, LaLuna opened her mouth before I had a chance to.
“Please, my king, what would you have me do with the child?” she asked him.
“Hmm?” He asked, his eyes questioning. “Oh yes, the fae baby.”
Had he forgotten already? What was with this guy? He was a real jerk.
Oberon stroked his chin once more. “Grace does not concern the Seelie Court in even the smallest consequence at this moment.” He glanced at Caerwyn. “My queen, do you have a task for this lady?”
Caerwyn grimaced. It was only there for a second, but I caught it. “I feel as you do, my king,” she said without looking at either him or us. “Let them do what they feel is best. Perhaps bring this child to us, and
we will find it a suitable home, if you feel so inclined.”
“That’s it?” I stared at them both, deadpan, unable to keep silent. “Your guardian comes to you with a problem and you give her nothing?”
“Damian, please,” LaLuna pleaded. “It is not your place.”
“Do you even care about her or her mother? Well, do you?” It came out a little more accusatory than I meant it.
“Hmm,” Oberon said, his voice suddenly full of authority and anger as he once again stared straight at me with those harsh, glowing eyes. “This is fae business, mortal. Not for you to concern yourself with. Why are you here again?”
The statement was as dismissive as it sounded, and I was taken aback. “I... uh,” I looked over at LaLuna, who had tears welling up in her eyes. My tone and body softened. I’d agreed to leave this to her, and I’d failed her again.
“Ahem. I’m sorry,” I said, scraping out a bow. “I won’t interrupt again.”
“Hmm. As it should be,” Oberon stated. He went back to staring up at the sky. “As my queen has suggested, you may bring the child to us if you so desire. That would please the court.”
“You are most kind, my king,” LaLuna replied, bowing once more. She got back up to her feet and pulled on my shoulder. “Come, Damian, let us leave this place.”
I gave Oberon and Caerwyn one last scowling glance, then I took LaLuna’s hand in mine and we left the Seelie Court behind, walking back down the path toward the portal we’d come out of.
Walking back, the gardens didn’t shine quite the way they had on the way in. Was it because my opinion of this “Seelie Court” had soured, or was it their way of shunning me as a human? I would likely never know for sure.
The only thing I did know was that I never wanted to come back.
“Pfft,” I spat when we were out of earshot. “A fat lot of good that did us.” I looked straight at LaLuna. “One thing’s for sure. I’m not bringing them Grace. She stays with Yuri and Tacobeh until we have some real answers.”
