Lies of the Haven: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure (Faerie Warriors Book 1)

by J. A. Curtis

  His smile grew, and the small glen became brighter.

  “First of all,” he said, “I don’t sound like that. Second, I don’t think everything you do is wrong. Take this morning, for example.”

  I wracked my brain but had no clue what he was talking about.

  “When I came in to wake you up, you were drooling all over your pillow,” he said, “Personally, I found it disgusting, but who am I to judge?”

  I gasped in mock horror. “Rude!” I said, laughing. “Didn’t anyone tell you to respect your superiors?”

  I tried to punch him in the shoulder, but he grabbed my fist and jerked forward, pulling me off balance.

  “Respect is earned,” he countered, catching me as I fell against him.

  If we hadn’t been playing around, I probably would’ve been on the ground with a bloody nose for trying to punch him. Instead he looked surprised, like he couldn’t figure out how I ended up in his lap with his arms around me. Neither of us moved. Warm goosebumps slid along my entire body. Something deep flashed in those dark eyes, an emotion I couldn’t interpret. But I wouldn’t ask. Speaking would ruin the beauty of being.

  Arius’s face became smooth, his eyes guarded. He stood, dumping me into the grass. I watched him stalk away as I climbed to my feet.

  “We’re heading back—now,” he said.

  We rode back to the Haven on Arius’s rock monster in silence. I kept looking over at Arius standing on the stone giant’s other shoulder, but he stared straight ahead. Hard to imagine only a few minutes ago we had been laughing and joking, enjoying one another. Now Arius preferred to act as if I didn’t exist.

  As we approached the open room window of the manor, Arius broke the silence.

  “What happened back there...” Arius started, still not looking at me.

  No. We were not having that conversation. “Nothing happened,” I said, keeping my tone flat.

  “Glad we agree.”

  Holy aggravation, this boy was infuriating! I grabbed the window ledge and hoisted myself up. I turned back after entering the room, and he met my eyes for the first time since our “nothing happened” moment. Was that regret on his face? Well, I didn’t care.

  “Who needs to earn whose respect?” I slammed the window shut so hard the windowpane shuddered.

  INSIDE THE MANOR, A warrior stood, dark and unmoving, guarding a door. Her hair was pulled back, eyes alert. The fierce set of her jaw combined with the way her hand rested on the pommel of her sword, as if she could slice someone in half if they dared look at her the wrong way, would have given the most courageous soldier second thoughts about approaching.

  A man walked up the steps and entered the hallway. The warrior’s eyes took him in—the fact that she didn’t attack the only sign she recognized him. The man walked forward and stopped next to her, facing outward into the hall. He stood, silent for a moment, then in a low voice asked, “When is your watch over?”

  “Ten minutes. Arius will relieve me,” the warrior responded under her breath, her lips barely moved as she spoke.

  “Perfect,” the man breathed, and the corners of the warrior’s mouth twitched.

  “Go,” she whispered.

  The man began to move away, but a crashing sound from beyond the door brought him around. The warrior threw the door wide and charged into the room, the man close on her heels, each clutching the hilt of the sword at their waist.

  Water ran in rivulets across the wood floor, the cart holding the pitcher and cup overturned, the pitcher on its side. The warrior’s eyes went to the floor then to the distracted woman in the flowing gown pinching the bridge of her nose and grimacing.

  “You had another vision, My Queen,” the warrior said, her hand on her sword relaxed.

  “Flashes. Nothing definite. I don’t even know what to make of half of what I am seeing,” the queen shook her head. “This isn’t working out how I planned.”

  “We still have time, Your Majesty,” the man said.

  The queen grew sorrowful. “I hope so.”

  The warrior clutched the handle of her sword again. The queen noticed, and she forced a smile, “I am fine, Jazrael. Arius is to relieve you of your watch, is he not?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” the warrior, Jazrael, responded.

  The queen nodded and addressed the man. “Dramian, you will send someone to clean the mess I made.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Dramian said.

  “I will figure this out. I have no other choice,” the queen said.

  Dramian and Jazrael exited the room. Dramian threw one more raised eyebrow at her, then headed down the hall as she took up her post back outside the queen’s door.

  A different man approached with a towel slung over his shoulder. Jazrael didn’t move as he entered the room. After a couple of minutes, another man, tall and soldier-like, came and relieved her. She moved with purpose down the stairs and out the front door of the manor. After she stepped outside, she looked around before moving around the side and back of the manor. She paused, glanced over her shoulder one more time, then strode quickly through the grass toward the woods.

  The craggy branches blocked out any light from the moon. The forest held its secrets close, and a silencing mist choked the ground. Jazrael pushed deeper into the forest, her breath frosting on her lips. A sudden flash on her left, and an odd slicing noise brought her to a standstill.

  Without a word, a figure approached from behind. A hand reached out from the darkness and clamped onto her arm. She spun toward the dark figure lurking behind her.

  And kissed him.

  8

  Role Play

  “Sometimes you must stand your ground.”

  “IT’S A FAERIE GUARDIAN, right? Shouldn’t it just do whatever it's supposed to do to protect me?” I asked.

  We rode on Arius’s rock monster. Huge pounding steps sent smaller creatures of the mountain for cover. The late morning sun began to peak over the mountaintops.

  Arius said, “You’re training yourself.”

  So I was training myself on how to train my faerie guardian. “How do I do that exactly?”

  “Your faerie guardian was once an actual live creature who gave up its natural form to bond with you and become your faerie guardian. In honor of that sacrifice, you must respect the creature you have bonded with.”

  “You mean there really are griffins, dragons, giant rock monsters, and what is Caelm’s? The abominable snowman?”

  “A yeti,” Arius responded, not even cracking a smile. “Mine is a golem. And yes, there were many of these creatures once.”

  He studied me, and I squirmed under his gaze. The familiar “anything new?” question was coming. Every day since I’d returned from Dramian’s, he had asked me whether I’d had any visions. Every day, I was able to answer in the negative. Not this time. I had thought the next time I had a vision, it would be great. I’d figure out who I was. But the last thing I wanted to do was talk about my most recent vision. The queen, an adult woman who struggled with her ability even under dire circumstances. All of us working together with Dramian. Future or past. The vision had me doing mental gymnastics late into the night. And then there was the meeting in the forest between Jazrael and Dramian. Either I was Jazrael and had a secret tryst with Arius’s brother in the past, or I was the queen, and my general would have said tryst in the future.

  Either way, I wouldn’t tell Arius. Or anyone. But especially Arius.

  Instead of asking, he continued, “These are powerful creatures, and any control you have must be built on respect for the creature and the power it possesses.”

  The giant rock monster—uh, golem—came to a halt and bent to lower us to the ground. I jumped to get down off the broad, square shoulder. The golem straightened. It could smash both Arius and me under one foot.

  The monster melted from a solid massive creature to a dark image on Arius’s arm. “Your guardian will interact with you on a very natural level. You have to separate the commands yo
u give it from your emotions, otherwise you won’t be in control. Don’t be afraid. If you are afraid, it might attack you.”

  That made me less afraid. “Could it kill me—you know, permanently?”

  “That has never happened,” Arius said, and I relaxed a little. “That I know of,” he added.

  Great.

  I released my griffin. It stood in front of me, over twice my size, its wicked claws digging into the dirt. The griffin tossed its head, and its razor like beak snapped in front of my face. I shrank back, heart pounding in my chest, legs trembling. A little closer, and I would have been inside the beast’s mouth.

  The griffin reared back. I dove backward into the dirt, rolling and jumping to my feet before sprinting wildly away from the beast. Its claws scraped stone as it drove forward, coming closer and closer.

  “Return, Return, RETURN!” I shouted.

  I tripped and landed hard, feeling a sharp pain in my right elbow. Biting my tongue, I held back a scream as I threw my arms over my head, preparing to get ripped to shreds.

  But the terrifying creature had returned to my arm.

  I stood, gripping my bloodied elbow. I looked over at Arius. He sat, leaning against a tree stump. He didn’t look impressed. “Try again.”

  I let out a slow breath and told my pounding heart to calm. The beast came off my arm a second time, and it stood there, large and dangerous. It reared up, and I spun, ready to run for my life, but as the griffin came down, a talon scraped down the leather armor protecting my back. I tried to sprint forward, but the talon had hooked into my sword belt, and with a vicious jerk, it lifted me off my feet.

  A cry escaped my lips. I was trapped. My sweaty hands fumbled with the buckle on the belt. It gave with a jolt, and I grasped the buckle with both hands as I fell forward to keep from landing on my face. I released the buckle and somehow landed on my feet.

  The griffin slammed the sword casing into the ground and plunged ahead after me. I dove backward and rolled.

  “Return!” I shouted.

  I stared up at the sky, covered in grime, body aching, breath short. This was hopeless. I’d be dead before I controlled this wild creature. Brushing dirt and hair out of my face, I sat up. Arius still sat by the tree, his dark eyes watching me.

  I suspected he was enjoying this. “You could be more help,” I snapped as I stood.

  Arius sat against his tree and shrugged. “I’ve told you everything you need to know. Remember, you are in control.”

  I walked my bruised body over to my sword and picked it up. “Does it look like I’m in control?”

  “That is the problem right there. How can you direct your faerie guardian if you cannot accept that you are the one causing it to respond this way? Take responsibility for your emotions.”

  “Take responsibility?” My hands pulled the belt too tight as I lashed it back on. “I can’t help how I feel, Arius. I can’t turn off my fear because it’s inconvenient.”

  “Your fear is unfounded. Fearing your faerie guardian is fearing yourself.”

  “Yes, you’ve pointed that out already, oh wise one. Any other advice?”

  “I cannot do this for you, Mina. You must figure it out on your own.”

  I stepped away from him. Stupid Arius, lounging around while I almost got torn to shreds. What I needed was a better teacher.

  I studied the picture of the griffin on my arm. Don’t be afraid, Mina. You are in control. You ARE in control. This time, I drew my sword and held it ready. The energy filled me, and the griffin began to ripple. I released the energy, and the griffin leapt from my arm.

  Don’t be afraid, I told myself even as my heartbeat quickened. I pointed my sword toward the griffin.

  “Griffin!” I said, my voice too shrill. “You will listen to me.”

  The griffin spread its wings and reared back. Its sharp talons sliced through the air, inches from my face. The griffin took to the air, huge wings flapping. It rose high then spiraled around, coming in for a dive, angling right toward me.

  “Do something!” I shrieked at Arius.

  The griffin readjusted its angle. While it still headed in my direction, its goal seemed to not land directly on me. Maybe I was gaining some control.

  Arius rose to his feet, body tense, eyes alert. His golem appeared in front of him, large and looming. It gave a low throaty roar, deep and guttural, like it had come from the earth itself. It took several earth-shaking steps forward and swatted the griffin out of the sky.

  I gasped and dropped to the earth. Pain ripped through my abdomen as if someone had punched me. The griffin hit the ground on its side. Rising to its feet, it turned toward Arius’s rock monster and let out a piercing cry.

  “Mina, stop this,” Arius said. He ran over to me and took my arm, pulling me to my feet.

  Stop what? I clutched my bruised stomach. The griffin lifted its massive wings and again took to the air. It launched itself at Arius’s golem. This time, the golem was too slow, and the griffin landed on the giant’s side and slashed with its talons and claws.

  “Mina,” Arius said, his voice strained. He let go of my arm and clutched his own side. “You’re frustrated and angry with me. Your griffin responds to you. Call it back.”

  The golem grabbed the griffin in its massive arms and tossed it away. Wings spread, the griffin caught the air and came back at the rock monster. The golem clamped onto one of the griffin’s wings and slammed it to the earth.

  All strength left my muscles, and I fell back to the ground. My whole body ached with deep fatigue.

  “Listen,” Arius said. He knelt next to me. “You are angry with me, so your griffin attacked me. You need to stop this before one of us falls.”

  “Can’t move,” I whispered.

  I sensed more than saw the golem release the griffin. My griffin scrambled to its feet and backed away from the golem. The deep fatigue began to dissipate, and I rose onto shaking arms. “What happened to me?”

  “Call it back,” Arius said. “Do it now.”

  I tapped my left arm with my fingers, and the next moment, the griffin appeared back on my arm.

  Arius sat down next to me. “Your faerie guardian is linked to you. If it takes a hit, you take the hit. That is why training is so important. You not only discover skills and ways to defend yourself, but you also build stamina and control. If your faerie guardian is destroyed, you fall. “

  “I’ve never felt that weak before.”

  “You are untrained. I was trying to be gentle. I was more worried I would do something too harsh and make you fall.”

  That was gentle? I couldn’t bring myself to feel grateful.

  “We are done for today,” he said. “We will try another time when you don’t feel like you need to take your emotions out on me.” He stood and offered me his hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet.

  “If I had a better teacher,” I grumbled.

  “If I had a better pupil,” he shot back with a smile.

  My resentment melted, and I returned his smile. I wished he would smile more often.

  We rode on Arius’s golem as we traveled back to the manor. A slight breeze that blew my short hair across my face cooled the warm afternoon air. I brushed my hair back and glanced over at Arius as he sat on the golem’s other shoulder.

  He had been taking the burden of leading for so long. I might be able to bear some of that with him. If he’d let me.

  “When I asked you if I was your queen, you said maybe. Doesn’t the fact that the queen’s faerie guardian is a griffin confirm it?” I asked.

  “No. A griffin is the faerie guardian of our queen, but the faerie guardian of our top general was a shapeshifter.”

  “You mean her faerie guardian could change into what? Different forms?”

  “Any different form,” he said, “It’s what made our general so powerful.”

  I examined the winged bird stuck to my arm. “But what does it look like when it's not shifting shape? And how do you make i
t change?”

  “Only the general knew that.”

  I wondered if seeing my faerie guardian reminded him of who I might be—of the power I wielded. General or Queen, I outranked him—I outranked everyone. Even Nuada and Margus. Still, I doubted Arius or the others would follow me.

  Why should they? What do you have to offer them? I bit my lip and looked over at Arius, but he refused to meet my eyes. His shoulders tensed.

  “If I am the general, why would my faerie guardian show up as the queen’s?”

  His eyes flicked to me, then away, his back ramrod straight. Man, he was so soldier. Not even his hair moved in the breeze as if he had disciplined every hair follicle to sit straight and unbending to his will.

  “The general’s first responsibility is to protect the queen.”

  I considered his response for a moment. “Who would I—I mean the general—I mean the general’s faerie guardian—be protecting the queen from?”

  This was getting confusing. But Arius’s face implied the answer was obvious. “You think the queen needs to be protected from Dramian,” I said.

  Arius nodded. I pursed my lips. Come on. You are the leader, act like it.

  “What makes a dark faerie?” I asked, “other than being on team Dramian.”

  “There need not be any other reason.”

  “I spent several days with them,” I reminded, “and they didn’t seem all that different from you, or any of the faeries here.”

  “They showed you what they wanted you to see,” Arius replied. I could tell by the muscles clenching in his jaw he was fighting to stay calm.

  “Maybe you see what you want to see,” I said. “Remember the night Tily fell? Why didn’t Dramian attack her directly? He could have killed her. But he didn’t. Why would he, if he is so evil, only make her fall so she lived to fight another day? It doesn’t seem like something a person who is evil for evil’s sake would do.”

  “They destroyed the Otherworld,” Arius said.

  “What other world?”

  “The Otherworld,” he said, “It’s why most mythical creatures no longer exist. We used to live there, all of us. As faeries, we ruled and protected this world of magical beings. But Margus and Dramian and the dark faeries wanted to rule the Otherworld for themselves. They sought to undermine the rule of the King and Queen. They released a dark plague upon the Otherworld, one that corrupts and destroys all magical creatures. They thought they could contain it, but that was not the case. There was no cure. We had no choice. We fled to this world with the few magical creatures and faeries that had escaped contamination. We are the only survivors.”