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

by J. A. Curtis

  Arius stepped back and lowered his sword. One word from Nuada and her attack dog stood down. I ground my teeth even harder.

  Nuada stopped next to us.

  “Mina has some concerns about this plan. As a leader, she has the right to have her concerns heard. I will take Mina up to my office, and we will discuss them. Meanwhile, Arius, you will wait here for further orders. Iris is not to be harmed until after Mina and I have talked. Is that understood?”

  “Understood, Nuada,” Arius said, his voice formal, his face not hiding his annoyance.

  Nuada and I walked back to her office in silence. I felt like bursting. These were Nuada’s orders Arius had been following. How could she command such a thing?

  Nuada settled into her plush chair, and I sat on the chair across from her, legs tense. My fingernails dug into the carvings on the end of the armchair.

  “You seem very determined to save this boy,” Nuada said. “You do not understand his past. If it weren’t for him, our general and queen would not have gone missing. And now we find him here, on our very doorstep, ready to perform mischief. The faeries of the Haven are well within their rights to do this.”

  “But I disagree,” I said. “Yes, he may have done some bad things in the past. His intentions may not be the best now. That doesn’t mean he will always be this way. He’s only a kid.”

  “He is an enemy soldier to the faeries of the Haven and knows the punishment for being caught on enemy soil.”

  “Why was he sneaking about in the first place? You think he will tell us if we chop off his ears?”

  “If you could use your abilities, we may not need to ask him at all.”

  I stared at her, my mouth hanging open. “I’m doing my best. I—”

  “I doubt that. But I might consider withholding Iris’s punishment if you agree to be more forthcoming about what you are seeing.”

  A deep pit of rage gathered in my stomach. She didn’t care about Iris. This had all been about me. But she held Iris’s fate in her hands. Arius was at her beck and call—all the faeries were—and even though I had tried to order everyone to back down, no one had listened until Nuada intervened.

  Part of me thought about holding back. I could still cut some things out and she wouldn’t know. But if she suspected... I didn’t want to take that chance. Plus, it would be worth it, if I could finally figure out who I was.

  I told her everything—about the necklace, about the terrifying creature with the upside-down metal crown, even about the secret relationship between Jazrael and Dramian. While I spoke, the pit in my stomach twisted to a dull throb. When I finished, I sat in the chair, spent, and looked at Nuada.

  She said nothing at first. “Well?” I said, flatly. “Do you know who I am?”

  Nuada gave a thin smile. “I do.”

  I waited for her to reveal the much-anticipated information. She rose from her chair. “I will tell Arius to stand down. Iris will be confined to the dungeons.”

  “But,” I said, almost frantic. “Who am I?”

  “That will be revealed, in time. For now, I suggest you keep the information coming. Do let me know when you have another vision.” And with that, she swept out of the room, leaving me sitting in the plush chair in shock.

  17

  Jealousy

  “Don’t take part in petty power plays, Mina.”

  THE ACHE IN MY STOMACH only increased as I paced the length of my room an hour later. I had shut myself up inside after leaving Nuada’s office, refusing to see anyone. The only one stupid enough to try was Caelm. Not even Arius had stopped by.

  There seemed to be a consensus among the faeries that Nuada was in charge until I figured out who I was. But if Nuada refused to reveal that information, the faeries would never listen to me.

  Even if I knew, would the faeries hear what I had to say? Follow me? Nuada was an adult, and I was only a kid. And to make everything worse, since she had agreed not to hurt Iris this time, there was nothing stopping her from using him in the future to force me to tell her about more of my visions.

  None of this would have been a big deal if Arius had stood with me. What was wrong with him? She wasn’t even hiding it anymore, her ruthlessness, and still he was at her beck and call.

  I had saved Iris, so he owed me. I planned to use that to wheedle something out of him.

  With force, I threw the door wide and stalked down the stairs. My feet pounded down them so hard, my legs started to hurt, and I stormed over to the door to the dungeons. Nerime stood guard.

  “Let me see Iris,” I said.

  “I can’t let you down there,” Nerime said.

  Grasping the hilt of my sword, I glowered at the girl. “Trust me, girlfriend, you don’t want to be on my bad side today.”

  “Arius and Nuada have the keys to the dungeon,” Nerime said, eyeing my sword with caution. Suppressing a growl of frustration, I stormed off to find Arius.

  He was at the crossbow pit, bow in hand. I marched up to him.

  “Give me the key to the dungeon.”

  “Nuada has given instructions that no one is to visit the prisoner without her permission.”

  He took aim at the farthest target. No scope was attached to his crossbow. He fired, and the arrow hit the target in a dead bullseye.

  “I don’t need permission, I outrank her. I order you to hand over the key.”

  “You order me to go against Nuada?”

  He fired again. Another bullseye.

  “Just hand over the key, Arius.”

  “Looks like you are trying to take over, ready or not.”

  He raised the crossbow and fired. This arrow sailed over the farthest target and hit the knot in an old gnarled stump almost at the tree line.

  “Nuada won't tell me who I am,” I said. “She used Iris to make me tell her my visions. But now she refuses to reveal whether I am Queen or General.”

  He lowered the crossbow and frowned. “She must have a good reason.”

  “Yeah, keeping the power for herself. Give me the dumb key.”

  I lunged at Arius and tried to grasp the chain around his neck that held the keys. He swept a foot under my legs and laid me out on my back on the grass. Too gentle. Anyone else he’d have pummeled in the face for attempting that.

  “Don’t pull your punches for me,” I snarled. “Everyone here knows you and Nuada are the ones really in power. Nobody listens to me.”

  He tossed the crossbow on a bale of hay and swiped a hand over his face.

  “You have always disliked Nuada, ever since you came here. You never gave her a chance. Your jealousy makes you appear weak. That is why no one listens to you.”

  “Jealousy,” I said, incredulous.

  “It’s obvious. Even if you outrank her, Nuada holds more influence than you, but trying to undermine her with conspiracy theories will not gain you the influence you seek.”

  I got to my feet and backed away from him. “Sounds like you and Nuada have things covered.” I continued to put space between us and spread my arms wide. “You don’t need me.”

  My faerie guardian came to life, the large eagle-lion flapping its humongous wings. Arius’s proud look melted from his face. He rushed forward, but he was too late. The griffin snatched me up in one of its enormous claws and lifted me into the sky.

  18

  Deal with the Enemy

  “Don’t be afraid to do the unexpected in order to de-escalate a conflict.”

  AS I ROSE INTO THE air, I watched Arius stare up at me, his body tense. He bolted into action, running toward the manor. “Thaya!” he shouted.

  I wondered if my griffin was faster than Thaya’s winged woman. If not, I was in trouble. Thaya’s warrior was most likely better trained than my faerie guardian. I doubted I could take her in a fight, and if she forced me to land, then I would have Arius to contend with. But if I could outfly them, or at least outmaneuver them...

  Then what?

  My decision to leave was spontaneous. I hadn’t
thought about where I would go or whether leaving was the best course of action. Not to mention I was breaking all the rules of flight. The day was beautiful, clear, and bright. A perfect day for humans to be out and about. If someone saw me, or worse—videotaped me... I pictured myself turning around, landing, and saying, “Just kidding everyone, fooled you!”

  But what would I return to? Nuada’s blackmail? Arius and the rest of the faeries pretending I was important but treating me like I knew nothing?

  Flying in the griffin’s talons, my body lay horizontal to the ground. Trees blurred by underneath me in a sea of green. I ducked my head to look back toward the manor. My head hanging upside down gave me a weird sense of vertigo. Thaya’s fairy warrior flew into the air, bow in hand. Apparently, I was a big enough of an emergency to risk breaking a few rules as well. But Arius was no doubt with Thaya, and his eyes would keep watch for humans. At my awkward angle, I couldn’t tell if they were gaining on me, but I urged my griffin to fly faster.

  Except I didn’t know where I was going. The beginning of actual civilization was a ways off. A few humans out today might work to my advantage. Again, I looked back. Would I ever put enough distance between me and Thaya? Not if Arius was with her. How much distance would I need to be beyond his sight? A distance I had no hope of achieving. If I landed and hid, Arius’s pinpoint eyesight would see exactly where I went down and would find me within seconds.

  One reasonable option remained. The griffin’s right wing dipped, and we began to angle more to the east. I checked Thaya’s progress, and her faerie guardian adjusted her course to intercept me. She was closing the distance between us, and my course correction hadn’t helped. I lifted my head and squinted, unable to make out my destination in the distance. Maybe I only needed to get close to my goal in order for Thaya and Arius to back off. I hoped Dramian would be welcoming.

  Thaya’s flying woman drew close. I almost felt like a fugitive outrunning the cops. I half-expected Thaya to pull along beside me and say, “Hey you! Pull over!” But I knew if Thaya got within reach, she would do more than shout at me.

  Dramian’s camp came into sight. Please let someone be on lookout. Thaya’s warrior was nearly on top of me. I heard the sharp snap of her wings as her shadow loomed above. If they didn’t intervene soon...

  A red dragon rose above the trees and shot toward us. Relief coursed through me. Thaya and Arius would have to back off now. The jaws of the dragon gaped wide, hot fire in its throat. If it blasted fire in this direction it would hit both of us.

  The fiery inferno singed my griffin’s tail feathers as we dove into the trees. Branches slapped my face. They came so fast, I couldn’t see. My griffin’s right wing cracked against a large tree. It snapped back, and we both cried out. We spun toward the earth. Somewhere, my griffin lost hold of me, and I plowed into the ground hard. The beast hit the earth right after me, its body tangled in twigs and brush. I lay unmoving, too weak to move. My body ached, and my right wing pulsed with pain. It must be broken.

  Hands gripped my body and flipped me onto my back. Raedia stared down at me, her auburn hair pulled back into her usual tight braid. “Well, my lady, I don’t know what kind of ill-conceived attack that was but—”

  “No,” I whispered. “... Escape...”

  Her eyes widened, and she sheathed her sword. I didn’t know if she believed me or if she realized I was in no condition to be a threat. Large tree-snapping footsteps shook the earth. Arius had released his golem to retrieve me. I felt a deluge of warmth rush over me as Dramian’s dragon released another bout of fire aimed at Thaya and Arius above. Raedia disappeared from view for about a second before she reappeared in my line of vision. This time, she had a wound-up rope slung over her shoulder. “Don’t move if you don’t want to be crushed,” she said and zipped away again.

  Not that I could move if I wanted to. I turned my head to look at the sorry state of my faerie guardian. Twigs and branches protruded out of its feathers, the legs wrapped in brush. Its right wing jutted out. I was lucky I hadn’t fallen.

  A giant crashing sound echoed, then an angry roar followed by a large gust of air. Trees swayed and creaked around me. Something massive hit the earth. Had Raedia used the rope to trip the giant rock monster? If I wasn’t utterly exhausted, I might have laughed out loud. Raedia was fast enough.

  Then Raedia was back. “They’re gone.”

  Dramian swung down from branch to branch until he landed on the ground. Our eyes met. He frowned.

  “Sir,” Raedia said, “she said she was trying to escape.”

  Dramian stepped up to me, eyes hard. “Is this true?”

  I managed a nod.

  “You’ve had enough of my arrogant brother? So have I. Get up.” He held out a hand. For a moment, I didn’t think I could muster the energy to take it, but slowly, my hand slid into his. He pulled me to my feet. I stumbled, and he steadied me. “Call your faerie guardian back,” he said.

  It took more concentration than I expected, but eventually, my griffin returned to my arm.

  “She’ll be all right,” he said to Raedia. “Take her back to camp. This changes nothing.”

  “Yes, sir,” Raedia said.

  She released her faerie guardian, which looked like a giant leopard with a super long neck. Raedia said it was a serpopard. She helped me climb up on its back.

  I rode, and Raedia walked in silence. My strength gradually returned. That landing had been bad. I needed to be careful not to do something that reckless again. As we drew near, I heard a sound that chilled me. Someone was sharpening a sword. We entered the camp, and I saw several faeries lined up behind an apparatus holding a wheeled stone, each faerie waiting their turn to make their sword more deadly.

  No big deal, I thought, maybe it is sword-sharpening day.

  A tense anticipation filled the camp. Some faeries practiced their sword fighting with a grim intensity, and others paced around. A quick head count revealed all the older faeries were present.

  “Who’s on watch?” I asked as I dismounted from Raedia’s faerie guardian.

  “The younger kids will watch the camp while we are gone,” Raedia said.

  Gone? Suddenly Dramian was there, calling the other kids to attention. Raedia left my side as all the faeries lined up in front of him.

  “Everything accounted for?” Dramian asked Raedia.

  “Yes, sir,” she said. “Except...” Her eyes flicked to me.

  “Except for our unexpected guest.” Dramian turned toward me. “I don’t suppose, having just left, you would want to come with?”

  “You’re going to attack,” I said, putting all the pieces together.

  He scowled. “Don’t be surprised. Arzon saw what happened this morning at the Haven while he was out scouting. They have Iris. We will get him back. Are you staying or coming?”

  “Dramian, remember what happened the last time your two groups fought,” I said.

  His scowl darkened. “You will stay then. I will waste no faerie to guard you.” He turned away from me. “We will surround the manor. You know your positions. Stay clear of the backwoods, they have those birds.”

  I had to stop him. “You would risk more faeries falling to save one—”

  “I will not leave Iris to their mercy.” His voice boomed across the clearing. He did have good reason to worry. The whole reason I left was so Iris would be safe from Nuada’s blackmail. But without me, would Iris even be worth keeping? Maybe they would cut off his ears after all, or make him fall, or something worse. My heart dropped. Had leaving placed Iris in more danger?

  Dramian finished giving instructions, and they were about to leave.

  There had to be a way to stop this. “Then how about a trade?” I blurted.

  Dramian held up a hand and everyone paused. “You?”

  “For Iris,” I said. “They’ll trade. Nuada wants me back.”

  He faced me. “And Arius?”

  “Will do whatever Nuada tells him,” I said, trying to k
eep the bitterness out of my voice but failing.

  A smile spread across Dramian’s face. “I like it.” He turned to Raedia. “Get a pen and paper,” he said. “Plans for attack are on hold. For now. We are going to send our friends at the Haven a message.”

  I PACED BACK AND FORTH, peeking over Dramian’s shoulder as he wrote a lengthy message.

  “Tell them Thaya can’t come,” I said.

  Dramian glanced up at me, tilting his head in consideration.

  “If they bring Thaya, she could use her ability to manipulate the situation. No doubt emotions will be running high. We would lose our advantage.”

  “Good point,” he said and added the condition to the end of the letter. Folding it, he handed it over to Arzon. “See that this gets delivered into Arius’s hands,” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” Arzon said. He bowed and left.

  Dramian leaned back in his chair. “What if they bring Thaya anyway?”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem if they agree to the conditions. Faeries can’t lie, right?”

  “Faeries can find ways around that. It can be difficult to discern the full intent of what others mean. Especially in writing. And even if they do agree in good faith at the time they write the reply, there is nothing to stop them from changing their minds later.”

  “Then, if Thaya is there, I give you permission to drag me back here, kicking and screaming if you have to.”

  His green eyes studied me. “Would they want you back if they knew you were the one who came up with this plan?”

  I slumped down onto a lawn chair. “Arius? Probably not. I think deep down he’s wanted me gone for a while now.” The bitterness was creeping back into my voice, a sign I should move the conversation along. “But Nuada wants me for something. I don’t know what it is, but she will trade no matter what.”

  The response came back within a couple hours. We finished eating dinner when Arzon dropped from a tree and handed Dramian the written note. He read it.